SHORT FILM FACTORY aduce filme cu intrare liberă în peste 20 de orașe din România și în Praga, Cehia

 Mai 2019

SHORT FILM FACTORY (by STTP) te provoacă la film, în cadrul unui eveniment lunar care aduce filme de autor, cu intrare liberă, în peste 20 de locații alternative de proiecție din România dar și în Praga,Cehia.

Când cinematografia îmbrăca hainele de nou născut, filmele erau foarte scurte, uneori durau un minut sau chiar mai puțin. După cortina de catifea a scurt metrajelor, creativitatea îmbrățișează strâns imaginația, libertatea și curajul, reușind să vă ofere o călătorie diferită de fiecare dată. SHORT FILM FACTORY (by STTP) vă invită să vă cunoașteți. Pentru că viața bate filmul.

12 scurtmetraje vor rula în peste 20 de spații alternative din tot atâtea orașe din țară și Praga, Cehia, în ultima

săptămână a lunii mai 2019. O selecție de 150 de minute de film, povești spectaculoase, care continuă o

tradiție de peste 10 ani de proiecții speciale, oferind publicului din România șansa unică de a urmări filme

scurte multi-premiate, cu intrare liberă.

De fiecare dată când dorița de a obține ceva cu orice preț acaparează gândul, reușita e garantată. Cu atât mai mult când vrem să prelungim viața sau poate să-i dăm o șansă de a se curma cu mai puțină agonie și durere. Ireale născociri ale minții fascinează pe cei care-și doresc nemurirea. Farsa jucată propriului călău, lasă paginile goale mult timp după trecerea în neființă a îndrăznețului.

Întâlnirile în care cerul cântă a libertate, în care aromele savurate-n senin se lipesc de memorie precum timbrul de plicul aducător de vești, în care speranțele se înneacă înainte de apus, rămân prinse-n suflet pentru tot restul vieții. Revederile nu sunt tot timpul pe lista cu zâmbete regăsite.  Solidaritatea eșecului nemărturisit , bine ascuns, îi face pe protagoniști să mimeze bucuria. Doar separarea și apropierea pot uni un cuplu. O separare și o apropiere spațială, însă.

Norocul temporar ridică aroganța pe cea mai înaltă treaptă și sunt de obicei scăpate din vedere cele mai importante detalii. Fragilă precum neaua căzută-n foc, puterea se rătăcește-n ruine de fiecare dată când intențiile egoiste aleg fotoliile de catifea, pentru răgaz.

Ancorele emoționale se prind de adâncuri și țin la suprafață neputința de a da timpul înapoi, de a opri fracțiunile de secundă în care ei, cei dragi, pleacă. Călătoriilor le sunt călăuze cântecele bunilor sau luntrașii uitați pe maluri. Detaliile diferite din amintirile comune, surprind și aruncă pe neașteptate în irepetabilul timp pierdut, iluzia pusă-n ramă.

Credințele dictează decizii pripite, conexiunile cu divinitățile ce poartă, sau nu, un nume dau șansa apariției alegerilor care ne îmbracă-n haina invizibilă a unui zeu, pe care unii l-au anulat demult. Ironiile pudrează toate întâlnirile ad hoc în care ura nu are adăpost. Suntem ceea ce ne spunem unii altora că suntem.

Macabrul scoate la iveală soluții inimaginabile în timp ce captivii în planurile altora se împrietenesc cu întrebările retorice și caută răspunsuri indiferent de intensitatea felinarului rămas aprins, răspândind o tinerețe nebună și o dorință de libertate care năucește.

Saci ticsiți cu gânduri, idei, scrieri, flori, regrete și bănuileli. Prin perdea sau prin fereastra deschisă, confesiunea ajunge uneori la urechile cui trebuie. Avântul imaginației e de neoprit, lăsând regretul să câștige detașat.

Aici puteti gasi detalii legate de spațiile de proiecție: http://shortfilmfactory.info/locations/.

Proiecțiile de scurtmetraj sunt organizate de Short to the Point (International Short Film Festival) – o reţea internatională de distribuţie, difuzare şi promovare a filmelor de scurtmetraj. În ultimii ani SHORT FILM FACTORY (by STTP) a reușit să creeze o punte de legătură intre filmmakeri, cinefili și spectatorii ocazionali, având ca scop construirea unui nou tip de comunitate urbană.

Lansat în anul 2009 sub forma unei caravane cinematografice în 28 de orașe din România, STTP a devenit un festival lunar la care se înscriu filme din toate colțurile lumii. Festivalul Short to the Point oferă lunar 13 categorii de premii celor mai bune scurt metraje înscrise, urmând ca acestea să fie proiectate în cadrul evenimentului național Short Film Factory by Short to the Point.

Pentru mai multe informații vă invităm să ne vizitați aici:

This is the list of the films screened at Short Film Factory (by SHORT to the Point) in May 2019.

BEST FILM AWARD @ STTP DECEMBER 2018 AWARDS

Lost Face | Australia-Canada | 2016 | 14’

Director: Sean Meehan

Writer: JACK LONDON (short story), SEAN MEEHAN (adaptation)

Cinematographer: SEAN MEEHAN

Ket Cast: Martin Dubreuil, Gerald Auger, Morris Birdyellowhead

Synopsis: Adapted from the Jack London story: A fur thief must think fast to escape the terrible, protracted death that awaits him at the hands of the native tribe he had helped enslave.

BEST DIRECTOR AWARD @ STTP DECEMBER 2018 AWARDS

The Taste of Love | China | 2018 | 24’

Director: Jinwu HE           

Writers: Tao ZHENG, Xiangxin LI 

Producer: Min ZHANG    

Key Cast: Luqi PENG, Yinzhang ZHU           

Synopsis: The Taste of Love tells a story about the male lead, Jianjun played by Yingzhang Zhu. He came from an unprivileged family, making a living by selling crispy ducks, but he was longing to change his fate. Yinhe, the female lead played by Luqi Peng, went to Guizhou with her parents when she was 20. She gradually fell in love with Jianjun, the country boy, whom she found simple, authentic and unpretentious, and she wanted to be with him.

BEST SCREENPLAY AWARD @ STTP DECEMBER 2018 AWARDS

TOMASITO (Tommy) | Spain  | 2017  | 12’

Writer: SERGIO SARRIÓN

Directors: IGNACIO F.RODÓ,SERGIO ARRÓSPIDE

Cinematographer: LAURA CACCIA

Synopsis: Firing someone is an easy task. Unless that person has been in the company for 12 years, has a flawless CV and his name is Tommy.

BEST LEADING ACTOR AWARD @ STTP DECEMBER 2018 AWARDS

Teed-Off! | Canada | 2018 | 9’

Actor: Dizzy Daniels                       

Director: Dizzy Daniels   

Writers: Dizzy Daniels     

Producers: Dizzy Daniels

Key Cast: Dizzy Daniels, Caroline Therrien, Mario, Mario Simon Fortin Gauthier        

Synopsis: Our hero spends the day playing golf, but has to contend with pesky newspapers and getting his ball stuck in mud. Later on, he proposes to the girl of his dreams – but loses her to her irate boyfriend.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARD @ STTP DECEMBER 2018 AWARDS

UMAN | Russian Federation | 2018 | 16’

Director of Photography: Nikolay Orlov

Director: Elena Ryabtseva            

Writer: Elena Ryabtseva, Friederike Brin

Producers: Elena Ryabtseva, Alexey A. Petrukhin  

Synopsis: A folklore student arrives in a remote village, but the only informant there refuses to help. Eventually, they discover their life stories are peculiarly complementary.

BEST EDITING AWARD @ STTP DECEMBER 2018 AWARDS

Characters | United Kingdom | 2018 | 11’

Director: Sir Franz Pagot, Rizwan Wadan

Editor: Rachel Durance  

Writers: Ashley Chin, Rizwan Wadan         

Producers: Rizwan Wadan            

Ket Cast: David Schaal, Aaron Taylor        

Synopsis: Our first short film, shot in London, looks into the characters that make up this wonderful city and how importantly judging someone by their appearance defines us more than it defines them. It centres on how our true characters ultimately shine through and breakdown the prejudices and racial barriers that we often put up around us.

BEST COMEDY AWARD @ STTP DECEMBER 2018 AWARDS

RIP | Spain | 2017 | 16’

Directors:CAYE CASAS,ALBERT PINTÓ

Writers: ALBERT PINTÓ & CAYE CASAS

Cinematographer: ANDREU ADAM RUBIRALTA     

Producers: NORBERT LLARÀS      

Ket Cast: ITZIAR CASTRO, JOSEP MARIA RIERA, CARME SANSA

Synopsis: In a small forsaken village, a woman prepares the funeral of her husband with utmost care. She wants everything to go according to plan, since for her it is very important to give a good impression to the guests.

BEST NARRATIVE AWARD @ STTP DECEMBER 2018 AWARDS

M.A.M.O.N – Monitor against mexicans over nationwide | Mexico – Uruguay | 2016 | 5’

Director:Alejandro Damiani

Writer: Ale Damiani, Santi Vecino, Juan Andrés Fontán, Javi Cruzado & Enrique Codesio

Cinematographer: Diego Rosenblatt

Editing: Mathías Chumino

Animation/vfx: Marcelo Torterolo, Javier Torterolo, Edgardo Fernandez, Ale Damiani, Pablo Torterolo, Camilo Veliovich, Fabio Santini, Pablo Torterolo

Key cast: Guillermo Villegas, Ernesto Álvarez, Hector Villalobos, Ernesto Álvarez,

Synopsis: While Donald Trump is undergoing heart surgery, a portal to another reality opens. Latinos start falling from the sky to the desert, on the Mexico – US border, divided by an enormous wall. An hilarious war breaks between a Trump-like mecha robot and several stereotypical Mexican Latinos.

BEST ANIMATION AWARD @ STTP DECEMBER 2018 AWARDS

SELFIES | Switzerland | 2018 | 4’

Director: Claudius Gentinetta

Writer: Claudius Gentinetta

Producer: Claudius Gentinetta     

Key Cast: Peter Bräker, Cécile Brun, Arzu Saglam  

Synopsis: SELFIES is a fireworks display of grinning people who lose themselves in the abysses of human existence. A selfie race around the world.

BEST EXPERIMENTAL AWARD @ STTP DECEMBER 2018 AWARDS

Explore Poland – a Hyperlapse Journey | Poland | 2018 | 6’

Director: Tomasz Walczak

Synopsis: A hyperlapse journey.

BEST MINI SHORT AWARD @ STTP DECEMBER 2018 AWARDS

Sex With Los Ángeles | United States | 2018 | 1’

Director: Jack Ironstone               

Synopsis: I consider:surrender:embrace:accept that I stand on Tongva Land. Thank you.

BEST MOBILE PHONE SHORT AWARD @ STTP DECEMBER 2018 AWARDS

Connection | Russian Federation | 2018 | 4’

Director: Pavel Goncharov

Synopsis: What connects all people, phone, random circumstances, or fate?

BEST AMATEUR AWARD @ STTP DECEMBER 2018 AWARDS

The Carpark | Singapore | 2018 | 8’

Director: Nor Hisham

Writer: Nor Hisham

Producers: Nor Hisham, Lim Li Yin

Key Cast: Firdaus Sani, Lim Li Yin, Tia Andrea Guttensohn, Nor Hisham         

Synopsis: A troubled man in search of the truth, inevitably resorts to lying to his wife.

Amateur Short – Official Selection – March 2019

U really hurt me | Canada | 01’
Director: Callahan Bracken
Writer: Callahan Bracken
Producer:Callahan Bracken
Synopsis: Passivity is a burden. Recently, I had found myself apathetic within relationships that were deeply important to me. I had learned to distance myself from people that I loved, and remain ignorant of any possible consequences. As I learned to make space for my own growth and healing, it often bordered on self-isolation. Following a boy as he fails to communicate with the world around him, “u really hurt me” is an exploration of this misguided healing in a surreal, animated self portrait.

This is Me | Romania | 2019 | 05’
Director: Andrei Cosmin
Writer: Andrei Cosmin
Producer: Andrei Cosmin
Synopsis: In a society that hasn’t decided yet whether to accept or deny the LGBTQ+ community, coming out can be a hard task. But, out there, some people still find the courage to reveal their true selves.

Hady | Italy | 2018 | 13’
Director: Riccardo Di Gerlando
Writer: Riccardo Di Gerlando Nicola Lucchi
Producer: Zuccherarte – L’Aquilone Onlus
Cast: David Audam – Bernadette Matagne
Synopsis: Hady is a child from Senegal who has just arrived in Italy for a little over a year. Despite his mother’s recommendations about his new country, there seems to be a strong desire to return home .

The Hidden Dancer | United States | 2018 | 09’
Director: Min Kim
Writer: Michael Doran
Synopsis: A well-known dancer Barry Lynn passed away at the age of 103 in January 2018. Studied with many renowned modern dance pioneers, Lynn started his dance company after serving in World War II. Since moving to Wisconsin in 1978, he lived a quiet life performing and choreographing until the ripe old age of 100. This short documentary was filmed in 2013 when he was 98 years old.

Windows | United States | 2019 | 07’
Director: Leonardo Pierotti
Writer: Leonardo Pierotti
Producer: Anne A. Ashbey
Cast: Noe Castrejon, Corinne DeLuca, Louis Pierotti
Synopsis: Windows tells the story of James, a young boy entangled in difficult relationships with each of his estranged parents. After a physical altercation with his mother, James escapes, and flees from her house.

I Can’t Breathe | United Kingdom | 05’
Director: Shad Deen
Writer: Shad Deen
Producer: Shad Deen, Yad Deen
Cast: Marcus Tischauser
Synopsis: Living in the peripheral vision of those failing him, a young boy’s secret struggle overwhelms him.

Animation Short – Official Selection – April 2019

Passage | Serbia | 2019 | 07’
Director: Igor Coric
Writer: Igor Coric
Producer: Igor Coric
Cast: Hristina Popović, Teodora Ristovski, Nebojša Cile Ilić, Miloš Vlalukin, Nikola Šurbanović, Stefan Bundalo , Bojan Žirović, Danilo Arnautović, Dimitrije Zlatanović
Synopsis: After our hero, a young boy, is left alone to die in the midst of war and destruction, the last members of his tribe are dismantled to basic geometric forms under enemy fire. Taken by the feeling of sorrow and loss, the boy builds a totem out of their remains. Armed with this new structure, he continues towards another confrontation, with an unexpected twist.

Moon Above The Raging Sea | Australia | 2019 |06’
Director: Steven Jerram
Writer: Steven Jerram
Producer: Louise Sergent, Steven Jerram
Cast: Rinalda Fārāian, Giovanni Ferron
Synopsis: Late one night, a 17-year-old girl flies from Yugoslavia to Italy in a tiny, home-made airplane. ‘Moon Above The Raging Sea’ is both a lo-fi, abstract ‘painted dream’ – and a first-person retelling of the 1991 Škabrnja massacre.

Yuukai-ANNA | Japan | 2018 | 28’
Director: Kaichi Sato
Writer: Kaichi Sato
Producer: Kaichi Sato
Cast: Hana Takeda, Toshiyuki Morikawa
Synopsis: 196X. Anna, an enigmatic and attractive professional kidnapper, abducts The Professor during his wedding ceremony on request from one of the latter’s former girlfriend. This woman, whose face Anna has never seen, wishes to die with The Professor before he marries. Leaving the church with The Professor on the back seat of her motor-bike, Anna starts on the journey to the fictional city of “Alpha Paris”. “Anna” is a tribute and homage to old movies of the 60’s, a ideally highly effective sophisticated cartoon with trendy visual effects.

Blieschow | German | 2019 | 10’
Director: Christoph Sarow
Producer: Lena-Carolin Lohfink
Synopsis: Vast plains, colorful sceneries, a red dog, that seems to reach into the sky. This is how Tom experiences summer in Blieschow, his grandfather’s farm. He feels overwhelmed by the exuberance of nature and finds himself in a constant competition with his cousin, who is seemingly better at everything. Envy starts to grow in little Tom. Doing everything to be recognized and loved Tom soon reaches his limits.

Children Short – Official Selection – April 2019

I’ve just had a dream | Spain | 2014 | 08’
Director: JAVI NAVARRO
Writer: JAVI NAVARRO, PEDRO HERRERO
Producer: JAVI NAVARRO
Cast: ANDREA MAS, ESTELA DEL CARMEN
Synopsis: Irene is eight and she just woke up from a horrible dream.

A Home for Curiosities | United States | 2019 | 17’
Director: Ben Tobin
Writer: Ben Tobin
Producer: Shannon Ryan, Ben Tobin
Cast: Nathaniel Ruth, Vanessa Libbey, Ripley Dresser, Richard Ballon, Emily Rose Pequin, Delta Carney, JC Ortega, Jay Allen
Synopsis: A young boy discovers a house full of forgotten imaginary friends. Along with his friend Alice, Wallace helps bring these curiosities back to the real world to meet new human companions.

Jellyfish | United States | 2018 | 07’
Director: Marcin Gizycki
Writer: Marcin Giżycki, Tom Roberts
Producer: Marcin Gizycki, Peter O’Neill
Cast: Tom Roberts
Synopsis: A group of kids visits a nature center with their teacher. They go to a room with a tank of jelly fish. The teacher starts to lecture, and the longer he talks, the more excited the kids get. But this is not the lecture that captures their attention.

Boredom | Switzerland | 02’
Director: Misato Inoue
Writer: Misato Inoue
Producer: Misato Inoue
Cast: Misato Inoue
Synopsis: A small piece playing with vivid imagination out of boredom. Probably we all need to get little bored and let it be in order to have some space so that something unexpected can happen.

Leetha | United States | 2018 | 04’
Director: Davonne Dupart
Synopsis: Leetha is a six year-old girl who is headed to school on her own for the first time. Her mother, although reluctant, lets her daughter go. Leetha becomes frightened along the journey and her fears manifest into a giant crow that chases her. Her mother follows behind drawing chalk bridges, tunnels and a birdcage to trap Leetha’s fears and help her arrive at school.

Documentary Short – Official Selection – April 2019

Stereotypy | Spain | 2018 | 15’
Director: Inés Espinosa
Synopsis: Animal captivity is a human decision. An apparently invisible but in the eyes of anyone behavioral pattern, calls into question the deprivation of freedom through a paranoid choreography.

Post Ebola Sierra Leone | Netherlands | 2019 | 04’
Synopsis: Sierra Leone has endured a period plagued by one of this century’s largest health threats. The country is currently paving the road forwards while facing the challenges of its own recovery along the way. This documentary short provides us with insights from the people who are performing life-changing work on a daily basis.

Rear View Mirror | Australia | 2019 | 12’
Director: Jonathan Terence may
Producer: Liza Boston
Cast: Ingo Hansen
Synopsis: “When the impermanence of life and land collide, what remains inside the heart and soul of a man” Ingo Hansen returns to the desert opal mining town where he grew up, struggling with his health and searching for answers. At a crossroads in his life, he seeks comfort in reminiscing the impact of the harsh landscapes and crazy adventures he had in Andamooka – one of the most remote places in South Australia. 
 Ingo soon realises that the thriving outback town he once loved is now bleak and it mercilessly parallels his own impermanence; the harsh winds of life blow not just on the desert but also inside his heart. In its glory days Andamooka had over 3000 residents, but now the opal has dried up and it is a former shadow of itself – with a total population of 316. 

 It takes a certain type of person to love a place like this, with the isolation and the desolation. Walking through the cemetery Ingo reflects on the grim truths of his reality, and how strange it is to know every body that lies beneath him in the dust. As in life, both the once beautiful landscape and the once promising future he faced are slowly fading way and the story is unforgiving.

Unique | Serbia | 2018 | 30’
Director: Nikola Polic
Writer: Nikola Polic
Producer: Nikola Polic
Cast: Stojan Simic, Darko Nikolic, Teodora Baljak, Vojislav Djordjevic, Esma Hadzic
Synopsis: Thirty-five-year-old Stojan lives in a big city and has various jobs. However, in his spare time, he takes refuge from everyday life in an uncommon place with a group of friends. In a world where words are superfluous, it is possible to communicate only through sincere emotions.

‘’This is your last chance’’ | Netherlands | 2018 | 29
Synopsis: Caregiver Michell Requena breaks through the destructive behavior patterns of put out teenagers with his unorthodox methode. The film brings us in close contact with this approach. An approach for teenagers for whom Michells family home is often the only place where they can go. The film shows how Michell pushes the teenagers to take the responsibilities of their own acts. But somewhere inside the fort of discipline and severity that Michell built around these teenagers, hides a soft room for forgiveness.

Voice For The Voiceless | Russian Federation | 2019 | 33’
Director: Anna Barsukova
Writer: Anna Barsukova
Producer: Anna Barsukova
Synopsis: EN After learning about her diagnosis Marina begins to search for answers to her questions. Fearing disclosure and condemnation, she chooses to trust her thoughts to her diary. But nothing stays hidden for long…
RU Узнав о своём диагнозе Марина начинает искать ответы на интересующие её вопросы. Страшась публичного раскрытия диагноза и осуждения окружающих, все свои мысли Марина записывает в дневнике. Но однажды тайное становится явным…

Experimental Short – Official Selection – April 201

Beautiful | Not Specified | 2018 | 14’
Director: Stepan Nakhaev
Writer: Simon Arms
Producer: Nikita Dovzhenko
Cast: Juraj Zuban, Simon Arms, Valeria Safina, Adam Adams
Synopsis: David will resort to supernatural ritual in order to bring back the brightest day of his life.

Virtual Memory | United States | 2019 | 23’
Director: Julie Goldstein
Writer: Erika Mijlin
Producer: Artifact Pictures
Synopsis: Once there was a time when images were made from head to hand. Devices came into being which allowed the chemical capture of light. Persistence of vision, motion. Electrical capture of light. Distribution and broadcast, reception with the set. Computers – the pixel – a fraction of light – more like pointillism, a comic. The speed, multiplicity of transmission – active viewership. The generation of synthetic images to replicate the real, not necessarily in terms of realism of representation, but in terms of realism in interaction. Interaction, an extension of active viewing. Randomness increases. Screen being replaced by an immersive experience. Projection of a holographic image. Virtual becomes a replacement space.

BABY | Colombia | 2019 | 05’
Director: Janice Angelica
Writer: Janice Angelica, Bing Bang
Producer: Bing Bang
Synopsis: The story of the beginning of life told from the point of view of a baby inside the womb.

Disharmony 2 | Slovenia | 2018 | 01’
Director: Peter Lebar
Writer: Peter Lebar
Producer: Peter Lebar
Cast: Peter Lebar
Synopsis: Disharmony is one-minute movie, the answer to the EU and its search for common solution for people coming from the South.

Todorov on The Threshold | Denmark | 03’
Director: Ida Andreasen
Composer, Lyddesign
Producer: Maj Andersson
Cast: Hamun
Synopsis: The unspoiled forest – You may not enter! A human enters nature, along with him comes toxic waste and chemistry. Strange formations, colors and creatures are created when human made chemistry meets nature.

Fallin | Japan | 2018 | 30’
Director: Tomohiko Tsuji
Writer: Tomohiko Tsuji
Producer: Tomohiko Tsuji
Cast: Marino Okazaki, Yuichi Nishida
Synopsis: There are two artists of Outsider Art. They have a mental disability. Their drawings which they drew with an urge are, in a measure, transcendental. In order to experience something which is hidden in the deep mind of human beings, high-resolution 4K camera and high-definition lens will fall into their drawings.

Aurora | Russian Federation | 2019 | 12’
Director: Pavel Turenko
Writer: Pavel Turenko
Producer: Pavel Turenko
Cast: Ekaterina Gorina, Eva Yukhlimova
Synopsis: Everyone had a period of life when it seemed that this world was created for anyone but not for you. In this moment you start to withdraw into yourself, separate from the outside world and all the people around. When you make a step on this road the only way you have is a way down. This is where we meet a heroine of a movie. Hiding in the darkness, seeing no one around she finds her only salvation in writing a book – a story of her feelings, her emotions, her pain. Will she finish it or this is a story that has no end?

Under The Surface (Tagebruch) | Germany | 2018 | 28’
Director: Julia Schneider
Writer: Julia Schneider
Cast: Simone Müller, Julia Sontag, Erika Garces Fernandez
Synopsis: CHIARA is fighting a fight no one can see. For others, her life seems normal and her problems seem quite common. The truth is: she can’t enjoy all the of the beautiful houses, the music or the sound of the river in the idyllic little town of Weimar. Everyday life in this picture book world is increasingly becoming a torture for her. She hides more and more behind her mobile phone and loses herself in her video diary.

Mini Short – Official Selection – April 2019

Culprit | Taiwan | 2018 | 03’
Director: Shuan Yu Lin
Writer: Shuan Yu Lin
Producer: Seadog Lin
Cast: Seadog Lin, Mooi Yang
Synopsis: A man ran into the public toilet and received a photo of himself, then he realized he was in a very horrible situation.

We are future | Germany | 2019 | 03’
Director: Niina Walter, Moreen Hoffmann
Writer: Moreen Hoffmann
Producer: Moreen Hoffmann
Cast: Marie Anne Fliegel, Marius Weingarten

Daddy Issues? | Ireland | 2019 | 01’
Director: Tony Kelly
Writer: Tony Kelly
Producer: Mark Coffey, Tony Kelly
Cast: Tony Kelly, Juliette Crosbie, Michael Power, Joan Fleetwood
Synopsis: A young woman brings her new boyfriend home to meet her parents for the first time as he tries to win the approval of her over protective father.

Music Video Short– Official Selection – April 2019

Mongol | United States | 2019 | 10’
Director: Hao Zheng
Writer: Hao Zheng
Producer: Shincy Lu
Cast: Nan Li, Jiseung Cho, Kevin Zhang
Synopsis: A man spent years seeking redemption after abandoning his mother when he was a child.

Suicide Salmon – Leaving For Good | Switzerland | 2019 | 04’
Director: Lasse Linder
Writer: Lasse Linder, Nicolas Büttiker
Producer: Luzius Fischer
Cast: Antoinette Ullrich, Mindaugas Matulis, Werner Biermeier, Susanne Katrin Vogel
Synopsis: A wealthy family lives in perfect harmony. Their daily life consists of smiling happily, housekeeping and praying together. An accident shatters this illusion and reveals a deeply kept secret.

Red Eleven – Starry Eyes | Finland | 2019 | 05’
Director: Jesse Haaja
Writer: Jesse Haaja
Producer: Jesse Haaja
Cast: Bianca Bradey
Synopsis: She’s the girl with starry eyes, about to do a sacrifice. Can’t find a cure for her blackened heart because there ain’t no man under her umbrella. Crawling through the dark room, she begins to smile. Her luck is about to change.

MORGAN WILLIS – Let’s Go Together | France | 2019 | 07’
Director: jérome piel-desruisseaux
Writer: jérome piel-desruisseaux
Producer:
Cast: Anthony Légal, céline berti, pitt sentenac, Margot Sawa, Laureen Sentenac, Maud Sentenac, Alexandre Mouriès
Synopsis: Music video for the artist “MORGAN WILLIS” A lonely boy in need of love decides to create a female robot.

Himalaya Cocktail | Italy | 2019 | 04’
Director: Danilo Currò, Marco Mingolla
Writer: Alessandra Pieroni
Producer: Cattive Produzioni
Cast: Selene Caramazza, Gianvincenzo Pugliese

Narrative Short – Official Selection – April 201

Ideal Homeland | China | 2019 | 16’
Director: Bowie
Writer: Christopher Bryan
Producer: Dai Hongong
Cast: Yang Jin
Synopsis: The story takes place in the near future, when AI (Artificial Intelligence) controls human, and we start to work for AI. The hero of the story, Joe, as the carrier of AI’s sexual experience, does the most mechanical task every day to obtain the credits on which we depends for survival in AI society. In such oppression of slavery, Joe yearns for the freedom of independence.

Beyond the Working Day | Brazil | 2019 | 18’
Directors: Gabriel Silveira, Victor Furtado
Writer: Gabriel Silveira
Producer: Caroline Louise
Cast: Vitor Colares, Yuri Yamamoto, Liana Fonteles, Ana Cristina Viana
Synopsis: The official of a tourist agency is in charge of providing a new and unusual service to his employer.

Hedieh | Islamic Republic of Iran| 2018 | 16’
Director: Sahar Sotoodeh
Writer: Sahar Sotoodeh
Producer: Ashkan Ashkani
Cast: Yasna Sirati
Synopsis: Hedieh, a 14 year old girl escaped from the school service and her friend was forced to explain the reason behind it…

THE BAR | India | 2018 | 12’
Director: ANEETA PATEL
Writer: ANEETA PATEL
Producer: NITIN MATHUR
Cast: SUDHANSHU PANDEY, ANUSHKA GHORPADE, DHRITI SAHARAN, PALAK SIDHWANI
Synopsis: Kabir is a suave, sophisticated,successful singe man of today who lives in the fast lane. It’s about a few nights of his life and the turns and twists it takes at a bar as he charms beautiful women. Life unfolds and leaves him with a startling reality check.

The Tree and the Pirogue | France | 2018 | 25’
Director: Sébastien MARQUES
Writer: Sébastien MARQUES
Producers: Sébastien MARQUES, Mélissa Malinbaum
Cast: Iabe Lapacas, Jean-Pierre Swan, Maurice Haeweng
Synopsis: The life of a Melanesian tribe is disrupted by the progressive arrival of modernity. Iabe, a young Melanesian, finds this change very hard to cope with and gets lost between his traditions and this modernity.

DANGER BLASTING KEEP AWAY! | Russian Federation | 2019 | 19’
Director: Sasha Potapova
Writer: Sasha Potapova
Producer: Katerina Vyblova
Cast: Irina Rakhanova, Kamilla Ratunda, Oleg Bilik, Anton Pakhomov, Egor Baranovskiy, Maria Golitsyna
Synopsis: Catherine is constantly trying to manage Anna’s life, telling her what to do and what to wear, in an attempt to extend her control, Catherine even seizes Anna’s passport. Anna decides to run away with an older guy, Vitalya, meanwhile accidentally saying to Catherine’s new boyfriend that her mom’s still seeing her ex.

Smachnogo/Bon Appétit | Ukraine | 2018 | 20’
Director: Dzen Yevstygneykin
Producer: Dana Sebesevych
Cast: Dmitro Savyanenko, Volodimir Ostapchuk, Alexander Vasin, Ivan Gubanov
Synopsis: The film depicts the way of two friends to victory in the culinary contest “CookNOW”. It all starts with main character, Mykola Pshenytsia, he starts the introduction to his life to the audience. More specifically: his father is a Ukrainian who came to France and became a successful chef there. He met his future wife and they raised a family in France. So when Mykola is born, there is no choice for him except becoming a chef as his father did. Now Mykola is 25. Like father, he is engaged in culinary. But unlike him, Mykola combines culinary with travellings. Together with his best friend Patrick, they are – foodbackpackers. Young men travel through different corners of the world with a huge backpack slinging behind full of culinary secrets. During the trip, friends learn about different traditions and local culinary tricks, gain and exchange experience. Mykola and Pat came to Ukraine in search of a victory in the “CookNow” contest. Upon arrival our heroes were extremely impressed with local cuisine, so they immediately decide to put together ukrainian and their distinctive french traditions. During the film, friends face numerous challenges. The major one is their main opponent – chef Alik, local gastronomic star well-known throughout Ukraine. The second problem is products that our heroes are so accustomed to and which are somewhat hard to find at markets, especially if you are not local. Third is the development of new recipes. Ukrainian cuisine seems to be terra incognita and decision – to tame it right before the competition, – is extremely risky. Nevertheless, due to skill and fortune, they get their cherished victory. The film ends with a happy ending, the guys win the competition and open their own restaurant. The story ends with a scene in which competitive opponent Alik gives a visit to a new establishment of Mykola and Pat. It is clear to the audience that all the fights between Alik, Mykola and Patrick are over and they became good friends.

TAMA | Greece | 2018 | 18’
Director: GIANNIS BLETAS
Writers: GIANNIS BLETAS/ YANNIS HATZIKYRIAKOS
Producer: GIANNIS BLETAS
Synopsis: A family lunch, a piece of fanouropita and a dead body.

Acid Fantasy | United States | 2019 | 30’
Director: Lorenzo Lanzillotti
Writer: Lorenzo Lanzillotti
Producers: Lorenzo Lanzillotti , Angela Carbone
Cast: Patrcik Merveille, Elizabeth Tate, Henry Trueheart, Dallas Maxwell, Katya Pylova, Lauren Miller, Jonathan Ridore, Elexis Ross, Sally Connors, Sheila Ball
Synopsis: A self-destructive young man gets caught up into a mystery while searching for a lost love.

Zeil Zuigen | 06’
Synopsis: A man grapples with the tedium of his day haunted by symbolic visions of his soul-crushing present life and those of another time and place.

Our Next Caller | United States | 11’
Director: Troy Whitaker
Writer: Troy Whitaker
Producers: Christian Ackerman, Troy Whitaker
Cast: Eric Roberts, Bert Emmett, AJ Fleuridas, J. Christopher Sloan
Synopsis: A failing legal advice radio program gets a sudden boost in popularity when a mysterious caller offers a violent proposal.

Night Tales | United States | 2018 | 10’
Director: Randy Rubin
Writers: Randy Rubin, Will Winner
Producers: Aaron Dean Eisenberg, Claire Dub
Cast: Will Winner, Petey DeAbreu, Julia Morrison
Synopsis: Petey just left his girlfriend and Will probably has a drug problem. They head into the city for a night out and question if they are, in fact, good guys.

Bloodburn | Netherlands | 2018 | 07’
Director: Jasper Bronkhorst
Writer: Jasper Bronkhorst
Producer: Monne Tuinhout
Cast: Shane Redondo, Reinout Bussemaker
Synopsis: What if someone commits a horrible crime and afterwards gets promoted to a powerful position within de Department of Defense where he is legally untouchable? In a desperate attempt, a young soldier forces a high ranking officer into a confrontation by hijacking a bar. The young soldier gives him a choice between two options: confessing or paying the ultimate price.

Series Web/TV Short – Official Selection – April 2019

Mindfully Mandy | United States | 04’
Director: Amanda Hurley
Writer: Amanda Hurley
Producer: Amanda Hurley
Cast: Amanda L Hurley
Synopsis: Floundering millennial, Mandy, creates a guru persona and starts her own Mindfulness series in an attempt to find meaning and purpose in her life.
Episode 1- The Great Outdoors
Simplify! Get back to nature! Quit your job and sell your things! Wouldn’t YOU like to begin anew?
Join in these glorious suburban woods as we begin our spiritual Journey…. together.

God Inc. | United States | 2019 | 15’
Director: Dino Lalic
Writer: Dino Lalic
Producer: Dino Lalic
Cast: Matthew Gallagher, Matthew Gallagher, Matthew Gallagher, Nicholas Messina, Nicholas Messina, Nicholas Messina, Stephanie Garrido
Synopsis: Billionaire Jesus H. Christ, the founder and CEO of God Inc., becomes the richest man in recent human history, lead by his never ending greed he decides to cut benefits for his employees. One of his employees, L., is ready to do whatever it takes to reverse Christ’s decision. A battle for the future of the employees unfolds

Stories of Bike: FASTER | Australia | 2018 | 10’
Director: Cam Elkins
Producer: Marina Mann
Cast: Alicia Elfving
Synopsis: For Alicia, riding her custom Ducati Monster fast is so much more than simple fun.

Short Comedy – Official Selection – April 2019

Subs | United States | 2019 | 13’
Director: Venk Potula
Writer: Leland Frankel
Producers: Venk Potula, Dana Joeli
Cast: Dana Joeli, Venk Potula, David Lengel, Alex Chavez
Synopsis: Two rival substitute teachers are forced into a brutal game of one-upsmanship as they compete for a job at an elite elementary school.

Quest For Fire | United Kingdom | 2018 | 07’
Director: Patrik Bergh
Writer: Patrik Bergh
Producer: Russell Curtis
Cast: Adam Shaw, Roger Thomson, Adriano Almedia
Synopsis: When Doug’s family finally has had enough of his obsession he turns for help from a self-help group with a difference.

Short Drama – Official Selection – April 2019

Such a Sweet Life | Azerbaijan | 2018 | 15’
Director: Lala Aliyeva-Klychkova
Writer: Lala Aliyeva-Klychkova
Producer: Maria Ibrahimova
Cast: Sabina Bakhisheva
Synopsis: The daily routine of a woman chocolatier starts from the early dawn and finishes late after dusk. She observes the shop visitors buying the chocolate she makes but can’t eat because of diabetes. Everything changes when she tastes a bit.

In the bedroom | France | 2019 | 15’
Director: Léonard C. Héliot
Writer: Léonard C. Héliot
Producer: Léonard Héliot
Cast: Dominique Dani, Hortense Belhôte
Synopsis: A couple separates… This is the suspended moment, frozen in the night, when the breakup is at stake.

Sunday 11.00-12.00 | United Kingdom | 2018 | 11’
Director: Stelios Koukouvitakis
Writer: Stelios Koukouvitakis
Producer: Stelios Koukouvitakis
Cast: Danai Epithymiadi, Lefteris Vasilakis
Synopsis: A young couple comes back from a night out. Suddenly they are attacked on the street. Their reaction will mark their lives. A short film about dilemmas, choices and the price to pay for them.

Within the Deep | Canada |2018-12-31 00:18:00
Director: Andre Kerico
Writer: Andre Kerico
Producer: Andre Kerico
Cast: Andre Kerico, Madison Claringbold
Synopsis: Damien and Isabel face extreme measures in their relationship. Not knowing whether to pull the plug, they continue to ride the devastating roller coaster.

Swept Away | United States | 2019 | 13’
Director: Thomas Grascoeur
Writer: Sheri Davenport
Producers: Sheri Davenport, Thomas Grascoeur
Cast: Laura Galley, Henri Rizk, Pascal Besson
Synopsis: Paris. She’s English, he’s French. A rendezvous in a tea room. But there’s more to te story

In the Field | India | 2019 | 16’
Director: Julian Coldrey
Writer: Julian Coldrey
Producer: Julian Coldrey
Cast: Dhanil Krishna, P. Balachandran
Synopsis: A beautiful field where magic can happen; things are lost and then found again. ‘In the Field’ tells the story of a father and son, painfully separated but never really apart.

Short Fantasy/Sci Fi – Official Selection – April 2019

HUMAN EXTINCTION | France | 08’
Director:Jordi Manca, Vincent Vallon
Writers: Jordi Manca, Vincent Vallon
Producer: Ilyass Malki
Synopsis: A sci-fi tale of a creature seeking to destroy its creator.

Human Alike | Italy | 2019 | 05’
Director: Emanuele Milasi
Writer: Emanuele Milasi
Producers: Emanuele Milasi, Chaker Ben Yahmed
Cast: Viviana Toscano, Salvatore Pappalardo, Daniele Lombardo
Synopsis: In a world without nature, the humanity has learned to eat garbage and technology. In Sicily, Tony, a chip farmer, has a secret to reveal to Lucia, his best friend just married with a some kind of robot called “Human Alike”.

Deathcar | Greece | 12’
Director: Andreas Vakalios
Cast: Nefeli Economou, Nikos Zegkinoglou, Aris Antonopoulos, Daphne Katsarou, Theodoros Charalambous, Theofilos Tsimas
Synopsis: A girl quarrels with her dad. 80 km/hour. A guy drives drunk. 100 km/hour. A guy gets his body out the window. 120 km/hour. A girl flirts indiscreetly. 140 km/hour. A guy passes ouzo and weed around. 160 km/hour. A guy has an epileptic seizure. 180 km/hour.

WANDERBOY | United States | 2019 | 17’
Director: Thomas Bernos
Writer: Thomas Bernos
Producers: Thomas Bernos, Mayra Bernos
Cast: C.J. Baker, Ashton Quiroz, Val Temirov
Synopsis: At death’s door and ready for his final voyage, old Ben is visited by Paco, the imaginary friend he grew out of long ago. Ben cannot see nor hear him anymore, but the boy won’t give up and will follow his old buddy till the end of the road – to mysterious islands or fantastic worlds? – where it leads matters not.

Your last day on earth | Spain | 2018 | 12’
Director: Marc Martínez Jordán
Writer: Marc Martínez Jordán
Producer: Alex Maruny
Cast: Sònia Masuda, Enric Auquer
Synopsis: A Fox-dressed man breaks the spacetime limits with only one goal: to spend some time with his wife. But bellow this recreational act there’s a far more complex and ambitious plan

OPEN | Spain | 2019 | 15’
Director: VICTOR SOLÉ
Writer: VICTOR SOLÉ
Producer: ANDREI FILMS
Cast: TATIANA VAN GERWEN, VICTOR SOLÉ, ALVARO DE TOVAR
Synopsis: A couple’s tranquil weariness is broken when they receive some videos via the internet in which they end up being the lead roles.

Short Horror – Official Selection – April 2019

Disquiet | United States | 2019 | 15’
Director: Mike Suchmann
Writer: Mike Suchmann
Producer: Camille Viollet
Cast: Esin Varan, Daniel Benhamu, Gabe Gathmann
Synopsis: Sophie, a young pregnant woman, awakens in the middle of the night after an intense nightmare, feeling that something is inside her home.

Non è vero | Ukraine | 2019 | 08’
Director: Sergiy Pudich
Writer: Sergiy Pudich
Producer: Sergiy Pudich
Cast: Eleonora Mineo, Franco Scorretti, Francesca Scorretti, Laura Scorretti-Pudich
Synopsis: A small girl bored while staying alone with her busy Grandpa in his house. She tries in any possible ways to grab his attention, but something goes wrong…

Reprisal | Lebanon | 09’
Director: Mike Malajalian
Writer: Mike Malajalian
Producer: Mike Malajalian
Cast: Lisa Debs, Anatole Saadeh
Synopsis: A young woman becomes anxious at the news of the return of her husband who disappeared 30 years ago during the civil war.

Student Short – Official Selection – April 2019

Date | United Kingdom | 06’
Director: Dimitris Konstantinou-Hautecoeur
Writer: Dimitris Konstantinou-Hautecoeur
Producers: Dimitris Konstantinou-Hautecoeur, Paul Farquharson, Claire Ibbotson
Cast: Dean Gregory, Michelle Allan
Synopsis: On an ordinary bus journey, something extraordinary happens. Two awkward strangers fall in love at first sight. Or so it appears. Is this really the first time they ‘ve laid eyes on each other?

Below A Dark Wood | United States | 2018 | 14’
Director: Bill Slovick
Writer: Bill Slovick
Producer: Bill Slovick
Cast: Jesse Massaro, Lucy McMahon, Jackie McMahon
Synopsis: A missing woman. A troubled man. A dark wood full of mystery. What moves among the trees? What secrets lie buried? And what comes creeping in the dead of night?

Theory of EVAlution | Australia | 2018 | 05’
Director: Eva Justine Torkkola
Writer: Eva Justine Torkkola
Producer: Eva Justine Torkkola
Cast: Eva Justine Torkkola
Synopsis: Eva Justine Torkkola, an Australian actor, takes the reins on her flailing career by playing all the different characters in her ‘acting showreel’. A short comedy.

Happy Marriage | Slovakia | 13’
Director: Erik Jasaň
Writer: Erik Jasaň
Producer: Erik Jasaň
Cast: Peter Čižmár, Dana Košická
Synopsis: The movie Happy marriage tells the story of a married couple which breaks apart after the death of their only child. Andrej and Eva, husband and wife, are inevitably getting to the point of the imaginary crossroad. There is nothing keeping Eva in the marriage so she deeply desires to leave. Andrej is becoming self-aware of his aggressive nature and tries to change the situation of their marriage.

We do us | Netherlands | 2018 | 03’
Director: Mary janssen
Writer: Mary janssen
Producer: Mary janssen
Cast: Verena Kutschera, Zé de Paiva
Synopsis: In how far are we defined by others? Is our identity built on a central core, do we have essentialistic elements? Or are we more defined by interacting with the world we live in, transformed by influences of others and our surroundings? A first exploration.

I’M VICTOR | Russian Federation | 2018 | 11’
Director: Inna Tsgoeva
Writer: Inna Tsgoeva
Producer: Inna Tsgoeva
Synopsis: Victor is alone here. He looks back at his life in order to figure out why he is here. Silence interrupted by the lonely voice of a man pronouncing his own name.

And Again, Her | Australia | 2018 | 07’
Director: Sinclair Suhood
Writer: Pierce Hadjinicola
Producer: Sinclair Suhood
Cast: Melanie Jarnson
Synopsis: An Unnamed Female is sitting in a chair, she is mentally broken. She is reciting to the camera her story of domestic violence. A car is travelling fast down a quiet suburban street. It stops suddenly, and the Unnamed Female steps out of the car. She slowly paces towards the burning house, then stops.

No Heroes | Sweden | 2019 | 19’
Director: Kamil Loutfi
Writer: Kamil Loutfi
Producers: Josef Carlborg, Love Örterström
Cast: Hannes Fohlin, Simon Eggers, Börje Lundberg, Ludwig Hertzman Linde, Sara Holmström, Emma Melkersson, Stefan Lundaahl
Synopsis: Taxi driver Daniel picks up his last fare for the night, a boy and his father in a hurry to get to the airport. When the boy starts acting strangely, Daniel begins to suspect that the father isn’t who he claims to be. No Heroes is a film about finding the courage to act, knowing who to trust in a world of conflicting truths and our responsibility towards strangers.

Kids | Turkey | 2019 | 14’
Director: Melik Kuru
Writer: Melik Kuru
Producers: Melik Kuru, Jennifer Kaiser
Cast: Jason Asher, Maggie Alexander
Synopsis: Two lovers meet in a hotel room on a getaway, only to find that it won’t be easy to check their realities at the door.

Disseminare | Spain | 2019 | 15’
Director: Jools Beardon
Writer: Jools Beardon
Producer:
Cast: Omar Ayuso
Synopsis: Denzo is faced to fight in order to change the DNA classification system of a country powered by racism and hate.

Still blue | Thailand | 2019 | 23’
Director: Pantawat Kanjanaphinyo
Writer: Pantawat Kanjanaphinyo
Cast: Vasita Kaewngam, Thopat Waranyurat
Synopsis: The ending of relationship when love is not the existence of two people.

Asal | Canada | 2019 | 12’
Director: Sepideh yadegar
Writer: Sepideh Yadegar
Producer: Sepideh Yadegar
Cast: Donia Kash, Neda Naji
Synopsis: A story of dance and displacement.

Wolves Gone Hunting | United Kingdom | 14’
Director: Junior Day
Writer: Junior Day
Producers: Francis Cousins , Andre Govia
Cast: Eve Pemberton , Jenna Sian O’Hara, Phillip Ridout
Synopsis: Inspired by true events, based on the before and after events of a shooting; a lesbian couple fall into a dark wonderland of hate when they come to the terms with what they must do to become infamous.

This is the list of the films screened at Short Film Factory (by SHORT to the Point) in June 2019.

BEST SCREENPLAY AWARD @ STTP JANUARY 2019 AWARDS

THE 100TH VICTIM | Canada | 2018 | 20’            

Director: Anthony von Seck          

Writer: Anthony von Seck             

Producer: Anthony von Seck        

Cast: Devon Graye, Anthony von Seck, Tamara Duarte, Tymothy Paul Coderre        

Synopsis: A truck stop diner, a killer confesses his bizarre experiments to a blogger for the LA Times. An unassuming middle-aged man shares his appetite for twisting fate and playing God. He has polaroids of his ninety-nine victims, by the end of their meal, one of them will be the next.

BEST LEADING ACTRESS AWARD @ STTP JANUARY 2019 AWARDS

CLAC! | France | 2018 | 20’        

Actress: Geneviève Emanuelli

Director: Fabien Ara        

Writer: Fabien Ara           

Producer: Fabien Ara      

Synopsis: A family dinner at a Chinese restaurant. MOTHER : « I have Alzheimer. I am going to kill myself. Tonight. » The last meal of a family ready to blow and freaking out.

BEST STUDENT AWARD @ STTP JANUARY 2019 AWARDS

TILL THE END OF THE WORLD | Netherlands | 2018 | 27’              

Director:Florence Bouvy

Writer: Jessie Tiemeijer

Producers: Eefje Helmus, Charlene Vos    

Cast: Linde van der Storm, Juda Goslinga, Gino Mutunda, Fred Goessens, Mike Libanon, Elisa Beuger

Synopsis: Marie is eight years old and loves her dad. In a world where playful dreams can suddenly turn into empty eyes that don’t seem to see her, she tries to stand her own. A story about the strength of a child fighting for the unconditional love of her father.

BEST DRAMA AWARD @ STTP JANUARY 2019 AWARDS

BLOCK | Islamic Republic of Iran | 2018 | 15’     

Director: Mostafa Rabbani           

Writer: Mostafa Rabbani, Farshad Najafi

Producer: Mostaf Rabbani           

Cast: Farhang Omrani     

Synopsis: Ehsan, a 16-year old teenage boy, takes a prostitute home for the first time in the absence of his religious family and with the support of his friend. The prostitute gets into trouble by accident. Ehsan who fears the consequences does something irreversible…

BEST COMEDY AWARD @ STTP JANUARY 2019 AWARDS

Date Night | Romania | 2017 | 17’          

Director: Stela Pelin        

Writer: Stela Pelin, Ioachim Stroe              

Producers: Stela Pelin, Alexandru Mihai, Claudiu Mitcu, Ioachim Stroe , Robert Fița

Cast: Ionuț Niculae, Ilona Brezoianu         

Synopsis: Andrei works at a crummy car-wash. Due to a series of unfortunate events he get’s fired. This is terrible news for Andrei giving the fact that he is getting married soon. At home the couple gets in quarrel and Andrei tells a story to avoid the fight. Who knew this was going to be a bad idea?

BEST NARRATIVE AWARD @ STTP JANUARY 2019 AWARDS

Pillowface | Hungary | 2018 | 11’           

Director: Péter Vácz        

Writer: Péter Vácz           

Producer: Bálint Zágoni  

Cast: Dezső Derzsi, Anna Sándor 

Synopsis: An introverted man creates a pillow friend in his hotel room to ease his loneliness but this new friendship is short-lived when the maid makes the bedding again and again…

BEST DOCUMENTARY AWARD @ STTP JANUARY 2019 AWARDS

INTO MY LIFE | United States | 2018 | 15’

Director: Ivana Hucîková, Sarah Keeling, Grace Remington                            

Producer: UnionDoc       

Cast: Cassandra Bromfield, M. Elaine Bromfield   

Synopsis: Growing up in the largest affordable housing cooperative in Brooklyn, Cassandra’s world was artfully framed by her mother’s Super-8 camera. Today, Cassandra examines and edits these films, gaining insight into the challenges her mother faced as a creative black woman and the importance of her vision.

BEST MUSIC VIDEO AWARD @ STTP JANUARY 2019 AWARDS

THIRSTY EYES – 838  | Austria |   2018 | 06’

Director: Ioan Gavriel     

Writer: Ioan Gavriel, Samuel Ebner           

Producer: Ioan Gavriel   

Cast: Samuel Ebner, Marcin Morga           

Synopsis: 838 is a music-video taking place in its own dark & obscure Eastern European world, a constant escape from oneself in a schizophrenic nightmare. Triggered by a sudden encounter on a lonely road, the protagonist’s grasp of reality starts to fall apart — at fast pace.    

BEST MINI SHORT AWARD @ STTP JANUARY 2019 AWARDS

Beautiful Colors | United States | 2018 | 03’

Director: J. A. Moreno    

Cast: Naomi Morillo       

Synopsis: Beautiful Colors is a glimpse into a forgotten way of seeing. As we make our way into adulthood, the intensity of how we experience the world as children gradually fades away. Flavours are not as sharp, smells are not as pungent, and colors are not as beautiful.   This is what director J.A. Moreno visually illustrates with his latest short film. Inspired by Tennyson’s Favorite Things, Beautiful Colors tells us of how we’ve become tainted by society, losing focus of the dreams, hopes and goals we initially set out with.   Helped by those who have managed to stay true to themselves, Beautiful Colors is a reminder of those special moments when we are finally able to truly see again.

BEST MOBILE PHONE SHORT AWARD @ STTP JANUARY 2019 AWARDS

2FACES | Martinique | 2018 | 1’

Director: Amingo THORA              

Writer: Amingo THORA  

Producer: Amingo THORA            

Cast: David-Alexandre Fatna, Malaï Lise  

Synopsis: A couple preparing a love journey …

BEST FASHION SHORT AWARD @ STTP JANUARY 2019 AWARDS

Moncler Fragment Hiroshi Fujiwara | Poland | 2018 | 02’

Director: Michal Socha, Kuba Socha         

Writer: Michal Socha, Kuba Socha             

Producers: Ron Diamond ACME Filmworks, BrosFX             

Synopsis: Film is a part of Moncler genius immersive event that took place in September in Milan. Ispired by collection Hiroshi Fujiwara, our idea was to destroy old to create new. Surrealistic mix of animated scenes in another dimension, different world including defragmented element such as fire, water, wind . Revolution brings defragmented chaos that evolve to an new world and order.

BEST COMMERCIAL/AD/TVC AWARD @ STTP JANUARY 2019 AWARDS

Be Ready |  Italy | 2018 | 2’

Director: Giacomo Boeri e Matteo Grimaldi                         

Synopsis: The Milan-based production company The Blink Fish returns with the latest fashion film produced for the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (National Chamber of Italian Fashion).  Shot to celebrate Milan Fashion Week SS/19 (18-24 September, 2018), Be Ready sees Ukrainian model Nastya Timos determined to be in top shape for the upcoming Milanese fashion season. Frantically trying on outfits, rehearsing for selfies and relentlessly working out, the result is a humorous and light-hearted interpretation of the excitement taking place during fashion week and the preparation involved.   As is customary for the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana, Be Ready supports the local design scene by featuring a wide range of brands based in Italy, from emerging to more established, namely Arthur Arbesser, Gabriele Colangelo, GCDS, Giannico, Lucio Vanotti, Marco de Vincenzo, Paula Cademartori, Sara Battaglia, Stella Jean and Vivetta.  The Blink Fish and the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana have been collaborating since 2016, developing an increasingly strong online presence with fresh and relevant video content with each fashion season. Some of their most recent works, such as Start the Buzz and Waiting Room, have been internationally recognised and selected by several film festivals, including Berlin Fashion Film Festival, Aesthetica Short Film Festival and the Muse Creative Awards.

SHORT FILM FACTORY aduce filme cu intrare liberă în peste 20 de orașe din România și în Praga, Cehia

 Iunie 2019

SHORT FILM FACTORY (by STTP) te provoacă la film, în cadrul unui eveniment lunar care aduce filme de autor, cu intrare liberă, în peste 20 de locații alternative de proiecție din România dar și în Praga,Cehia.

Când cinematografia îmbrăca hainele de nou născut, filmele erau foarte scurte, uneori durau un minut sau chiar mai puțin. După cortina de catifea a scurt metrajelor, creativitatea îmbrățișează strâns imaginația, libertatea și curajul, reușind să vă ofere o călătorie diferită de fiecare dată. SHORT FILM FACTORY (by STTP) vă invită să vă cunoașteți. Pentru că viața bate filmul.

12 scurtmetraje vor rula în peste 20 de spații alternative din tot atâtea orașe din țară și Praga, Cehia, în ultima

săptămână a lunii iunie 2019. O selecție de 140 de minute de film, povești spectaculoase, care continuă o

tradiție de peste 10 ani de proiecții speciale, oferind publicului din România șansa unică de a urmări filme

scurte multi-premiate, cu intrare liberă.

Monotonia ascunde idei pe care ajungem uneori să le gestionăm fără a discerne cadrele fictive de cele reale în care doar hazardul pare responsabil cu șirul de tragedii ce apar aparent pe neașteptate. Iluzia imortalității, atât de greu de gestionat, sădește gânduri înghesuite în cutii prea mici și astfel dorința de a rămâne pe buzele tuturor, după ce orologiul se va fi oprit, apasă persuasiv și convinge ego-ul să regizeze cele mai sumbre scenarii.

Veștile pe care nu vrem să le auzim declanșează reacții pe care nu credeam că le vom avea vreodată și pun pe masă decizii ad-hoc care par pentru ceilalți lipsite de noimă. Cu toate astea oricât de mare ar fi dorința de a influența gândul fatal încolțit în inima unui om drag, oricât de multe trucuri am scoate din joben așa încât povestea să aibă o pelungire care nu garantează o rezolvare dar pe care ne-o dorim în mod egoist, fiecare dintre noi alege instinctiv pagina pe care nu mai este scris niciun cuvânt. Tăcerile rămân în buchetul de pe masă.

Catrenele în care dragostea copiilor pentru părinți nu-și găsește rimele, se adună în volume care ticsite în biblioteca de mai târziu nu vor mai fi recitite. Inocența și puritatea îmbrățișărilor furate adună-n evantai conexiuni în care dramele oamenilor mari își găsesc tihna. Fricile reușesc de multe ori să domine scena forțând personajele să acționeze ireversibil. Șansa la viața dispare brusc atunci când neputința are rol principal. În întuneric, lama ascuțită ciopârțește asimetric.

 Prieteniile imaginare au farmecul de a nu dezamagi. Totul este aranjat milimetric așa încât armonia să creeze iluzia unui întreg. Cu toate astea, ele au nevoie să prindă viață în fiecare zi atunci când realitatea deschide ușile fără chei. Poveștile rămân în neantul amintirilorde fiecare dată când pelicula surprinde o emoție, un zâmbet, o stare. Documentarea aparent involuntară contribuie la apariția unor mărturii care facilitează imersia în viețile celorlalți atnunci când ei o permit, desigur.

Reușim să fim pregătiți pentru evenimentele importante la care suntem invitați? Cu efort, pregătim minuțios fiecare grimasă și simetrie a unghiurilor în care blitzul va declanșa generând fragmente bune de tipar. Haosul fragmentat își propune să înlocuiască șabloane vechi cu inserții moderne în care elementele constitutive formează un puzzle reciclat expus ochilor critici în cea mai bună lumină.

Cei mai buni actori reușesc să-și curețe la timp măștile de praf, iar fețele-n contur deloc discret uită să-și ia câteva zile libere.

Aici puteti gasi detalii legate de spațiile de proiecție: http://shortfilmfactory.info/locations/.

Proiecțiile de scurtmetraj sunt organizate de Short to the Point (International Short Film Festival) – o reţea internatională de distribuţie, difuzare şi promovare a filmelor de scurtmetraj. În ultimii ani SHORT FILM FACTORY (by STTP) a reușit să creeze o punte de legătură intre filmmakeri, cinefili și spectatorii ocazionali, având ca scop construirea unui nou tip de comunitate urbană.

Lansat în anul 2009 sub forma unei caravane cinematografice în 28 de orașe din România, STTP a devenit un festival lunar la care se înscriu filme din toate colțurile lumii. Festivalul Short to the Point oferă lunar 13 categorii de premii celor mai bune scurt metraje înscrise, urmând ca acestea să fie proiectate în cadrul evenimentului național Short Film Factory by Short to the Point.

Pentru mai multe informații vă invităm să ne vizitați aici:

Amateur Short – Official Selection – July 2019

PIT STOP | United States | 2019 | 04’
Director: Mikail Ekiz
Producer: Madeleine Arana
Synopsis: A Stop-Motion/3D Hybrid Short about a gas station convenience store clerk who has a Magic 8 Ball for a head that can predict the future, he lives in a constant state of paranoia due to the fear that others will discover his secret.

HOME | United States | 2019 | 02’
Director: Jack Haris
Writer: Jack Haris
Producer: Jack Haris
Synopsis: While lost in the middle of the woods, a small child looks for any semblance of safety as they try to traverse their way back home. As they travel down the twisted road, the shadows seem to dance, and the rustling of unseen creatures permeate the otherwise silent night. As the shadows begin to close in and the feeling of despair begins to overwhelm everything else, hope appears in the form of a small light.

Animation Short – Official Selection – June 2019

Fire Flower | 2019 | 06’
Director: Stephan Leeper
Producers: Stephan Leeper, Curtis Wood
Synopsis: A nun, four orphans and a glitchy robot on a quest for beauty. . . what could possibly go wrong? Princess, Fabio, Pigtails and Curly, from St. Mary’s Home for unfortunate Children, are on a field-trip to the botanical garden to celebrate Princess’ birthday. On the way they meet a curious grounds keeper and the fireworks begin. . . quite literally.

Text Complex | Japan | 2019 | 07’
Producer: Haruka Hiramatsu
Director: Mitsuko Okamoto
Synopsis: The protagonist hates the Japanese hiragana letter “hee.” Just the sight of it bothers her. But one day, she finds herself in a parallel world where the same syllabary lives a spectacular life.

Protector of the Center of the Earth | United States | 2019 | 08’
Director: Michaela Wadzinski
Writer: Michaela Wadzinski
Producer: Michaela Wadzinski
Cast: Maria Smal, Simon Gissler
Synopsis: Many kids have tried to dig to the other side of the earth, but what they find at the center may stop them.

Playing at the sea | Belgium | 2019 | 08’
Director: Sacha Brauner
Synopsis: A window onto the closed world of an undetermined beach somewhere by the North Sea, where a little boy hangs out. He meets a girl and together they play poetic, absurd, and sometimes ominous beach games.

Falafel Cart | Kuwait | 2019 | 14’
Director: Abdullah Al-Wazzan
Writer: Abdullah Al-Wazzan
Producer: Abdullah Al-Wazzan
Synopsis: During a stormy night and in the middle of nowhere, a lonely immigrant and falafel vendor stumbles upon a mysterious flower that whirls him into the memories of his past.

The Incomplete | Islamic Republic of Iran | 2018 | 07’
Director: Erfan Parsapour
Writer: Erfan Parsapour
Producer: Ali Shahdad
Synopsis: An animated short about a hungry Otter who is obsessed with perfection. His desire to live in a perfect world may cost him the chance for happiness in the real world.

Documentary Short – Official Selection – July 2019

Missing Parts – Finding My Father in Cuba | Latvia | 2019 | 23’
Director: Jake Tupman
Cast: Elina Geida, Elpidio Esposito Garcia
Synopsis: Until the age of 28 Elina Geida had no idea who her father was. As a young girl growing up in Latvia, she’d always wondered but the information wasn’t there. Then, overnight that changed when she discovered he lived in Cuba. This is her story.

The Collector | United Kingdom | 2019 | 05’
Director: Evripidis Karydis
Synopsis: Meet Mr. Paschalis, a retired bank clerk from Halkidiki, Greece. Mr Paschalis has a passion for collecting old objects. A real passion! With 2000 objects collected over the last 40 years, he has turned his home into a museum where he transforms into an eccentric tour guide who is always willing to put on a show for his visitors.

Prasann | Turkey | 2019 | 11’
Director: TuncTop
Producer: Merve Ayan
Cast: Prasann
Synopsis: Colomb is a very small, silent, simple fisherman village in South West India. Just 4 for months in a year many European families visit this place with their kids and many of them leave Colomb without noticing Prasann. Prasann is a nine years old, ambitious, Hindu boy. His name means “Glad” in English.
Everyday same things are happening in this routine village. Life is slow in Colomb. Sun rises, Fishermans clean their fishing nets. Local restaurant opens to serve the tourist, Fisherman boat goes out for fishing. Dogs follow them all the way on the beach. Crows flying around excited. Same cow is standing in same position. Banana Bread seller guy horns his bike and passes the restaurant. Chef cleans the fresh young hammer head shark. Banana bread seller horns his horn again when he goes back. Chef cooks the fish. Tourist is chilling. Eating and eating. European kids are watching SpiderMan on their iPad in this beautiful nature. Owner of the restaurant watches the latest Bollywood film through his 4G connection. While all of these happening Prasann is practicing fishing with his box which he found in the garbage… In Hindu religion because of their CAST system, if you born poor, you die poor. But Prasann has more than that. When you follow him, feels like he is not just obliged to be a fisherman. It’s obvious that he wants it more than anyone else on this world. He is looking forward to the day that he is gonna go fishing with his uncle and father in a beautiful Colomb morning with that amazing fishing boat. For some of us Prasann has a small world. But in reality with that ambition and creativity he can be “anything” he wants to be. Which he will maybe never be…

INTERVIEWEE: IN THE HOMEMADE WRAP | Greece | 2019 | 10’
Director: Athena Kaloulis
Producer: Athena Kaloulis
DOCUMENTARY on the last man to still be making handmade cinematic posters in Europe and maybe even the world

The Printmaker | United Kingdom | 2019 | 05’
Director:James McLean
Writer: James McLean
Producer: James McLean
Cast: Jonathan Lawes
Synopsis: Short film in association with COS about south London Printmaker Jonathan Lawes. Jonathan creates prints with a distinctly graphic edge, reflecting his love of geometry, shape, and pattern. Working in a loose, organic way, abstract compositions are formed and ultimately develop as his printing process evolves. He has a keen eye for colour and layering techniques, masking some areas off while revealing flashes of intense colour in others. After spending the best part of a decade in Berlin, Jonathan has recently relocated to Peckham, south London and works as an artist and printmaker. He divides his time between designing for a variety of interior clients and working on his own personal silk screen prints and other handmade design products. This film will be showing in COS Coal Drops Yard, on a month long exhibition on Jonathan’s work.

Experimental Short – Official Selection – July 2019

Special Zone | Spain | 2018 | 20’
Director: Lluís Nadal
Writer: Lluís Nadal
Producer: Lluís Nadal
Cast: Jordi Perelló
Synopsis: A mythical journey from light to darkness in an ordinary afternoon.

Everything that is inside you | Russian Federation | 2019 | 04’
Director: Artem Mysin
Writer: Artem Mysin
Producer: Artem Mysin
Cast: Konstantyn Kabanov, Tatyana Bykova
Synopsis: Each and everyone of us is trying to find an answer to the most important question: “Who am I?” And sometimes the answers lead us to the darkest places of our souls.

Fever Queen | United States | 2019 | 08’
Director: Nick Cotrufo
Writer: Nick Cotrufo
Producer: Alex Zhort
Cast: Haley Grosvenor, Molly Flinchum, Roberto McNutt, Amanda McNutt, Nick Blackburn, Samantha Cole, Ioana Zivku
Synopsis: In a hallucinatory world of quiet chaos, a young couple is haunted in their home by a myriad of restless souls

Mini Video Short– Official Selection – July 2019

Storm in the Palace | United Kingdom | 2019 | 02’
Director: Boldizsar CR
Writer: Boldizsar CR
Producer: Olivia Mariotti
Cast: Masha Bacer, Eugenia Fedoroseeva, Cesar Casier
Synopsis: Storm in the Palace is a Fashion Film directed by Boldizsar CR based on the social media campaign for de Grisogono. Shot on location at Badrutt’s Palace Hotel the film is exploring a stormy and luxurious night out with a surreal touch. Using campy, over the top 80’s giallo soundtrack composed by Roly Witherow and Boldizsar’s signature camerawork the film manages to capture the elegance and beauty of the models, location and fantastic jewellery of the brand.

Mummeh | United Kingdom | 2019 | 02’
Director: Kieran Stringfellow
Writer: Kieran Stringfellow
Producer: Malachy O’neill
Cast: amantha Vaughan, Daniel Bell
Synopsis: A young boy asks his mum some very tedious questions while waiting for his doctors appointment.

My Moment – Sennheiser Spec Spot | Germany | 2019 | 02’
Director: Jakob Harms
Synopsis: A mannequin finds its Momentum.

The F word | United States | 2019 | 03’
Director: Lucia Rinaldi
Producer: Whitney Cheng

The Animator | United States 2019 | 1′
Director: Trent Shy
Synopsis: An animator takes his anger out on the source of his frustration… his puppets.

The Chart | United States | 2019 | 03’
Director: Kimberley Hellem
Writers: Mario Candelaria, Tara Cannistraci, Kimberley Hellem
Producers: Kimberley Hellem, Tara Cannistraci, Mario Candelaria
Cast: Tara Cannistraci, Mike Mondrone
Synopsis: FBI? CIA? Mob takedown? What do these two need to figure out as the clock ticks…

Music Video – Official Selection – July 2019

ALPHA | Italy | 2019 |03’
Director: Simone Marangi
Writer: Simone Marangi
Producers: The Blink Fish, Lorenzo Majno, Carlo Alpeggiani, Irene Toniolo, Lisa Valcarenghi
Cast: Aomi Muyock, Thomas Costantin, L’Osannah
Synopsis: A dark trip through vice and desire.

Solar – Lunacy | Poland | 2019 | 05’
Director:Jakub blank
Writer: Jakub blank
Synopsis: Love drives us crazy, it is a drug, psychosis, it besieges us all, losing control of who we are. The story of two couples who are very in love, we see them in different situations full of tension. Unfortunately, all this leads to decay. History of the break-up of the relationship.

Black Champagne | United States | 2019 | 06’
Director: Jeremiah Williams
Writers: Jeremiah Williams, Kenya Crawford, Karahn Crawford-Cole
Producers: Fadjar Kurnia, Rafico Lingga
Synopsis: Black Champagne tells the story of an ancient, magical, Black civilization that attempts to regain their power after falling under relentless attack by a ruthless, exploitative, foreign invader. This is the first installment of an animated music video mini-series. Part II is tentatively titled “Heaven” and is currently in production.

SMACK | 2019 | 04’
Directors: Marta Kaczmarek, Roberto Cura
Writers: Marta Kaczmarek, Roberto Cura
Producer: Papaya Films
Cast: Elżbieta Studniarek, Grażyna Jasiewicz
Synopsis: Music Video made for Papaya Young Directors competition’s 2019 edition.
It was a directorial debut of a creative duo Marta Kaczmarek & Roberto Cura.

Narrative Short – Official Selection – July 2019

Waterfall | Australia | 2017 | 15’
Director: Nora Niasari
Writer: Nora Niasari
Producer: Mary Minas
Cast: Asal Shenaveh, Greg Stone, Gity Madani
Synopsis: Fourteen-year-old Zahra cannot come to terms with her Iranian mother’s new Australian fiancé, Peter. In an attempt to unite the family, Peter and Leila take Zahra on a road trip in search of a waterfall. As they travel deeper into the rainforest, Zahra’s growing tensions with Peter lead to an inevitable distance from the person she loves most.

The discrete way | France | 2019 | 25’
Director: Ho Lam
Writer: Ho lam
Producer: Jonathan Hazan
Cast: Duke Habib, Li Heling, Tapa Sudana, Shue Tien
Synopsis: Wai, a young Asian man in his twenties, lives at his aunt and uncle’s. He works for them as a delivery man. Trapped in a tedious life conditioned by work and a withdrawn community, he meets a solitary man. This encounter will move him deeply.

Tina & Sendy | Croatia | 2018 | 18’
Director: Hani Domazet
Writer: Hani Domazet
Producer: Mirta Puhlovski
Cast: Tihana Lazović, Sanja Milardović
Synopsis: A journey through one day and one night. One porn audition, two girls and the big force that will put that female friendship on test.

Chrysalis | Italy | 2019 | 11’
Director: Beatrice Nalin
Writers: Beatrice Nalin, Federico Mazzei
Cast: Ester Pantano, Simone Chiacchiararelli
Synopsis: Anna is a young woman with anxiety disorders and panic attacks. She has also developed a strong agoraphobia that forces her to stay inside the house. Her brother tries to take care of her in the hope that she will recover from this condition, which is incomprehensible to him. Anna is an artist. Until a few months ago she has had a satisfactory life, but now she looks like a chrysalis sleeping in its silk cocoon – a safe and timeless place. Her work is in a dead end, her flat and lonely days go by monotonously. But in Anna’s deepest unconscious lives a soul capable of rebelling against her own body, a soul which will emerge violently under an unexpected form.

100 EUR | Austria | 2018 | 25’
Director: Aleksey Lapin
Writer: Aleksey Lapin
Producer: Claudia Joldes
Cast: Iulian Postelnicu, Alfredo Minea, Claudia Joldes, Thomas Mratz, Tom Feichtinger
Synopsis: Vienna during Christmas time 2017. ION has read a curious article about Hitler, wo might be found in Argentina, while his older half-brother ANDREI seems to have other problems on his mind. Following the two Romanian half-brothers and their preparations for leaving the city, money is only one side of the coin.

Short Comedy – Official Selection – July 2019

Family jewels | China | 2019 | 15’
Director: Wang Lei
Writer: Wang Lei
Producer: Wang Yin
Cast: Liu Kai, Fu Qi, Cheng Hong, Wang Wei
Synopsis: Our story happens at the time of family planning. In the Chinese countryside, a simple-minded old man undergoes a vasectomy. Human nature is neither good nor evil, it is only a series of absurd actions generated by the abnormal time in which we grow.

FATHER AND DAUGTHER | France | 2019 | 23’
Director: Eric DU BELLAY
Writer: Eric DU BELLAY
Producer: Romain VISSOL
Cast: Sébastien CHASSAGNE, Audrey GIACOMINI, Sabrina SEYVECOU
Synopsis: Paul is taking care of his 6-months odl baby girl Lou – alone and full-time. He never leaves his neighborhood and doesn’t take calls. His loved ones are beginning to worry.

About Faith, Lies, Homely Brute And National Pride | Russian Federation | 2019 |16’
Director: Gennady Kuznetsov
Writer: Ben Gurashke
Producer: Gennady Kuznetsov
Cast: Vladimir Kapustin, Irina Oleynik, Igor Belousov, Alina Kalashnikova
Synopsis: An ordinary Russian husband and his ordinary Russian wife have an argument on the phone. The day comes to a close with an austere dinner. While mom is on her way home from work, dad shares the family’s ugly secret with the children — and they can hardly believe it.

The Victory of Charity | Austria | 2017 | 25’
Director: Albert Meisl
Writer: Albert Meisl
Producer: Lena Weiss
Cast: Rafael Haider, Erwin Riedenschneider, Nora Czamler
Synopsis: not yet

What The Hell | United States | 2019 | 11’
Director: Dede Harlan
Writer: Dede Harlan
Producer: Rachel Ma
Cast: Dede Harlan
Synopsis: What The Hell is a story about two neighbors who don’t get alone with each other end up killing themselves into a heaven and hell transfer station, where they are told only one person can go to heaven, and they have to make a choice.

Avenue Louise | Belgium | 2019 | 30’
Director: Thierry Dory
Writers: Thierry Dory, Christophe Beaujean
Producers: Joao Vinhas, Stéphane Collin
Cast: François Vincentelli, Françoise Oriane, Alexandre Von Sivers, Fred De Loof, Mara Taquin
Synopsis: Yesterday, Bernard had everything to be happy. A successful company, a beautiful four-fronted villa, an automatic lawn mower, a happy divorce and two children. Today, Bernard is going through a rough patch. But Bernard will bounce back. Bernard, it’s a guy who bounces back. We can trust him.

Short Drama – Official Selection – July 2019

The Nun’s Kaddish | Portugal | 2019 | 07’
Director: Luis ismael
Writer: The Center for Historical Research of the Jewish Community of Oporto
Producer: Jewish Community of Oporto
Synopsis: A heart-warming vignette that portrays a true story of inter-religious kindness when a Nun observes a Jewish ritual.

The Last Dream of Kabuki | United States | 2019 | 05’
Director: Wanderson Dos Santos, Fini Maza
Producer: Daniel Merendoni
Cast: Wanderson Dos Santos, Celina Alva
Synopsis: The Last Dream of Kabuki through a XII century Japanese style poetry highlights the passion, honor and death of our main subject connected to present day. This visual poem shot in a dreamy landscape it shows us the inner struggles and demons that we can all relate to.

Kasumi | 2019 | 13’
Director: Candice Mechaly, Philippe Gray
Writer: Candice Mechaly
Cast: Philippe Gray, Candice Mechaly
Synopsis: What happens when everything has been said and there is nothing left to say ? This movie is about a break up, about how you look at someone you loved so much for the last time, how you touch each other for the last time. A couple trapped in wooden cottage, will try to work their couple out and make it though the mist.

A Remarkable Career | Australia | 2019 | 10’
Director: Paul William Dawkins
Writers: Paul William Dawkins, Lauren Hamilton Neill
Producers: Paul William Dawkins, Lauren Hamilton Neill
Cast: Lauren Hamilton Neill, Zoe Carides, Lauren Grimson
Synopsis: Meet Ellen. She’s famous. Really famous… An interview with a notorious woman takes unexpected twists and turns.

Terminus | Netherlands | 2019 | 14’
Director: Jan Pool
Writer: Jan Pool
Producer: Jan Pool
Cast: Joy Verberk, Sander van Amsterdam
Synopsis: Two people, a boy and a girl on a train. They don’t know each other. Both on their way to tie up loose ends. Is there a place they are running to or is it something that they’re running from? After they meet their lives will never be the same again.

30 |Cyprus | 2018 |15’
Director: Constantinos Patsalides
Writer: George Avraam
Producer: George Avraam
Cast: Popi Avraam, Gianna Lefkati, Spyros Georgiou, Andreas Nicolaides
Synopsis: Cyprus,1974. Maria is trying to find anything she can about her son who is in the battlefield. A shocking twist of fate determines the course of the rest of her life. Chypre,1974. Maria est à la recherche d’information concernant son fils qui se trouve sur le champ de bataille. Un terrible revirement de situation va changer le cours de sa vie.

Student Short – Official Selection – July 2019

How good that you are here! | Austria | 2019 | 06’
Director: Elias Rauchenberger
Writers: Elias Rauchenberger, Julia Graninger, Mara Uhl, Philipp Hafner
Producers: Elias Rauchenberger, Philipp Hafner
Cast: Lukas Michelitsch
Synopsis: “How good that you are here!” is about a young pianist, who starts to rethink past relationships, because he has to deal with a detuned piano string.

Last Game | Israel | 2019 | 14’
Director: Jordan Sultana
Writer: Jordan Sultana
Producers: Saray Salman, Shahar Tenne
Cast: Yussuf Abu Warda, Arie Tcherner, Shula Revach.
Synopsis: Benny has been working for many years as a local bowling alley operator. Erez, the owner of the hall and Benny’s friend, decides to sell the place. Benny, in a last attempt to change the decision, challenges Erez to a “last game”. A game that will determine the fate of the place. And the game begins…

Night Out | Israel | 2019 | 21’
Director: Maor alteras
Writers: Maor alteras, Danna levy
Producer: Maggie basilia
Cast: Lenna Pogosov, Yahav Winner, Sophia Ostrisky, Rani Blair
Synopsis: When Gloria realizes her long-term relationship has become grey and dull, she decides to take Nir out for a romantic restaurant date. Her plans unravel when they discover that the restaurant is being used as a movie set –and then they’re given the chance to be with each other (based on “Mon Plaisir” – a short story by Miranda july).

SONATA | Turkey | 2019 | 14’
Directors: Barış Çankaya, Gökhan Mahan
Writers: Barış Çankaya, Gökhan Mahan
Producer: Gökhan Mahan
Cast: Numan Çakır, Zeynep Buse Kale, Caner Güllüpınar, Kamer Çakır, Gökhan Mahan
Synopsis: Our movie is inspired by the novel “The Kreutzer Sonata”, by L.N. Tolstoy. On a train, a middle-aged man, who recently lost his wife, gets involved in a conversation about love and relationships with other passengers. Against common thought, he defends the thesis that love is not a poetical and pure sentiment, as the other interlocutors naively think. While he talks about romanticized male-female acting models, which are typical of a patriarchal society, he supports his thesis by giving examples from his marriage with a series of flashbacks. He narrates the events, which led to his wife becoming independent from him and later die.

YOU KNOW WHAT I HAVE NIGHTMARES ABOUT | Serbia | 2019 | 17’
Director: Aglaja Filipovic
Writer: Aglaja Filipovic
Producer: Akademija Umetnosti Beograd
Cast: Gordana Djokić, Jovana Dragaš
Synopsis: Sunny and Hannah are living together in the big city. Sunny is aspiring actress and she’s intensely preparing for her new play to premiere. Hannah is dealing with her own demons alone.

LEAD | Germany | 2019 | 30’
Director: Benjamin Leichtenstern
Writer: Benjamin Leichtenstern
Producers: Laura Roll, Laura Mihajlovic, Caroline Meyer
Cast: Daniel Christensen, Julius Feldmeier, Giulia Goldammer, Cornelius Obonya, David Zimmerschied, Thorsten Krohn
Synopsis: Bavaria 1866. Alois has lost his will to live, marked by the brutal fights of the war, and shuts himself away from the outside world into the cold mountains. When the deserted Friedrich steals his life’s savings, Alois’ spirits are revived. He hunts down the Prussian through the cold and rough mountain landscape. When Alois finally catches him, three bandits cross their way. This situation forces the enemies to stick together and a fight for justice and trust arises between the two men.

Reverse | Thailand | 2019 | 11’
Director: Panya Zhu
Writer: Panya Zhu
Producer: Panya Zhu
Synopsis: Aim, a writer who still stuck with the past reunite with her estranged ex-lover whose relationship fell apart because of stigma towards homosexuals.

The F word | United States | 2019 | 03’
Director: Lucia Rinaldi
Producer: Whitney Cheng

The Last Ride | China | 2019 | 23’
Director: John Jiang
Writers: John Jiang, Hang Zhao
Producers: Ted Wang, John Jiang
Cast: Lawrence Chen, Jing Zheng
Synopsis: Wu is a tightfisted taxi driver who worships his money. Intrigued by a generous offer for fare, he steps on the journey with his wealthy passenger. This is their ‘last ride.’

SHORT TO THE POINT aduce filme cu intrare liberă în peste 13 de orașe din România

 August 2019

SHORT TO THE POINT  te provoacă la film, în cadrul unui eveniment lunar care aduce filme de autor, cu intrare liberă, în peste 13 de locații alternative de proiecție din Romania.

Când cinematografia îmbrăca hainele de nou născut, filmele erau foarte scurte, uneori durau un minut sau chiar mai puțin. După cortina de catifea a scurt metrajelor, creativitatea îmbrățișează strâns imaginația, libertatea și curajul, reușind să vă ofere o călătorie diferită de fiecare dată. SHORT TO THE POINT  vă invită să vă cunoașteți. Pentru că viața bate filmul.

10 scurtmetraje vor rula în peste 13 de spații alternative din tot atâtea orașe din țară, în ultima

săptămână a lunii august 2019. O selecție de 133 de minute de film, povești spectaculoase, care continuă o

tradiție de peste 10 ani de proiecții speciale, oferind publicului șansa unică de a urmări filme scurte multi-premiate, cu intrare liberă.

Avem lucruri pe care numai noi le știm. Avem secrete. Avem nevoie de alții pentru a ne simți bine. Ceea ce spune, vede lumea alimentează ego-ul și adună adrenalină. A simplifica înseamnă a sacrifica. Cunoașterile fragmentare nu sunt decât mici insule într-un ocean mare, nemărginit, care nu este decât tăcerea încăpățânată a psihicului uman. Valorificarea oportunităților la îndemână a fost dintotdeauna o opțiune exploatată în pofida criticilor. Moralitatea rătăcită printre dune de nisip în vânt, se pierde până la urmă. Și puterea rămâne la cei care au reușit să urce mai multe trepte înaintea ta.

Prilej încântător de bucurie și entuziasm, masa în familie are de fiecare dată un ritual de la care nu se abate nimeni. Cu toate acestea, de cele mai multe ori tensiunile răbufnesc, secretele ies la iveală iar lucrurile ascunse apar brusc în ochii privitorilor. Amintirile sunt prețioase oricum, atâta timp cât friptura este absolut delicioasă.

În același timp, pâinea uscată poate fi cel mai așteptat aliment al zilei atunci când statutul de musafir se transformă în cel de prizonier. Captiv pentru o perioadă nedeterminată, îți afli limitele atunci când viața devine piatră prețioasă. Curajul devine aliat, nebunia acțiunilor impulsive pare a fi o obișnuință, durerea își uită numele și timpul aparent oprit în loc, gonește cu viteza inundației de primăvară.

Unde dispar emoțiile atunci când inimile nu mai bat și doar algoritmii, bateriile și circuitele le țin locul? Cât de valoroasă devine viața când nimeni nu mai simte nimic? Într-o lume în care roboții au și rol de baby sitter, haosul este instalat demult în defavoarea armoniei lăsate moștenire de către stăbunici. Alimentarea cu energie devine vitală și are prioritate în favoarea trăirilor intense și autentice.

Când iubirea se încăpățânează să-și mențină locul pe podium, hazardul hilar intervine brusc și curmă direcția proiectată de către protagoniști. Chiar dacă dogma intervine crunt și ascunde strălucirea privirilor, instinctul intră în scenă recuperând cu lauri, premiul pierdut. Altruismul se dovedește a fi pion salvator.

Primești ceea ce cauți, chiar dacă de cele mai multe ori nu înțelegi. Cum poți schimba însă, ceea ce oferi când filtrele gândirii sunt speciale, diferite de o normalitate deja instalată în conștientul comun? Ceea ce vezi râmâne certitudinea a ceea ce crezi că trebuie să faci.

Pierdem părți din noi odată cu dispariția celor pe care i-am asimilat în timp, cu fiecare secundă pe care am oferit-o cadou. Pe neașteptate se ivesc picturi noi, scene pline de instrumentiști talentați și discuri neascultate. Le descoperim cu emoția primei repetiții și aflăm că cel mai colorat curcubeu încă nu s-a ivit în azur.

Vocile rostesc pe la diferite colțuri că mamele își doresc tot timpul altceva. Se prea poate. Însă ele dăruiesc de fiecare dată totul. Atenția mamelor focusată pe starea de bine a pruncilor și a partenerului ei merită cele mai colorate buchete de flori, cele mai aprige îmbrățisări, cele mai discrete scrisori de dragoste și cele mai sincere zâmbete de recunoștință.

Aici găsiți detalii legate de spațiile de proiecție: http://theshortfilmfestival.com  

Proiecțiile de scurtmetraj sunt organizate de Short to the Point (International Short Film Festival) – o reţea internatională de distribuţie, difuzare şi promovare a filmelor de scurtmetraj. În ultimii ani SHORT TO THE POINT  a reușit să creeze o punte de legătură intre filmmakeri, cinefili și spectatorii ocazionali, având ca scop construirea unui nou tip de comunitate urbană.

Lansat în anul 2009 sub forma unei caravane cinematografice în 28 de orașe din România, STTP a devenit un festival lunar la care se înscriu filme din toate colțurile lumii. Festivalul Short to the Point oferă lunar 13 categorii de premii celor mai bune scurt metraje înscrise, urmând ca acestea să fie proiectate în cadrul evenimentului național SHORT to the Point by Short to the Point.

Pentru mai multe informații vă invităm să ne vizitați aici:

This is the list of the films screened at SHORT to the Point in AUGUST 2019.

BEST FILM AWARD @ STTP MARCH 2019 AWARDS

THE PEOPLE ARE THE BRAND | Switzerland | 2019 | 22’ 

Director: Adrian Perez    

Writer: Adrian Perez       

Producer: Adrian Perez   

Cast: Anna-Katharina Müller, Philippe Schuler       

Synopsis: A doubtful photo project about fugitives makes doubtful headlines. About a journalist and a photographer lost in opportunities.

BEST SCREENPLAY & BEST COMEDY AWARD @ STTP MARCH 2019 AWARDS

A fine stew | Belgium | 2018 | 20’

Director: Marie Glichitch              

Writer: Marie Glichitch   

Producer: Mediadiffusion             

Cast: Réal Siellez, Laetitia Reva, Fanny Estève, Joffrey Verbruggen, Chloé Von Arx 

Synopsis: Easter Sunday. Catherine has cooked her stew, Manon is hungover, Jacques is late. Dad is getting married and Pierre is the one who has to announce it.  It would be just a normal family meal … if there wasn’t a dead cat in the freezer …

BEST LEADING ACTRESS AWARD @ STTP MARCH 2019 AWARDS

Daily Bread | Australia | 2018 | 15’         

Director: Ruby Challenger

Leading Actress: Ruby Challenger              

Writers: Ruby Challenger, Jonathan Wald, Ella Carey         

Producer: Ruby Challenger           

Cast: Ruby Challenger, Street Smart Films Pty Ltd 

Synopsis: In a WWII internment camp in Indonesia, Jan and a group of Dutch women and children face a daily struggle against abuse, disease and starvation. The Japanese Camp Commandant and his beloved, fluffy white cat, oversee the gruelling camp regime. Jan is a brave but impulsive young woman, and when she acts out of desperation to save a little girl’s life, her actions bring consequences upon the whole camp. What is the price for a meal when women and children are starving? Daily Bread is based on an excerpt from the autobiography Fifty Years of Silence by Jan Ruff O’Herne, which was published by Random House and has been translated into five languages.

BEST FANTASY/SCI-FI AWARD @ STTP MARCH 2019 AWARDS

ROBOT WILL PROTECT YOU | Estonia | 2018 | 10’

Director: Nicola Piovesan

Writer: Matt Willis-Jones              

Producer: Nicola Piovesan           

Cast: Lizzie Freeman, Richard Epcar          

Synopsis: A sci-fi animation about a little girl’s search for meaning in a world without emotions.      

BEST NARRATIVE AWARD @ STTP MARCH 2019 AWARDS

Burqa City | France | 2019 | 20’

Director: Bracq Fabrice  

Writer: Bracq Fabrice     

Producer: Preel Cleach Fabrice    

Cast: Omar mebrouk      

Synopsis: Souleymane and Leila just got married, for better or for worse. The better is that they love each other very much. The worse is that they live in an absurd and kafkaesque country.

BEST STUDENT AWARD @ STTP MARCH 2019 AWARDS

Simelibärg | Switzerland | 2018 | 14’     

Director: Seraina Scherini             

Writer: Seraina Scherini                

Cast: Severin Mauchle, Evelyne Gugolz, Beat Brunner, Alrette Wahlen        

Synopsis: A couple stands before the difficult task of leading their mentally challenged son Jonas into adulthood. Due to the marital conflicts between the parents, Jonas looses track of what is right or wrong.

BEST EXPERIMENTAL AWARD @ STTP MARCH 2019 AWARDS

White Male | United States | 2019 | 04’

Director: Jared Hogan    

Writers: Parrish Stikeleather, Jared Hogan             

Producer: Elisha Gustafson          

Cast: Tyler Chase             

Synopsis: A brief, detached portrait of the interior a young, white man spiraling toward violence.

BEST AMATEUR AWARD @ STTP MARCH 2019 AWARDS

Taking a Piss | 10’          

Director: Josh Romyn     

Writer: Kyle Strauts         

Producers: Kyle Strauts, Rebecca Steele  

Cast: Kyle Strauts, Brea Schneider             

Synopsis: On a seemingly regular morning, two lovers immersed in a clandestine life are at a crossroads.

BEST FASHION SHORT AWARD @ STTP MARCH 2019 AWARDS

Olympia | Italy | 2018 | 15’        

Director: Giulia Achenza               

Producer: Basement       

Cast: Aomi Muyock, Silvia Degrandi, Valerio Maccario      

Synopsis: “Existential states that go beyond the most incredible conjectures”  Inspired by Don De Lilllo’s novella Body Art, Olympia tells the story of a body artist and her director husband. Starting their life together as a married couple in their new home, everything carries on as normal until the day Olympia receives tragic news about her husband. This leads her to an unexpected journey into herself, which will result in the creation of her greatest work as an artist, but also in losing part of herself.  

BEST COMMERCIAL/AD/TVC AWARD @ STTP MARCH 2019 AWARDS

What do mothers want | Russian Federation | 2018 | 03’             

Director: Denis Gulyar    

Writer: Denis Gulyar       

Producers: Alexey Stasyuk, Drya Feoctistova, Gleb Burganov

SHORT TO THE POINT – JULY 2019 AWARDS

BEST FILM

This happened to you…? | Peru | 2017 | 15’      

Director: Ana Maria Estrada        

Writer: Ana Maria Estrada            

Cast: Carlos Gassols         Synopsis: An old couple coming back to the country after 30 years and finding the reality that everything has change, also Fausto is obsses with the Alzheimer disease making this couple vulnerable for the scammers.

BEST DIRECTOR

100 EUR | Austria | 2018 | 25’   

Director: Aleksey Lapin  

Writer: Aleksey Lapin      

Producer: Claudia Joldes

Cast: Iulian Postelnicu, Alfredo Minea, Claudia Joldes, Thomas Mratz, Tom Feichtinger        

Synopsis: Vienna during Christmas time 2017. ION has read a curious article about Hitler, wo might be found in Argentina, while his older half-brother ANDREI seems to have other problems on his mind. Following the two Romanian half-brothers and their preparations for leaving the city, money is only one side of the coin.

BEST SCREENPLAY

This happened to you…? | Peru | 2017 | 15’      

Director: Ana Maria Estrada        

Writer: Ana Maria Estrada            

Cast: Carlos Gassols        

Synopsis: An old couple coming back to the country after 30 years and finding the reality that everything has change, also Fausto is obsses with the Alzheimer disease making this couple vulnerable for the scammers.

BEST LEADING ACTRESS

Tina & Sendy | Croatia | 2018 | 18’        

Actress: Tihana Lazović

Director: Hani Domazet 

Writer: Hani Domazet    

Producer: Mirta Puhlovski            

Cast: Tihana Lazović, Sanja Milardović     

Synopsis: A journey through one day and one night. One porn audition, two girls and the big force that will put that female friendship on test.

BEST LEADING ACTOR

This happened to you…? | Peru | 2017 | 15’      

Actor: Carlos Gassols

Director: Ana Maria Estrada        

Writer: Ana Maria Estrada            

Cast: Carlos Gassols        

Synopsis: An old couple coming back to the country after 30 years and finding the reality that everything has change, also Fausto is obsses with the Alzheimer disease making this couple vulnerable for the scammers.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Avenue Louise | Belgium | 2019 | 30’

Cinematographer: Jean-Francois Metz

Director: Thierry Dory    

Writers: Thierry Dory, Christophe Beaujean           

Producers: Joao Vinhas, Stéphane Collin 

Cast: François Vincentelli, Françoise Oriane, Alexandre Von Sivers, Fred De Loof, Mara Taquin          Synopsis: Yesterday, Bernard had everything to be happy. A successful company, a beautiful four-fronted villa, an automatic lawn mower, a happy divorce and two children. Today, Bernard is going through a rough patch. But Bernard will bounce back. Bernard, it’s a guy who bounces back. We can trust him.

BEST EDITING

How good that you are here! |   Austria  | 2019 | 06’       

Director: Elias Rauchenberger     

Writers: Elias Rauchenberger, Julia Graninger, Mara Uhl, Philipp Hafner     

Producers: Elias Rauchenberger, Philipp Hafner    

Cast: Lukas Michelitsch  

Synopsis: “How good that you are here!” is about a young pianist, who starts to rethink past relationships, because he has to deal with a detuned piano string.

BEST COMEDY

Avenue Louise | Belgium | 2019 | 30’

Director: Thierry Dory    

Writers: Thierry Dory, Christophe Beaujean           

Producers: Joao Vinhas, Stéphane Collin 

Cast: François Vincentelli, Françoise Oriane, Alexandre Von Sivers, Fred De Loof, Mara Taquin         

Synopsis: Yesterday, Bernard had everything to be happy. A successful company, a beautiful four-fronted villa, an automatic lawn mower, a happy divorce and two children. Today, Bernard is going through a rough patch. But Bernard will bounce back. Bernard, it’s a guy who bounces back. We can trust him.

BEST DRAMA

30 | Cyprus | 2018 |15’

Director: Constantinos Patsalides              

Writer: George Avraam  

Producer: George Avraam            

Cast: Popi Avraam, Gianna Lefkati, Spyros Georgiou, Andreas Nicolaides   

Synopsis: Cyprus,1974. Maria is trying to find anything she can about her son who is in the battlefield. A shocking twist of fate determines the course of the rest of her life. Chypre,1974.

BEST NARRATIVE

The Victory of Charity | Austria | 2017 | 25’       

Director: Albert Meisl     

Writer: Albert Meisl        

Producer: Lena Weiss     

Cast: Rafael Haider, Erwin Riedenschneider, Nora Czamler             

Synopsis: Szabo is a musicologist devoted to collecting archives of Austrian pop music. When the original stage outfit of a 1960s Viennese beat group ends up at the charity shop, Szabo will do whatever it takes to get it back.

BEST STUDENT

LEAD | Germany | 2019 | 30’    

Director: Benjamin Leichtenstern              

Writer: Benjamin Leichtenstern  

Producers: Laura Roll, Laura Mihajlovic, Caroline Meyer   

Cast: Daniel Christensen, Julius Feldmeier, Giulia Goldammer, Cornelius Obonya, David Zimmerschied, Thorsten Krohn 

Synopsis: Bavaria 1866. Alois has lost his will to live, marked by the brutal fights of the war, and shuts himself away from the outside world into the cold mountains. When the deserted Friedrich steals his life’s savings, Alois’ spirits are revived. He hunts down the Prussian through the cold and rough mountain landscape. When Alois finally catches him, three bandits cross their way. This situation forces the enemies to stick together and a fight for justice and trust arises between the two men.

BEST YOUNG DIRECTOR

How good that you are here! |   Austria  | 2019 | 06’       

Director: Elias Rauchenberger     

Writers: Elias Rauchenberger, Julia Graninger, Mara Uhl, Philipp Hafner     

Producers: Elias Rauchenberger, Philipp Hafner    

Cast: Lukas Michelitsch  

Synopsis: “How good that you are here!” is about a young pianist, who starts to rethink past relationships, because he has to deal with a detuned piano string.

BEST ANIMATION

Playing at the sea | Belgium | 2019 | 08’             

Director: Sacha Brauner                                              

Synopsis: A window onto the closed world of an undetermined beach somewhere by the North Sea, where a little boy hangs out. He meets a girl and together they play poetic, absurd, and sometimes ominous beach games.

BEST DOCUMENTARY

INTERVIEWEE: IN THE HOMEMADE WRAP | Greece | 2019 | 10’

Director: Athena Kaloulis                             

Producer: Athena Kaloulis                           

Synopsis: DOCUMENTARY on the last man to still be making handmade cinematic posters in Europe and maybe even the world

BEST EXPERIMENTAL

Fever Queen | United States | 2019 | 08’             

Director: Nick Cotrufo    

Writer: Nick Cotrufo       

Producer: Alex Zhort       

Cast: Haley Grosvenor, Molly Flinchum, Roberto McNutt, Amanda McNutt, Nick Blackburn, Samantha Cole, Ioana Zivku             

Synopsis: In a hallucinatory world of quiet chaos, a young couple is haunted in their home by a myriad of restless souls

BEST MUSIC VIDEO

SMACK | 2019 | 04’       

Directors: Marta Kaczmarek, Roberto Cura

Writers: Marta Kaczmarek, Roberto Cura

Producer: Papaya Films  

Cast: Elżbieta Studniarek, Grażyna Jasiewicz

Synopsis: Music Video made for Papaya Young Directors competition’s 2019 edition.

It was a directorial debut of a creative duo Marta Kaczmarek & Roberto Cura.

BEST MINI SHORT

Mummeh | United Kingdom | 2019 | 02’            

Director: Kieran Stringfellow       

Writer: Kieran Stringfellow           

Producer: Malachy O’neill            

Cast: amantha Vaughan, Daniel Bell         

Synopsis: A young boy asks his mum some very tedious questions while waiting for his doctors appointment.

BEST AMATEUR

PIT STOP | United States | 2019 | 04’    

Director: Mikail Ekiz                       

Producer: Madeleine Arana                        

Synopsis: A Stop-Motion/3D Hybrid Short about a gas station convenience store clerk who has a Magic 8 Ball for a head that can predict the future, he lives in a constant state of paranoia due to the fear that others will discover his secret.

Prague’s screening of this month’s Short to the Point happened outdoors and lasted late into the night. Our guests had the chance to view brilliant shorts in what you could call: the cinema with the tallest ceiling in the world! “The nice warm weather and a clear sky, made this experience very pleasant.” – said one of the guests. Unfortunately the summer is over but we will continue our tradition inside Kinolod, where one can sit comfortably and enjoy the excellent sound system. Short to the Point offers not only food for brain but also a cozy little environment where people can connect and discuss ideas for future films. We are growing with each edition and we welcome any short films enthusiasts, even if they meow sometimes

SHORT TO THE POINT aduce filme cu intrare liberă în peste 13 de orașe din România

 Septembrie 2019

SHORT TO THE POINT  te provoacă la film, în cadrul unui eveniment lunar care aduce filme de autor, cu intrare liberă, în peste 13 de locații alternative de proiecție din Romania.

Când cinematografia îmbrăca hainele de nou născut, filmele erau foarte scurte, uneori durau un minut sau chiar mai puțin. După cortina de catifea a scurt metrajelor, creativitatea îmbrățișează strâns imaginația, libertatea și curajul, reușind să vă ofere o călătorie diferită de fiecare dată. SHORT TO THE POINT  vă invită să vă cunoașteți. Pentru că viața bate filmul.

10 scurtmetraje vor rula în peste 13 de spații alternative din tot atâtea orașe din țară, în ultima

săptămână a lunii septembrie 2019.

O selecție de 133 de minute de film, povești spectaculoase, care continuă o tradiție de peste 10 ani de proiecții speciale, oferind publicului șansa unică de a urmări filme scurte multi-premiate, cu intrare liberă.

Între tradiţie şi modernitate, între nou și vechi s-a dus întotdeauna o luptă în care țipătul a fost inhibat. Cu violență sau ignoranță. Dramele interioare ar umple rafturile bibliotecilor strănepoților dacă ar avea condeiele cerneală să așeze în ordine fiecare gând aspru. Autenticitatea devenită monedă de schimb se alterează și reușește să sădescă confuzie, dezamăgire și tristețe în răsadurile de speranțe abia ivite în sufletele tinere pe care moștenitorii le alină cu nostalgii și amintiri. Ritmul modernităţii însă devine ireversibil.

Cât de aproape poate sta minciuna de privirea obsesivă și autoritară a adversarului? Rezistența în fața chestionarului pune la îndoială asprimea regimului în care frica, forța și amenințarea fac front comun. Iubirea își găsește căile și se autoinvită chiar dacă riscurile atrag ca un magnet consecințe greu de acceptat. Complicitățile devin singurele brățări pe care și le pot permite femeile.

Prieteniile debutează de cele mai multe ori când te aștepți mai puțin. Dar un pahar de vin reușește întotdeauna să le mențină expresive. Pasiunile comune adaugă sare și piper în experiențele de viață cu provocări asumate. Tehnici foarte exacte împletite cu inspirația de moment și ingrediente noi, pot schimba rețeta originală într-un preparat pe care nu vei dori să-l uiți. Spectaculoase și gustoase, bijuteriile culinare reflectă răbdarea, cunoașterea și adrenalina unui început care promite să fie de fiecare dată diferit.

Pe calea undelor poveștile se răspândesc ușor, chiar dacă de multe ori senzația că ascultătorii sunt absenți este cea care domină. Suspansul activează senzorii unei realități aparent fictive, dar în care protagoniștii au intenții reale. Identitățile își modifică adn-ul în eter iar frecvențele par să nu aibă limită de viteză.

Deplasările între diferite momente în timp fascinează în continuare. Lumile paralele se doresc a fi destinații de vacanță sau șanse pentru schimbări în cursul destinelor. Puternică și fascinantă, dorința de a fi din nou într-un moment care a trecut, orbește. Descrise în manuscrisele străvechi, călătoriile în timp, rămân aruncate într-un ocean de semne de întrebare.

Nedreptățile își fac loc precum firul de apă în deșert. Revanșa e tehnoredactată uneori în scenarii dure, în care decizia condamnatului îi poate fi fatală. Călău lăuntric împresoară din toate părţile, sfâșie bucuriile și năzuințele și urcă pe piedestal dreptatea. Pedeapsa ajunge la timp pentru cele mai zgomotoase aplauze.

Umbrele rătăcite printre urme de opal păstrează tabloul nuanțat. Martorul la o parte intimă din viața celor care forfoteau printre praful fin al drumului, alege să contureze iminentul final al paragrafului insistând să se apropie de răsărit, în fiecare zi.

Ruinele adăpostesc legende iar natura revendică în întregime suprafețele sculptate de mâna omului.

Aici găsiți detalii legate de spațiile de proiecție: http://theshortfilmfestival.com  

Proiecțiile de scurtmetraj sunt organizate de Short to the Point (International Short Film Festival) – o reţea internatională de distribuţie, difuzare şi promovare a filmelor de scurtmetraj. În ultimii ani SHORT TO THE POINT  a reușit să creeze o punte de legătură intre filmmakeri, cinefili și spectatorii ocazionali, având ca scop construirea unui nou tip de comunitate urbană.

Lansat în anul 2009 sub forma unei caravane cinematografice în 28 de orașe din România, STTP a devenit un festival lunar la care se înscriu filme din toate colțurile lumii. Festivalul Short to the Point oferă lunar 13 categorii de premii celor mai bune scurt metraje înscrise, urmând ca acestea să fie proiectate în cadrul evenimentului național SHORT to the Point by Short to the Point.

Pentru mai multe informații vă invităm să ne vizitați aici:

This is the list of the films screened at SHORT to the Point in SEPTEMBER 2019.

BEST FILM AWARD @ STTP APRIL 2019 AWARDS

The Tree and the Pirogue | France | 2018 | 25’  

Director: Sébastien MARQUES    

Writer: Sébastien MARQUES        

Producers: Sébastien MARQUES, Mélissa Malinbaum         

Cast: Iabe Lapacas, Jean-Pierre Swan, Maurice Haeweng 

Synopsis: The life of a Melanesian tribe is disrupted by the progressive arrival of modernity. Iabe, a young Melanesian, finds this change very hard to cope with and gets lost between his traditions and this modernity.

BEST DIRECTOR & BEST SCREENPLAY AWARD @ STTP APRIL 2019 AWARDS

Hedieh | Islamic Republic of Iran| 2018 | 16’      

Director: Sahar Sotoodeh             

Writer: Sahar Sotoodeh 

Producer: Ashkan Ashkani            

Cast: Yasna Sirati             

Synopsis: Hedieh, a 14 year old girl escaped from the school service and her friend was forced to explain the reason behind it…

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARD @ STTP APRIL 2019 AWARDS

Smachnogo/Bon Appétit | Ukraine | 2018 | 20’

Cinematographer: Kirill Shliamin

Director: Dzen Yevstygneykin                     

Producer: Dana Sebesevych         

Cast: Dmitro Savyanenko, Volodimir Ostapchuk, Alexander Vasin, Ivan Gubanov     

Synopsis: The film depicts the way of two friends to victory in the culinary contest “CookNOW”. It all starts with main character, Mykola Pshenytsia, he starts the introduction to his life to the audience. More specifically: his father is a Ukrainian who came to France and became a successful chef there. He met his future wife and they raised a family in France. So when Mykola is born, there is no choice for him except becoming a chef as his father did. Now Mykola is 25. Like father, he is engaged in culinary. But unlike him, Mykola combines culinary with travellings. Together with his best friend Patrick, they are – foodbackpackers. Young men travel through different corners of the world with a huge backpack slinging behind full of culinary secrets. During the trip, friends learn about different traditions and local culinary tricks, gain and exchange experience. Mykola and Pat came to Ukraine in search of a victory in the “CookNow” contest. Upon arrival our heroes were extremely impressed with local cuisine, so they immediately decide to put together ukrainian and their distinctive french traditions. During the film, friends face numerous challenges. The major one is their main opponent –  chef Alik, local gastronomic star well-known throughout Ukraine. The second problem is products that our heroes are so accustomed to and which are somewhat hard to find at markets, especially if you are not local. Third is the development of new recipes. Ukrainian cuisine seems to be terra incognita and decision – to tame it right before the competition, – is extremely risky. Nevertheless, due to skill and fortune, they get their cherished victory. The film ends with a happy ending, the guys win the competition and open their own restaurant. The story ends with a scene in which competitive opponent Alik gives a visit to a new establishment of Mykola and Pat. It is clear to the audience that all the fights between Alik, Mykola and Patrick are over and they became good friends.

BEST EDITING AWARD @ STTP APRIL 2019 AWARDS

Our Next Caller | United States | 11’

Editor: Tommy Bernard

Director: Troy Whitaker 

Writer: Troy Whitaker    

Producers: Christian Ackerman, Troy Whitaker     

Cast: Eric Roberts, Bert Emmett, AJ Fleuridas, J. Christopher Sloan

Synopsis: A failing legal advice radio program gets a sudden boost in popularity when a mysterious caller offers a violent proposal.

BEST FANTASY/SCI-FI AWARD @ STTP APRIL 2019 AWARDS

Your last day on earth | Spain | 2018 | 12’          

Director: Marc Martínez Jordán  

Writer: Marc Martínez Jordán     

Producer: Alex Maruny   

Cast: Sònia Masuda, Enric Auquer             

Synopsis: A Fox-dressed man breaks the spacetime limits with only one goal: to spend some time with his wife. But bellow this recreational act there’s a far more complex and ambitious plan

BEST COMEDY AWARD @ STTP APRIL 2019 AWARDS

Quest For Fire | United Kingdom | 2018 | 07’     

Director: Patrik Bergh     

Writer: Patrik Bergh        

Producer: Russell Curtis

Cast: Adam Shaw, Roger Thomson, Adriano Almedia         

Synopsis: When Doug’s family finally has had enough of his obsession he turns for help from a self-help group with a difference.

BEST NARRATIVE AWARD @ STTP APRIL 2019 AWARDS

Bloodburn | Netherlands | 2018 | 07’    

Director: Jasper Bronkhorst         

Writer: Jasper Bronkhorst

Producer: Monne Tuinhout          

Cast: Shane Redondo, Reinout Bussemaker           

Synopsis: What if someone commits a horrible crime and afterwards gets promoted to a powerful position within de Department of Defense where he is legally untouchable? In a desperate attempt, a young soldier forces a high ranking officer into a confrontation by hijacking a bar. The young soldier gives him a choice between two options: confessing or paying the ultimate price.

BEST STUDENT & BEST YOUNG DIRECTOR AWARD @ STTP APRIL 2019 AWARDS

No Heroes | Sweden |   2019 |   19’        

Director: Kamil Loutfi     

Writer: Kamil Loutfi        

Producers: Josef Carlborg, Love Örterström          

Cast: Hannes Fohlin, Simon Eggers, Börje Lundberg, Ludwig Hertzman Linde, Sara Holmström, Emma Melkersson, Stefan Lundaahl       

Synopsis: Taxi driver Daniel picks up his last fare for the night, a boy and his father in a hurry to get to the airport. When the boy starts acting strangely, Daniel begins to suspect that the father isn’t who he claims to be.   No Heroes is a film about finding the courage to act, knowing who to trust in a world of conflicting truths and our responsibility towards strangers.

BEST DOCUMENTARY AWARD @ STTP APRIL 2019 AWARDS

Rear View Mirror | Australia |    2019 | 12’          

Director: Jonathan Terence may                

Producer: Liza Boston    

Cast: Ingo Hansen           

Synopsis: “When the impermanence of life and land collide, what remains inside the heart and soul of a man”  Ingo Hansen returns to the desert opal mining town where he grew up, struggling with his health and searching for answers.   At a crossroads in his life, he seeks comfort in reminiscing the impact of the harsh landscapes and crazy adventures he had in Andamooka – one of the most remote places in South Australia.  
 Ingo soon realises that the thriving outback town he once loved is now bleak and it mercilessly parallels his own impermanence; the harsh winds of life blow not just on the desert but also inside his heart.  In its glory days Andamooka had over 3000 residents, but now the opal has dried up and it is a former shadow of itself – with a total population of 316. 
 
 It takes a certain type of person to love a place like this, with the isolation and the desolation.  Walking through the cemetery Ingo reflects on the grim truths of his reality, and how strange it is to know every body that lies beneath him in the dust.  As in life, both the once beautiful landscape and the once promising future he faced are slowly fading way and the story is unforgiving.

BEST MUSIC VIDEO AWARD @ STTP APRIL 2019 AWARDS

Suicide Salmon – Leaving For Good | Switzerland | 2019 | 04’     

Director: Lasse Linder     

Writer: Lasse Linder, Nicolas Büttiker       

Producer: Luzius Fischer 

Cast: Antoinette Ullrich, Mindaugas Matulis, Werner Biermeier, Susanne Katrin Vogel          

Synopsis: A wealthy family lives in perfect harmony. Their daily life consists of smiling happily, housekeeping and praying together. An accident shatters this illusion and reveals a deeply kept secret.

Amateur Short – Official Selection – August 2019

Monster Under the Bed | United States | 2019 | 08’
Director: Sean Aragon
Writer: Sean Aragon
Producer: Sarah Hawbaker , Sean Aragon
Cast: Grace Smith , Jorge Alvarez , April Hilton-Pegas
Synopsis: When a lonely little girl discovers friendship and bonds with a monster under her bed, she soon realizes that the monster may be hiding his true intentions.

Sundaze | Israel | 2019 | 02’
Director: Nicole Tobin
Writer: Nicole Tobin
Synopsis: A modern-day surf film.

Animation Short – Official Selection – August 2019

The Man With Arms | United States | 2019 | 07’
Director: Chris Muse
Writer: Chris Muse
Producers: Chris Muse , UMBC
Cast: Chris Muse, Ynez Sage, John Ossing, Carleigh Welch
Synopsis: A 6 minute stop-motion short film about a small group of friends who only have eyes and legs, capable of observing the world as bystanders. One of them tells a story about something he saw: a man with arms! He is capable of interacting and manipulating the world around him, much to the amazement of the armless people.

Dinner Time | United States | 2019 | 04’
Director: Kate Renshaw-Lewis
Writer: Kate Renshaw-Lewis
Producer: Kate Renshaw-Lewis
Synopsis: Dinner Time is a hand-drawn animation about the power dynamics within a hyper-nuclear family. This film focus is on the identity of the housewife and the impact of gender roles on the child.

Colour Me Free | Singapore | 2019 | 05’
Director: Gray Hodgkinson
Writer: Gray Hodgkinson
Producer: Gray Hodgkinson
Synopsis: The animated movie “Colour Me Free” is a symbolised narrative influenced by the plight of civilians caught up in war. Through no fault of their own, these people are trapped in their cities, targeted by both sides as acceptable collateral damage, or even as human shields. This movie explores how these survivors are forced to question their allegiances, as expressed by colour, as their base human need to survive takes precedence. While no specific location is depicted, the use of coloured tiled patterns and a desert setting depicts a middle eastern reference. The visual medium used is a cross-over between animation and computer game, which makes an ironic reference to the repeated game-play of senseless war. The symbolic references in this movie are intended to raise questions in the viewer’s mind, and remind them that with some empathy and assistance, the human spirit can survive and grow.

How Méliès flew to the moon | Russian Federation | 2019 | 06’
Director: Alena Kulikova
Writers: Yury Rachmanov, Alena Kulikova, Cecilio Vargas
Producers: Vladimir Malyshev, Fedor Popov
Synopsis: Every evening, Méliès watches the moon. He is so in love and inspired by her that his only dream is to fly to the moon. Once in the sky there is a cosmic collision, which gives rise to several events.

Children Short – Official Selection – August 2019

Kazumi Racecar Pig | United States | 2019 | 10’
Director: David McBride
Writer: David McBride
Cast: Anna Brisbin, Jason Masrden, Maria DeMagistris
Synopsis: Little Kazumi is afraid of anything different than what he is used to in his Pig culture. One day, Kazumi finds himself in a world of different when he gets stranded on an alien planet. He will need to face these new things if he wants to get back home. Kazumi may even find out that different can be great and make a friend or two along the way

Dragon Recipes | Cyprus | 2019 | 08’
Director: Maria Pavlou
Writer: Maria Pavlou
Producer: The Cyprus Ministry of Education and Culture/Cultural Services (Cinema Advisory Committee), Cast: Maria Pavlou
Synopsis: ‘Dragon Recipes’ is a sweet story about friendship and acceptance, for the whole family to enjoy. The protagonist, a young apprentice witch, idolizes a really scary, green witch from magazine clippings and posters. She dreams of becoming a grand witch like her icon and of having her own fierce, fire-breathing dragon. Spontaneous as she is, our little hero decides to create her own dragon, using an old recipe and magic spells. But the inexperienced youngster will surely make mistakes; magic mistakes that will eventually get her a dragon, but not the fire-breathing one she has in mind. Instead, she gets a dragon with a big heart and a special, magical skill. The little apprentice is about to learn a very important lesson about tolerance and personal sacrifice.

Thread Bare | United Kingdom | 2019 | 05’
Director: Maddie Mortimer
Writer: Maddie Mortimer
Producer: Maddie Mortimer
Synopsis: A young boy tells his friend about his clothes that are trying to kill him. A short, surreal study in what it would be like to live in the wrong body, the wrong skin.

The Listies Work for Peanuts-Episode 1 | Australia | 2019 | 07’
Director: Natalie van den Dungen
Writers: Judi McCrossin, Kate Keegan, Matt Kelly, Richard Higgins
Producers: Judi McCrossin, Kate Keegan, Matt Kelly, Richard Higgins
Cast: Matt Kelly, Richard Higgins, Asmara Feik
Synopsis: THE LISTIES are odd couple housemates who love to have adventures. Just staying alive can be a fun challenge for them, literally. Recently, Matt was worried he was dying. He thought his bum was broken – there was a crack down the middle. On top of this their landlady, an impossibly high achieving and quick witted eight year old ABERNATHY PEANUTS, won’t stop hammering on the door with a list of demands – well it’s more a list of DEMAND seeing as there’s only one thing on the list: PAY YOUR RENT! The Listies have got bills, bills, bills so they need to get to werk, werk, werk! The only thing is, they’re not exactly what you would call employable. In fact they’ve been fired from literally every proper job they’ve ever had, (apart from when they were human cannonballs, when they weren’t fired, because they didn’t fire, so they were fired (if you catch my drift). In every episode of THE LISTIES WORK FOR PEANUTS, Matt and Rich have to get a job to pay their rent to their eight year old landlord, Abernathy Peanuts – and if they don’t… they’ll be out on their BEEPs!

Flying_Wagon | India | 2019 | 17’
Director: Kunal Narula
Writer: Kunal Narula
Producer: Kunal Narula
Cast: Sabir Khan
Synopsis: Cheel Gaadi is a local term used for airplane (Flying Wagon) which literally translates as Cheel: Eagle & Gaadi: Vehicle. It’s a story of a 10 year old boy who works in a tea stall near an airport and has a dream to sit in an airplane one day. To buy the tickets he collects money by betting with the customers on the next flight’s colour. He spends his days working in the tea stall and his nights in an abandoned sewer pipe, on a broken bridge outside the airport wall, which he has converted into his version of home. And finally when he collects the amount needed, his journey starts in the so called mature world of adults to acquire the ticket “Cheel Gaadi” is set up in the heritage city of Jaipur, Rajasthan and has been supported with a very unique folk musical perspective on storytelling; its depth and magic lies in the innocence of the kid. The film has a playback song, which is a fine rendition of a Rajasthani folk song, sung by the actor himself, adding to the rooted flavour of the film.

Commercial/AD/TVC Short – Official Selection – August 2019

575 Yunnan Miishien: Cut Your Ex off Chicken | United States | 01’
Director: Phenix Jiangfu Miao
Writer: Phenix Jiangfu Miao
Producer: Vivian Yige Wu

Z ZEGNA | Italy | 2018 | 02’
Director: Giacomo Boeri
Producer: The Blink Fish, Indiana
Cast: Alexander Zverev
Synopsis: In Z Zegna we see tennis champion Alexander Zverev take on a tennis-playing machine on the courts. When the machine comes to life – shaking with exertion, releasing smoke like sweat and making metallic sounds like breathing – could Zverev have met his match? Prepare for an epic, ironic and surreal match as Zverev, ranked fourth worldwide, faces down the ultimate partner. Luckily his skills don’t disappoint and are as flawless as the Z Zegna Techmerino wash&go suit he’s wearing.

Documentary Short – Official Selection – August 2019
On the Frontline | United States | 2018 | 33’
Directors: Juancho Hernández Husband, Orlando Adriani
Writers: Juancho Hernández Husband, Lieska Husband Sosa, Bárbara Viera
Producers: Cristian Abarca, David Abarca, Orlando Adriani, Juancho Hernández Husband, Alejandra Pocaterra
Cast: Leo Álvarez, Juan Barreto, Carlos Becerra, Rodolfo Churion, Rayner Peña, Alejo Reyna
Synopsis: On the Frontline Tells the stories, anecdotes, and motivations of 6 photojournalists from different backgrounds who, through their images, raise the curtain on the current humanitarian crisis facing Venezuela and its people. This is a tribute to them.

Bosphorus Cymbal Masters | United Kingdom | 2019 | 10’
Director: Daniel Ali
Writer: Daniel Ali
Producer: Mustafa Bal
Synopsis: In the outskirts of Istanbul, Bosphorus Cymbals operate a factory where drum cymbals are made by hand using traditional methods dating back to the Ottoman Empire. Bosphorus Cymbal’s indisputable reputation precedes them and were even selected as the official cymbals for the film ‘Whiplash’.

Africa I Believe in You | Austria | 2019 | 24’
Director: Magdalena Frey
Synopsis: A film about a special project, founded by two Austrian medical doctors. They demonstrate to us how a charitable strategy and practical thinking can balance poverty in Africa and western prosperity. Christine Wallner had set herself the goal of establishing humane structures in Tanzania on her own private initiative – among other things by providing medical care and free local schooling. As a result, the demand for skilled personnel has led to a considerable number of valuable jobs for the people in the region.
Christine started her brilliant work around 2008. Three years later her daughter Cornelia followed. The two perfectly complement each other and together, have achieved miracles. They organize the funding of an exemplary infrastructure that is set in place to sustain itself in years to come.
In the form of sensitive atmospheric images and realistic close-ups, the film conveys the meaning of successful economic networking in a steppe landscape near the equator in Africa. The special mindset behind this organization becomes comprehensible and contagious: people want to get involved in the project.
The sound of the musician Norbert Math (“alien productions”), composed especially for this film, supports the complex pictorial footage, reinforces the images and brings them into a comprehensible form.

Collapse | United States | 2019 | 29’
Director: Nelson Varas-Díaz
Producers: Sheilla Rodríguez-Madera, Mark Padilla, Kevin Grove
Cast: Domingo Marqués
Synopsis: One hurricane, one study, thousands dead. On September 20, 2017 hurricane María hit the island of Puerto Rico with category four winds. The local government reported the number of dead at 64, while a Harvard University led study estimated 4645. This film tells the story of the research team that completed this historic study from the perspective of Dr. Domingo Marqués, the only team member to experience the hurricane firsthand. See how the local government reacted to the now famous study, and how a country that distrusts scientists prepares for the next catastrophic event.

Manpower Express – To Vietnam Along the Silk Road |Germany |2019 | 12’
Director: Waldemar Schleicher
Cast: Tobias John, Matthias Schneemann
Synopsis: A series about a bicycle tour from Germany to Vietnam along the old silk road. The trip takes Matthias and Tobias from their hometown in Germany to Istanbul and Tehran, before they cross Central Asia during winter. After some strenuous months in China and 35 weeks on the road, they finally reach the border to Vietnam…

Gascoigne | United Kingdom | 2019 | 17’
Director: Julia Frances
Writer: Julia Frances
Producer: John Giordano
Synopsis: This film explores the daily lives of the occupants of Gascoigne estate in London before it gets demolished.

RIAFN | Germany | 2019 | 30’
Director: Hannes Lang
Writer: Mareike Wegener, Hannes Lang
Producer: Hannes Lang, Mareike Wegener
Synopsis: RIAFN is a cinematic journey into the soundscape of the Alps. Idiom, song, as well as calls and commands of farmers and shepherds are condensed to create a motion picture driven by local character and rhythm. Between artistic ideal and documentarian realism, the musical portrays a utopian site detached from the compulsive speed and accessibility of communication technology saturating modern life.

Year of the robot | France | 2019 | 28’
Director: Yves Gellie
Writer: Yves Gellie
Producer: Alexandre Brachet, Camille Lacharmoise
Synopsis: This film explores the desire and wishes humans may have to form a personal daily relationship with a robot. is a series of archives detailing the first contacts and dialogs with a humanoid robot, equipped with artificial autonomy and humans. It involves elderly people sometimes afflicted with Alzheimer’s or dementia, or young adults with autism or neurological problems. Once past the surprise phase and aware of the artificial nature of the robot’s functioning, the residents try, despite everything,to forge bonds with it. Raise your arms above your head.

Experimental Short – Official Selection – August 2019

La Sabina | Mexico | 2019 | 05’
Director: Ana baer, rRocio luna
Producer: Baer productions
Cast: Rocio luna
Synopsis: La Sabina is an exploration of contemporary surrealism. Loosely based on the tales of Maria Sabina, a female shaman from the depths of Mexico who exposes the connections between the human and the spiritual worlds. This short screendance is inspired by Claude Cahun’s constant discourse of multiplicity as well as Remedios Varo’s androgynous quality of oneiric vulnerability.

Home Alone | Romania | 2019 | 14’
Director: Jean-Lorin Sterian
Writer: Jean-Lorin Sterian
Producers: Jean-Lorin Sterian, Monica Istrate
Cast: Marine Leduc, Ana Ioniță, Fabio Gerhold, Alina Tofan, George Dorobanțu, Andreea Lupescu, Radiana Enucă, Mara Căruțașu
Synopsis: We see dwelling as a natural thing we don’t have to think of, but the ability to dwell is conditioned by the environment in which we have developed our personality, interactions with our family and with the society. Any new home rebuilds our first habitation. Through Home Alone, we sought to discover each person’s “abilities” to inhabit. No matter how old or new the space we live in, we are never alone, because all our people with whom we have been involved have lived in our minds. In our turn, we also live in the minds of others. That’s where we’re waving to each other.

White Bird | Thailand | 2018 | 06’
Director: Panya Zhu
Writer: Panya Zhu
Producer: Panya Zhu
Synopsis: White birds are disappearing from this country.

The Call | Hungary | 2018 | 21’
Director: Zoltan Vincze
Synopsis: Four disabled men lie in a ward on the second floor of a rehabilitation center. Three of them have cervical spinal cord injuries, which means neither their legs nor their hands are functional: they cannot hold, they require help for the most basic tasks, they cannot get dressed, eat, sit on their own, not to mention washing themselves or going to the toilet. During the day, a new patient arrived to the ward: Ákos, the nightmare of every nurse. He keeps pressing the nurse call, he is unable to lay in any position, he feels dizzy and is in a lot of pain. The nurse keeps getting more and more frustrated, since she has forty other patients to take care of, and she does not have time to deal with the souls of the patients. The situation does not change after switching off the lights for the night, Ákos keeps pressing the nurse call, and his roommates try to calm him without much of a success. The nurse gets fed up with the situation, she rushes in and pulls out the nurse call, since she has had enough for the day, and leaves. Ákos’s condition gets worse and he faints. The roommates, who do not have a nurse call, try to shout for the nurse in their despair, but she cannot hear them through the shut door. Maybe they could call someone, but that is not an easy thing to do. Botond, who is the most able of them with his hands working, cannot make a call since his phone balance is zeroed. Tamás’s phone is working, but he is on the other side of the room. They have to get his phone somehow. Botond tries to convince Tamás to roll over – which is a nearly impossible feat for someone with that sort of disability -, because maybe that way he could reach the cord attached to the phone. Tamás, with incredible effort and the cheering of his roommates, manages to roll over. He is able to reach the cord, but getting a hold of it with his fingers paralyzed is another challenge. He seems to lose faith a couple of times, but finally, with the support of the others, he succeeds. He has the phone hanging on his hand, he tries to swing it over to Botond, but he misses, and it falls on Ádám’s bed. Botond pushes himself to the edge of the bed, and tries to reach the frame of Ádám’s bed, but in his struggles, he falls down to the floor. He crawls to the side of Ádám’s bed and finally gets the phone. Ádám and Tamás keep interrupting each other as they tell the phone number to Botond. Botond dials, takes a deep breath as he leans against the wall, and starts talking to the dispatcher…

Black Bile Chronicles 1 | United Kingdom | 2019 | 04’
Director: Kamila Kuc
Writer: Kamila Kuc
Producer: Kamila Kuc
Cast: Kamila Kuc
Synopsis: A response to Albrecht Dürer’s ‘Melencolia’ whereby ominous cinegrams of his print intercut, like cascading razors, with an isolated woman’s fraught actions and, more particularly, inactions – evoking a cathartic rhythm of repression and reconciliation.

Inscriptions of an Immense Theatre | Ireland| 2018 | 33’
Director: Ailbhe Ni Bhriain
Synopsis: With highly distinctive visuals, this film explores ideas of imperial legacy, human displacement and the anthropocene. Working with film and CGI, it conjures a disorientating vision of a future destabilised by climate change, and asks us to consider the interconnected systems of the past and present that have led to this crisis. Addressing profound contemporary issues, the film avoids polemic in favour of a visually immersive experience that is as seductive as it is unsettling.
The film is set in three distinct locations, each of which has been transformed into a site of dreamlike strangeness. It begins from within the interior of the British Museum, slowly revealing the museum’s earliest collection; it moves next to the site of a temporary accommodation centre reminiscent of those used to house asylum seekers in Ireland, the camera gliding past exterior views of its anonymous units; it ends within an empty limestone quarry, tracking the quarry’s rock surfaces and factory interiors. Linking the three seemingly disconnected sites is an exploration of displacement, loss and imperial legacy.
The title of the work derives from the earliest known museological writing in the western world – Samuel Quiccheberg’s ‘Inscriptions or Titles of the Immense Theatre’ (1565), which details the practice of museums and the organisation of the world’s objects into classes and subclasses. This was essentially an instruction manual for the creation of private collections, with an explicit western imperialist agenda. A voiceover, performed by Eileen Walsh, references Quiccheberg’s original museological text through collaged fragments. With the context and ultimate application of the text rendered uncertain, wider implications of cultural control and imperial aspiration are drawn out.

Inscriptions (One Here Now)| Ireland| 2018 | 15’
Director: Ailbhe Ni Bhriain
Synopsis: Combining film and CGI, Inscriptions (One Here Now) draws us into a world of disorientation and dreamlike theatricality. Shot within the negative space of a quarry interior, the film is built around a series of extended tracking shots; semi-abstract and spatially disconcerting, these trace the deep-time of geological sequences as they overlap with sprayed industrial codes and the scars left by machinery on the landscape. These are punctuated by interior scenes, in which a working factory is encountered in an abandoned and flooded state, inhabited by a lone monkey and birds of prey. This dystopian vision, combining real and imaginary states of aftermath, draws the viewer into an experience of displacement and a sense of place encoded by loss. Integral to the work is Susan Stenger’s layered soundtrack, which was developed from a study of the patterns of Morse code and the traditional tunes and phrases of Irish keening. The resulting melodic laments are immersed in a grounding of deep drones and atmospheres to create what she describes as a form of ‘sonic geology’.
Using highly distinctive visuals, this film explores ideas of the anthropocene and draws us into its disorientating vision of a future destabilised by climate change. While the content of the work resonates profoundly with contemporary issues, the work avoids polemic in favour of a visually immersive experience that is as seductive as it is unsettling.

MAN IN THE MIDDLE | Germany | 2019 | 04’
Director: Thomas Kemnitz
Producer: TK360
Synopsis: An abandoned listening station from the Cold War period is the focus of the video MAN IN THE MIDDLE. During a 4-minute camera ride, aspects of the topic “surveillance” are presented in a media-reflecting way. The historical view of the remaining architecture is used to visualize surveillance as a current and global reality that does not even stop in front of the viewer. In this object with the code name “Quelle1” (Source 1) the Main Administration III of the East German State Security Service intercepted the over-horizon microwave relay link between West Berlin and the Federal Republic of Germany. When in the mid-1980s a digital microwave relay link and a digital fibre-optic link went into operation parallel to this line, these were also “skimmed off” here. A „MAN IN THE MIDDLE“ was positioned. The name MAN-IN-THE-MIDDLE ATTACK today refers to a special form of attack on computer networks in which an attacker positions himself physically or logically unnoticed between the communication partners and manipulates the communication. The communication partners are fooled into believing that their counterparts to be.

A Better Tomorrow | United States | 2019 | 08’
Director: Haohao Yan
Writer: Haohao Yan
Synopsis: This is a story about waiting, which finally turns into acceptance. Joe is a veteran waiting to see a movie with a very important friend, who he had a romantic relationship with when he was young and who he hasn’t seen for years. He has low hope for his friend to show up but is too coward to call. So he just wait for a miracle to come. He wants something to happen that will suddenly make him find his place in life. That things will all suddenly fall into place.

Don’t change the topic | Poland | 2019 | 15’
Director: Hubert Patynowski
Synopsis: There are three rules on the estate: “First: never cheat your compatriots. Second: do not stick and always respond to an attack. Third – the most important: do not report to dogs. And who will break them, this one is fucked up. ” Street code, neighborhood murders and rap.

Fashion Short– Official Selection – August 2019

Upcycle | Russian Federation | 2019 | 18’
Directors: Evgenia Zaitseva, Stanislav Phalkov –
Producers: Stanislav Phalkov, Evgenia Zaitseva
Cast: Mikhail Ilyin, Kirill Andreev
Synopsis: The upcycle project is part of a huge collaboration with stylists, musicians and models. An experiment with a form in which you can come up with amazing results. The objectives of recycling are to draw public attention to environmental issues, reduce waste and foster a culture of responsible consumption.

FILM ME | United Kingdom | 2019 | 04’
Director: Ed Picard
Producers: Ed Picard, JM Seneca , Einat Dan
Cast: Isabella Besque , Andrezo Cristino, Sophia Voss, Zhong Yang, Ed Picard

Mini Video Short– Official Selection – August 2019

Scarlet Circle | United States | 2019 | 03’
Director: Ryan Cervasio
Writers: Ryan Cervasio, Anthony Janz, Jeff Naviello, Gina Ziegler
Producers: Feyza Cakici, Ryan Cervasio
Cast: Anthony Janz, Feyza Cakici, Jeff Naviello, Gina Ziegler
Synopsis: When faced with a choice, every second counts.

Brighten Up Her Day | United States | 2019 | 03’
Director: Jose Andres Cortes
Writers: Jose Andres Cortes, Walter Cignetti
Producers: Walter Cignetti, Jose Andres Cortes
Cast: Jean Fiumara, Walter Cignetti
Synopsis: Mother’s day can be every day.

UNE VRAI FEMME | United Kingdom | 2019 | 03’
Director: Geoffrey Breton
Writer: Geoffrey Breton
Cast: Aiysha Hart, Michael Lindall
Synopsis: A man repeatedly fails to get closer to the beautiful woman across the road, representing modern male entitlement and female choice.

TUSCANY | United Kingdom | 2019 | 03’
Director: Geoffrey Breton
Writer: Geoffrey Breton
Cast: Charity Wakefield, Dave Newman
Synopsis: A couple are clearing plastic from the banks of the river Thames, when she decides to take feminist action.

Duel | United Kingdom | 2019 | 02’
Director: Avgousta Zourelidi
Writer: Avgousta Zourelidi
Producer: Emma Hanson
Cast: Pippa Moss, Sophie Thomas, Jordan Phillpotts, Sam Hall
Synopsis: An absurd comedy about a man in the 19th century who is mysteriously propelled forward in time during a duel for his honour and his life

Pneuma | United States | 2019 | 01’
Director: Patrick Lewtschanyn
Writer: Patrick Lewtschanyn
Producer: Patrick Lewtschanyn
Cast: Karina Devine
Synopsis: A journey of spirit, transformation and the many faces of oneness.

Music Video – Official Selection – August 2019

Geshem – Telephone | Israel | 2019 | 05’
Director: Kip (Broken Fingaz)
Writer: Kip (Broken Fingaz)
Producer: Kip (Broken Fingaz)

Stoned Pirates – Nothing | Algeria | 2019 | 06’
Director: Khaled sahour
Writer: Khaled sahour
Producer: Khaled sahour
Synopsis: An astronaut sees his world losing it’s balance and starts falling into the void to go on a journey through what is a visual representation of a person’s mental space in hope to break a routine only to go back to where he was in the beginning.

Dilemma – Feenix | Finland | 2019 | 04’
Director: Jesse Haaja
Writers: Jesse Haaja, Dilemma
Producer: Suomen Musiikki
Cast: Daniell Bennett, Dilemma
Synopsis: Rise like a Feenix.

Imahot [Mothers] | Israel | 2019 | 05’
Director: Benjamin Esterlis
Writer: Benjamin Esterlis
Cast: Asaf Manor, Efrat Kolberg, Tomer Beitan
Synopsis: The old pictures on the wall tell a story, the old & haunted kind. music video that combines live action & animation for the Israeli indie-rock band Af Paam Lo Haita Lee.

Black Violet | Germany | 2019 | 04’
Director: Lara Celenza
Writer: Lara Celenza
Producer: Natalie MacMahon
Cast: Mishell Ivan Walton
Synopsis: The Fool’s Journey from the Rider-Waite tarot becomes the story of every artist who has to suffer and grow in order to blossom into a successful, confident, wise person in the World.

Narrative Short – Official Selection – August 2019

The Boy | United States | 2019 | 09’
Director: Hao Cui
Writers: Hao Cui, Zhirui Wang
Producer: Yang Ding
Cast: Jesse Howland, Lara Helena, Nate Johnson, Benedikt Sebastian, Jack Heath
James lives in a re-married family. His step father, Frank, lost his sculpture which is extremely expensive. Frank thinks that James stole his sculpture because James hold a bag and not show to anyone. Frank and Jame’s parents tries to get the bag. They find that there’s a football inside the bag. James feels so disappointed about his family and decide to suicide. He jumps into the pool to kill himself and his stepbrother who took the sculpture see his dead body. He drops the sculpture by accident.

STOPPED CLOCK | China | 2019 | 13’
Director: Qin Lei
Writer: Qin Lei
Cast: Wang Jianbing, Zha Liqin
Synopsis: A father who loves his daughter but is not good at expressing his emotion, a daughter who is reluctant but wants to be recognized, when the daughter who leaves home suddenly comes back, and the problem brought back at the same time triggers a series of conflicts between the two, the father and the daughter should How to face…

LOST | China | 2019 | 16’
Director: Huang Yuankai
Writer: Huang Yuankai
Producer: Zhao Yingjie
Cast: Li Zhen, Xiao Lajiao
Synopsis: Li Yang, a psychological doctor, one night he got off work as usual, but there was a car accident happened oh his way home. After he destroyed the man’s body, he thought he was safe, however, the same thing happened again at the second night, he seemed to be caught in a perpetual curse……

Change | Kazakhstan | 19’
Director: Arman Baimuratov
Synopsis: In the megalopolis among concrete and glass boxes there is no place left for real-life human communication. City of work and city of constant employment, chaos and crowd. All this vanity was watched from the balcony by the old man Maksut who wanted to change this situation

Storm | France| 2019 | 8’
Director: Constance Guirlet
Synopsis: During a storm, two children have to face an unknown force brought by the wind.

The Stop | Poland | 2018 | 15’
Director: Bartosz Reetz
Synopsis: Jakub takes his last bus to school in the nearby town to get the results of the secondary school leaving exam. His ultimate visit to school marks the end of one stage in his life and the beginning of another.

The last teacher | Kazakhstan | 18’
Director: Alen Rakhmetaliev
Synopsis: The history teacher, Yerzhan Kaidarovich, is a gentle person. Disobedience of students in the classroom is common. His son, a pupil of the same school, is subjected to violence among high school students, whether he will stop the disgrace over his child.

Hide and seek | Kazakhstan | 29’
Director: Venera Kairzhanova
Writer: Venera kairzhanova
Cast: Sultana Bektasova, Hadidja Satay
Synopsis: Two little girls’ light childhood goes dark every time it contacts with the world of adults. Can they hide in the sunny world or the clouds of the stark realities of life will find them?

DIVA & ASTRO | United States | 2018 | 09’
Director: Angel Barroeta
Writer: Angel Barroeta
Producer: Angel Barroeta
Cast: Sharle Taule, Sabrina Salvador, Rob Gooman
Synopsis: A streetwise posse idly roams the evening in the hood they call home. Diva and Astro follow parallel paths in real time, hurtling irrevocably toward the consequences of the habits they find hardest to overcome.

The Eye Of Tonlifornia | China | 2019 | 16’
Director: Ge Qianqian
Writer: Ge Qianqian
Producer: Yang Ziqiao
Cast: Liang Qiao, Fang Diudiu
Synopsis: A-hai a depressed editor in Beijing for seven years, suffered an unexpected car accident on a 48-hour sleepless overtime morning and entered into another dimension of time and space. Another dimension of himself is a handsome and dazzling rock star. During a performance, an extraordinary event led A-sen to decide to change and find himself again. Originally, both A-sen and A-hai are just the shadow and memory of the writer when he was young. In his dream and reality, there is an unexpected wish in his heart.

05:15 AM | Spain | 2019 | 17’
Director: Andreu Corberà
Writer: Andreu Corberà, Jorge Moratal
Producer: Andreu Corberà
Cast: Cristina García, Jordi Tamarit, Pura Marco, Juanjo Tomás
Synopsis: An elderly couple will cover the pain caused by Alzheimer’s through a romantic game in intimacy. Gradually, the husband worsens his situation, while the wife, blinded by love, tries to subtract seeing her husband again as before.

THE AQUARIUM | Denmark | 2017 | 30’
Director: Peter Ahlén
Writer: Andrea Winding
Producers: Anne Falkesgaard Hansen, Sofie Brandt
Cast: Maria Winther Nørgaard, Elias Munk, Jonathan Bergholdt, Peter Aalbæk Jensen
Synopsis: In a dystopian world underneath the ground, a mysterious boss dictates the rules of the young people living and working here. They each work in a club, taking care of dedicated club members day after day. Carla is responsible for the Aquarium Club where her only friends are the fishes. One day things changes, when Carla suspects there is more to this world than living alone in isolation. When she meet the boy Zac, who is in charge of the Motor Club a whole new world opens; a fascinating world which introduce friendship and love. But Carlas discovery comes with consequences, which may be fatal.

FOR SALE | Greece | 2019 | 18’
Director: Apostolos Karoulas
Writer: Dimitris Kaligos
Producers: Dimitris Kaligkos, Dimitris Tsakaleas, Maria Laskaridou
Cast: Yiannis Drakopoulos, Konstantinos Mistakidis
Synopsis: Thanasis decides to sell his paternal home, where he lives, in order to get rid of his loneliness. When he will open a new door in this world though, his plans will take another turn.

No/Low Budget – Official Selection – August 2019

Maria On A Wire | France | 2018 | 16’
Director: Christophe Granger
Writer: Christophe Granger
Producer: Mariella Parisi
Synopsis: To get her daughter back and avoid sinking, Maria has to fight, against everyone and herself.

THE SCHOOL OF INSULTS (L’ECOLE DE L’INSULTE) | Switzerland | 2019 | 05’
Director: Philippe Lawi
Writer: Philippe Lawi
Producer: David Castillero
Cast: Harris Procopiu
Synopsis: This is a fake documentary about a school located in a village called « FuckOff ». Here, Since the Asshole party has come into power, insults are mandatory in any form of communication between residents. However, some individuals suffer from politeness. Consequently, professeur Papillon created the school of insults.

Narziss | Germany | 2019 | 08’
Director: Maximilian Andreas
Producer: Boris Salatino
Cast: Tom-Veit Weber
Synopsis: The shift from self-hatred to self-love. From a loss to the inner perfection that tears you apart. A poetic, visual and auditory exploration of narcissism.

FIRE EXTINGUISHER | Spain | 2019’ | 05’
Directors: Rodrigo Sopeña Costales, Joana Solnado
Writer: Rodrigo Sopeña
Producer: Rodrigo Sopeña
Cast: Virginia Vargas
Synopsis: Milagros is obliged to install a fire extinguisher in her chapel. But first she will have to ask someone’s permission… Rodrigo Sopeña (“Club Houdini”, “Fermat’s room”) and Joana Solnado (“Morangos com Açúcar”, “Paixão”) present this unusual short film made during the workshop “Filming in Navarre with Asghar Farhadi” under the supervision of the Iranian filmmaker winner of two Oscar. Asghar Farhadi said: “I like it because it’s a complete movie, and it’s something new. It will please those who believe in God and those who do not”.

Just Friends | Spain | 2018 | 03’
Director: Marc Lesperut
Writer: Marc Lesperut
Producer: Anna Casals
Cast: Katrin Vankova, Adrià Triviño
Synopsis: Sometimes the thrill when starting a new relationship leads to a downfall of irrespressible emotions. Our main character leaves an intimate voice message while confronting her doubts. She is looking for closure without no one else’s approval. She is now ready to fly alone.

Opposition | United States | 2016 | 05’
Director: Justin Jahn
Writer: Justin Jahn
Producer: Justin Jahn
Cast: Robert Maples, Gary Wagner
Synopsis: The opposing forces between good and evil have always existed throughout time, whether it be in Cinema or Society.

Short Comedy – Official Selection – August 2019

The Sofa | Republic of Moldova | 2018 | 25’
Director: Iulia Puica
Writer: Tatiana Besliu
Producer: Sergiu Barajin
Cast: Mihai Curagau, Sergiu Finiti, Sergiu Voloc, Dana Ciobanu
Synopsis: The story is about two old men. One day they are invited to a friend’s wedding. On the wedding day, not knowing what present to give, they randomly decide to take the sofa from the courtyard. They steal a car, get the sofa on the top and hit the road. Little do they know, about the troubles this sofa would cause them.

THE TOWER OF PISA | Romania | 2019 | 21’
Director: Bogdan ILIESIU
Writer: Ionut GAGA
Producers: Bogdan ILIESIU, Irina ENEA, Ionut GAGA, Rares ABRAHAM, Horatiu CURUTIU
Cast: Andrei MIERCURE, Iulia VERDES, Adrian TITIENI, Sergiu COSTACHE
Synopsis: V., an obsessive-compulsive young man who rarely speaks, is working as a parking valet at a hotel. His life revolves around his job, where he parks the cars at millimeter precision and his spare time, which he spends in his methodical tidy apartment. One day, a new employee, Cosmina, invades his working space. She’s the total opposite of him, talking a lot and very fast and doing a lousy job at parking cars. Still, the two of them fall in love.

Outer Space Love Story | United States | 2019 | 11’
Director: Iva Gocheva
Writers: Julia Joyce-Barry, Iva Gocheva
Producers: Iva Gocheva, Julia Joyce-Barry, Nicholas Rubin
Cast: Bohdana Smyrnova, Grace Rex , Julia Joyce-Barry
Synopsis: Three women learn to navigate the nebulous constraints of a love triangle gone straight to the moon.

Bloody Mary | Sweden | 2018 | 15’
Director: Erica Elfström
Writer: Lars Klintwall
Producer: Erica Elfström
Cast: Emelia Hansson
Synopsis: Mary tries to score the famous rockstar Julien by pretending she is a famous Swedish music journalist. To her surprise she succeeds to get into Juliens lounge and get invited to his suite. Mary thinks her goal is reached and sex is on, until an unwanted monthly surprise turns up.

FLAWLESS | France | 2019 | 08’
Director: LEVY CLAUDE
Writer: LEVY CLAUDE
Producer: JONATHAN BOLUS
Cast: ZOE CORRAFACE, DIOMAY SARR, AUDREY QUOTURI
Synopsis: A young man is going on a first date with a young lady, but things will take an unexpected turn because of a new mobile app

Is You Is? | United States | 2019 | 13’
Director: “The Sanderine Brothers” Kelly Perine , “The Sanderine Brothers” Bry sanders
Writer: Kelly Perine , Leanne Melissa Bishop
Producers: Kelly Perine , Mike Dunham, David Wetzel
Cast: Kelly Perine, Leanne Melissa Bishop, Marla Black , J. Maddox, Steve Samson, Irene Nester, Curtis Webster, Aaron Lucas, Amber Nicole Gilbert
Synopsis: Candice & Peter, a dating couple, will find out at Candice’s birthday party if there’s going to be a little addition to their twosome.

WOMANIZER | Russian Federation | 2018 | 04’
Director: Evgeniy Karelinov
Writer: Evgeniy Karelinov
Producers: Sergey Streltsov , Aleksey Baskakov
Cast: Vladimir Andrianov , Dinara Shugurova , Nerius Marcus
Synopsis: After a hard day, the office worker has to stay overnight to complete the task of the boss, but he can’t concentrate on the work due to loud sound from the printer….

Short Drama – Official Selection – August 2019

The picture at your back | Italy | 2019 | 19’
Director: Frida Bruno
Writer: Frida Bruno
Producer: Raffaele Buranelli
Cast: Adriano Giannini, Valentina Cenni
Synopsis: A successful psychotherapist that has lost his wife and daughter few years before, is the author of a novel about what he has learned from his tragic loss. The book is called “The death that doesn’t divide” A young woman, charmed by that read, contacts him to start her psychotherapy. This is what is seems. But what is she really after? In the suspended time of the rigorous psychoanalytical setting a man whose past has broken his life meets a woman whose future is a great unknown.

The woman in the room | Greece | 2018 | 15’
Director: Romanos Papaioannou
Writer: Romanos Papaioannou
Producer: Romanos Papaioannou
Cast: Dimitris Alexandris, Ersi Malikenzou, Tsimaras Tzanatos
Synopsis: A man, plagued by his demons has to take the decision to euthanize his ill mother.

Asan | Kazakhstan | 2018 | 27’
Director: Berik Zhakhanov
Writer: Berik Zhakhanov
Cast: Azat Zhumadil
Synopsis: Asan is a typical teenage boy, who lives by rules of the streets. He fights with age-mates, gets in troubles with the police. His mother raises his alone; they don’t live with their father. One morning they receive the word of Asan’s father’s death. Asan with his mother and uncle goes at his father’s funeral. On the way at the funeral Asan remembers his childhood, his father. Sad and happy moments. The film shows the boy’s internality, his forgotten feelings for his father. The film tells us about a teenage boy who has changed, who grew up and realized, but the most important he has forgiven his father and remembered happy moments of his childhood. On the way at the funeral, Asan doesn’t understand a close link with his father and doesn’t feel anything to him. He argues with his mother and uncle. He doesn’t expect as well as his mother that the meeting with his father will bring up so many feelings. Asan rethinks his behavior and takes the staff from the Elder, which is the symbol of the family name: Asan is a head of the family now.

Kabbalat Shabbat [The Welcoming of the Sabbath] | Israel | 2018 | 13’
Directors: Benjamin Esterlis, Naama Hacohen
Writer: Naama Hacohen
Cast: Naama Hacohen, Lucy Dubinchik, Tomer Beitan, Yonatan Leibovich, Neta Zilberstein
Synopsis: The story of a young Jewish orthodox woman on her path to discover her true sexual & emotional identity. based on the true story of Naama Hacohen.

Asra | Brazil | 2018 | 16’
Director: Caio Cortonesi
Writer: Caio Cortonesi
Producers: Caio Cortonesi, Raphael Cardoso
Cast: Humberto Pedrancini, Débora Aquino, Juliana Drummond
Synopsis: A religious and traditionalist man, defeated by an incurable degenerative disease, decides to end with his own suffering. He entrusts his son Omar, with whom he has a difficult relationship, with the task of finding someone to end his pain.

To Hell with Codes | France | 2018 | 14’
Director: Léopold Legrand
Writer: Léopold Legrand
Producer: Charlotte Reichenbach
Cast: Olivier Rabourdin, Slimane Dazi, Marouan Idoub
Synopsis: “Despite their high-security building, Death could easily get into their apartment.” Patrick Pelloux, emergency doctor.

Beyond the river | Italy | 2019 | 15’
Director: Luca Zambolin
Writers: Luca Zambolin, Alessandro Padovani
Producer: Francesco Bonsembiante
Cast: Brixhilda Shqalsi, Marco Paolini, Elisabetta Salvatori
Synopsis: In occupied Italy during the 1940s, Antonia, her mother and a dozen peasant women live on a farm. There are no animals as they have all been seized by the Germans. One day, Antonia wanders to the river that divides the countryside from the city and finds a horse that has escaped from the war. Deciding to keep it, she puts everyone’s life in peril.

JIMMY & THE WIND | United States | 2019 | 26’
Synopsis: After years of grinding you finally get a boat-load of money from investors and a free building in California to build your dream company. A celebration. Drinks flow. People dance and cheer. And you…. Sitting alone frowning in the corner. What the HELL is good?”

EXTRA INNINGS | United States | 2019 | 09’
Director: John Gray
Writer: John Gray
Producers: John Gray, MELISSA JO PELTIER
Cast: Peter Riegert, TJ Thyne
Synopsis: A reporter interviews a major league baseball manager in an attempt to uncover secrets.

VIOLETTA | Greece | 2019 | 15’
Director: Fivos Imellos
Writer: Fivos Imellos
Producer: Fivos Imellos
Cast: Argyris Xafis, Elsa Lekakou
Synopsis: After the sudden death of Violetta’s mother, her father is looking for a way to renew their relationship. But he will face the powerful character of Violetta, and his own mistakes of the past.

Reflection | Netherlands | 2018 | 14’
Director: Pim Sollie
Writer: Pim Sollie
Producer: Josie Taalman
Cast: Jurriën Trappel, Carly van Drie, Rutger Beugeling
Synopsis: Daan seems to have his life together. He runs a successful art gallery in Amsterdam and has a rich social life. But beneath that shiny surface, Daan struggles with his self-image. During the opening of his latest exposition he can no longer ignore himself. He leaves the city and retreats into the woods, where he’s forced to really look himself in the eye.

I AM GOD | United Kingdom | 2019 | 09’
Director: Madalina Mateciuc
Writer: Madalina Mateciuc
Producer: Madalina Mateciuc
Cast: Emma Findlay, Luke Aquilina , Bejoy Sanjeev, Faisal Akram, Diane Brooks, Scott Collins, Rachel Cooper, Linda Pandelus, Gerard Rogan
Synopsis: ‘I am God’, follows the journey of Ana, a teenager battling PTSD, desperate to gain control over her life. ‘I am God’ is paving the way towards girls empowerment and well-being in a broken modern society.’ Spiritual healing has an ancient pedigree, with much evidence of success.

The Museum Exhibit | Ukraine | 2019 | 19’
Director: Christina Zinchuk
Writers: Julia Oreska, Christina Zinchuk
Producers: Christina Zinchuk, Serhiy Zlenko
Cast: Ostap Stupka, Anzhelika Hyrych, Hlib Melnychuk
Synopsis: Fred loses his job because of misunderstanding and decides to prove his innocence with tapes of his colleagues. This collecting of information soon becomes his obsession leading to divorce and estrangement with other people. He considers himself to be a founder of his own museum but in fact he is only another exhibit of it.

BERGEN | Germany | 2018 | 05’
Director: Agnes Regan
Writer: Agnes Regan
Producers: Theresa Sophie Albert, Agnes Regan
Cast: Caroline Felber, Theresa Sophie Albert, Elmar Gutmann, Tim Osten
Synopsis: Great misfortune brings back together an estranged mother and daughter. The daugther tries to take care of the old woman, a feeling of belonging cannot be forced, though. Deprived of her autonomy the mother seeks refuge in a place beyond reach.

MOTHER’S LAND | Germany | 2019 | 08’
Directors: Theresa Sophie Albert, Agnes Regan
Writer: Agnes Regan
Producers: Theresa Sophie Albert, Agnes Regan
Cast: Saskia von Winterfeld, Friederike Frerichs
Synopsis: 1944, the end of the second world war is near. In a remote village near Berlin two women stand their ground. An old bedfast mother rules over house, farm and her unwed daugther. When the daughter allows herself some quiet bliss with a russian labourer, the forced solidarity is thrown into turmoil.

A Mind’s Eye | United States | 2019 | 11’
Directors: Rebecca Kirsh, Benjamin West
Writers: Benjamin West, Rebecca Kirsh, William Huang
Producers: Benjamin West, Rebecca Kirsh, William Huang
Cast: Jess Perry, Belinda Watson, Matthew Sara, Megan Jay, Riley Huff
Synopsis: A newly blind man learns to appreciate his remaining four senses.

Silent Ties | Greece | 2019 | 07’
Director: George Leontakianakos
Writers: George Leontakianakos, Alexandra Dyranis – Maounis
Producers: Steven Gekas, George Leontakianakos
Cast: Dimosthenes Filippas, May Sevastopoulou, Myrto Pavlakou
Synopsis: It is All Souls’ Day and Yorgos communicates with his dead mother just before making the biggest decision in his life.

The Rosy Summer Day | United States | 2019 | 10’
Nicole Shan
Qing Yin
Grace Adair, Amitai Porat, Dayana Espinoza
A lonely sick girl lives in a hospital, the beautiful life only appears in her imagination..

Student Short – Official Selection – August 2019

Silent Ties | Greece | 2019 | 07’
Director: George Leontakianakos
Writers: George Leontakianakos, Alexandra Dyranis – Maounis
Producers: Steven Gekas, George Leontakianakos
Cast: Dimosthenes Filippas, May Sevastopoulou, Myrto Pavlakou
Synopsis: It is All Souls’ Day and Yorgos communicates with his dead mother just before making the biggest decision in his life.

The Rosy Summer Day | United States | 2019 | 10’
Director: Nicole Shan
Producer: Qing Yin
Cast: Grace Adair, Amitai Porat, Dayana Espinoza
Synopsis: A lonely sick girl lives in a hospital, the beautiful life only appears in her imagination.

Baba Joga | Poland | 2019 | 30’
Director: Michalina Przewdzing
Synopsis: Dorota is a young mother, she works in the library, she is limping on one leg. She lives in a small town, that seems to be as dormant as her, her husband Marek and their dreams. She meets a mysterious yoga trainer who recently came to her town. Since yogini Wiola has appeared, their peaceful life changes. She tears them out of a dream.

The Audition | Austria| 2019 | 22’
Director: Guy Lichtenstein
Synopsis: Sarah (30) is a gifted cellist. Despite her talent, she still has to play at smaller events. 

In one of these unloved appearances at a wedding, she unexpectedly meets Jürgen, her ex-boyfriend – the groom. The two evade each other. Old memories of the once common life come up. Sarah remembers the successful audition in France. How she won the audition and yet didn’t take the cello solo position for the sake of the relationship. 
It is still her secret. 

Bravely Sarah strokes her bow over the strings and processes the past. 
Finally, she can find closure to the story and find herself again, while around her wedding is being celebrated.

Don’t Blame Jack | United Kingdom | 2019 | 30’
Producer: Dale John Allen
Cast: Jordan Tweddle, Kane Surry, Lydia L’Scabies, Tracy Gabbitas
Synopsis: DON’T BLAME JACK follows the newly diagnosed, manic-depressive, Jack, as he battles with the thought of life without his beloved ‘mania’. Now on a daily cocktail of anti-psychotics and anti-depressants Jack searches for the adrenaline fuelled, extraordinary manic highs in the most ordinary of places. Jack escapes his drab, routine-filled existence by jumping into the arms of strangers, searching for moments of magic. DON’T BLAME JACK captures the limbo of self-identity after a diagnosis of serious mental illness. Can the dullness of ordinary life ever compare to the magic of mania? And is sanity and stability worth the sacrifice? https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8706080/

The Dogs I’ve Met Throughout My lIfe | United Kingdom | 2019 |3’
Director: Inez Skilling
Writer: Inez Skilling
Synopsis: A tribute to the dogs that impact our life.

The Last Day of May | China | 6’
Director: Yili Han
Writer: Yili Han
Producer: Sido Yao Lv
Cast:Fukun Li
Synopsis: As a middle school Chemistry teacher, Chen Jun never loses sight of her originality. Facing the pressure from both school and family, Chen Jun used the flour-explosion experiment to make a counterattack.

Cure All | New Zealand | 2019 | 15’
Director: Yu (Cora) Gu
Writer: Yu (Cora) Gu
Producers: Dr Paul Wolffram, Yu (Cora) Gu
Cast: Chris Gordon, Kevin Orlando, Rebecca Parker, Barry Mawer, Holly Smith
Synopsis: Jay, in his 20s, has always had a condition that makes him extremely sensitive to his surroundings, and any of his senses can cause tremendous pain. Due to this condition, he has not lived a normal life outside his family or house. His mother, Melissa, and his younger sister, Zoe, are deeply damaged and exhausted from having to look after him and bear his fragility. This long term depressive family atmosphere is dragging the family members away from each other. However, because of a lack of connection to the outside world, Jay is whole heartedly optimistic about his life. He believes everyone loves him and cares about him. Jay’s life flips upside down when one day a man dressed like a snake oil salesman comes to his house and offers him a bottle of magic liquid that the salesman claims can cure any disease, including Jay’s pain. After drinking the liquid Jay not only loses his pain but also loses all types of feelings and emotions. No longer needing to physically care for him, his family’s resentment becomes obvious, but Jay is not able to feel any sadness from this anymore. Jay makes many attempts to experience things he couldn’t have done before, such as listening to music, outdoor activities, eating different foods, having a relationship etc. He tries so hard to feel something, but reality fails him again and again. Jay’s endlessly repeating loop of daily life is more “painful” than the physical pain that Jay had before. After what feels like any eternity to Jay, he attempts to commit suicide, but is unable to even die anymore.

Ouroboros | United States | 2016 | 9’
Director: Emma Keehan
Writer: Nick Early
Producers: Emma Keehan, Andrew Harrington
Cast: Kyra Renee
Synopsis: One masked dancer threatens the cycle of pursued acceptance met by authoritative rejection when part of her facade falls away and she can truly see.

VINCENT | United States | 2019 | 20’
Director: Gabriele Di Sazio
Writer: Gabriele Di Sazio, Christina Yang
Producer: Disi Guo
Cast: Dakota Kappen, Beau Garrett, James Oliver, Vincent Washington
Synopsis: On his 21st birthday, Vincent gets persuaded to follow his friend Bunny to a brothel where he will meet a woman that looks like his mother.

I Am | United States | 2018 |12’
Director: Marc Berenguer
Writer: Christian Haywood
Producers: Horia Cojan, Grace Bouchard
Cast: Caroline Short, Tom Nash

Two Women Can Tango | United Kingdom | 2019 |19’
Director: Maria Abdel Karim
Writers: Maria Abdel Karim, Kyle Redmond-Jones
Producers: Maria Abdel Karim, Kyle Redmond-Jones
Cast: Stephanie Tripp, Maria Forrester
Synopsis: Reem, a Palestinian young woman living in London on a sponsored visa, has only a couple of months before her visa expires when she meets Alma, a Jewish -British Tango instructor who sweeps her off her feet the moment they have their first Tango dance together. As the dance and the feelings between the two women escalate, Reem’s days in London become countable. She is left with only one choice to make that can alter their destiny!

WHY NOT? | Turkey | 2019 | 11’
Director: Buğra Mert Alkayalar
Writer: Buğra Mert Alkayalar
Producer: Buğra Mert Alkayalar
Cast: Ceyda Çınar Onbul, Serhat Onbul, Bünyamin Kutluca, Zeki Akın
Synopsis: Today, people can communicate and meet without knowing each other because of the point where technology has come. Here, on the evening of an ordinary day, a man and a woman decide to meet. Their purposes are as different as themselves.

Watta | Thailand | 2019 | 25’
Director: Sittiwat Thipthanaoran

Outing | China| 2019 | 23’
Director: Luo Shuhang
Writer: Luo Shuhang
Producers: Cai Huimeng, Luo Hongsheng
Cast: Zeng Zixin, Cao Yanfen, Wang Xinyi
Synopsis: The spring is approaching. Zhang Li is sitting downstairs in the hot pot restaurant counting flowers; Chen Ke is trancing before the beverage cabinet; and Zhou Hui enters the kitchen to heat the pot. They are expecting, looking forward to, in their repeated lives, a spring outing.

Waiting for you | Russian Federation | 2019 | 11’
Director: Evgeniya Justus
Writer: Evgeniya Justus
Producers: Dmitriy Yakunin, Evgeniya Justus, Pavel Peregudov
Synopsis: For more than 60 years, every year on the same day, Martha comes to the fortress of Santa Barbara to meet her long-lost brother during the Spanish Civil War.

The junkie’s daughter | China | 2019 | 12’
Director: Ning Ding
Writer: Ning Ding
Producer: Wentao Wang
Cast: Zi Jin

Starry Night | Ireland | 2019-05-27 |14’
Director: Emma Smith
Writer: Rachel Moloney
Producer: Caoilinn Handley
Cast: Hazel Clifford, Ciara Ivie, Hannah Smullen, Cameron Barron
Synopsis: With her future hanging in the balance, Cara has a choice to make – abandon her sisters, and pursue her dream in London? Or sacrifice herself, so that one day they too might stand a chance? ‘Starry Night’ was led by a crack team of women both on screen and off, with almost all of the roles – in all departments – filled by incredible young women at the start of their careers.

Chimera | Greece | 10’
Director: Melpomeni
Writer: Melpomeni
Producer: Maria Laskaridou
Cast: Natasha Rumyantseva, Dimitris Kapetanios
Synopsis: The Creator follows her mature self, her simulation, in a walking misty, hallucinatory. The hesitation and the cowardice itself keep it in the unfinished journey. She senses her escape, she realizes it, in this unfinished journey.

Home | Lebanon | 2019 | 19’
Director: Adam M. Jammal
Writer: Adam M. Jammal
Producer: Ghada Youssef
Cast: Yara Zakhour, Elie Choufani, Sasha Yousuf
Synopsis: After the death of her daughter, Lama decides to move out of her family home. However, a presence in the house keeps her from completing the act.

Encrypted | United States | 2019 | 4’
Director: Grey Smoley
Writer: Grey Smoley
Producer: Josh Magpantay
Cast: Mariah Barrera, Alexia Pereyra
Synopsis: A girl who is addicted to her phone gets consumed by her technology when she goes to the computer lab to meet her friend.

Short Horror – Official Selection – August 2019

Supervivere (The Escape) | Spain | 2018 | 12’
Director: Paco Arasanz
Writer: Paco Arasanz
Producer: Paco Arasanz
Cast: Julio Hidalgo, Maider Uriarte, Juan Sánchez-Guardamino Elorza, Lucas Pulido, Jose Cartón, Antonio Esquinas
Synopsis: 1937, Spanish Civil War. Three Republican soldiers desert, escaping the horror. Or at least, that’s what they believe.

Repent | Taiwan | 2019 | 05’
Director:歐崇安（Alan, OU）
Writer: 歐崇安（Alan, OU）
Producers: Tzu-yen, Tsou
Synopsis: The story is about a mother repented to her daughter, who had already died, with guilty. When the mother came to the location, she found out the house were full of charms and dead atmosphere. When the mother repenting, she could feel that her daughter was standing by her side.

Shadow At The Door | United States | 2019 | 04’
Director: Roshni Bhatia
Writer: Roshni Bhatia
Producer: Andrew Mayne
Cast: Anastasiia Polishchuk
Synopsis: In Roshni Bhatia’s short film, Shadow at the Door, a troubled young woman searches for an intruder in her home unaware that what she’s really looking for may be something she refuses to see.

Short Fantasy/Sci-Fi – Official Selection – August 2019

The Old Woman Who Hid Her Fear Under The Stairs | United Kingdom | 2017 | 16’
Director: Faye Jackson
Writer: Faye Jackson
Producer: Faye Jackson
Cast: Sara Kestelman
Synopsis: An old woman finds a way to remove her fear and she stashes it in a tin under the stairs. At first, she enjoys her new found freedom from anxiety, but when she notices a stranger watching her house, the fear under the stairs becomes harder and harder to ignore.

Oneiroi | Israel | 2018 | 12’
Directors: Idan Melchior, Daniel Siton
Writers: Idan Melchior, Daniel Siton
Producers: Idan Melchior, Daniel Siton
Cast: Tom Shinitzky, Dania Landsberg
Synopsis: In the Oneiroi community, children are put into vessels where their sleeping and dreaming dependencies are suppressed. When the growing process is complete, the children, now men and women, are joining the community in working non-stop in typing and creating an unknown code. In the growing process of U-11, an error occurred in his suppression of dreams, which later allowed him to day dream about O-16, who is sitting in front of him day and night. His dreams are finally being turned into reality when both of them are chosen for the procreation process, where he will finally unite with the girl of his dreams. However, things aren’t going as planned, and the unity of her with him isn’t quite what he expected.

Best fairy for Cinderella | Russian Federation | 2019 | 12’
Director: Alexander Baskakov
Writer: Peter Samoilov
Producer: Alexander Baskakov
Cast: Barbara Borodina, Nikolay Kovbas, Irina Barinova
Synopsis: Once upon a time, in a faroff kingdom, there lived a fair young maiden – Cinderella. She dreamed of getting to the ball. Will meet the beautiful prince. But everything went wrong…

Kokosmos | United Kingdom | 2018 | 02’
Director: Anna Radchenko
Synopsis: Shot in Moscow by the award-winning director and photographer Anna Radchenko, Kokosmos is a tribute to Russia’s infatuation with space. Somewhere between a fashion film, a music piece and an experimental video, Kokosmos embraces reality and extends it through magical realism by visually answering the question: what if? The video is Radchenko’s first piece combining CGI with real footage, a direction that she is looking to explore with her future productions. Kokosmos is a collaboration with model Yana Dobroliubova, recognised for her striking and ethereal looks which break away from traditional beauty standards. Inspired by Dobroliubova’s unearthly aesthetic, as well as Japanese manga artist Shintaro Kago, Radchenko expresses our constant need to explore and search by focusing on the concept of the all-seeing eye. The music and sound was custom made specifically for this piece. Collaborating with creative music and sound design duo Playhead, they worked with the London-based singer songwriter Alyusha Chagrin to create an otherworldly-sounding language to fit the scenario. Similarly, the choice of clothing and make-up is also meant to fit with post-soviet space theme; Radchenko brings in elements of folklore by specifically selecting Russian fashion designers and sticking to a neon color palette featuring bright shades of green and purple.

Way home XI | Austria | 2019 | 20’
Director: Emanuel Bachnetzer
Synopsis: What would the world look like if it had been 1234 years ago? What would the Alps look like if the valleys were contaminated and no human life could live there? The realm of the seven eagles in another time. The former fighter Johann makes his way home to the contaminated capital to make peace with his family. The adventure begins. . . Johann and his goal to let the past rest. Wie würde die Welt aussehen, wenn vor 1234 Jahren etwas anders verlaufen wäre? Wie würden die Alpen aussehen, wenn die Täler verseucht wären und kein menschliches Leben dort leben könnte? Das Reich der 7 Adler in einer anderen Zeit. Der ehemalige Kämpfer Johann macht sich auf den Heimweg in die verseuchte Hauptstadt, um mit seiner Familie Frieden zu schließen. Das Abenteuer beginnt… Johann und sein Ziel, die Vergangenheit ruhen zu lassen.

…and in silence. | Russian Federation | 2019 | 05’
Director: Irina Grineva
Writer: Irina Grineva
Producer: Sergey Grinev
Cast:Anatoly Sveshnikov, Natalya Prozorova
Synopsis: Astronaut Kostik is peforming desperate attempts to fix his ship’s lifepod systems while a mysterious voice from the recorder haunts him.

Every Shadow Seems Alive | Brazil | 2019 | 16’
Director: Leandro Afonso
Writer: Leandro Afonso
Producer: Leandro Afonso
Cast: Fernanda Marques
Synopsis: A woman leaves her house. At work, at the subway, at the car, at the street, the daily thriller.

SHORT TO THE POINT – AUGUST 2019 AWARDS

BEST FILM

DIVA & ASTRO | United States | 2018 | 09’         

Director: Angel Barroeta              

Writer: Angel Barroeta

Producer: Angel Barroeta

Cast: Sharle Taule, Sabrina Salvador, Rob Gooman             

Synopsis: A streetwise posse idly roams the evening in the hood they call home. Diva and Astro follow parallel paths in real time, hurtling irrevocably toward the consequences of the habits they find hardest to overcome.

BEST DIRECTOR

DIVA & ASTRO | United States | 2018 | 09’         

Director: Angel Barroeta              

Writer: Angel Barroeta

Producer: Angel Barroeta

Cast: Sharle Taule, Sabrina Salvador, Rob Gooman              Synopsis: A streetwise posse idly roams the evening in the hood they call home. Diva and Astro follow parallel paths in real time, hurtling irrevocably toward the consequences of the habits they find hardest to overcome.

BEST SCREENPLAY

EXTRA INNINGS | United States | 2019 | 09’      

Director: John Gray         

Writer: John Gray            

Producers: John Gray, MELISSA JO PELTIER           

Cast: Peter Riegert, TJ Thyne       

Synopsis: A reporter interviews a major league baseball manager in an attempt to uncover secrets.

BEST LEADING ACTRESS

THE AQUARIUM | Denmark | 2017 | 30’              

Actress: Maria Winther Nørgaard

Director: Peter Ahlén      

Writer: Andrea Winding 

Producers: Anne Falkesgaard Hansen, Sofie Brandt            

Cast: Maria Winther Nørgaard, Elias Munk, Jonathan Bergholdt, Peter Aalbæk Jensen         

Synopsis: In a dystopian world underneath the ground,  a mysterious boss dictates the rules of the young people living and working here. They each work in a club, taking care of dedicated club members day after day. Carla is responsible for the Aquarium Club where her only friends are the fishes. One day things changes, when Carla suspects there is more to this world than living alone in isolation. When she meet the boy Zac, who is in charge of the Motor Club a whole new world opens; a fascinating world which introduce friendship and love. But Carlas discovery comes with consequences, which may be fatal.

BEST LEADING ACTOR

Asan | Kazakhstan | 2018 | 27’ 

Actor: Azat Zhumadil

Director: Berik Zhakhanov            

Writer: Berik Zhakhanov               

Synopsis: Asan is a typical teenage boy, who lives by rules of the streets. He fights with age-mates, gets in troubles with the police. His mother raises his alone; they don’t live with their father. One morning they receive the word of Asan’s father’s death. Asan with his mother and uncle goes at his father’s funeral.  On the way at the funeral Asan remembers his childhood, his father. Sad and happy moments. The film shows the boy’s internality, his forgotten feelings for his father. The film tells us about a teenage boy who has changed, who grew up and realized, but the most important he has forgiven his father and remembered happy moments of his childhood.  On the way at the funeral, Asan doesn’t understand a close link with his father and doesn’t feel anything to him. He argues with his mother and uncle. He doesn’t expect as well as his mother that the meeting with his father will bring up so many feelings. Asan rethinks his behavior and takes the staff from the Elder, which is the symbol of the family name: Asan is a head of the family now.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Asan | Kazakhstan | 2018 | 27’ 

Director: Berik Zhakhanov            

Writer: Berik Zhakhanov               

Cast: Azat Zhumadil         Synopsis: Asan is a typical teenage boy, who lives by rules of the streets. He fights with age-mates, gets in troubles with the police. His mother raises his alone; they don’t live with their father. One morning they receive the word of Asan’s father’s death. Asan with his mother and uncle goes at his father’s funeral.  On the way at the funeral Asan remembers his childhood, his father. Sad and happy moments. The film shows the boy’s internality, his forgotten feelings for his father. The film tells us about a teenage boy who has changed, who grew up and realized, but the most important he has forgiven his father and remembered happy moments of his childhood.  On the way at the funeral, Asan doesn’t understand a close link with his father and doesn’t feel anything to him. He argues with his mother and uncle. He doesn’t expect as well as his mother that the meeting with his father will bring up so many feelings. Asan rethinks his behavior and takes the staff from the Elder, which is the symbol of the family name: Asan is a head of the family now.

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Ouroboros | United States | 2016 | 9’

Director: Emma Keehan 

Writer: Nick Early            

Producers: Emma Keehan, Andrew Harrington      

Cast: Kyra Renee             

Synopsis: One masked dancer threatens the cycle of pursued acceptance met by authoritative rejection when part of her facade falls away and she can truly see.

BEST EDITING

THE AQUARIUM | Denmark | 2017 | 30’              

Director: Peter Ahlén      

Writer: Andrea Winding 

Producers: Anne Falkesgaard Hansen, Sofie Brandt            

Cast: Maria Winther Nørgaard, Elias Munk, Jonathan Bergholdt, Peter Aalbæk Jensen         

Synopsis: In a dystopian world underneath the ground,  a mysterious boss dictates the rules of the young people living and working here. They each work in a club, taking care of dedicated club members day after day. Carla is responsible for the Aquarium Club where her only friends are the fishes. One day things changes, when Carla suspects there is more to this world than living alone in isolation. When she meet the boy Zac, who is in charge of the Motor Club a whole new world opens; a fascinating world which introduce friendship and love. But Carlas discovery comes with consequences, which may be fatal.

BEST COMEDY

Bloody Mary  | Sweden | 2018 | 15’      

Director: Erica Elfström 

Writer: Lars Klintwall      

Producer: Erica Elfström

Cast: Emelia Hansson

Synopsis: Mary tries to score the famous rockstar Julien by pretending she is a famous Swedish music journalist. To her surprise she succeeds to get into Juliens lounge and get invited to his suite. Mary thinks her goal is reached and sex is on, until an unwanted monthly surprise turns up.

BEST DRAMA

To Hell with Codes | France | 2018 | 14’

Director: Léopold Legrand           

Writer: Léopold Legrand

Producer: Charlotte Reichenbach              

Cast: Olivier Rabourdin, Slimane Dazi, Marouan Idoub

Synopsis: “Despite their high-security building, Death could easily get into their apartment.”  Patrick Pelloux, emergency doctor.

BEST FANTASY/SCI-FI

Best fairy for Cinderella | Russian Federation | 2019 | 12’            

Director: Alexander Baskakov     

Writer: Peter Samoilov   

Producer: Alexander Baskakov    

Cast: Barbara Borodina, Nikolay Kovbas, Irina Barinova    

Synopsis: Once upon a time, in a faroff kingdom, there lived a fair young maiden – Cinderella. She dreamed of getting to the ball. Will meet the beautiful prince. But everything went wrong…

BEST HORROR

Shadow At The Door | United States | 2019 | 04’             

Director: Roshni Bhatia  

Writer: Roshni Bhatia     

Producer: Andrew Mayne             

Cast: Anastasiia Polishchuk          

Synopsis: In Roshni Bhatia’s short film, Shadow at the Door, a troubled young woman searches for an intruder in her home unaware that what she’s really looking for may be something she refuses to see.

BEST NARRATIVE

Beyond the river | Italy | 2019 | 15’       

Director: Luca Zambolin 

Writers: Luca Zambolin, Alessandro Padovani       

Producer: Francesco Bonsembiante          

Cast: Brixhilda Shqalsi, Marco Paolini, Elisabetta Salvatori

Synopsis: In occupied Italy during the 1940s, Antonia, her mother and a dozen peasant women live on a farm. There are no animals as they have all been seized by the Germans. One day, Antonia wanders to the river that divides the countryside from the city and finds a horse that has escaped from the war. Deciding to keep it, she puts everyone’s life in peril.

BEST STUDENT

Starry Night | Ireland |  2019-05-27 |14’

Director: Emma Smith    

Writer: Rachel Moloney 

Producer: Caoilinn Handley          

Cast: Hazel Clifford, Ciara Ivie, Hannah Smullen, Cameron Barron 

Synopsis: With her future hanging in the balance, Cara has a choice to make – abandon her sisters, and pursue her dream in London? Or sacrifice herself, so that one day they too might stand a chance?   ‘Starry Night’ was led by a crack team of women both on screen and off, with almost all of the roles – in all departments – filled by incredible young women at the start of their careers.

BEST YOUNG DIRECTOR

Chimera | Greece | 10’

Director: Melpomeni      

Writer: Melpomeni         

Producer: Maria Laskaridou         

Cast: Natasha Rumyantseva, Dimitris Kapetanios 

Synopsis: The Creator follows her mature self, her simulation, in a walking misty, hallucinatory. The hesitation and the cowardice itself keep it in the unfinished journey. She senses her escape, she realizes it, in this unfinished journey.

BEST CHILDREN SHORT

The Listies Work for Peanuts-Episode 1 | Australia | 2019 | 07’  

Director: Natalie van den Dungen

Writers: Judi McCrossin, Kate Keegan, Matt Kelly, Richard Higgins

Producers: Judi McCrossin, Kate Keegan, Matt Kelly, Richard Higgins

Cast: Matt Kelly, Richard Higgins, Asmara Feik      

Synopsis: THE LISTIES  are odd couple housemates who love to have adventures. Just staying alive can be a fun challenge for them, literally. Recently, Matt was worried he was dying. He thought his bum was broken – there was a crack down the middle.  On top of this their landlady, an impossibly high achieving and quick witted eight year old ABERNATHY PEANUTS, won’t stop hammering on the door with a list of demands – well it’s more a list of DEMAND seeing as there’s only one thing on the list: PAY YOUR RENT!  The Listies have got bills, bills, bills so they  need to get to werk, werk, werk! The only thing is, they’re not exactly what you would call employable. In fact they’ve been fired from literally every proper job they’ve ever had, (apart from when they were human cannonballs, when they weren’t fired, because they didn’t fire, so they were fired (if you catch my drift).  In every episode of THE LISTIES WORK FOR PEANUTS, Matt and Rich have to get a job to pay their rent to their eight year old landlord, Abernathy Peanuts – and if they don’t… they’ll be out on their BEEPs!

BEST ANIMATION

How Méliès flew to the moon | Russian Federation | 2019  | 06’

Director: Alena Kulikova

Writers: Yury Rachmanov, Alena Kulikova, Cecilio Vargas 

Producers: Vladimir Malyshev, Fedor Popov          

Synopsis: Every evening, Méliès watches the moon. He is so in love and inspired by her that his only dream is to fly to the moon. Once in the sky there is a cosmic collision, which gives rise to several events.

BEST DOCUMENTARY

Year of the robot | France | 2019 | 28’

Director: Yves Gellie       

Writer: Yves Gellie           

Producer: Alexandre Brachet, Camille Lacharmoise                           

Synopsis: This film explores the desire and wishes humans may have to form a personal daily relationship with a robot. is a series of archives detailing the first contacts and dialogs with a humanoid robot, equipped with artificial autonomy and humans.   It involves elderly people sometimes afflicted with Alzheimer’s or dementia, or young adults with autism or neurological problems.   Once past the surprise phase and aware of the artificial nature of the robot’s functioning, the residents try, despite everything,to forge bonds with it. Raise your arms above your head.

BEST EXPERIMENTAL

Home Alone | Romania | 2019 | 14’       

Director: Jean-Lorin Sterian         

Writer: Jean-Lorin Sterian            

Producers: Jean-Lorin Sterian, Monica Istrate       

Cast: Marine Leduc, Ana Ioniță, Fabio Gerhold, Alina Tofan, George Dorobanțu, Andreea Lupescu, Radiana Enucă, Mara Căruțașu   

Synopsis: We see dwelling as a natural thing we don’t have to think of, but the ability to dwell is conditioned by the environment in which we have developed our personality, interactions with our family and with the society. Any new home rebuilds our first habitation. Through Home Alone, we sought to discover each person’s “abilities” to inhabit. No matter how old or new the space we live in, we are never alone, because all our people with whom we have been involved have lived in our minds. In our turn, we also live in the minds of others. That’s where we’re waving to each other. 

BEST MUSIC VIDEO

Geshem – Telephone |  Israel | 2019 | 05’           

Director: Kip (Broken Fingaz)       

Writer: Kip (Broken Fingaz)           

Producer: Kip (Broken Fingaz)

BEST MINI SHORT

UNE VRAI FEMME | United Kingdom | 2019 | 03’            

Director: Geoffrey Breton            

Writer: Geoffrey Breton               

Cast: Aiysha Hart, Michael Lindall              

Synopsis: A man repeatedly fails to get closer to the beautiful woman across the road, representing modern male entitlement and female choice.

BEST NO/LOW BUDGET

THE SCHOOL OF INSULTS (L’ECOLE DE L’INSULTE) | Switzerland | 2019 | 05’

Director: Philippe Lawi   

Writer: Philippe Lawi      

Producer: David Castillero            

Cast: Harris Procopiu      

Synopsis: This is a fake documentary about a school located in a village called « FuckOff ».  Here, Since the Asshole party has come into power, insults are mandatory in any form of communication between residents.  However, some individuals suffer from politeness.  Consequently, professeur Papillon created the school of insults.

BEST AMATEUR

Monster Under the Bed | United States | 2019 | 08’       

Director: Sean Aragon    

Writer: Sean Aragon       

Producer: Sarah Hawbaker , Sean Aragon              

Cast: Grace Smith , Jorge Alvarez , April Hilton-Pegas         

Synopsis: When a  lonely little girl discovers friendship and bonds with a monster under her bed, she soon realizes that the monster may be hiding his true intentions.

BEST FASHION SHORT

Upcycle | Russian Federation | 2019 | 18’           

Directors: Evgenia Zaitseva, Stanislav Phalkov       –             

Producers: Stanislav Phalkov, Evgenia Zaitseva     

Cast: Mikhail Ilyin, Kirill Andreev 

Synopsis: The upcycle project is part of a huge collaboration with stylists, musicians and models. An experiment with a form in which you can come up with amazing results. The objectives of recycling are to draw public attention to environmental issues, reduce waste and foster a culture of responsible consumption.

BEST COMMERCIAL/AD/TVC

Z ZEGNA  | Italy | 2018 | 02’      

Director: Giacomo Boeri               

Producer: The Blink Fish, Indiana

Cast: Alexander Zverev   

Synopsis: In Z Zegna we see tennis champion Alexander Zverev take on a tennis-playing machine on the courts. When the machine comes to life – shaking with exertion, releasing smoke like sweat and making metallic sounds like breathing – could Zverev have met his match? Prepare for an epic, ironic and surreal match as Zverev, ranked fourth worldwide, faces down the ultimate partner. Luckily his skills don’t disappoint and are as flawless as the Z Zegna Techmerino wash&go suit he’s wearing.

Animation Short – Official Selection – December 2019

“glimmen” (KRYPT III) | Germany | 2019 | 21’
Director: Lars Nagler
Writer: Lars Nagler
Producer: Lars Nagler
Synopsis: In “glimmen“ protagonist FRAME is enabled to escape from a self-destructive industrial dystopia in order to approach his senses, empathy, self-knowledge and own strength again after this stupid and faceless phase of his existence and to perceive the outside world, freedom, dreams and joy in general. During this odyssey he is regressively brought back to his evolutionary origin – and thus to a new beginning of himself, in whatever shape, form and environment it will be. FRAME is accompanied by two godlike superordinate voices who support him as “escape helpers”. A circle in circles closes and circles on… – a little story about independence and against oppression.

Just a Small | Republic of Korea | 2019 | 05’
Director: Na Kyung Kim
Synopsis: Just like ancient mural paintings, a painting drawn on six of 30 inches * 40 inches panels has a story to tell. It is a story of a small eel wishing to become something greater than itself.

Lost in Place | United States | 2019 | 05’
Director: Morgan Holub
Writer: Morgan Holub
Producer: Morgan Holub
Synopsis: A young girl and her pet robot go on a journey, physically and emotionally.

PLAYGROUNDS | United Kingdom | 2019 | 05’
Directors: Antonio Milo, Fabrizio Fioretti
Synopsis: PLAYGROUNDS is a short film that travels back to the early ’90s, lost deep in the suburbs, absent parents allow forgotten kids to escape to other worlds where they can’t be found.

Oh, Darling! | Germany | 2019 | 05’
Director: Cornelius Joksch
Synopsis: Obsessed with birds of all sorts, clumsy but loveable loner Andy finds himself lucky one day, when out of nowhere the most stunning bird he’s ever seen lands on his windowsill. Tempted by the outlook of getting recognition amongst fellow bird-aficionados, Andy gets a little carried away…

anpu – ZOEA | Taiwan | 2019 | 06’
Director: POWEI SU
Synopsis: Mitten crabs have long been viewed as an environmental index for assessing the ecological state of rivers and streams in taiwan. the species has a unique spawning migration pattern, the species has seen a gradual decline in population over the past few decades, mainly attributed to overharvesting and pollution. as a result, their existence has also faded away in the popular consciousness. the narrative for the video comes from the director’s childhood memories. it starts in the streets under an overpass, where mitten crabs are being sold by a vendor with red lanterns lining his stand. two mitten crabs suddenly jump out of captivity and escape into the nearby sewers. as the crabs make their way into the city’s dark underbelly of water ways, they embark upon a voyage of spawning migration. they cross a terrain of cracked soil before finally reach the deep and enchanting ocean. the video combines both camera shot footage and animation, giving the audience a glimpse of the magnificence of the locales that are often overlooked by humans, through the perspective of the video’s eight-legged protagonists. throughout the video, the plot and details weave a narrative that illustrates the infinite metaphors and imagination projected onto life itself.

Documentary Short – Official Selection – December 2019

Hedtoft | Greenland | 2019 | 13’
Writer: Per Kunuk Lyberth-Lynge
Synopsis: The personal story of the greatest tragedy in Greenlandic maritime history, told by the grandson of one of the 95 passengers who lost their lives on the cold stormy night of January 30th, 1959, when M/S Hans Hedtoft – on its maiden voyage – allegedly hit an iceberg.

Oneself | Netherlands | 2018 | 30’
Director: Carolien van Maaswaal
Producer: Lotte Schmidt
Synopsis: After her mothers death, Carolien started wondering more and more about the concept of autonomy. Making choices seems like a matter of course, your own right to shape your life just the way you want it to be. But how valuable is life when you’re not able to make your own choices?

LOVE ME | France | 2019 | 08’
Director: Mathieu Lee
Synopsis: LOVE ME is a film that tells the love story of Vladimir, Ksenia and Theo for voguing, a dance that allows them to express themselves, grow and feel loved. Each one reveals his feelings, an exercise that requires trust and sincerity where the goal is to be accepted.

Gold Smile | Israel | 2019 | 05’
Director: Alon daniel
Writer: Alon daniel
Producer: Alon daniel
Cast: Mohammed Kahil
Synopsis: “Gold Smile” is a film about Mohammed Kahil, a Jaffa-born Muslim Arab. When you grow up in a disbanded family where the father is a delinquent, a drug dealer, who goes out and enters on a daily basis from prison, it seeps into the family’s roots.When the roots are rotten, they are difficult to treat and even more difficult to revive the tree. The tree needs to grow, get out of its source soil, let it bloom in places it has not seen before.This movie teaches us how Mohammed Kahil, the boy who stole his friends’ money for the big trip they dreamed of, went through a process, cleansed of anything bad he had done in the past and even realized his own mistakes.

Experimental Short – Official Selection – December 2019

TO HER | Italy | 2019 | 13’
Director: Jacopo Ardolino
Writer: Jacopo Ardolino
Producers: Jacopo Ardolino, Giulia Diana
Cast: Ghemon, Isabella Torre, Lialiana Fiorelli
Synopsis: Orpheus lives in the memory of a past love from which he cannot free himself. His empty eyes make him unable to see love again but the encounter with a painter will give him the courage to embark on a journey into his own hell to permanently erase the shadow of Eurydice.

I Grew Up by Jake (ft. Asylum Boy) | United States | 2019 | 17’
Director: Henry Nelson
Writer: Henry Nelson
Producers: Hnery Nelson, Jake Lewis
Cast: Jake Lewis
Synopsis: Jake does his very best to make a music video that he sees as honest

Office Song | United Kingdom | 2020 | 15’
Director: Marcus Markou
Writer: Marcus Markou
Producer: Muireann Price
Cast: Terry Mynott , Georgia Maguire , Tim Plester , Farshid Rokey , Kelda Holmes
Synopsis: It’s another office affair – one of thousands. But in Office Song, the inner world of ordinary office workers and their humdrum lives bursts into life with poetry and something greater than the sum of their tedious working day is revealed.

Stoners / Slices of Infinity | Portugal | 2019 | 08’
Director: Fred Miranda
Writer: Mariana Emauz
Producer: Colisão Studios
Cast: Maria Carlos, Luis Malaquias
Synopsis: Conceptual Thriller homaging the Portuguese Marble.

Swing | Syrian Arab Republic | 2019 | 04’
Synopsis: A film depicting the emotional experience of a depressed individual. As a mood disorder it can isolate a person from everything, and burden them daily . In its extreme it can push us to resolve situations in violent actions. Here in the destruction of oneself, lies an end or a new beginning.

Mini Short– Official Selection – December 2019

A Map of the World | United Kingdom | 2013 | 03’
Director: Vera Graziadei
Writer: Vera Graziadei
Producer: Vera Graziadei
Cast: Oliver Birch, Nikolai Graziadei, Harper Gildener
Synopsis: Single fatherhood is weighing heavy on Ed and the state of the world is not helping. In order to distract his exuberant children, he sets them an impossible task – of putting together a map of the world, that he cuts up in little pieces. His kids’ solution to solving the puzzle, gives him an unexpected ray of hope.

Love and Separation | Italy | 2020 | 02’
Director: Dario Scommegna
Writer: Dario Scommegna
Producer: Dario Scommegna
Cast: Ruggiero Scommegna, Gangai Carmela
Synopsis: Mom and Dad are slowly descending into a senile mindset. In my eyes, their bond can not be frowned upon. This is a simple representation (despite their inner separation), that genuine love will always be with them until death.

Antelope Mile | United States | 2019 | 03’
Director: Joseph LaGuidice
Writer: Joseph LaGuidice
Producers: Eric Rosenberg, Stephanie Love Rosenberg , Joseph LaGuidice, R. Bryan Moore
Cast: R. Bryan Moore, Chase Levy, Howard Hart, Eric Rosenberg
Synopsis: Two buddies have car troubles on their way to Las Vegas.

Music Video – Official Selection – December 2019

Red Omen – Ed Roman | United States | 2018 | 04’
Directors: Ed Roman, Nelson Diaz and There Be Dragons Creative Media
Writer: Ed Roman
Producer: Ed Roman
Synopsis: Award winning Canadian singer songwriter Ed Roman along with animator extraordinaire Nelson Diaz from There Be Dragons Creative Media in NYC have created an exquisite animation to the title track of Ed Roman’s latest album Red Omen. The message is for awareness of Dyslexia.

On My Heels | United States | 2019 | 05’
Director: Christopher Spurgin
Synopsis: Rotoscope animation. Music: “On My Heels” by Flat Teeth, used with permission. Source video: “You’re No Good” dir. George Kaczender meets Berne Convention standards for public domain.

Said No Lover | United States | 2019 | 04’
Director: Miguel Rodrick
Writer: Miguel Rodrick
Producer: Miguel Rodrick
Synopsis: Music Video for the song Said No Lover by Aaron Gibson & Nahuel Bronzini. A song about leaving everything you love, and the demons that follow you.

Luna | United Kingdom | 2019 | 08’
Director: Giovanni Bolzani Valenzano
Writer: Giovanni Bolzani Valenzano
Producer: Lewis O’Loughlin
Cast: Greta O’Brien Vial
Synopsis: The video portrays Luna’s dream, a little girl whose mum, Greta, is single and has to work late night shifts at a children’s hospital. Luna dreams of her mum as a magical and fierce creature.This music video is a little tale of the moment in our life’s before we see our parents simply as people. The video delves into a kids perception of her mothers daily life.

ODPAM “Winters In Rotterdam” | Israel | 2020 | 05’
Director: Alon daniel
Writer: Alon daniel
Producer: Alon daniel
Cast: Daniel Elbaz, Andrea Frankfurt
Synopsis: A music video that showing us a couple who lives everyday in the regular apartment. The girl at a certain moment feels an urge to dance and everything becomes distorted for him.

anpu – ZOE | Taiwan | 2019 | 06’
Director: POWEI SU
Synopsis: Mitten crabs have long been viewed as an environmental index for assessing the ecological state of rivers and streams in taiwan. the species has a unique spawning migration pattern, the species has seen a gradual decline in population over the past few decades, mainly attributed to overharvesting and pollution. as a result, their existence has also faded away in the popular consciousness. the narrative for the video comes from the director’s childhood memories. it starts in the streets under an overpass, where mitten crabs are being sold by a vendor with red lanterns lining his stand. two mitten crabs suddenly jump out of captivity and escape into the nearby sewers. as the crabs make their way into the city’s dark underbelly of water ways, they embark upon a voyage of spawning migration. they cross a terrain of cracked soil before finally reach the deep and enchanting ocean. the video combines both camera shot footage and animation, giving the audience a glimpse of the magnificence of the locales that are often overlooked by humans, through the perspective of the video’s eight-legged protagonists. throughout the video, the plot and details weave a narrative that illustrates the infinite metaphors and imagination projected onto life itself.

Narrative Short – Official Selection – December 2019

STARBOY | United Kingdom | 2019 | 18’
Director: Joëlle Bentolila
Writer: Joëlle Bentolila
Producer: Tibo Travers
Cast: Barney Harris, Tallulah Haddon, James Larkin
Synopsis: A mystical young Hasidic man increasingly doubts his identity, his gender, and the nature of being as conflict between him and his pious young wife escalates with shocking consequences.

The Rabbit | Italy | 2018 | 15’
Director: Lana Vlady
Writer: Lana Vlady
Producers: Maurizio Piazza, Andrea Calbucci, Lana Vlady
Cast: Lana Vlady, Lidia Carew, Magdalena Grochowska, Giulia Valentini, Antonio De Matteo, Michele Bevilacqua
Synopsis: Young sprinter Maria has to face the greatest race of her life in order to reunite with her best friend and find a long lost connection to her mother.

Phalaenopsis alba | Greece | 17’
Director: Yeorgia M. Sotirchou
Writer: Yeorgia M. Sotirchou
Producers: Dimitris Koutsomitsos, Yeorgia M. Sotirchou
Cast: Elena Topalidou, Eleana Stravodimou, Kostas Laskos, Serafita Grigoriadou
Synopsis: Everything in Katerina’s life seems in order. However, she’s feeling deeply lonely and she’s looking for a solution following a rather unusual way.

Chlorine | Australia | 2019 | 18’
Director: Melissa Anastasi
Writer: Melissa Anastasi
Producer: Jessica Carrera
Cast: Marlo Kelly, Clementine Bell, Ezekiel Simat
Synopsis: In a desperate bid for attention, 11-year-old Keira compulsively steals from pregnant women at her local aquatic centre. But her actions put her at risk of losing the only family she has.

Nora | Norway | 2018 | 21’
Director: Meena Rathore
Writer: Meena Rathore
Producer: Khalid Maimouni
Cast: Maria Sand, Mattis Hermann Nyquist, Aayushi Lahiri
Synopsis: From Oslo to Mumbai this film explores what happens when a seemingly perfect couple fail to live up to the expectaions of society and their social surroundings? On a trip to the east, how far are they willing to go in order to fit in back home in the west? Inspired by Ibsens play, A Doll´s House, the film also explores if we have changed our views and expectations of Nora in todays globalised society.

Birthday | United States | 2019 | 14’
Director: Mojtaba Mirshekari
Writer: Mojtaba Mirshekari
Producers: Sarahi Salazar, Keegan O’Brien
Cast: Joseph Lopez, Luana Fitzgerald, Dillon LeMaster, Chris Conley, Catherine Lane, Ariel Jay
Synopsis: Frank tries to celebrate his 70th birthday by throwing a party and inviting his friends, family and neighbors, but no one comes to his party except some new neighbors. They spend a great time together, but not everything goes as he expected.

Unblinded | Sweden | 2020 | 13’
Director: Paul Jerndal
Writer: Paul Jerndal
Producer: Paul Jerndal
Cast: Frida Gustavsson , David Larsson
Synopsis: Emma who is struggling with depression gets embroiled in a passionate relationship with Mark, an egocentric pop star. Her vulnerability and his recklessness reach a climax one evening when Emma finds the strength to resist.

A Lonely Duck | China | 2019 | 15’
Director: GaoKexin
Writer: GaoKexin
Producer: HeZiheng
Cast: ZhangHu
Synopsis: As the drought approaches in Qing River, Cheng is struggling to make ends meet, as his daughter needs money for school. His wife expects him to leave the river and work on the land. Cheng keeps trying to gather money but without any success. One day, an unforseen stranger came on the boat, requesting Cheng with stacks of money to look for a corpse…

Nearby Memories | France | 2019 | 15’
Director: Moreau Pauline
Writer: Paul Louis
Producers: Virgery Geoffroy, Moreau Pauline
Cast: Hékimian Sasha, Clavel David, Vion Padrig, Goaziou Morgane, Bouvet Benoit
Synopsis: Olivia embarks on a tumultuous boat trip filled with distant memories in an attempt to find her place in the world. Within this trip flows a daring question, wouldn’t the land of her ancestors hold the answers to her existential crisis ?

Trespassers | United States | 2019 | 31’
Director: Yasmine Asha
Writer: Yasmine Asha
Producers: Yasmine Asha, Navid Navid
Cast: Belle Adams, Jamila Hernandez, Jonathan Freeman, Adam Dorsey, Paul Bond, Barbara Lee Bragg, Luca Sammarcelli
Synopsis: “A young, single mother struggles to make ends meet. Unexpected help comes from the undocumented teen Sofia, who not only saves Crystal’s life, but also makes her question her anti-immigrant sentiment.” United States, 2019. Presidential elections are near and the political climate is unstable. Crystal, a white, conservative single mother, is rooting for Trump. Working two jobs, she still is unable to afford her diabetic son’s mounting medical bills. Repeatedly late on rent, her landlord threatens to evict her within three days. Desperate for a solution, Crystal turns to her boss to ask for a loan who offers to help while implying that she sleeps with him in return. For Crystal, there seems to be no way out. Back in her car, about to begin her late-night shift as a driver, she starts to consider the offer unwillingly when suddenly Sofia, a young Latina, knocks on Crystal’s window in urgent need of a ride. Arrived at the destination, Sofia asks Crystal to wait for her until she returns in exchange for extra cash. Time passes by and Sofia doesn’t seem to be coming back, Crystal, who wants to receive the money she has been promised, decides to confront Sofia. As she knocks on the door, which was left ajar, she sees Sofia’s handbag on the floor. Hesitant at first, she decides to step inside the house and steal money out of Sofia’s wallet. While she’s at it, a tall man catches her and corners her with a gun. Crystal attempts to flee but the situation gets tenser as he forcefully pushes her even further inside. There, she sees Sofia laying unconscious on the ground. In panic, Crystal tries to escape again but the man aggressively pushes her onto the bed and sexually assaults her. In the meantime, Sofia regains consciousness. Guided by courage and empathy for Crystal, she takes the man’s gun and manages to fire the single, critical shot to kill the attacker. After rescuing Crystal, Sofia collects a black bag and both rush to the door. Shaken up from what had just happened Crystal is deeply upset and repeatedly demands that they call the police. It is at this moment when Sofia reveals that she is an undocumented immigrant and will face deportation if they did. Although Crystal feels no sympathy for the desperate Sofia, she decides not to call the police yet. United by the shared shock, the two women open up to one another, revealing their vulnerable sides in an emotional conversation. Sofia suggests to drive Crystal home and Crystal, who is exhausted, decides to accept the offer. On the road, Crystal gives in to her much-needed sleep. Sofia notices Crystal’s eviction note. The next morning Crystal wakes up in panic. She is alone in the passenger seat of her car. With Sofia nowhere in sight, she notices a black bag next to her, with a note on top of it. The note reads “x, Sofia”. Crystal opens the bag and is surprised to discover that it is full of money. Crystal realizes Sofia has saved her life twice. In that moment, someone knocks on her window. The film ends with a shot of Crystal as she is scrolling down the window of her car, facing her demanding landlord once again.

Love.Me | Italy | 2019 | 19’
Director: Nicola Schito
Writers: Nicola Schito, Marco Doodle Masperi
Producer: Nicola Schito
Cast: Edoardo Lomazzi, Margherita Varricchio
Synopsis: “Love.Me – (Mi.Ami)” tells of “Anzi Love”, an alien experiment that through the protagonist “Harumi”, wants to comprehend what Love between a man and a woman is. Harumi is subjected to many forms of violence, mistaking them as proofs of Love. The consequence is the research of violence to feel beloved. The experiment “Anzi Love” deduces what Love is not.

M O R I T U R I | France | 2019 | 17’
Director: Léo Lebesgue
Writers: Léo Lebesgue, Fareed Kairon
Producers: Léo Lebesgue, James Gentry
Cast: Leonor Oberson, Rodolphe Lechat
Synopsis: Marie is desperately waiting for a man she thinks she will never see again.

The Listener | Russian Federation | 2019 | 21’
Director: Petr Melnikov
Writer: Petr Melnikov
Producers: Petr Melnikov, Vladimir Loginov, Ekaterina Kuzina
Cast: Sergey Pavlov, Diana Klyushkina
Synopsis: Nick hears how his girlfriend is sleep talking about an eerie murder. Next night she gives more details and he becomes paranoid.

The Last Pizza | China | 2019 | 07’
Director: Gert Kombate
Writers: Gert Kombate, Godspeed Tao, Lexi Chen, Simba Damian Kudzai
Producers: Gert Kombate, Lexi Chen
Cast: Giampaolo De Santi, Alberto Lancellotti, Barret Coates, 朱逸迪 Yidi Zhu
Synopsis: Two filmmakers brainstorm a fictional screenplay about a pizza so special, the protagonists in their story are fighting each other for who gets the last pizza. Through the writing process, the pair end up ordering a pizza from a nearby restaurant, not knowing the shocking discovery they are about to face.

Ornamentation Is A Gift | United States | 2019 | 10’
Director: Raymond smiling
Writer: Raymond smiling
Producer: Carole McCarty
Cast: Nadia Aboulhosn, Emilia Ortiz, Lian Amado, Rachel K. Cabeza
Synopsis: Celeste turns to her mother for support and comfort after she is bullied at school. Instead of the warmth she’s expecting, she receives a lesson in aggression, manipulation, and hard power—in the form of a makeup tutorial. Years later, we find her all grown up. Her beauty an armor against the world. Her mother’s daughter. Yet still without comfort.

The Fugitives | Poland | 2019 | 23’
Directors: Michał Domaszewski, Konrad Domaszewski
Writer: Michał Domaszewski
Producers: Ewa Fushman, Michał Domaszewski
Cast: Waldemar Nowak, Dominik Piotrowski
Synopsis: The story is about two patients (ex-policeman and a thief) who escape from polish hospital to experience last great adventure.

Draft | Russian Federation | 2020 | 15’
Director: Olga Alikberova
Writers: Olga Alikberova, Gorislav Volokhin
Producers: Olga Alikberova, Olga Skorodumova
Cast: Orit Blayzer, Sergey Davydov, Julia Egereva, Timofei Habibullin
Synopsis: We all perceive reality differently. One and the same romantic evening a man will see quite differently from what a woman sees. She is a romantic young lady who comes to visit her former boss, whom she is still in love with, and hopes that this evening will be the beginning of a big beautiful love story. And she is a nasty girl, of which there are hundreds who care only about his money and silk clothes. He is a gallant intellectual writer, versed in art, and ready to sing serenades to her. And he is a narcissistic womanizer, collecting a collection of broken hearts. Is the truth somewhere in the middle and can it be the same for two people?

No/Low Budget – Official Selection – December 2019

Homicidal Heroes | Canada | 2019 | 06’
Director: Gemma Eva
Writer: Gemma Eva
Producer: Gemma Eva
Cast: Tim Maitland, Dalton Mugridge , Elizaveta Gorshkova, Martin Ouellette
Synopsis: Two vigilantes are accused of murder, but they think they did the right thing. When an investigator questions them, along with the deceased man’s girlfriend, he gets two sides of the story. It’s up to the investigator to make the right choice. Who is the real hero and who is the real villain in the eyes of a vigilante?

Weakday | Australia | 2019 | 10’
Director: Morgan Knox-Lee
Writers: Scott Kunesch, Morgan Knox-Lee
Producer: Regina Wong
Cast: Scott Kunesch, Robert Jackson, Chelsea Sargent, Chris Allard
Synopsis: A day in the life of Robert Townsley, a depressed millennial who not only hates his job but the way he continues to fail through life. However, this truly is a story about nothing. Showing how unimportant life really is.

At Your Fingertips | United Kingdom | 2019 | 09’
Director: Thanos Pantsos
Writer: Tom McDermott
Producer: Misia Pawlowska
Cast: Maite Guilera, Peter Jakubow, Simon Furness
Synopsis: Tomek has been away on the work trip far too many times, leaving Yasmin pregnant, alone at the new house. Every day they talk via the video call, but tonight is different. Tomek is late, Yasmin’s had enough of waiting for him to realise she cannot do everything on her own but when they are about to reach the top of the conflict, Yasmin hears the noise, which changes everything.

Lobe | Canada | 2019 | 06’
Director: Michael Armstrong
Writer: Michael Armstrong
Producer: Colin Greenfield
Synopsis: When Ellen’s husband disappears on their camping trip, she must decide whether she wants

The Rendez-Vous | Germany | 2019 | 05’
Director: Mo Jäger
Writers: Noémi Besedes, Mo Jäger
Producers: Mo Jäger, Noémi Besedes
Cast: Noémi Besedes, Mélanie Fouché
Synopsis: Sometimes there is no other way than to speak from the heart.

The Fall | United States | 2019 | 06’
Director: Bryan A. Mackenzie
Writer: Bryan A. Mackenzie
Producers: Eric Sanderson, Bex Francis , Madalain Ziarek
Cast: Scott Noble , Trevor Hooper, Ryan Gerberding , Richie Gray, Kyle Van Dusen , Alexis Aguirre
Synopsis: A cunning racketeer faced with an internal threat, attempts to weed out the traitor in a telling game of chance.

Reoccurring | United Kingdom | 2020 | 14’
Directors: Clemente Lohr, Toby Elwes, Alessio Marzilli, José Solórzano Híjar
Writer: Clemente Lohr
Producers: Clemente Lohr , Toby Elwes
Cast: Ola Forman, Clemente Lohr, Paolo Marconi, Alessandra Celani, Lorién Sauret, Ximena Romo
‘Reoccurring’ is the combined work of three independent film crews in London, Rome and Mexico City. This multilingual, zero budget, film drifts between locations yet follows a single universal story. With glimpses of young love, parental frustration and social angst, ‘Reoccurring’ exposes a shared human experience across international borders.

Portrait of a man as an island. | Portugal | 2019 | 10’
Director: João Pedro Soares
Writer: João Pedro Soares
Producer: João Pedro Soares
Cast: Luís Gabriel
Synopsis: A short visit into the universe of a man who, in the solitude of our days, did not allow reality to smother his dreams.

Short Comedy – Official Selection – December 2019

THE PLUNGE | United Kingdom | 2019 | 10’
Director: Simon Ryninks
Writer: Omar Khan
Producer: Tibo Travers
Cast: Lydia Wilson, Omar Khan
Synopsis: After a night of passion Emily tells Jay that she’d like to use a strap-on. Scared of losing a girl he has a connection with, Jay reluctantly agrees.

“Riccardo that bounced on to the stars” | Italy | 2019 | 13’
Director: Lana Vlady
Writer: Armando Maria Trotta
Producer: Ariens Damsi
Cast: Giorgia Sinicorni, Carlotta Amati, Davide Paganini
Synopsis: Because of Riccardo, Lisa’s chick who decided to take a flight from the fourth floor, Marianna will have to explain to her seven-year-old daughter that there is something in the world called “death”.

In Brighton | Switzerland | 2019 | 20’
Directors: Riccardo Bernasconi, Francesca Reverdito
Writer: Nicola Pedrozzi
Cast: Nicola Pedrozzi, Fotina Papatheodorou, Gordon Winter
Synopsis: Bright and a bit self-assured, Mark Bianco earns a living with guitar lessons to bored students. He draws animals with his computer, but never considered it more than a hobby. Nefèli Pontiakòs is a Greek student going through a personal crisis, sensitive and little unconventional. In the magic of an English Channel neighborhood, their relationship is impeded by her allergy to being touched, and by his ironic sense of superiority.

My Queen | Argentina | 2019 | 13’
Director: Marlene Grinberg
Writer: Marlene Grinberg
Producer: Florencia Clérico
Cast: Florencia Dyszel, Monica Raiola, Daniela Korovsky, Mariano Sayavedra, Ariel Langsam, Nicolás Dymiez Parzajuk, Kiara Fonte
Synopsis: It’s Friday night in Buenos Aires. Ruth, (65 years old), who embraces tradition as well as liberation, prepares the Shabbat dinner with her non-Jewish masseur boyfriend, Gustavo (40 years old). Gus takes part in the evening’s dinner, unleashing discomfort, envy and anger amongst Ruth’s family.

SALSE CONNECTION | Italy | 2019 | 15’
Director: Francesco Barozzi
Writers: Francesco Barozzi , Nicola Xella, Natalia Guerrieri
Producers: Francesco Barozzi , Nicola Xella
Cast: Miro Landoni, Gino Andreoli , Giuseppe Sepe, Marco Marzaioli
Synopsis: Miro is a retired man who is struggling to make ends meet and his landlord wants to evict him. He works as avolunteer in the nature reserve Salse di Nirano together with Vasile, a Moldovan intern, and Bruno, the frightful janitor. To everyone’s surprise, some weird holes in the muddy ground of the nature park have appeared and no one can find an explanation. One night, Miro randomly bumps into the responsible of this profound mystery. From that moment, his life changes unexpectedly and he finds himself in a new adventure full of strange twists and turns. — Miro è un pensionato che fatica ad arrivare a fine mese, al punto che il suo padrone di casa minaccia di sfrattarlo. Lavora come volontario alla Riserva Naturale delle Salse di Nirano, insieme a Vasile, lo stagista moldavo, e a Bruno, il minaccioso custode. Nel parco naturale iniziano a comparire degli strani buchi nel fango di cui nessuno riesce a dare una spiegazione. Una notte, per puro caso, Miro si imbatte nel responsabile di questo mistero. Da questo momento, la sua quotidianità subisce una svolta imprevista, proiettandolo in un’avventura piena di comicità e colpi di scena.

Uncle Jake’s Place | United States | 2019 | 04’
Directors: Mack Judd, Don Markus
Writer: Mack Judd
Cast: Mack Judd, Wolfgang Stein
Synopsis: A loner practices self-care with the help of his favorite childhood show.

BANG. BANG. | United States | 2019 | 04’
Director: Steven Pierce
Writers: James Allerdyce, Steven Pierce
Producer: James Allerdyce
Cast: Chey Kennedy , Timothy Goodwin, Ryan Guess, Isiah Stratton , Billy Walker
Synopsis: In a repressed, old and dusty western town, a hero rides in to bring justice.

Monday: Pixelface | Finland | 2019 | 22’
Director: Samuli Valkama
Writers: John Lundsten, Melli Maikkula
Producers: John Lundsten, Melli Maikkula
Cast: Jarkko Niemi, Saara Kotkaniemi, Niina Koponen, Iikka Forss, Teijo Eloranta
Synopsis: Monday is a surreal black comedy anthology series about normal people who encounter miracles in their every day lives. In Episode 1: Pixelface, a man is preparing for his wedding, when his face starts becoming increasingly pixelated.

The Last Pizza | China | 2019 | 07’
Director: Gert Kombate
Writers: Gert Kombate, Godspeed Tao, Lexi Chen, Simba Damian Kudzai
Producers: Gert Kombate, Lexi Chen
Cast: Giampaolo De Santi, Alberto Lancellotti, Barret Coates, 朱逸迪 Yidi Zhu
Synopsis: Two filmmakers brainstorm a fictional screenplay about a pizza so special, the protagonists in their story are fighting each other for who gets the last pizza. Through the writing process, the pair end up ordering a pizza from a nearby restaurant, not knowing the shocking discovery they are about to face.

Short Drama – Official Selection – December 2019

INNOCENCE | United Kingdom | 2019 | 20’
Director: Ben Reid
Writers: Ben Reid, Owen Gower
Producers: Tibo Travers, Ken Ross
Cast: Tommy Jessop, Alice Lowe, Lawrence Spellman, Richard Glover, Beth Asher, Faraz Ayub
Synopsis: When a worker falls to his death at a care home, it appears to be a terrible accident. But when a detective questions a young man with Down syndrome spotted at the scene, they uncover a crime more shocking than anyone imagined.

The First Officer | Greece | 2019 | 13’
Director: Yannis Ferchatis
Writer: Yannis
Producer: Yannis Ferchatis
Cast: Sofia Manolakou, Giannis Papasotiriou, Kostas Spiropoulos, Melita Ferchati
Synopsis: The relationships of three people unfold, yielding an amorous carousel that reveals the shadows in their relationships. During a parallel action, Katerina learns of her lover Peter’s secret life, while Nikos tries to win back her heart.

Best Game Ever | Hungary | 2018 | 20’
Director: Kristóf Deák
Producers: Anna Udvardy, László Dreissiger, Gábor Osváth
Cast: Tamás Rétfalvi
Synopsis: When two CCTV technicians find out about an AI machine threatening their jobs, they must get out of their chairs to beat the system – leading them to an unexpected solution. The new short film of Academy Award-winner Kristóf Deák.

Sara’ s Book | United States | 2019 | 27’
Director: Iber Deari
Writer: Mrika Krasniqi
Producer: Mrika Krasniqi
Cast: Mona Mustafa, Mirsad Abazi, Drita Kaba Karaga, Muzafer Etemi, Sefedin Shabani
Synopsis: Sarah is a young woman who receives divine visions from Mother Teresa, but no one believes her. Everyone thinks that she’s sick.

Briefcase Without A Handle | Belarus | 2019 | 15’
Director: Sergei Kuklov
Writer: Sergei Kuklov
Producer: Sergei Kuklov
Cast: Igor Petrov, Alexander Abramovich, Vitaliy Holodok
Synopsis: “A Suitcase without a Handle”, a set expression meaning “Something that is a pain to carry around, and a shame to throw away.” Two thugs, each with a secret agenda to escape their life of crime once and for all, are tasked with picking up a briefcase at a near-border cafe.

Three Days | Spain | 2019 | 10’
Director: Santiago Hernández Tocarruncho
Writer: Santiago Hernández Tocarruncho
Producers: Diego Franco Klein, Santiago Hernández Tocarruncho, Angélica Germanetti
Cast: Diego Franco Klein, Angélica Germanetti
Synopsis: After three days of sex and drugs, Martin and Claudia start mixing lust with love with unintended consequences.

The Devil in the Street | Finland | 2019 | 10’
Director: Rickard Stolpe
Writer: Rickard Stolpe
Producer: Rickard Stolpe
Cast: Sannah Nedergård, Dennis Nylund
Synopsis: On her way home at night a young woman meets her ex and a burst of mixed emotions take over and the devil comes to visit.

ON AIR | France | 2019 | 20’
Director: M Marceau Brossard
Writer: Marceau Brossard
Synopsis: 1:30pm. The Daily News on a big tv channel are going live. Everything goes smoothly, until a hacker takes over the whole set.

Morgan | Germany | 2019 | 05’
Director: Alexander Kohn
Writers: Olivia Lina Gasche, Tizia Florence
Producers: Olivia Lina Gasche, Anna-Maria Hadorn
Cast: Olivia Lina Gasche, Anna-Maria Hadorn
Synopsis: “What are we doing here if you don’t care about me?” We are our harshest critics, but we let others get away with things we would have blamed ourselves for long ago. We’d rather keep our mouths shut than take the risk of being rejected. Why are we judging ourselves so intensely? How do we make the way from self-pity, selfishness and self-destruction to a self-confidence that faces us with unconditional love? The short film “Morgan” shows an insight into the life of a young woman who is dissatisfied with her life and with herself. In a bar she meets “B”, who takes care of Morgan’s questions – but not as Morgan might have wished.

Shadows at Dawn | Italy | 2019 | 15’
Director: Vincenzo Laurella
Writer: Vincenzo Laurella
Producer: Vincenzo Laurella
Cast: Angelo Tosto, Matilde Piana, Marta Cirello
Synopsis: An old veteran returns home after many years and is welcomed by his wife. The two talk all night, sharing their memories. But there’s something strange in the woman’s words and the house itself seems to dissolve into a dream… Short movie shot on Super16mm film

The Last Caravan | Israel | 2019 | 14’
Director: Lev Brodinsky
Writer: Lev Brodinsky
Producer: Yael Perlov
Synopsis: The year is 1994. A caravan site, built by the Israeli Government for immigrants from the Soviet Union, is about to be dismantled. Ilya (9) remains to defend the caravan of his grandfather, Jenia, who refuses to be evacuated.

Métèque | United Kingdom | 2019 | 29’
Director: Lauren Blackwell
Writers: Lyna Dubarry, Lou Stassen
Producers: Oisin Nolan, Alex Clement, Lyna Dubarry
Cast: Lyna Dubarry, Lou Stassen, Oisin Nolan, Elliot Janks , Amelia Parillon , Hana Hrzic , Anne Hayward
Synopsis: A successful young banker living in the UK is confronted with a crisis when her visa gets revoked. Based on a true story, Métèque follows the life a young, hard-working woman, whose security, comfort and trust in her reality is stripped away from her and she is faced with the questions of “Where do I belong now”? Following themes of displacement, she grapples with her identity in a society that no longer wants her, amongst a group of shifting friends who struggle to understand her experiences and her undeniable desire for a love that she needs but is unable to ask for.

The King of Hearts | Canada | 2019 | 15’
Director: Stanton Chong
Writer: Alex Duong
Producer: Alex Duong
Synopsis: That night at the Bermuda Lounge would be compared to a contemporary retelling of Romeo & Juliet if Romeo was a special-op marine able to use unique skills to avoid police while hunting down an abduction ring responsible for the disappearance of the love of his life. As always, it began as most stories do; with a cryptic message. When “Billy” received the strange cellphone video from an overly cheerful Julie, he knew something wasn’t quite right. Julie had been out partying with a group of friends to celebrate Billy’s imminent return home … but she wasn’t there to greet him when he arrived. In fact, no one had heard from her since that night at the Bermuda Lounge. Teaming up with Julie’s sister Victoria, Billy sets out to find answers. Who they discover is JOHNNY SHUFFLER, the trust fund son of one of the town’s elite who has been using the bar as a staging ground to lure young woman into his fold. Johnny makes the mistake of lacing Victoria’s drink, exposing himself and his operation to Billy. That’s when the bar fight begins. It would be the first thread in a chain of events that would see a military patriot, disenfranchised with the war abroad, bring the the fight home in a clandestine way to fulfill the vow he made before he shipped out. To defend, protect, to always remain faithful. Semper fidelis

Ornamentation Is A Gift | United States | 2019 | 10’
Director: Raymond smiling
Writer: Raymond smiling
Producer: Carole McCarty
Cast: Nadia Aboulhosn, Emilia Ortiz, Lian Amado, Rachel K. Cabeza
Synopsis: Celeste turns to her mother for support and comfort after she is bullied at school. Instead of the warmth she’s expecting, she receives a lesson in aggression, manipulation, and hard power—in the form of a makeup tutorial. Years later, we find her all grown up. Her beauty an armor against the world. Her mother’s daughter. Yet still without comfort.

The Fugitives | Poland | 2019 | 23’
Directors: Michał Domaszewski, Konrad Domaszewski
Writer: Michał Domaszewski
Producers: Ewa Fushman, Michał Domaszewski
Cast: Waldemar Nowak, Dominik Piotrowski
Synopsis: The story is about two patients (ex-policeman and a thief) who escape from polish hospital to experience last great adventure.

Draft | Russian Federation | 2020 | 15’
Director: Olga Alikberova
Writers: Olga Alikberova, Gorislav Volokhin
Producers: Olga Alikberova, Olga Skorodumova
Cast: Orit Blayzer, Sergey Davydov, Julia Egereva, Timofei Habibullin
Synopsis: We all perceive reality differently. One and the same romantic evening a man will see quite differently from what a woman sees. She is a romantic young lady who comes to visit her former boss, whom she is still in love with, and hopes that this evening will be the beginning of a big beautiful love story. And she is a nasty girl, of which there are hundreds who care only about his money and silk clothes. He is a gallant intellectual writer, versed in art, and ready to sing serenades to her. And he is a narcissistic womanizer, collecting a collection of broken hearts. Is the truth somewhere in the middle and can it be the same for two people?

Student Short – Official Selection – December 2019

Wild Garlic | Bulgaria | 2019 | 25’
Director: Chris Zahariev
Writer: Chris Zahariev
Producer: Elena Doroshenko
Cast: Todor Lazarov, Zhorzheta Chakarova
Synopsis: To kill or get killed? That’s the decision Angel have to take. And take it quick. Grown up on the streets in Eastern Europe, Angel now works for a crime organization. When he fails his boss in a money deal, he is given one last chance for redemption. Will Angel commit the murder of a rival drug dealer and what’s going to happen when in his mess he cross roads with an lost elderly woman, who is trying to go back home? “Wild Garlic” is a film about unexpected meetings, which reminds us that somewhere deep down we all have power for a new beginning.

The Housecats | United Kingdom | 2019 | 14’
Director: Molly Hackett
Producer: Molly Hackett
Synopsis: With more tigers living in private ownership in America than in the wild, ‘The Housecats’ explores the lives of these tigers and the people who care for them. Could a new law help end this trade forever?

ADULTS | Russian Federation | 2019 | 27’
Director: Zhenya Kryukova
Writer: Zhenya Kryukova
Producer: Leonid Kryukov
Cast: Natalya Romanycheva, Evgeny Ovsyanikov
Synopsis: Estranged brother and sister meet again at their father’s funeral. The brother appears aloof, while the sister is clearly hurt and resentful towards her brother. Now that both their parents are gone—nothing binds them, so then why is it so hard for them to just be strangers?

Death and Taxes | Canada | 2019 | 12’
Director: Cameron Saville
Writer: Cameron Saville
Producer: Nathan Cawley
Cast: David Lewis, Malia McMullen

Mammoth | China | 2019 | 15’
Director: Jiamin Huang
Writer: Jiamin Huang
Producer: Zeyi Chen
Cast: Jiayi Li
Synopsis: A 17-year-old girl Chen Jialai, who is going to participate in a cheerleading competition, suddenly learns the death of her classmate. Under the thinking and perplexity about the nature of death, she needs to make a choice.

Blindman’s buff | Poland | 2019 | 05’
Director: Filip Twardowski
Writer: Filip Twardowski
Producer: Lodz Film School
Cast: Zofia Bukowska
Synopsis: A lonely girl is playing the game of blindman’s buff. Heartless faith throws her into memories of both carefree times and brutal reality of war.

Out to Sea | United Kingdom | 2018 | 06’
Director: Heidi O’Loughlin
Writer: Moira James-Moore
Producers: Maisie Ellen Williams, Paul Bancilhon
Cast: Matt Addis, Danny Vears
Synopsis: A young child desperate to be a pirate regularly wanders down to the beach, often by herself at her father’s annoyance. After starting school she’s teased for her pirate antics and after finding a bottle with a treasure map at the beach, her love for the pirate way is invigorated. After scorning her for yet another solo beach trip her father reads out the treasure map to her and covers the fact that it’s a note that’s too mature for her little eyes, but joins in on the fun and acts like a pirate too. Their relationship grows stronger again.

Men Discussing Their Feelings in an Emotionally Healthy Way | Netherlands | 2019 | 23’
Director: Cas Mulder, Simon Becks
Writer: Simon Becks
Producers: Maarten Valstar, Rosa van Iterson
Cast: Matthijs van de Sande Bakhuyzen , Hannah van Lunteren , Minne Koole, Matti Stooker

The Ruby Earring | United States | 05’
Director: Yi Zhang
Writer: Yi Zhang
Producer: Feifei Gong
Synopsis: A local girl has a new opinion about her life and re-think her dream after a conversation with an urban girl.

Window | United Kingdom | 2019 | 08’
Director: Adam Bastin
Writers: Jake Mason, Brandon Shears, Christopher Moore
Producer: Jake Mason
Cast: Mike Harley, Adam Stafford-Smith, Amina Williams
Synopsis: An elderly man sitting in his front room is disturbed by a commotion outside. Outside his window, an aggressive argument unfolding between a young couple is unfolding. Will the man help them?

Short Fantasy/Sci-Fi – Official Selection – December 2019

Disconnected | United States | 2019 | 05’
Director: Zach Stamey
Writer: Zach Stamey
Producers: Carolina Stamey, Zach Stamey
Cast: Kyle Faulkner, Alicia Dupuis, Emma Farmer, Officer Michael Vaught, Rich Font
Synopsis: A man receives unbelievable news on a phone call from his family and he struggles to stay connected.

The Light Thief | Spain | 2015 | 19’
Director: Eva Daoud
Writer: Eva Daoud
Synopsis: When the essence of Love is snatched from someone and locked away in a vessel with no name , what happens to those persons and how do they change? How can the broken hearted souls break that curse and recover from their pain? Can they regain their spark by overcoming dark supernatural forces?

Cyclops | Norway | 2020 | 11’
Director: Nikolai Lundh
Writer: Nikolai Lundh
Synopsis: A mother, who has recently lost her vision, enlists the aid of a robber in the search for her eyes, but trust between them quickly fades.

Tumbili | United States | 2019 | 07’
Director: Brando Benetton
Writer: Brando Benetton
Producer: Mauricio Zambrano
Cast: Bradley Stryker, Lilith Max
Synopsis: A mischievous eight-year-old discovers a magical wooden box locked inside her house, mistakenly releasing the supernatural danger within it.

Nocturne | Italy | 2018 | 17’
Director: Luigi Caporilli Razza
Writers: Luigi Caporilli Razza, Francesco Ferraris
Producers: Giulia Sferrazza, Filippo Locantore, Luciano Romano
Synopsis: ENG_ When a scientific commission confirms the imminent catastrophe depicted by the prophecy of an ancient religious cult, the young reporter Ander Leverin is sent to investigate the rational truth beneath these forgotten superstitions. The things she is going to discover will bring her logic and her rationality to confront a primordial terror, hidden in the deepest and obscure corners of the human mind. ITA_ Quando una commissione di studiosi conferma la futura catastrofe planetaria profetizzata da un antico culto religioso, la giovane giornalista Ander Leverin viene inviata dal suo giornale a scoprire quale verità scientifica si celi davvero dietro questa coltre di superstizioni perse nel tempo. Ciò che scoprirà porterà la sua logica e la sua razionalità a scontrarsi con un terrore primordiale, celato nei più reconditi meandri della mente umana.

SHORT TO THE POINT – NOVEMBER 2019 AWARDS

BEST FILM

Ria | Germany | 2019 | 20’        

Director: Dennis Baumann           

Writer: Dennis Baumann

Producer: Till Helldobler

Cast: Valentina Walde, Tobias Kluckert, Thomas Sturmfels, Lena Biallawons, Simone Ritscher, Erik Schäffler, Luke Neite, Peter Seaton-Clark

Synopsis: WWII through the eyes of a child that has never really seen the war. A fantasy-story, about family, growing up and learning to cope with difficult situations.  Little Maria lost her father to the war and her mother to the depression in the late 1940s. The only close relative she has left is her hard-working uncle Philipp.  Philipp works in a small newspaper publishing house and writes short stories for the Sunday edition of the local newspaper. One day he finds a short story of his niece between his documents. He first discovers a loving, fairy-tale child story – but as he soon finds out, there is much more to it.  The story not only helps him to make one of his best adapted works, but also lets him see what Maria is going through at home. She understands much more than one can believe in a ten-year-old, and knows about the deal what it means to grow up. But more importantly, she is the only one who realizes that the family is more important than anything else – especially in times when everything seems to be lost anyway.

BEST DIRECTOR

The tears’ thing | France | 2019 | 25’

Director: Clémence Poésy            

Writer: Clémence Poésy ; Eric Forestier   

Producer: Nelson Ghrénassia       

Cast: India Hair, Sabine Timoteo 

Synopsis: Florence is an actress. Preparations for her new role will challenge her in a way she could never have seen coming.

BEST SCREENPLAY

Ria | Germany | 2019 | 20’        

Director: Dennis Baumann           

Writer: Dennis Baumann

Producer: Till Helldobler

Cast: Valentina Walde, Tobias Kluckert, Thomas Sturmfels, Lena Biallawons, Simone Ritscher, Erik Schäffler, Luke Neite, Peter Seaton-Clark

Synopsis: WWII through the eyes of a child that has never really seen the war. A fantasy-story, about family, growing up and learning to cope with difficult situations.  Little Maria lost her father to the war and her mother to the depression in the late 1940s. The only close relative she has left is her hard-working uncle Philipp.  Philipp works in a small newspaper publishing house and writes short stories for the Sunday edition of the local newspaper. One day he finds a short story of his niece between his documents. He first discovers a loving, fairy-tale child story – but as he soon finds out, there is much more to it.  The story not only helps him to make one of his best adapted works, but also lets him see what Maria is going through at home. She understands much more than one can believe in a ten-year-old, and knows about the deal what it means to grow up. But more importantly, she is the only one who realizes that the family is more important than anything else – especially in times when everything seems to be lost anyway.

BEST LEADING ACTRESS

The tears’ thing | France | 2019 | 25’

Actress: India Hair

Director: Clémence Poésy            

Writer: Clémence Poésy ; Eric Forestier   

Producer: Nelson Ghrénassia       

Cast: India Hair, Sabine Timoteo 

Synopsis: Florence is an actress. Preparations for her new role will challenge her in a way she could never have seen coming.

BEST LEADING ACTOR

RESURRECTION | France | 2019 | 10’    

Actor: Tony Simonneau

Director: Sabine Crossen              

Writer: Nikos El Greco    

Producers: Tim Clayton, Christophe Péchoux, Laurent Klug, Sabine Crossen              

Cast: Samy Naceri, Tony Simonneau         

Synopsis: Max had everything then he lost his most precious possession and life was no longer worth living. After months of dwelling in the streets an encounter with an odd barman who treats him with kindness changes his look on life.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

A High Tide Day | France | 2019 |16’      

Director: Timothée Catherine      

Writer: Timothée Catherine         

Producer: Xavier Lapandry           

Cast: Amel Charif, Léa Tissier, Félix Armand           

Synopsis: During a weekend beside the sea in Normandy with her partner, Constance has an unsettling meeting with a young woman in a café in the small town of Luc-Sur-Mer. This event, as well as the discovery of a local prophecy, will lead her to enter into a deceptive love triangle.

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Ria | Germany | 2019 | 20’        

Set Design: Martha Funke, Anna-Luisa Vieregge, Holly Geissner

Director: Dennis Baumann           

Writer: Dennis Baumann

Producer: Till Helldobler

Cast: Valentina Walde, Tobias Kluckert, Thomas Sturmfels, Lena Biallawons, Simone Ritscher, Erik Schäffler, Luke Neite, Peter Seaton-Clark

Synopsis: WWII through the eyes of a child that has never really seen the war. A fantasy-story, about family, growing up and learning to cope with difficult situations.  Little Maria lost her father to the war and her mother to the depression in the late 1940s. The only close relative she has left is her hard-working uncle Philipp.  Philipp works in a small newspaper publishing house and writes short stories for the Sunday edition of the local newspaper. One day he finds a short story of his niece between his documents. He first discovers a loving, fairy-tale child story – but as he soon finds out, there is much more to it.  The story not only helps him to make one of his best adapted works, but also lets him see what Maria is going through at home. She understands much more than one can believe in a ten-year-old, and knows about the deal what it means to grow up. But more importantly, she is the only one who realizes that the family is more important than anything else – especially in times when everything seems to be lost anyway.

BEST EDITING

Fine Dying | Turkey | 2019 | 15’              

Editor: Erkan Erdem

Director: Umut Evirgen  

Writer: Umut Evirgen     

Producer: Umut Evirgen 

Cast: Burak Yamantürk, Hazer Amani, Seda Akman             

Synopsis: Chef Arthur, who is very sensitive to nature, is entertaining an important jury for dinner. Arthur who does yoga and kisses his flowers every morning turns into another character when he puts the chef apron on. He turns the kitchen into a battlefield while trying to cook the best food for the juries. There is no trace of this naïve man anymore. Arthur who is not even able to hurt a fly does not keep away from murdering animals and sacrificing anything for flavour when he steps into the kitchen.

BEST NARRATIVE

august. september. | Canada | 2019 | 15’           

Director: Ludovic Dufresne          

Writer: Ludovic Dufresne              

Producer: Audrey Fallu   

Cast: Daniel D’Amours, Pascale Marineau, Sandrine Bisson, Audrey Fallu    

Synopsis: Boris, a meteorology student, has always suffered from a rare condition that condemns him to short-lived relationships with girls.

BEST COMEDY

Short Calf Muscle | Netherlands | 2019 | 13’      

Director: Victoria Warmerdam    

Writer: Victoria Warmerdam       

Producer: Trent 

Cast: Henry van Loon, Beppie Melissen, Raymonde de Kuyper, Sieger Sloot, Wieger Windhorst, Bert Hana, Rogier Schippers, Bart Klever, Rein Mulder, Loes Schnepper, Michiel Kerbosch            

Synopsis: Short Calf Muscle is an absurdist black comedy about Anders. And Anders is different. But he doesn’t know that. Yes, he’s also gay, but that’s not the point here. There is also this thing that others see but he doesn’t.

BEST DRAMA

The Hen Man | France | 2019 | 15’         

Director: Thiebault Guérin                           

Producer: Jeanjean Films (indie)  

Cast: Jean Lacroix, Meryl Mourey             

Synopsis: John has the feeling that he belongs to the poultry world and meticulously crafts himself a hen costume. Marginalised by society but supported by his loving sister he remains true to his vision.

BEST FANTASY/SCI-FI

AMARA | United States | 2019 | 04’       

Director: Ethan Chancer                                             

Synopsis: “AMARA” is a short film in which the titular protagonist, spurred on by a cataclysmic celestial event, must embark on a pilgrimage through her barren and desolate world. Battling doubt and fear of the unknown, her courage and strength become her only guides on a journey to salvation.

BEST HORROR

Once Upon A Time In…Sai Wan |  Hong Kong | 2019 | 23’           

Director: Nate Ki              

Writer: Nate Ki  

Producer: Mani Man       

Cast: Raymond Chiu, Wong So Fun, Zeno Koo, Brian Thomas Burrell            

Synopsis: In 1989, there were rumors saying money became joss papers when a delivery guy returned to his restaurant after delivering food order to Room 4E of Sau Lai Building which was to be disassembled. Such rumors horrified restaurant staff members nearby as they all afraid that they would receive call from the ghost someday.  Shui, who was a staff member from Chiu Fat Restaurant, however, manipulated people’s superstition, claiming that he received order from the ghost. He stole all the money after delivering food orders while replacing the money with joss papers. His boss and colleagues were shocked as they had never thought that their restaurant was chosen and cursed!  Shui found that his trick succeed and thus decided to cheat money using the same tactics again and again…

BEST STUDENT

GRENADINE | United States | 2019 | 15’              

Director: Corentin Leroux

Writer: Corentin Leroux 

Producer: Dimitri Lazarashvili      

Cast: Hunter Fisher, Elijah Reyez, Xavier Reyes, Cole Zampas-Klean, Leilene Stewart             

Synopsis: How do three brothers change when their parents inexplicably disappear?

BEST YOUNG DIRECTOR

Sad Girl Weekend | Greece | 2019 | 16’

Director: Dimitris Tsakaleas, Lida Vartioti

Writers: Dimitris Tsakaleas, Lida Vartioti 

Producers: Iro Aidoni, Dimitris Tsakaleas, Maria Laskaridou, Sotiris Petridis              

Cast: Elsa Lekakou, Giorgina Liosi, Natasa Exidaveloni      

Synopsis: Three best friends are spending their last weekend together, since the two of them are leaving to study abroad. Sooner or later, they realize that goodbyes are hard.

BEST CHILDREN SHORT

Cazando Gamusinos | Spain | 2019 | 06’             

Director: Silvia Mañes Velasco    

Writer: Silvia Mañes Velasco       

Producer: Máster de Animación UPV        

Cast: Gamusino Cazado 

Synopsis: Humans possess a totem that gives them control of their imagination. When a gamusino steals Ruben’s totem, his son Hugo goes on a quest and will confront the creature to restore his father’s vitality.

BEST ANIMATION

Am I a wolf? | Islamic Republic of Iran | 2018 | 09’          

Director: Amir Houshang Moein 

Writer: Amir Houshang Moein     

Producer: Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children & Young Adults, KANOON, Iran.

Synopsis: Children perform the familiar story of the wolf and yeanlings in school as a puppet theater. The nanny goat in the grief of its yeanlings and the angry wolf in its solitude, face each other. As usual, the wolf defeats, but…

BEST DOCUMENTARY

Campesinos | Australia | 2019 | 10’       

Director: Matias Bolla                   

Producer: Matias Bolla                  

Synopsis: A glimpse into the secluded lives of Patagonian cowboys (Gauchos) living at the end of the world in isolation.

BEST EXPERIMENTAL

S T O P | Austria | 2019 | 12’     

Director: Marieli Froehlich           

Writer: Marieli Fröhlich  

Producer: Marieli Froehlich                         

Synopsis: We are all almost uninterruptedly exposed to countless unfiltered events, both near and far. Reflecting this kind of overwhelming situations the idea for STOP came up. The project can be understood as an action of deceleration, a call for slowdown from a state of sensory overload, a flood of stimuli, that consequently leads to a restriction of our original perception. Contemplation or meditation, an exercise that has had its place in all cultures, offers people the opportunity to experience oneness within themselves and further leads to a feeling of unity with their fellow men. Referring to this project, people from all walks of life, of all ages, religions and race from around the world were and are invited, to take on a sort of meditative sleep state without preparation or artificial setting in their personal environment and stand still for a few minutes, allowing me to record them. During their brief pause the world keeps turning and the grass still grows. The participants are turning towards silence experiencing a gentle stillness spreading throughout themselves. The goal of that continuing project is to collect as many people as possible to participate in the experiment. Experiencing the projection of an “entire world” of people in contemplation also creates a feeling of oneness and inclusion for the viewers. Division and prejudice, whether racial, religious, gender, class or political believes, are thus consequently eliminated in this moment.

BEST MUSIC VIDEO

Spend My Dayz | United States | 2019 | 05’       

Director: Agni Raj Singh 

Writer: Agni Raj Singh     

Producers: Agni Raj Singh, Patrick Manning                          

Synopsis: An impressionistic portrayal of an artist obsessively chasing his vision & inspirations, as he journeys from Los Angeles’s gritty urban jungle to its delicate floral paradises.

BEST MINI SHORT

Peer | United States | 2019 | 03’             

Directors: Shayna Strype , Ada Defriez     

Writers: Shayna Strype, Ada Defriez          

Producer: Ruth Lichtman              

Cast: Kyra Tantao, Emma Wiseman, Rowan Magee , Eleanore Pienta, Kittie Walsh , Matthew Onorato, Michael Halwagy , Matthew Shovlin , Caroyln Kettig, Spencer Lutvak , Dane Manary, Gabe Fine, Alex Mullen, Alex Difiglia, Malina Leslie, Anne Symons

Synopsis: A child imagines the progression and eventual unraveling of her parents’ marriage. Through use of puppetry, movement and humor, this continuous-shot film explores the ways in which society’s prescriptive structures may lead to the eventual corrosion of the structure itself. This film was made with an all female-identified team on a micro-budget. Original music is composed and performed by Grace McLean (Lincoln Center LCT3: In The Green, Broadway: Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812).  

BEST NO/LOW BUDGET

Afterglow | Costa Rica | 2019 | 05’         

Director: Ariana Bolaños Guevara             

Writer: Ariana Bolaños Guevara

Producer: Jose Rodriguez                             Synopsis: A pessimistic teenager girl re-encounters with an old friend. This re-encounter result in a life changing experience for her.

BEST FASHION SHORT

Brut. | United States | 2019 | 04’            

Director: Blackout                                         

Cast: Claudia Marsh        

Synopsis: Two opposing forces…The age of technology & brutalism has ended and nature has begun to restore herself. A young woman traverses the lonely landscapes. This is Cara, she is a replicant from the past and is one of the very few things that remain from the old world.