Animation Short – Official Selection – January 2020
Jinja | United States | 2019 | 07’
Director: Talin Tanielian
Writer: Talin Tanielian
Producer: Talin Tanielian
Cast: Kensei Morita
Synopsis: On his journey to find inner peace, Mango the red panda gets lost in the forest and falls victim to a mischievous spirit who plays tricks on him along the way.
The Shadow of the Sun | Israel | 2019 | 08’
Director: Ido Hartmann
Producer: Bezalel Academy of Art and Design
Synopsis: 7 years ago Boaz has cut all ties with his parents, brother & sister, his friends, and his previous world. The film tracks the story of his disappearance and embarks in a surreal journey into the memories he left with his family.
Mister Monster | China | 2019 | 07’
Director: Guo Site
Writers: Guo Site, A-Li
Producers: Fu Xu , Zhao Xidong
Synopsis: Mr. Monster lives a lonely life away from the town with his only friend, the Mysterious, who grew up with him happily and peacefully. Until one day the Mysterious causes some trouble and makes Mr. Monster embarrassed in front of everyone, and trapped in horrible nightmare. Mr. Monster tries to cut off all contact with the world by locking themselves in the house. Unfortunately, an unexpected fire comes, and Mr. Monster is in a dilemma: dying in the raging fire or being faced with public ridicule. What is his choice, and who is his mysterious friend?
Last supper | Poland | 2019 | 13’
Director: Piotr Dumała
Writer: Piotr Dumała
Producers: Piotr Furmankiewicz, Mateusz Michalak
Synopsis: A tragedy of a group of men sitting at a table and moving to the rhythm of contemporary music played by a string quarter – the Last Supper of Jesus and 12 Apostles
Rain | Poland | 2019 | 05’
Director: Piotr Milczarek
Writer: Piotr Milczarek
Producers: Piotr Furmankiewicz, Mateusz Michalak
Synopsis: ‘The Rain’ is a simple animated film on collective consciousness. It talks about how no accountability for our actions pushes us to thoughtlessly follow the crowd, which may lead to a tragedy. The film also depicts a struggle of an individual with collective hypnosis and its consequences for both the individual and the crowd.
The Butterfly Cage | France | 2020 | 07’
Directors: Hélèna Serra, Maxime Sabisik
Writers: Hélèna Serra, Maxime Sabisik
Producers: Canasucre Productions, Pictanovo, Hélèna Serra, Maxime Sabisik
Cast: Nicola Barber
Synopsis: A little boy is dead. His parents were trying to grieve until they found out about a cloning laboratory that could give them their son back.
Commercial/Ad/TVC Short – Official Selection – January 2020
Genesis | France | 2020 | 01’
Director: David Arnaud
Writer: David Arnaud
Synopsis: Behind every ski run on the Freeride World Tour there is an idea, an inspiration, a vision – just as much as it is the case for a visual artist. In both worlds imagination plays a central role. It is no coincidence that skiers themselves talk about “drawing lines” or “imagining lines”: before existing on the snow, their lines exist only in imagination. The mountain is a canvas. A Freeride World Tour/Audi collaboration.
AURA | Germany | 2019 | 03’
Director: Timm Völkner
Synopsis:AURA gives an emotional insight into the dire world of a migraine patient.
Documentary Short – Official Selection – January 2020
Skate Nation | Sweden | 2019 | 17’
Director: Paul Botwid
Cast: Paul Botwid
Synopsis: When Sayed, Mohsen, and Hazrat first arrived to Sweden as refugees, they knew nothing about skateboarding, now it’s an important part of their lives. Stockholm Skate Nation is an organisation working with skateboarding as a tool for finding a way into society.
Spray | United Kingdom | 2019 | 10’
Director:James McLean
Writer: James McLean
Producer: James McLean
Cast: Jerome Davenport
Synopsis: Spreading environmental awareness through urban art. Jerome Davenport is an aerosol artist from Perth, Australia. His murals help spread awareness about climate change and other environmental factors around the world. *All cans used in this film are CFC free and were 100% recycled after filming.
The Void | United Kingdom | 2019 | 09’
Director: Ally McKenzie
Cast: Louise Welsh
Synopsis: As Louise’s career comes to an end, she faces her toughest fight – stepping away from the ring and adjusting to life after boxing
Then comes the evening | Serbia | 2019 | 28
Director: Maja Novaković
Cast: Obrenija Radić, Vinka Radić
Synopsis: The documentary depicts life of two grannies living isolated on the hills of Eastern Bosnia. Nature is the entity with which grannies speak, listen to and respect. The film emphasizes the intangible cultural heritage, through the presentation of chants and rituals for taming the adverse weather, hail, and storm. It reflects the simplicity and purity of their way of life, as well as their painstaking work. In the daily activities that they perform, the excellence and distress of these displays is revealed and revived. Everyday life shows the caring and intimacy of the grannies, both in their mutual relations and in relationship with nature. Poetic tone of the frames relies on references from genre scenes of realism paintings, creating documents of bittersweet everyday life in the countryside.
Experimental Short – Official Selection – January 2020
Wet | United States | 2019 | 02’
Director: Jane Geisler
Writer: Jane Geisler
Producer: Jane Geisler
Cast: Jamie Neumann
Synopsis: With archival images and spoken words excerpted from 1932 correspondence between Anaïs Nin and Henry Miller, “Wet” juxtaposes the eroticism of Nin’s text with the precariousness of New Orleans’ relationship to the water that defines and sustains it. Also an experiment in the degradation of digital footage using grain, dust and scratches, water damage, and film burns applied in post.
The Great Parody | Germany | 2019 | 05’
Director: André Carvalho
Writer: André Carvalho
Producer: André Carvalho
Cast: André Carvalho
Synopsis: A film director falls asleep while watching tv and dreams about selling his soul for fame.
Seven Levels Deep | Germany | 07’
Director: Pina Brutal
Writer: Pina Brutal
Producers: Mattias Larsen, Sabine Färm, Nuno Martini
Synopsis: Seven Levels Deep is a short movie that explores the possibilities of a therapy session going deeper than intended. A visual depiction of a heroines journey through her own darkness. All the shadows are familiar, still threatening. Is there a catharsis after the breaking point? A single take thriller for the curious minded.
Circus Movements | Portugal | 2019 |15’
Directors: Lukas Berger, Mário Gajo de Carvalho
Writers: Lukas Berger, Mário Gajo de Carvalho
Producers: Mário Gajo de Carvalho, Lukas Berger
Synopsis: The young girls Liya and Beza, doing the hula hoop; Habtamnesh, doing the aerial hoop; and the boy Beniyam, who is only 5 years old, performing acrobatics – these are some of the kids who are great circus artists in the magnificent landscapes of Ethiopia. This film about them is punctuated with everyday scenes of rural and city life.
I’m here | Ukraine | 2020 | 04’
Director: Kateryna Tiurina
Writer: Kateryna Tiurina
Producers: Viktoria Zaliznyuk , Yana Teranis
Cast: Apache Crew
Synopsis: Kiev, year 2019 – total copying of style, attitudes, hobbies. Unreasonable obsession with everything new, trendy, lack of autonomous thinking, lack of truth and real desires. The new generation stopped asking themselves – what do I really want to do here and now? But these guys have their own reality. This is the new elite youth, that think critically. Original. True. Our short, beautiful video is about the eternal dreamers, boys and girls, called to inspire with their honest deeds. They push us to the new achievements. They know how to dream and fulfill. They live the moment, although it often happens that society breaks their framework of an ideal world, by throwing back to the ugly reality …
Lenses | Colombia | 2018 | 12’
Director: Carlos Smith Rovira
Writer: Carlos Smith Rovira
Producers: Lola Barreto, Carlos Smith Rovira
Cast: Nelson Jara
Synopsis: Mr.X is a grey guy with a boring job. A wallflower. Covering all antique shops on sundays is his only one hobby. One day he comes across a pair of glasses which show him the world really as it is, a city full of beasts killing and eating each other. Scared, he tries to get rid of them, but the visions persist, hopeless. He’ll have to face that reality.
Fashion Short – Official Selection – January 2020
Hotel MFW | Italy | 2019 | 02’
Director: The Blink Fish
Producers: Carlo Alpeggiani, Antonio Guarrella
Synopsis: The Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (National Chamber of Italian Fashion) presents Hotel MFW, the latest fashion film directed and produced by the Milan-based Creativity Factory The Blink Fish. Shot to celebrate Milan Fashion Week S/S 2020 (17-23 September, 2019), Hotel MFW sees several rooms of the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Milan brimming with unique guests on the eve of Milan Fashion Week. Championing inclusion, diversity and uniqueness, these values form the central theme of the film and are strongly promoted by the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana. The different looks of the models were carefully curated by fashion editor and stylist Georgia Tal, with a focus on supporting the local design scene by featuring a wide range of brands based in Italy, from emerging to more established, namely Annakiki, The Attico, L’Autre Chose, GCDS, MSGM, 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, Be Ready and Waiting Room, have been internationally recognised, selected and awarded by several film festivals, including Berlin Commercial, Aesthetica Short Film Festival and the LA Fashion Film Festival.
Redemption | Czech Republic | 2019 | 06’
Director: Jan Moravec
Writer: Jan Moravec
Producer: Jan Moravec
Synopsis: Fashion film for Katerina Fikarova (Fikars Beauty) Make-up, Styling, SFX effects and Air-Brush. This Film is about 4 stories of girls from fashion/showbusiness and different feelngs. In this video we try every Skills what my clients Katerina can use.
Mini Video Short– Official Selection – January 2020
Je suis juste le temps du trajet (Just for the ride) | France | 03’
Director: Cyprien Saccal
Writer: Cyprien Saccal
Cast: Omar Baha, Marion Begoc
We Walk | Spain | 2019 | 03’
Director: Marc Lesperut
Writer: Maria León
Cast: Malcolm McCarthy
Synopsis: “We walk” is a moving piece that talks about the traumatic experience of what it means to run away from your roots and become an immigrant. Purposely set up in an undefined country, the main character battles against desolation and torment while thinking about his family back home. This short portraits a story of survival, hope and wish for freedom.
AURA | Germany | 2019 | 03’
Director: Timm Völkner
Synopsis: AURA gives an emotional insight into the dire world of a migraine patient.
They Don’t Like Sandals | United States | 2020 | 02’
Director: Bocong ‘Limbo’ Lin
Writer: Bocong ‘Limbo’ Lin
Producer: Bocong ‘Limbo’ Lin
Cast: Xiang Zhang
Synopsis: Midnight, a man wakes up and finds things are floating in his living room…
Music Video – Official Selection – January 2020
The Way That I Am | United States | 05’
Director: Arman Alipour
Writer: Arman Alipour
Producer: Rob Snyder
Synopsis:It’s about looking back at a troubled past and heartache but realizing you wouldn’t be who are today without it.
Marsel – Go overseas | Russian Federation | 2019 | 04’
Director: Egor Myasnikov
Writer: Egor Myasnikov
Producer: Igor Kuznetsov
Cast: Mark-Malik Murashkin
Synopsis: In our cities, stars have not been seen for a long time. The only lights that we see are the light from the windows of the buildings opposite. It is a story about a boy who wants to see the stars, and his best friend – a faithful dog. Together they go on a journey to the dream.
Narrative Short – Official Selection – January 2020
Fifteen (Quince) | United Kingdom | 2018 | 10’
Director: Peiman Zekavat
Writer: Peiman Zekavat
Producer: Yani Roncal Villanueva
Cast: Kelly Analy
Synopsis: Private video of Maria goes viral during a volleyball class in a school in Lima.
Follow Me | Israel | 2019 | 19’
Director: Elinor Nechemya
Writer: Elinor Nechemya
Producer: Elinor Nechemya
Cast: Avugayil Koevary, Liam Mendelson
Synopsis: It’s party night, and volunteering at a youth hotline is Omer’s typical excuse not to show up. When he finds out tonight may be his last chance with the girl he fancies, he decides to carry the call center into the night.
Union Jake | Netherlands | 2019 | 03’
Director: Luuk Walschot
Writer: Luuk Walschot
Producer: Hannah Padding
Synopsis: Leading character Jake questions his identity in a politically and religiously divided community. He is done fighting and is in search of something which unites us all.
Oliva | Spain | 2019 | 22’
Director: Irene Segovia Ponce
Writer: Irene Segovia Ponce
Producers: Maricarmen Castillo Abrego, Gisselle Cruz
Cast: Irene Segovia Ponce, Ruth Gonzáles Pujol, Teresita López Illarreta, Edel González Govea
Synopsis: Oliva is emotionally drained. Her low self-esteem makes her go through her days as a mere spectator. However, this emptiness and meaningless life will give birth to the strength that she needs to feel she can fend for herself.
Control | Islamic Republic of Iran | 2019 | 13’
Director: Mohsen Habibi
Writer: Mohsen Habibi
Producer: Mohsen Habibi
Synopsis: Arash and Navid, having decided to go to a Video Game Club, run away from school. Meanwhile, Arash proposes another plan.
“12” | Greece | 2019 | 11’
Director: Ntora Kazantzidi
Writer: Ntora Kazantzidi
Producer: Ntora Kazantzidi
Cast: Christos Sapountzis, Natalia Dimou
Synopsis: The family is invited to the home of Zoe and Nikos. They are going to celebrate the twelfth birthday of Marios. Despite its separate day, tensions can not be hidden between them, so the situation is getting out of control!
The Tail | Turkey | 2019 | 10’
Director: Yiğit Heprsev
Writer: Yiğit Hepsev
Producers: Aslıhan Altuğ, Büke Akşehirli
Cast: Fatih Al, Elit Andaç Çam
Synopsis: Ekrem(40) lives a calm life alone. With one exception… For years, some days he wakes up with a second head and just cuts it off every time! One day he goes out to throw it as usual, he encounters his neighbour, Şevval(37). She is aware of Ekrem’s situation and ok with it. The conversation between them through the garbage container, brings them closer and turns into an inner journey for him. Ekrem, leaves the bag in the trash, continues to walk with Şevval. The head gasps and dies slowly in the bag.
Sunny Hill | Belgium | 20’
Director: Christine Grulois
Writer: Christine Grulois
Producer: Gilles Bissot
Cast: Christine Grulois, Billie Bissot, Rémi Bissot, Suzanne Denamur, Anne-Marie Loop
Elena, and her two children Victor and Nina, empty the family home. They go to the village where a folk fanfare is going to parade. They meet the inhabitants again and improvise a small flea market. What a pity that Suzanne, the grandmother, is not here! Elena and her children decide to pick her up at her rest home, unfortunately she can’t go out …
Boy | Belgium | 2018-01-01 | 17’
Director: Isabelle Schapira
Writer: Isabelle Schapira
Producer: Julie Esparbes
Cast: Aloula Watel, Mélodie Louhala-Hilaire, Marie Mignon, Jenny Carter
Synopsis: Today, Tatiana, 17, is not going to school. She has a far more important event planned with her friends : saying goodbye to the boy she’s not ready to leave yet.
A Escritora (The Writer) | Portugal | 2019 | 20’
Director: HUGO PINTO
Writers: Andreia Moreira , Hugo Pinto
Producer: Rute Simões
Cast: Catarina Lima, Afonso Pimentel, AUREA, Miguel Silva, Dalila Carmo
Synopsis: ‘The Writer’.
A tale about a woman with an unusual talent for writing, overshadowed by a psychological illness: hypergraphy – the incurable disease of writing. Alice, our muse, suffers from the urge to write, unable to stop the verbal flow that plagues her. Alongside her struggle with her illness is her conflicting relationship with her husband.
Because the Night | Austria | 2020 | 13’
Director: Rafael Haider
Writer: Rafael Haider
Producer: Julian Berner
Cast: Anatol Euler-Rolle, Marie-Christine Friedrich, Peter Pertusini
Synopsis: Because the Night is about an 8-year old boy named Tobias who witnesses a fight between his mother and her boyfriend Nico. Although Nico was kicked out of the house and can’t get back in, he won’t leave. Tobias can’t understand why and it keeps him up at night.
Young, Young Men | United Kingdom | 2019 | 13’
Director: Noah Stratton-Twine
Writer: Noah Stratton-Twine
Producer: Grace Evans
Cast: John Worthy, Ned Wakeley
Synopsis: On the cusp of retrieving their exam results, two boisterous schoolboys trek through the countryside towards their first summer party. A poignant snapshot of millennial South-East England.
Funeral | France | 2019 | 15’
Director: Marie Vandelannoote
Writer: Marie Vandelannoote
Producer: BlackVision
Cast: Damien Boisseau, Anne-Laure Gruet, Anne-Hélène Orvelin, Stefen Eynius
Synopsis: Julie, Jean, Justine and Antoine reunite for their brother’s funeral wake.
An opportunity for them to gather and share their best memories, but also more painful ones. Between laughters and settling scores, they will not only bury a brother but also the convictions, guilt and an authoritarian family that caused, by its adamancy, the loss of one of them .
I’am Raining Down İnto The City | Turkey | 2019 | 15’
Director: Kasım Ördek
Writer: Kasım Ördek
Producer: Kasım Ördek
Cast: Ramazan Ergin, Fatoş Yıldız, Eyüp kan, Asuman Durmaz
Synopsis: Sait (55) lives in Diyarbakır with his family. His daughter Hacer gets dumped by her fiancee, Isa. Sait, who doesn’t accept this situation, begins to look for Isa, who is also his old apprentice. After a while, Sait faces some facts.
The Mother | Viet Nam | 2020 | 05’
Director: Le Huy Anh
Writers: Le Huy Anh, Pham Quang Thai
Producers: Hoang Duy Khanh, Khang Nguyen, Mai Phuong Ngo
Cast: Quang Su
Synopsis: An adult man’s journey to find his childhood again.
A Stranger Comes Home | Norway | 2018 | 12’
Director: Fredrik Mortensen
Writer: Fredrik Mortensen
Producer: Silje Burgin-Borch
Cast: Jermund Hermansen, Ragna Schwenke, Anders Dahlberg
Synopsis: It’s the night before Christmas eve and a little boy Discovers a burglar in his home. The burglar claims to be his estranged grandmother and she wants the boy to help her look for valuables. The boy however, is looking for something completely different.
Half a Film | Tunisia | 2020 | 30’
Director: Saif Hasnaoui
Writer: Saif Hasnaoui
Producers: Saif Hasnaoui, Hatem Fezaä
Cast: Salmen Ftouhi, Sonda Siala, Ahmed Zoghlemi
Synopsis: Nour and Chahine, choose to live a world of addiction to drugs and sex to escape from the brutality of their past, but changed their live to a misery.
Landing | United States | 2020 | 06’
Director: Eris Zhao
Writer: Eris Zhao
Producer: Jiayun Li
Cast: Ireland Richards, Hazel Lozano, Calvin Pang
Synopsis: Dreaming of flying, a rebellious girl’s life is turned upside down when a badly injured WWII pilot crash-landed near her backyard.
No/Low Budget – Official Selection – January 2020
Girl And A Polar Bear | Canada | 2019 | 07’
Director: Emily Shepard
Writer: Emily Shepard
Cast: Kami Norbom, Polar Bear, Geordie Cheeseman, Ry Dizon, Philip Wilson
Synopsis: A convenience store worker is having a rough night when she is greeted by a very unusual customer.
The nightingale on the sea | Italy | 2020 | 09’
Director: Martina Mele
Writer: Martina Mele
Producers: Martina Mele, Alessandro Rocca, Nicolò Ferrara
Cast: Roberta Pazi, Aurora De Luigi
Synopsis: On a boring sunny day, an anonymous middle-aged woman unexpectedly meets a mysterious child who will lead her to reflect on the persistence of memories.
Short Comedy – Official Selection – January 2020
Cash Stash | France | 2019 | 15’
Directors: Martin Darondeau, Enya Baroux
Writer: Martin Darondeau, Enya Baroux
Producers: Nathalie Algazi, Marie Sonne-Jensen, François Drouot
Cast: Catherine Allégret, Husky Kihal, Philippe Bérodot, Philippe du Janerand
Synopsis: Jacques, 58, has had a stroke. When he wakes up at the hospital, two men claim to be his longtime friends, to have robbed a tobacco bar with him, and to be there to recover their share of the loot. According to them, Jacques is the only one who knows where the money is. However, Jacques does not remember anything. Is Jacques bluffing? Are these two men really his friends?
Running Naked In The Universe | France | 2019 | 18’
Director: Guillaume Levil
Writer: Guillaume Levil
Producer: Pascal Galopin
Cast: Alice de Lencquesaing, Anthony Sonigo
Synopsis: Camille is 25, a suburban girl with a fearful temper. A one-track mind obsesses her: SHE WANTS A KID! She can’t possibly wait three hours, and even less 9 months, not at all: she prefers to steal a child so that it is immediate.
Simon. You’re Done. | Australia | 2019 | 12’
Director: Drew Kendell
Writers: Drew Kendell, Peter Cheng
Producers: Drew Kendell, Peter Cheng
Cast: Patrick Downes
Synopsis: A timid writer struggles to find his place after waking in an alternate universe, where his latest novel has already been published.
Good Ol’ Bernie | France | 2020 | 12’
Directors: Olivier Ducray, Wilfried Méance
Writers: Loic Gaillard, Olivier Ducray, Wilfried Méance
Producers: Olivier Ducray, Wilfried Méance
Cast: Philipppe Du Janerand, Luc Antoie Diquéro, Marie -Christine Orry, Tom Villa
Synopsis: Just retired, Bernie has only one goal left: Win the next regional game of race walking!
There is someone at home | France | 2019 | 11’
Director: Firode laurent
Writer: Firode laurent
Producer: Lesoult nicolas
Cast: Irene ismailoff, bamar kane, patrick dross
Synopsis: A couple thinks they are alone in their apartment while there is a surprise guest hiding there.
Series (Web/TV) – Official Selection – January 2020
Dead End | Israel | 2019 | 04’
Director: Nir Berger
Writers: Nir Berger, Ofir Z Sasson
Producer: Yael Ozsinay – Mind the Gap Animation
Cast: Ofir Z Sasson, Gaya Beer Gurevich
Synopsis: Dead End is an animated comedy web series set in a post-apocalyptic Israel. The year is 2020 and Jerusalem has been decimated by a nuclear war. Bickering teenage siblings Yarden and Kineret travel what remains of the city in search of their little brother who went missing in the aftermath of the bombing. In their travels they encounter various survivors of what was once Israel, only to find that very little had actually changed. 10 Episodes, 4-5 minutes each. Winner, Best Screenplay – Realist Web Fest 2019 Winner, Best Commissioned Animation – Animix Festival – Israel, 2019 Winner, Best Creator in Animation & Webfilm – Asia Web Awards, Korea, 2019 Nominated, Best Short Film – Kaboom Animation Festival – Netherlands, 2019 Nominated, Best Animation – Seoul Web Fest – Korea, 2019 Nominated, Best Web Series – Raindance Film Festival – UK, 2019 Nominated – Best Comedy, Best Animation, Best Screenplay in a Comedy – Asia Web Awards, Korea, 2019
Old Folks’ Tales, Gloria, daughter of gaitan | Colombia | 2018 | 06’
Directors: Carlos Smith Rovira, Marcelo Dematei
Writer: Carolina Robledo
Producers: Carlos Smith Rovira , Laura Piaggio
Synopsis: Gloria Gaitán, daughter of an important Colombian social leader, tells us how her relationship with her father was and how she lived the moment he was murdered.
Short Drama – Official Selection – January 2020
Days of rage | Canada | 2019 | 20’
Director: Eli Jean Tahchi
Writer: Eli Jean Tahchi
Producer: Marina Khoury
Cast: Eli Jean Tahchi, Henry Wehbe, Eve Gadouas, Pierre François Bouffard
Synopsis: In December 2017, as Trump officially recognizes Jerusalem the capital of Israel, WALID, a 27 year old Palestinian finds out that his uncle who raised him, is suffering from terminal phase cancer. These disturbing news upset him and jeopardizes the relationship with his girlfriend especially after a provocative encounter with a man.
Toujane | Tunisia | 30’
Director: Khemais (kamo) hmaied
Writer: Lassaad ben hsin
Producer: Khemais (kamo) hmaied
Cast: Ahmed landolsi
Synopsis: It is a story of an extremist Imam who refuses to hold the funeral prayer for a young man who drinks alcohol. He also refuses to pray on the body of a suicide girl, but a moderate worshiper (Othman) is taking charge of these religious rituals in the cemetery, which makes him an outcast for the extremist imam, and after a while Osman is found dead in his house and the imam refuses to hold the funeral prayer for him on the pretext that he is heretic and his faith is doubtful, so people rise up against the extremist imam.
Oxymoron of Eternity | Bulgaria | 2020 | 20’
Director: Jacqueline Wagenstein
Writer: Jacqueline Wagenstein
Producer: Jacqueline Wagenstein
Cast: RUSI CHANEV, MALIN KRUSTEV, DEYAN DONKOV, IVAN BURNEV, ELENA TELBIS, YOSIF SHAMLI
Synopsis: The main character of the film is a prototype of Jorge Luis Borges called Aleph, he is 120 years old and was born in a Library, which he has never left. He is looking for the perpetuation of the Library, which according to the legend can only happen after the Labyrinth is unlocked by a blind person. The Library, inhabited by the prototypes of Light, Time, Order, and Meaning, is a metaphor of the universe and the human intelligence. This world is opposed to the one outside the Library, remote from the values and depth of the books. A call from Pontius Illiteratus invites Aleph to appear at the Babylon Congress for “adjusting his values.” Thus, Aleph encounters a tame society, an allegory of today’s, eaten by the destructive virus of the spectacle, erasing the critical perspective of its existence, floating in a superficial void. The encounter of two equally powerful characters and worlds represents a clash of values. As a result, Aleph, who is physically weaker, is blinded, but paradoxically, this gives him the right to unlock the Labyrinth.
Evermore | Croatia | 2019 | 08’
Director: Lada Imamovic
Writer: Lada Imamovic
Cast: Aurélie Garault, Joshua Esser
Synopsis: Mia has to come to terms with the death of her husband as her son makes her biggest fear come true.
ANNA | United Kingdom | 2019 | 15’
Director: Dekel Berenson
Writer: Dekel Berenson
Producer: Dekel Berenson
Synopsis: Cannes Official Selection 19′ – Living in war-torn Eastern Ukraine, Anna is an aging single mother who is desperate for a change. Lured by a radio advertisement, she goes to party with a group of American men who are touring the country, searching for love. Nominated for a short Palme d’Or, TIFF, AFI Fest + dozens of selections and awards.
Digital Connection | Germany | 2019 | 14’
Director: Tarek Shayne Tabet
Writer: Tarek Shayne Tabet
Producer: Tarek Shayne Tabet
Cast: Götz Schulte, Ceci Chuh, Dennis Hofmeister
Synopsis: In a near future where digital avatars of the dead are created in Virtual Reality, a father cannot cope with the loss of his son. He frequently visits him in Virtual Reality. By doing so he neglects his daughter and smears the line between Reality and its digital counterpart.
Doll | Hungary | 2019 | 19’
Director: András Schmidt
Writer: András Schmidt
Producers: András Schmidt, Anna Sípos, Peter Fazakas
Cast: Zsuzsanna Rácz, Pallai Mara, Horváth Fruzsina
Synopsis: There’s a group of women who are making a puppet show for their children. They have a director, Orsolya, who tries to teach them how to work together and with the puppet. However working with these women is a little bit difficult, but the question is: why?
Student Short – Official Selection – January 2020
Kindling | Poland | 2019 | 20’
Director: Stacey Rushchak
Writer: Stacey Rushchak
Producers: Stacey Rushchak, Grzegorz Adach, Maciej Slesicki
Cast: Filip Krupa, Magdalena Rozanska
Synopsis: After spending eleven years in prison, Szymon, a man in his mid-twenties, struggles to come to terms with his past demons, over the course of his first 24 hours of freedom.
The limit of memory Eng-subs | Mexico | 2019 | 03’
Director: Nicolás Camacho Restrepo
Writer: Nicolás Camacho Restrepo
Producers: Angelina Fernández, Jorge Bolado
Cast: Juan Bautista
Synopsis: A surreal journey to the last memories of a dying man with alzheimer.
Give me a smile | Germany | 2019 | 09’
Director: Anja Gurres
Writers: Manuel Ostwald, Anja Gurres
Producers: Linda Hartogs, Arthur Struyf
Cast: Ute Lubosch
Synopsis: For the first time since her husband’s death, Ute visits their former FKK-club. Curiously she enters this familiar place and immediately receives a warm welcome. However, she painfully has to realise that in the eyes of her old friends she primarily has become the widow. Unintentionally she finds herself involved in a group game in which you have to make your teammates laugh by saying one simple sentence: “Hey Babe, I love you and if you love me too, give me a smile”. Quickly this innocent game becomes an unexpected challenge for Ute.
My Breakfast Is Your Dinner | Hungary | 19’
Director: Petra Pantyi
Writer: Alina Vincze
Producers: György Pálos, Linda Pfeiffer
Cast: Lolita Noa, Vogl, Abigél Szőke
Synopsis: As a newly diagnosed diabetic, Luca spends her first days in the hospital when she unexpectedly receives a new roommate, Noémi, who opens her eyes on the possibilities of her individual freedom.
Wish | Republic of Korea | 2020 | 12’
Director: Seyoung Lee
Writer: Seyoung Lee
Cast: Kim Bong-Hee, Park Young-Joon, Song Hwa-Jung, Noh Jae-Joon, Jung Hye-Sun, Lee Young Tak, Park Gun-Ryul
Synopsis: Jeong-soon attempts to commit suicide with his son Si-young, who has been in a coma for 12 years.
Pushkin’s Pants | Israel | 2019 | 08’
Director: Lev Brodinsky
Writer: Lev Brodinsky
Producers: Yael Perlov, Alma Ben Zeev
Cast: Tamara Klingon, Micky Arfinio
Synopsis: In the 1990s, Israel established government-built caravansites for Russian and Ethiopian immigrants. Abraham, a 9-year-old immigrantfrom Ethiopia, teaches himself Russian in order to survive the difficultconditions, and creates a unique bond with Marina, his neighbor who immigratedfrom Russia.
Journey | Not Specified | 03’
Director: Yue Zhang
Writer: Yue Zhang
Synopsis: This is the story of a person looking for himself in the universe. A film combinates experimental and narritive elements.
WHAT REMAINS | Poland | 2019 | 28’
Directors: Eliza Godlewska, Alan Ruczyński
Writers: Eliza Godlewska, Alan Ruczyński
Producer: Warsaw Film School
Cast: Marta Ścisłowicz, Piotr Czarniecki
Synopsis: Mania, a city-born journalist, lives in a picturesque cottage in Northeast Poland. One day she has to face the unexpected death of her beloved husband. She decides to lock herself at home with his body and deal with this loss in her own intimate way against judgments of a local community.
Le Miroir (The Mirror) | Australia | 2020 | 17’
Director: Leila Murton Poole
Writer: Leila Murton Poole
Producers: Jara Gonzales, Leila Murton Poole
Cast: Michael Caton, Noah Wiseman, Vivienne Powell, Rachel Giddens
Synopsis: Mathilde, a mute French orphan, helps to protect Madame B, the most superstitious lady in the world, from all bad luck. Both have developed their own coping mechanisms to deal with extreme loss. When Mathilde breaks Madame B’s most prized possession, a magical mirror, she goes on a journey to fix it. Along the way, she meets 12 year old Tobias who is wise beyond his years and changes her life forever.
AM HIMMEL – HEAVEN’S MEADOW | Austria | 2018 | 29’
Director: Magdalena Chmielewska
Writers: Magdalena Chmielewska, Andreas Schiessler
Producer: Yana Eresina
Cast: Maria Spanring, Valentin Postlmayr, Julia Jelinek, Johanna Orsini-Rosenberg, Giovanni Jussi
Synopsis: It is night in Heaven’s Meadow, on the outskirts of Vienna. Injured and barefoot, Maya runs back home, to the city center. Next day she reports the incident of the prior evening. She undergoes a check-up and files an official statement: assaulted by several perpetrators, no traces of semen, but internal injuries. Rather than falling apart, Maya takes off to Italy to see Daniel. There, she hopes to forget. She wants to regain control of her life. But instead, she keeps floating through the world like an unanchored island.
Silent Night | United States | 2020 | 07’
Director: Aaron Travis Peters
Writer: Aaron Travis Peters
Producer: Aaron Travis Peters
Cast: Dean Nolan, Alexa Teleki
Synopsis: A short film about an important moment between a Father and his Daughter.
Landing | United States | 2020 | 06’
Director: Eris Zhao
Writer: Eris Zhao
Producer: Jiayun Li
Cast: Ireland Richards, Hazel Lozano, Calvin Pang
Synopsis: Dreaming of flying, a rebellious girl’s life is turned upside down when a badly injured WWII pilot crash-landed near her backyard.
Short Fantasy/Sci-Fi – Official Selection – January 2020
Moment | Canada | 2019 | 21’
Director: Geoffrey Uloth
Writer: Geoffrey Uloth
Producers: Geoffrey Uloth, Holly Uloth
Cast: Emelia Hellman, Patrick Émmanuel Abellard, Dayane Ntibarikure
Synopsis: Brutally attacked by three masked men on Halloween night, a homeless girl faces her worst nightmare… until time stops… and she meets two mysterious strangers who can’t save her, but might help her save herself.
ZOE | Argentina | 2019 | 15’
Director: Aretha Resenido
Writer: Aretha Resenido
Producer: Aretha Resenido
Synopsis: A devastated metropolis extends over the planet. Every trace of nature has been eliminated and both water and air are precious resources. ZOE is a woman who seeks and recycles ancient objects in the forbidden zones to survive in the big city. Through those objects she connects with inaccessible and censored times. Despite the extreme control by a global security system, ZOE finds traces of vegetation, which leads to believe that there is still a place to meet with the nature and rebuild her own past.
Monster God | Argentina | 2019 | 11’
Director: Agustina San Martín
Writer: Agustina San Martín
Producers: Maca Herrera Bravo, Lucila de Arizmendi
Cast: Sabrina Grinchspun, Camila Dobrusky, Emilio Vodanovich, Isabella Rapazzo, Mariali Rubio
Synopsis: God is now a Power Plant. On a misty night cows escape, a child is chosen, and a teenager tries to find freedom.
Snow Babel | Italy | 2019 | 09’
Director: Rossella De Venuto
Writer: Rossella De Venuto
Producer: Maurizio Antonini
Cast: Bianca Nappi, Anna Negri, Elettra Mallaby, Chiara Civello, Esther Elisha , Janina Rudenska, Mila Bianchi , Vega Antonini, Mary Louise Gray, Valeria Costa, Mario Antonini
Synopsis: In the middle of a dinner, words run fast from one point to another of the table. A serious and at the same time frivolous chatter made up of anecdotes, references, and assonances. Twelve women are gathered to commemorate a thirteenth, who no longer exists, but it is still there with them. They are women of different eras and different ages. Different in appearance, they share a language, a feeling and a mysterious intimacy. A black thread runs through their speeches. It is death, which in a serious, or irreverent, playful or threatening way makes sense to the things of life. It will be the arrival of a young waiter to reveal us that things are not as they seem, and women are not where they seem to be. And to show us what our women don’t know they don’t know.
Vermo | Spain | 2020 | 18’
Director: Berta Canivell
Writer: Berta canivell
Producers: Berta Canivell, Angela Berruezo, Joana Navas
Cast: Ariadna cabrol, Pol Fernández, Àngela Rosal, Carles Arquimbau
Synopsis: The intense search for their first child will lead Alba and Yago to a loop of temporary jumps.
They Don’t Like Sandals | United States | 2020 | 02’
Director: Bocong ‘Limbo’ Lin
Writer: Bocong ‘Limbo’ Lin
Producer: Bocong ‘Limbo’ Lin
Cast: Xiang Zhang
Synopsis: Midnight, a man wakes up and finds things are floating in his living room…
Short Horror – Official Selection – January 2020
Swipe | Netherlands | 2019 | 06’
Director: Niels Bourgonje
Writers: Niels Bourgonje, Paul Bontenbal
Producer: Steffie van Rhee
Cast: Ebony Obsidian, Jefferson White
Synopsis: A girl finds out that she has a match on a dating app with a stranger, despite swiping him to the left moments ago. She starts to fear that the man is dangerously close to her.
Going Down | United States | 01’
Director: Daniel Lugo
Writers: Daniel Lugo, Jenly Crespo
Producers: Daniel Lugo, Jenly Crespo, Antonio cortes
Cast: Jenly Crespo, Daniel Lugo
Synopsis: A young woman finds herself trapped in an elevator while an indescribable figure is lurking outside.