400 MPH | Paul-Eugene Dannaud, Julia Chaix, Lorraine Desserre, Alice Lefort, Natacha Pianeti, Quentin Tireloque | 5' | FRA
Amid the salt desert of Bonneville, the roaring engines can be heard over great distances. At the helm of the wheel is Icarus, a chimpanzee who loves extremes of speed. Passionate about racing, the ambitious monkey embarks on a journey inside powerful and iconic vehicles to fulfill his big dream: to reach the unlikely speed of 400MPH. The danger is imminent, the adrenaline is constant, and the sky is the limit. Will his hunger for speed allow him to conquer the impossible or will his self-destructive quest consume him?

 

O Véu de Amani | Renata Diniz | 15' | BRA

Amani is a sweet Pakistani girl who emigrates to Brazil. Even in the face of cultural conflicts, it doesn't take long for the girl to make new friends. In her new home, however, she faces a big dilemma when she receives a very unexpected gift: a bikini. O Véu de Amani has won two awards since its release: Best Short Film Screenplay at the Gramado Film Festival and Best Fiction Film according to the Technical Jury of the Children's Cinema Exhibition in Florianópolis. The short film was written and directed by Renata Diniz, winner of more than ten national and international awards for different productions.

 

En Route | Marit Weerheijm | 10' | NLD

At nine years of age, Inay discovers that the secret to eating more dessert is to do everything in slow motion. When she is forced to join her father and younger brother for a special trip to the city, she and her sibling do everything they possibly can to be late. Unfortunately, it doesn't take long for Inay to realize how wrong she was. The result of her actions will put her father in a bad mood. En Route is directed by dutch director Marit Weerheijm and was nominated for the Competitive Exhibition at the Berlin International Film Festival and won an award for Best Short Film at the Netherlands Film Festival.

 

The Hedgehog's Dilemma | Francesca Scalisi | 12' | CHE

After a brilliant career in sports as a youth, Jean moves from job to job without ever feeling really fulfilled. At 45, he is also a father and a very strict trainer: his daughter Léa is a rising star in competitive diving. However, on the day of an important championship, an unexpected event will disturb their relationship and perhaps change some of their dynamics forever. The Hedgehog’s Dilemma has direction and script signed by Francesca Scalisi, and has toured more than ten international film festivals since its premiere.

 

The Music Video | Camille Poirier | 14' | CAN

Clara, a 13-year-old tomboy, agrees to radically change her style in order to be able to participate in the music video of her older brother and friend. After the change of look, however, the girl starts to feel uncomfortable with the new and undesirable attention. The change in the behavior of her brother's friends is clear, and Clara's embarrassment, too. Touching on topics such as coming of age and the discovery of sexuality, Canadian director Camille Poirier, previously specialized in video editing, presents her first short film after completing her studies in the field of Cinema.

 

The summer and all the rest | Sven Bresser | 18' | NLD

At the end of the summer, after all the tourists and ferries have left and friends have returned to their homes and jobs on the mainland, Marc-Antoine and Mickael go back to their boring life, on an island off the coast of France where nothing happens outside the hottest season of the year. Mickael, however, is full of plans to travel, and convincing his friend to leave Corsica with him is part of the move. Marc-Antoine had already promised his new summer love, Marie, that he would visit her in Paris soon, but he still feels unable to escape his structured and comfortable routine.

 

Disrepute | Stephane Mounkassa, Stefan Sundin | 7' | SWE

For many years, Niklas was severely bullied by his peers. Seeking to end this painful situation, he decides to change schools. During the final class of the week, however, he is presented with a delicate situation and finally decides to face his attackers. During the event, a girl named Cleo watches and hesitates to intervene. It escalates quickly, and suddenly she too is faced with a big dilemma. Vanheder is co-directed by the award-winning duo Stephane Mounkassa and Stefan Sundin. Together, they have already secured several nominations with different productions at festivals around the world.

 

My Father the Mover | Julia Jansch | 12' | ZAF

Aletha's father calls himself The Mover. Through a dance of African origin called 'Gqom', he helps children in the municipality of Khayelitsha, South Africa, to overcome issues with drugs, poverty, and parental abuse in order to find their “superpowers”. The Mover is one of the few single parents in the community, and while he has helped several young people, he still finds it difficult to help his daughter find her superpowers. But, as this sensitive documentary short film by Julia Jansch shows, their dynamic is about to change.

 

Whales don't swim | Matthieu Ruyssen | 22' | FRA

Yves is the sole target of his bullying classmates. His only refuge is synchronized swimming which he practices nightly in secret. But when Charlotte, a fellow classmate and member of the team spies him at the pool, he will no longer be able to hide…