The Coin | Siqi Song | 7' | CHN
At Chinese New Year, finding the coin hidden inside of the traditional local dumplings signifies a blessed year ahead. This story, however, begins as a young woman loses a jar on her journey to a new country. This object has enormous sentimental value; it contains all the lucky coins she has collected since she was a child. Her new life begins with a quest to find the coins. The Coin explores the place of heritage when forging one’s own path, with an emphasis on food as a vessel for cultural traditions.
Acid Rain | Tomek Popakul | 25' | POL
Somewhere in Eastern Europe, a young woman runs away from her bleak hometown. Her early enthusiasm about hitchhiking falls apart when she finds herself in the city outskirts in the middle of the night. At a nearby bridge she sees a figure balancing unsafely on the guardrail. That’s how she meets Skinny – an unstable drifter. Skinny lives in a camper van, which he uses to run his not-so-legal job errands. Along with him, she sets on a journey with no destination. As the ride continues in this short by Tomek Popakul, a kind of affection grows between the pair.
(In)dividual | Beatriz Bagulho | 5' | PRT
In Beatriz Bagulho’s animated short a young woman dreams she is inside her mind during a medical examination. Guided (or dragged) by her antagonist and proponent of her apprehensions, she explores the different sections of her personality. Among unusual spaces full of surreal metaphors, the girl is constantly shocked and unsettled when navigating her own subconscious. Faced with delirium, the protagonist is the only one who can find the way out of that dream labyrinth. Only when she stops questioning who she is, can she realize that the cause of her misfortune has always been right in front of her.
Why Slugs Have No Legs | Aline Höchli | 11' | CHE
Everyone wants security and space within society. In general, the easiest way to search for these things is through work. But what happens when passions become mere capitalist impulses? In this story, slugs have difficulty keeping up with the pace of life in the bustling and competitive city of insects. After a major financial crisis occurs, the bees in the industry see only one solution. Through the imagined world of insects, animator Aline Höchli proposes reflections on the way we live in our human world.
Daughter | Daria Kashcheeva | 15' | CZE
Daughter is a film by polish illustrator Daria Kashcheeva and focuses on the relationship between a father and a daughter. To draw viewers into a world of memories, the film was made with a hand-held camera feel, big close-ups, low depth of field, and plenty of motion, lending an authentic immediacy and a para-documentary style. To show the characters’ emotions, Kashcheeva paints the eyes directly on the puppets’ faces, giving them a lot of life and intense expressions. Here, our protagonist will have to choose whether to understand and forgive before it’s too late or to simply move on.
Story | Jolanta Bankowska | 5' | POL
Story is a reflection about the modern man in an age of omnipresent technology. Looking through stories - a popular function in many social media platforms - we see people who are lonely, lost, or already indifferent about the reality surrounding them. Where does the screen end and the outside world begin? Passengers in the metro fixated on their smartphones, a pianist playing a virtual instrument, a lonely restaurant patron surrounded by people typing away on their laptops. Through a series of eminently relatable everyday scenes, animator Jola Bańkowska comments on how our lives are shaped by digital technology.
The Coin | Siqi Song | 7' | CHN
At Chinese New Year, finding the coin hidden inside of the traditional local dumplings signifies a blessed year ahead. This story, however, begins as a young woman loses a jar on her journey to a new country. This object has enormous sentimental value; it contains all the lucky coins she has collected since she was a child. Her new life begins with a quest to find the coins. The Coin explores the place of heritage when forging one’s own path, with an emphasis on food as a vessel for cultural traditions.
Acid Rain | Tomek Popakul | 25' | POL
Somewhere in Eastern Europe, a young woman runs away from her bleak hometown. Her early enthusiasm about hitchhiking falls apart when she finds herself in the city outskirts in the middle of the night. At a nearby bridge she sees a figure balancing unsafely on the guardrail. That’s how she meets Skinny – an unstable drifter. Skinny lives in a camper van, which he uses to run his not-so-legal job errands. Along with him, she sets on a journey with no destination. As the ride continues in this short by Tomek Popakul, a kind of affection grows between the pair.
(In)dividual | Beatriz Bagulho | 5' | PRT
In Beatriz Bagulho’s animated short a young woman dreams she is inside her mind during a medical examination. Guided (or dragged) by her antagonist and proponent of her apprehensions, she explores the different sections of her personality. Among unusual spaces full of surreal metaphors, the girl is constantly shocked and unsettled when navigating her own subconscious. Faced with delirium, the protagonist is the only one who can find the way out of that dream labyrinth. Only when she stops questioning who she is, can she realize that the cause of her misfortune has always been right in front of her.
Why Slugs Have No Legs | Aline Höchli | 11' | CHE
Everyone wants security and space within society. In general, the easiest way to search for these things is through work. But what happens when passions become mere capitalist impulses? In this story, slugs have difficulty keeping up with the pace of life in the bustling and competitive city of insects. After a major financial crisis occurs, the bees in the industry see only one solution. Through the imagined world of insects, animator Aline Höchli proposes reflections on the way we live in our human world.
Daughter | Daria Kashcheeva | 15' | CZE
Daughter is a film by polish illustrator Daria Kashcheeva and focuses on the relationship between a father and a daughter. To draw viewers into a world of memories, the film was made with a hand-held camera feel, big close-ups, low depth of field, and plenty of motion, lending an authentic immediacy and a para-documentary style. To show the characters’ emotions, Kashcheeva paints the eyes directly on the puppets’ faces, giving them a lot of life and intense expressions. Here, our protagonist will have to choose whether to understand and forgive before it’s too late or to simply move on.
Story | Jolanta Bankowska | 5' | POL
Story is a reflection about the modern man in an age of omnipresent technology. Looking through stories - a popular function in many social media platforms - we see people who are lonely, lost, or already indifferent about the reality surrounding them. Where does the screen end and the outside world begin? Passengers in the metro fixated on their smartphones, a pianist playing a virtual instrument, a lonely restaurant patron surrounded by people typing away on their laptops. Through a series of eminently relatable everyday scenes, animator Jola Bańkowska comments on how our lives are shaped by digital technology.
Superheroes without Superpower | Beatrice Baldacci | 13' | ITA
Someone puts a VHS in a video recorder. As soon as the videotape starts to play, images of all kinds appear on the screen. These blurred images are Beatrice Baldacci’s childhood memories. This is the beginning of the filmmaker's journey, whose goal is to process some of the most significant moments of her life, including the relationship with her mother and her sickness. Through this painful quest, the filmmaker reconstructs intimate narratives to find out what she thought was lost.
All Cats Are Grey in the Dark | Lasse Linder | 18' | CHE
Christian lives with his two cats, Marmelade and Katjuscha. The three are inseparable. Yearning to become a father, he decides to breed his beloved Marmelade with an exquisite cat from abroad. The unconventional relationship between animal and human, and the desire of a man to expand his family are driving forces of this story. All Cats Are Grey in the Dark received more than ten awards at film festivals around the globe, such as the award for Best Short Film at the Toronto International Film Festival. The portrait of the relationship between Christian and his cats is surprisingly intimate.
Black Lagoon | Felipe Esparza | 30' | PER
To their inhabitants, Peru's mountains are a sacred place full of mystery. From verdant greenery to deep mud, biting winds to gauzy mist, nature is the subject of Black Lagoon. In their midst, a healer reminds inhabitants not to allow unimportant, earthly concerns to distract them. Black Lagoon is an attempt at a more complete vision of what director Felipe Esparza calls a “reality full of mystery”. Here, as a dreamlike spectator, we witness the relationship between a group of people and the mountains. The synergy between divinity and nature is the source of devotion unknown to the Eurocentric worldview.
The Vibrant Village | Weronika Jurkiewicz | 6' | POL
In a quiet Hungarian village, men gather at the bar to drink beer. Meanwhile, the women work meticulously at the factory. In a mechanical ballet, they relentlessly channel their energy into the mass production of objects for pleasure. This film follows individuals from the region in their working day and routines whilst challenging our preconceptions about the sex toy industry and mocking traditional gender roles. The Vibrant Village is the first film of Polish director Weronika Jurkiewicz whose eccentric vision works to subtly satirize male-female relationships.
The Golden Buttons | Alex Evstigneev | 19' | RUS
In 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin created the national guard, whose legal task is to guarantee public order and fight terrorism and extremism. However, this organization is subordinate to Putin personally and is therefore responsible for the repression of those who disagree with his regime. How do we make a film about something that is not allowed to be recorded? Alex Evstigneev’s film The Golden Buttons confronts this problem by plunging into the shrouded world of students at a Russian cadet school. Disguised as photographers, the team attempts to capture not only the student’s faces but also what is happening behind closed doors.
Ascona | Julius Dommer | 15' | DEU
The protagonists of this story represent a place that seems to have frozen in time, a place unchanged since the 1950s but still in existence. Ascona examines an aging couple of mini-golf enthusiasts. This activity is not just a hobby for them - this sport is an intrinsic part of their lives. Here, a miniature golf course becomes the intermediate medium for deep social analysis. Consistently permeated by wonderfully acerbic humour, Julius Dommer’s film follows the trajectory of these two lovers. Although the couple's glory days may be behind them, their competitive spirit and staying power is certainly not.
Superheroes without Superpower | Beatrice Baldacci | 13' | ITA
Someone puts a VHS in a video recorder. As soon as the videotape starts to play, images of all kinds appear on the screen. These blurred images are Beatrice Baldacci’s childhood memories. This is the beginning of the filmmaker's journey, whose goal is to process some of the most significant moments of her life, including the relationship with her mother and her sickness. Through this painful quest, the filmmaker reconstructs intimate narratives to find out what she thought was lost.
All Cats Are Grey in the Dark | Lasse Linder | 18' | CHE
Christian lives with his two cats, Marmelade and Katjuscha. The three are inseparable. Yearning to become a father, he decides to breed his beloved Marmelade with an exquisite cat from abroad. The unconventional relationship between animal and human, and the desire of a man to expand his family are driving forces of this story. All Cats Are Grey in the Dark received more than ten awards at film festivals around the globe, such as the award for Best Short Film at the Toronto International Film Festival. The portrait of the relationship between Christian and his cats is surprisingly intimate.
Black Lagoon | Felipe Esparza | 30' | PER
To their inhabitants, Peru's mountains are a sacred place full of mystery. From verdant greenery to deep mud, biting winds to gauzy mist, nature is the subject of Black Lagoon. In their midst, a healer reminds inhabitants not to allow unimportant, earthly concerns to distract them. Black Lagoon is an attempt at a more complete vision of what director Felipe Esparza calls a “reality full of mystery”. Here, as a dreamlike spectator, we witness the relationship between a group of people and the mountains. The synergy between divinity and nature is the source of devotion unknown to the Eurocentric worldview.
The Vibrant Village | Weronika Jurkiewicz | 6' | POL
In a quiet Hungarian village, men gather at the bar to drink beer. Meanwhile, the women work meticulously at the factory. In a mechanical ballet, they relentlessly channel their energy into the mass production of objects for pleasure. This film follows individuals from the region in their working day and routines whilst challenging our preconceptions about the sex toy industry and mocking traditional gender roles. The Vibrant Village is the first film of Polish director Weronika Jurkiewicz whose eccentric vision works to subtly satirize male-female relationships.
The Golden Buttons | Alex Evstigneev | 19' | RUS
In 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin created the national guard, whose legal task is to guarantee public order and fight terrorism and extremism. However, this organization is subordinate to Putin personally and is therefore responsible for the repression of those who disagree with his regime. How do we make a film about something that is not allowed to be recorded? Alex Evstigneev’s film The Golden Buttons confronts this problem by plunging into the shrouded world of students at a Russian cadet school. Disguised as photographers, the team attempts to capture not only the student’s faces but also what is happening behind closed doors.
Ascona | Julius Dommer | 15' | DEU
The protagonists of this story represent a place that seems to have frozen in time, a place unchanged since the 1950s but still in existence. Ascona examines an aging couple of mini-golf enthusiasts. This activity is not just a hobby for them - this sport is an intrinsic part of their lives. Here, a miniature golf course becomes the intermediate medium for deep social analysis. Consistently permeated by wonderfully acerbic humour, Julius Dommer’s film follows the trajectory of these two lovers. Although the couple's glory days may be behind them, their competitive spirit and staying power is certainly not.
Nothing to See Here | Gabrielle Vigneault-Gendron | 17' | CAN
Someone has been killing cats in Emmanuelle’s neighbourhood, while her own pet has been missing for two months. The tenacious, headstrong young woman is still desperately looking for it until she crosses paths with an uptight neighbour. An examination of how social tensions breed, Nothing to See Here mixes dark humour and suspense to create a contemporary urban tale.
Erva Daninha | Guilherme Daniel | 14' | PRT
A couple cultivating seemingly infertile ground come across a dark seed that grows and begins to exert a strange influence on their behaviour. The latest film by Guilherme Daniel is a stunning visual experience that imagines dark organic matter taking root, not in the earth, but within the spirit of a man and a woman. His sensitive and tender horror marks the continuation of a path that has turned the director into a major name when it comes to genre cinema. This distinctly Portuguese film that 'surprised, fascinated... and disturbed' judges at Lisbon's International Horror Film Festival MOTELX is not to be missed.
The Rudeness of a German Lady | Silva Ćapin | 15' | HRV
Under the burning sun, beachgoers are trying to take advantage of every minute of their paid trip to a desolate beach. Among them is a mother with her grown son, two ladies and their dog, a passive-aggressive married couple, loud Italians, jovial Hungarians, and an overweight, possibly dead, German lady. The Rudeness of a German Lady invites us to share in a macabre vision of society seasoned with a healthy dose of humour. Be ready to reflect on how far you are willing to go to preserve your fun.
All the Fires the Fire | Efthimis Kosemund Sanidis | 24' | GRC
Men set birds free in the mountains. Two grieving and estranged brothers try their marksmanship together with their sons. It's hunting season. Can a bird’s heart stop in the sky with no bullets coming through its body? Efthimis Kosemund Sanidis’s work was one of the most talked-about films at last year’s edition of the Locarno Film Festival.
Feu Soleil | Aliha Thalien | 30' | FRA
It's summertime in La Grande Motte. The final high school exam is complete. Vacations promise to be dull and boring. Jade wants to make love to Lucas. Feu Soleil will transport you into a nostalgic and melancholic early summer feel. With its dreamy cinematography and its slow, “lazy” tempo, an immense talent by newcomer Aliha Thalien is revealed.
Nothing to See Here | Gabrielle Vigneault-Gendron | 17' | CAN
Someone has been killing cats in Emmanuelle’s neighbourhood, while her own pet has been missing for two months. The tenacious, headstrong young woman is still desperately looking for it until she crosses paths with an uptight neighbour. An examination of how social tensions breed, Nothing to See Here mixes dark humour and suspense to create a contemporary urban tale.
Erva Daninha | Guilherme Daniel | 14' | PRT
A couple cultivating seemingly infertile ground come across a dark seed that grows and begins to exert a strange influence on their behaviour. The latest film by Guilherme Daniel is a stunning visual experience that imagines dark organic matter taking root, not in the earth, but within the spirit of a man and a woman. His sensitive and tender horror marks the continuation of a path that has turned the director into a major name when it comes to genre cinema. This distinctly Portuguese film that 'surprised, fascinated... and disturbed' judges at Lisbon's International Horror Film Festival MOTELX is not to be missed.
The Rudeness of a German Lady | Silva Ćapin | 15' | HRV
Under the burning sun, beachgoers are trying to take advantage of every minute of their paid trip to a desolate beach. Among them is a mother with her grown son, two ladies and their dog, a passive-aggressive married couple, loud Italians, jovial Hungarians, and an overweight, possibly dead, German lady. The Rudeness of a German Lady invites us to share in a macabre vision of society seasoned with a healthy dose of humour. Be ready to reflect on how far you are willing to go to preserve your fun.
All the Fires the Fire | Efthimis Kosemund Sanidis | 24' | GRC
Men set birds free in the mountains. Two grieving and estranged brothers try their marksmanship together with their sons. It's hunting season. Can a bird’s heart stop in the sky with no bullets coming through its body? Efthimis Kosemund Sanidis’s work was one of the most talked-about films at last year’s edition of the Locarno Film Festival.
Feu Soleil | Aliha Thalien | 30' | FRA
It's summertime in La Grande Motte. The final high school exam is complete. Vacations promise to be dull and boring. Jade wants to make love to Lucas. Feu Soleil will transport you into a nostalgic and melancholic early summer feel. With its dreamy cinematography and its slow, “lazy” tempo, an immense talent by newcomer Aliha Thalien is revealed.
In the troubled period preceding the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was in uproar. The challenge to the government of Dilma Rousseff was unceasing and local authorities began a hunt on criminals in the city's slums.
It is in this context that Jaca returns home after years in prison, discovering his slum is dominated by a criminal who was once his pupil. While Jaca tries to reintegrate, his daughter, Tati, finally has her father around. But some of his old habits are difficult to overcome and the community expectations become overwhelming.
This first work by Paxton Winters reinvents the subgenre of favela cinema. Pacificado won three awards at the last edition of San Sebastian Festival, including Concha de Ouro. San Sebastian Festival, where it won 3 awards, including the much-coveted Concha de Ouro.
In the troubled period preceding the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil was in uproar. The challenge to the government of Dilma Rousseff was unceasing and local authorities began a hunt on criminals in the city's slums.
It is in this context that Jaca returns home after years in prison, discovering his slum is dominated by a criminal who was once his pupil. While Jaca tries to reintegrate, his daughter, Tati, finally has her father around. But some of his old habits are difficult to overcome and the community expectations become overwhelming.
This first work by Paxton Winters reinvents the subgenre of favela cinema. Pacificado won three awards at the last edition of San Sebastian Festival, including Concha de Ouro. San Sebastian Festival, where it won 3 awards, including the much-coveted Concha de Ouro.
Riviera | Jonas Schloesing | 15' | FRA
At the Riviera, a private apartment building, it’s the siesta hour. The heat is absolutely sweltering, but Mr. Osganzi and Ms. Carmen, true to their habits, are sunbathing near the swimming pool. A young woman also swims in the water. A child jumps into the pool, disturbing those present. In his shadowy living room, Monsieur Henriet tries to entertain himself by looking at his neighbors and any sign of life from the outside. After all, the TV program is tedious. With binoculars in hand, the man's intrusion into the lives of others can seem harmless. On the surface, everything seems calm - but will this illusion be disturbed like the child’s splash on the surface of the water?
#21xoxo | Sine Özbilge | 10' | BEL
A girl searches online tirelessly for love in times of social networking, speed dating, cyberlove, hipster culture, and post-network attitudes. The protagonist guides the viewer on a journey through a colorful and bizarre imaginary world filled with absurd, metamorphic scenes and confusing frenetic relationships. Between virtual and real encounters, director Sine Özbilge presents us a surreal and funny reflection on the youth of the 21st century. After watching #21xoxo, the question remains: to what extent do we allow the internet to be incorporated into our routines and desires?
Intermission Expedition | Wiep Teeuwisse | 8' | NLD
During a sunny holiday, flocks of tourists arrive in a calm and peaceful land, apparently untouched by humans. The tourists struggle to let go of their busy city lives, and the absence of daily routines leaves them lost in an uncomfortable and suddenly scary place. Only after they learn how to slow down, can they finally find some beauty in the here and now. Wiep Teeuwisse, director of Intermission Expedition, has a bachelor's degree in animation from the University of Arts HKU, in the Netherlands. A love of science and nature inspires the poetic storytelling and themes within her films.
Such A Beautiful Town | Marta Koch | 8' | POL
A woman wakes up, goes to the window and, to her surprise, sees her boyfriend kissing another woman on the street. Disoriented, she runs out of the apartment to confront him, but the man is not there. In order to find him, she embarks on a lonely journey throughout the city, which, with each subsequent street, becomes more stifling and unsympathetic. The streets tighten, the people she passes by seem to have hostile intentions. Terrified, she watches as the world she once knew starts to change, and danger lurks around every corner.
Imbued Life | Ivana Bosnjak, Thomas Johnson | 12' | HRV
A young woman seems to have a connection with the life force of nature. She uses her talents in taxidermy to return animals to their natural habitat. However, her real adventure begins when she starts to find rolls of 35 mm film inside of the animals she treats. From there on, an obsession is born. However, as she tries to understand the mystery, she retreats further and further into herself. While looking for a connection between all of this and her recent troubled dreams, as well as her waking moments, she gets lost between reality and delirium.
SH_T HAPPENS | Michaela Mihalyi, David Štumpf | 13' | CZE
A handyman abused by everyone and exhausted by everything. A wife frustrated with the endless routine of her chores. A widowed, purposeless, and totally depressed deer. What do they have in common? Set in a strange world of unexpected coincidences the mutual despair of these three characters leads to increasingly absurd events, because... shit happens all the time. The Slovakian directing duo Michaela Mihályi and David Štumpf sprinkle this colorful short film with irreverent humour, which had its world premiere at the Venice International Festival.
Riviera | Jonas Schloesing | 15' | FRA
At the Riviera, a private apartment building, it’s the siesta hour. The heat is absolutely sweltering, but Mr. Osganzi and Ms. Carmen, true to their habits, are sunbathing near the swimming pool. A young woman also swims in the water. A child jumps into the pool, disturbing those present. In his shadowy living room, Monsieur Henriet tries to entertain himself by looking at his neighbors and any sign of life from the outside. After all, the TV program is tedious. With binoculars in hand, the man's intrusion into the lives of others can seem harmless. On the surface, everything seems calm - but will this illusion be disturbed like the child’s splash on the surface of the water?
#21xoxo | Sine Özbilge | 10' | BEL
A girl searches online tirelessly for love in times of social networking, speed dating, cyberlove, hipster culture, and post-network attitudes. The protagonist guides the viewer on a journey through a colorful and bizarre imaginary world filled with absurd, metamorphic scenes and confusing frenetic relationships. Between virtual and real encounters, director Sine Özbilge presents us a surreal and funny reflection on the youth of the 21st century. After watching #21xoxo, the question remains: to what extent do we allow the internet to be incorporated into our routines and desires?
Intermission Expedition | Wiep Teeuwisse | 8' | NLD
During a sunny holiday, flocks of tourists arrive in a calm and peaceful land, apparently untouched by humans. The tourists struggle to let go of their busy city lives, and the absence of daily routines leaves them lost in an uncomfortable and suddenly scary place. Only after they learn how to slow down, can they finally find some beauty in the here and now. Wiep Teeuwisse, director of Intermission Expedition, has a bachelor's degree in animation from the University of Arts HKU, in the Netherlands. A love of science and nature inspires the poetic storytelling and themes within her films.
Such A Beautiful Town | Marta Koch | 8' | POL
A woman wakes up, goes to the window and, to her surprise, sees her boyfriend kissing another woman on the street. Disoriented, she runs out of the apartment to confront him, but the man is not there. In order to find him, she embarks on a lonely journey throughout the city, which, with each subsequent street, becomes more stifling and unsympathetic. The streets tighten, the people she passes by seem to have hostile intentions. Terrified, she watches as the world she once knew starts to change, and danger lurks around every corner.
Imbued Life | Ivana Bosnjak, Thomas Johnson | 12' | HRV
A young woman seems to have a connection with the life force of nature. She uses her talents in taxidermy to return animals to their natural habitat. However, her real adventure begins when she starts to find rolls of 35 mm film inside of the animals she treats. From there on, an obsession is born. However, as she tries to understand the mystery, she retreats further and further into herself. While looking for a connection between all of this and her recent troubled dreams, as well as her waking moments, she gets lost between reality and delirium.
SH_T HAPPENS | Michaela Mihalyi, David Štumpf | 13' | CZE
A handyman abused by everyone and exhausted by everything. A wife frustrated with the endless routine of her chores. A widowed, purposeless, and totally depressed deer. What do they have in common? Set in a strange world of unexpected coincidences the mutual despair of these three characters leads to increasingly absurd events, because... shit happens all the time. The Slovakian directing duo Michaela Mihályi and David Štumpf sprinkle this colorful short film with irreverent humour, which had its world premiere at the Venice International Festival.
Howling | Parsa Bozorgani | 8' | IRN
A few years ago, a video of stray dogs being killed by acid injection went viral. The brutal act was carried out by council workers in Shiraz, Iran. Despite the fact that this video swept across the globe engendering outrage and distress, no one assumed responsibility for the crimes or was reprimanded. However, for this film, the killer in question agreed to be interviewed. Parsa Bozorgani’s first film, Howling, has already been selected or nominated for various festivals internationally.
When the Light Goes Out | Tania Prates | 5' | PRT
When The Light Goes Out offers a glimpse into family, childhood, and social class in mid 20th century Portugal as well as reflecting on the role of photography in preserving history. Photographs from the Fotocine Fund that belong to the collection of the Municipal Museum of Coruche form the subject of this experimental video essay. Narrated sensitively by the Portuguese director Tânia Sofia Oliveira Prates, who works as a communication officer at the Municipality of Coruche, this film is a tender conversation with the viewer.
Tony Fraginals | Ben Young | 16' | GBR
Anthony Godby Johnson was an early 1990s New York City fascination: a boy who escaped years of horrific abuse only to discover that he was dying of AIDS. A boy who earned friends and fans worldwide — and who did not exist. Featuring Oprah Winfrey and the fragments of Johnson's long-forgotten television special alongside the first public glimpse of the hoaxer behind the fabrication, Tony Fraginals unravels the scandal from the perspective of Anthony’s childhood friend Tony. This is an act of narrative reclamation: a coming of age story set within the command center of an epic fraud.
Our territory | Mathieu Volpe | 20' | BEL
"A mesma luz, o mesmo calor. Um verão como os que me lembro... No entanto, outro território aparece agora na paisagem da minha infância.”. Estas são as palavras do realizador italiano Mathieu Volpe que, embora tenha nascido em Roma em 1990, viveu em Bari, na ponta sul da Itália, até os dezanove anos. Em Our Territory assistimos à saga do realizador no regresso às terras da sua infância, que já não são as mesmas. Sem nunca explorar a miséria, Volpe usa a câmara para humildemente conhecer aqueles que estavam ausentes das suas memórias de infância: imigrantes africanos de vários países como Mali, Senegal, Costa do Marfim e Burkina Faso
Excess Will Save Us | Morgane Dziurla-Petit | 14' | SWE
“The same light, the same heat. A summer just like those I remember... Yet, another territory has now appeared on the landscape of my childhood”' – these are the words of Italian director Mathieu Volpe, born in Rome in 1990 but who lived in Bari on the southern tip of Italy until the age of nineteen. Here we delve into the filmmaker's childhood land, now utterly changed. Never exploiting misery, Volpe uses his camera and humility to engage with those who were missing from his nostalgia-tinted childhood memories: African immigrants from different countries including Mali, Senegal, Ivory Coast, and Burkina Faso.
Then comes the evening | Maja Novaković | 27' | SRB
Two elderly women live isolated in the hills of eastern Bosnia. Nature is the entity through which the women talk, listen, and relate. Then Comes the Evening reflects on the purity of this pastoral existence, as well as the strenuous work required. By fixating on songs and rituals to tame rain, hail, and immense storms, this film emphasizes both the import of cultural heritage and the splendour of nature’s indifference. Affection and intimacy between the women and with the landscape itself is carefully rendered through Maja Novaković’s focus on the tactile; on the textures of skin, earth and sky that, under her gaze, blend and unite.
Mensch Maschine Or Putting Parts Together | Adina Camhy | 8' | AUT
A true story is the starting point for a cinematic reflection that moves rapidly from the personal to the political. Instead of the synthesizer she wants, the protagonist, our first-person narrator, receives a food processor as a gift. Director Adina Camhy presents this feminist essayistic film as an audio-visual remix: an experimental collage of sound and image, sketch-like and associative. Semi cultural-studies analysis, semi subjective stream of thought, rather than providing answers Camhy’s film gently hints and suggests and, in so doing, subtly references the films of Harun Farocki.
Howling | Parsa Bozorgani | 8' | IRN
A few years ago, a video of stray dogs being killed by acid injection went viral. The brutal act was carried out by council workers in Shiraz, Iran. Despite the fact that this video swept across the globe engendering outrage and distress, no one assumed responsibility for the crimes or was reprimanded. However, for this film, the killer in question agreed to be interviewed. Parsa Bozorgani’s first film, Howling, has already been selected or nominated for various festivals internationally.
When the Light Goes Out | Tania Prates | 5' | PRT
When The Light Goes Out offers a glimpse into family, childhood, and social class in mid 20th century Portugal as well as reflecting on the role of photography in preserving history. Photographs from the Fotocine Fund that belong to the collection of the Municipal Museum of Coruche form the subject of this experimental video essay. Narrated sensitively by the Portuguese director Tânia Sofia Oliveira Prates, who works as a communication officer at the Municipality of Coruche, this film is a tender conversation with the viewer.
Tony Fraginals | Ben Young | 16' | GBR
Anthony Godby Johnson was an early 1990s New York City fascination: a boy who escaped years of horrific abuse only to discover that he was dying of AIDS. A boy who earned friends and fans worldwide — and who did not exist. Featuring Oprah Winfrey and the fragments of Johnson's long-forgotten television special alongside the first public glimpse of the hoaxer behind the fabrication, Tony Fraginals unravels the scandal from the perspective of Anthony’s childhood friend Tony. This is an act of narrative reclamation: a coming of age story set within the command center of an epic fraud.
Our territory | Mathieu Volpe | 20' | BEL
"A mesma luz, o mesmo calor. Um verão como os que me lembro... No entanto, outro território aparece agora na paisagem da minha infância.”. Estas são as palavras do realizador italiano Mathieu Volpe que, embora tenha nascido em Roma em 1990, viveu em Bari, na ponta sul da Itália, até os dezanove anos. Em Our Territory assistimos à saga do realizador no regresso às terras da sua infância, que já não são as mesmas. Sem nunca explorar a miséria, Volpe usa a câmara para humildemente conhecer aqueles que estavam ausentes das suas memórias de infância: imigrantes africanos de vários países como Mali, Senegal, Costa do Marfim e Burkina Faso
Excess Will Save Us | Morgane Dziurla-Petit | 14' | SWE
“The same light, the same heat. A summer just like those I remember... Yet, another territory has now appeared on the landscape of my childhood”' – these are the words of Italian director Mathieu Volpe, born in Rome in 1990 but who lived in Bari on the southern tip of Italy until the age of nineteen. Here we delve into the filmmaker's childhood land, now utterly changed. Never exploiting misery, Volpe uses his camera and humility to engage with those who were missing from his nostalgia-tinted childhood memories: African immigrants from different countries including Mali, Senegal, Ivory Coast, and Burkina Faso.
Then comes the evening | Maja Novaković | 27' | SRB
Two elderly women live isolated in the hills of eastern Bosnia. Nature is the entity through which the women talk, listen, and relate. Then Comes the Evening reflects on the purity of this pastoral existence, as well as the strenuous work required. By fixating on songs and rituals to tame rain, hail, and immense storms, this film emphasizes both the import of cultural heritage and the splendour of nature’s indifference. Affection and intimacy between the women and with the landscape itself is carefully rendered through Maja Novaković’s focus on the tactile; on the textures of skin, earth and sky that, under her gaze, blend and unite.
Mensch Maschine Or Putting Parts Together | Adina Camhy | 8' | AUT
A true story is the starting point for a cinematic reflection that moves rapidly from the personal to the political. Instead of the synthesizer she wants, the protagonist, our first-person narrator, receives a food processor as a gift. Director Adina Camhy presents this feminist essayistic film as an audio-visual remix: an experimental collage of sound and image, sketch-like and associative. Semi cultural-studies analysis, semi subjective stream of thought, rather than providing answers Camhy’s film gently hints and suggests and, in so doing, subtly references the films of Harun Farocki.
Diagonal | Anne Thorens | 6' | CHE
A young couple is already in the heat of the moment when she asks him for a condom. He doesn't have one, but that doesn't seem to curb his enthusiasm. Picking up on a recurring event in the life of many young women, Swiss director Anne Thorens poses a pertinent question that invites many of its male viewers to reconsider some of their actions. A truly vital film for our current moment.
Sticker | Georgi M. Unkovski | 19' | MKD
After an unsuccessful attempt to renew his car registration, Dejan falls into a tangled bureaucratic web that tests his determination to be a responsible father. This satirical comedy directed by Georgi M. Unkovski is a triumph of comedic timing as well as providing sharp social commentary spearheaded by an impressive performance by lead actor Sashko Kocev. An ironic take on the agony of bureaucracy.
Silent as Murderers | Lauri-Matti Parppei | 16' | FIN
Ina and Minna are spending their last summer together. During the night, they break into houses while the residents are sleeping. Silent as Murderers imposes an unsettling atmosphere on the audience with the same ease and discreet, elegant methods as the partners in crime. This short by Lauri-Matti Parppei is genre cinema at its best.
Stay Awake, Be Ready | Pham Thien An | 14' | VNM
A motorbike crash, a boy who eats flames, three young men conversing by market stalls. Fragments of an evening are interwoven and embedded into this mysterious tale. The apparently ordinary setting of a street corner is the beginning of one of the most successful and impressive short films of the last year. Premiered at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight, and with an incredible path through the international film festival circuit, including stops at events such as Locarno and Busan, Stay Awake, Be Ready is an essential experience which has placed the Vietnamese director Pham Thien An on the world stage.
Gusts of wildlife | Jorge Cantos | 24' | ESP
It is said that he has someone imprisoned. People have seen him looking over from the other side of the fence. A kid will disappear any day. Gusts of Wild Life is a cinematic triumph and a work of immense inventiveness. Jorge Cantos’ announces himself on the world stage as a unique and revolutionary voice, with a film that won the Grand Prix at the Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival Lab and is now surprising audiences all across the world.
Involuntary Activist | Mikael Bundsen | 19' | SWE
A married, openly gay teacher in Wales faces the choice of betraying his family or his core values when his older sister asks him to step back into the closet for her wedding in Turkey. Mikael Bundsen, who was selected at FEST in the past with the brilliant Mother Knows Best, once again deals with the theme of homophobia by taking a common situation and turning it into an epic ethical battle. Involuntary Activist is a brave and intense experience that should not be missed.
Diagonal | Anne Thorens | 6' | CHE
A young couple is already in the heat of the moment when she asks him for a condom. He doesn't have one, but that doesn't seem to curb his enthusiasm. Picking up on a recurring event in the life of many young women, Swiss director Anne Thorens poses a pertinent question that invites many of its male viewers to reconsider some of their actions. A truly vital film for our current moment.
Sticker | Georgi M. Unkovski | 19' | MKD
After an unsuccessful attempt to renew his car registration, Dejan falls into a tangled bureaucratic web that tests his determination to be a responsible father. This satirical comedy directed by Georgi M. Unkovski is a triumph of comedic timing as well as providing sharp social commentary spearheaded by an impressive performance by lead actor Sashko Kocev. An ironic take on the agony of bureaucracy.
Silent as Murderers | Lauri-Matti Parppei | 16' | FIN
Ina and Minna are spending their last summer together. During the night, they break into houses while the residents are sleeping. Silent as Murderers imposes an unsettling atmosphere on the audience with the same ease and discreet, elegant methods as the partners in crime. This short by Lauri-Matti Parppei is genre cinema at its best.
Stay Awake, Be Ready | Pham Thien An | 14' | VNM
A motorbike crash, a boy who eats flames, three young men conversing by market stalls. Fragments of an evening are interwoven and embedded into this mysterious tale. The apparently ordinary setting of a street corner is the beginning of one of the most successful and impressive short films of the last year. Premiered at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight, and with an incredible path through the international film festival circuit, including stops at events such as Locarno and Busan, Stay Awake, Be Ready is an essential experience which has placed the Vietnamese director Pham Thien An on the world stage.
Gusts of wildlife | Jorge Cantos | 24' | ESP
It is said that he has someone imprisoned. People have seen him looking over from the other side of the fence. A kid will disappear any day. Gusts of Wild Life is a cinematic triumph and a work of immense inventiveness. Jorge Cantos’ announces himself on the world stage as a unique and revolutionary voice, with a film that won the Grand Prix at the Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival Lab and is now surprising audiences all across the world.
Involuntary Activist | Mikael Bundsen | 19' | SWE
A married, openly gay teacher in Wales faces the choice of betraying his family or his core values when his older sister asks him to step back into the closet for her wedding in Turkey. Mikael Bundsen, who was selected at FEST in the past with the brilliant Mother Knows Best, once again deals with the theme of homophobia by taking a common situation and turning it into an epic ethical battle. Involuntary Activist is a brave and intense experience that should not be missed.
Patrick is a tall man. He is slow, heavy, but discreet. Son of the owner of a nudist campsite, Patrick is responsible for the campsite’s maintenance. He just wants to be left alone to his carpentry, and he proudly displays a series of tools as if they were historical relics. But one day, his routine changes. When his father dies, he inherits the camp and struggles to run it. Worst of all, his favorite hammer disappears. Patrick goes through an existential crisis, in the funniest of scenarios, whilst seeking desperately for his missing hammer.
This first feature film by Tim Mielants combines the nudity of its characters, a tense police thriller structure, and unexpected twists to form a triumphant and bizarre dark comedy. It also features New Zealand actor Jemaine Clement, a major name in the world of comedy, and a fundamental figure in Flight of the Concords and What We Do In the Shadows.
Patrick is a tall man. He is slow, heavy, but discreet. Son of the owner of a nudist campsite, Patrick is responsible for the campsite’s maintenance. He just wants to be left alone to his carpentry, and he proudly displays a series of tools as if they were historical relics. But one day, his routine changes. When his father dies, he inherits the camp and struggles to run it. Worst of all, his favorite hammer disappears. Patrick goes through an existential crisis, in the funniest of scenarios, whilst seeking desperately for his missing hammer.
This first feature film by Tim Mielants combines the nudity of its characters, a tense police thriller structure, and unexpected twists to form a triumphant and bizarre dark comedy. It also features New Zealand actor Jemaine Clement, a major name in the world of comedy, and a fundamental figure in Flight of the Concords and What We Do In the Shadows.
Keygrip | Nasos Gatzoulis | 6' | GRC
After a sudden and difficult breakup with his girlfriend, a man is transferred into an alternate psychedelic world. There, the territory is dominated by multiple sadistic versions of his ex-girlfriend. In a frantic, visual and audible rhythm, we observe the damnation of the protagonist, who keeps experiencing the worst of his nightmares. The film shows, with biting humor, that even between electric shocks, drowning in the pool and cruel torture with different objects, the victim remains submissive to these women, who are actually one. He's going to need more than just finding the key to get back home.
WALD | Floortje Pols | 11' | NLD
The characters in Floortje Pols’ short drama are influenced in a vicious cycle by one another’s behavior. By always choosing to protect their own emotions, they exist at emotional extremes: either erupting in vicious confrontation or avoiding confrontation altogether. Everything is worth it to gain control over the other and avoid vulnerability. We too are faced with this familiar feeling of being caught between the desire for invulnerability and the search for intimacy. WALD reveals the director's fascination with the destructive side of human beings and the need to exceed emotional limits in an attempt to truly feel.
Donut Paradise | Erdem Arslan | 6' | TUR
It all starts when a white-collar man gets lost while driving his car. In the midst of his journey, the protagonist seems to find the promised land. Donut Paradise is the surrealist experiment by Turkish director Erdem Arslan, born in Istanbul. The short film plays with the conventional structures of its genre and offers an eccentric take on the paradigms of the socio-cultural structures in which we live, breathe and sweat. Throughout the narrative, the film invites the viewer to decipher for themselves what synthesizes the Donut Paradise that gives the short film its name.
Orbit | Tess Martin | 7' | NLD
The sun’s energy circulates throughout the earth, feeding the cycle of life. Everything is connected in a natural loop, which repeats, like the circular discs of magical optical toys. This perfectly balanced rhythm is disrupted by human excess, throwing the cycle out of orbit and temporarily stopping the circulation of energy in nature. Orbit is Tess Martin’s phonotrope project exploring the relationship between humanity and the sun. Spinning drawings guide us along with the flow of energy through our planet allowing us to ponder our place in the natural cycle. Martin’s short premiered at Rotterdam International Film Festival along with an interactive installation and print series.
Vitiligo | Soraya Milla | 7' | FRA
When you have a mixed cultural heritage, you are constantly prey to doubt. Vitiligo invites the viewer into the minds of two women of mixed heritage in an unflinchingly visceral mode. Director Soraya Milla constructs a spectral experience by mixing performance, music, poetry, installation, theater and dance. The short film reflects on the feeling of being exiled and the impact of the globalized world on the women’s perception of their own identity. What is it like to never truly feel at home? Since its premiere, Vitiligo has been exhibited at film festivals around the world.
I Will Go Backwards of Our Path | Mattia Biondi | 3' | ITA
A backwards journey through the seasons and the units of language by director Mattia Biondi, an independent Italian filmmaker who meticulously works and reworks his images. His research is based on the use of minimal and essential technical instruments and is oriented towards the development of creative processes that fuse archival material and autobiographical elements. Biondi asks what it would be like to change the grammar of the world and its internal clock. There is always a way to look for a more concrete point - images lost in between the fleeting moments. These are the images that make up I Will Go Backwards Of Our Path.
Mary, Mary So Contrary | Nelson Yeo | 15' | SGP
Repurposing and manipulating images from two classic films drawn from two different corners of the Globe (Fei Mu’s 1948 film Spring in a Small Town and Alfred Hitchcock’s 1938 film The Lady Vanishes) combined with the filmmaker's own personal images, Mary, Mary So Contrary creates a hallucinatory narrative about a Chinese woman named Ma Li. Almost every night, she dreams of a lamb she had as a child, or that she is a Caucasian woman named Mary. Director Nelson Yeo is a filmmaker from Singapore and participated in the Berlinale Talents Tokyo in 2014, the BiFan Fantastic Film School in 2015 and the Locarno Filmmakers Academy in 2018. He is currently working on his first feature film.
I Don‘t Exist Yet | Susanna Flock | 14' | AUT
In this experimental short film by Susanna Flock, the protagonists are not human. Clumsy, green, ambiguous objects - the placeholder forms for computer-animated characters - are at the center of this troubling and uncomfortable investigation into the conditions behind computer-generated images (CGI). Initially invisible to the viewer, these characters only come to life through mathematically simulated textures. In this film, the invisible construction of digital effects is dissected to make the body of the seemingly bodiless tangible. I Don’t Exist Yet takes digital material and the surplus ‘digital garbage’, as its subject in order to explore disembodiment, subjectification, and dislocation.
At The Entrance of The Night | Anton Bialas | 19' | FRA
Two young Senegalese men walk through a Moroccan forest at night looking for a passage to the north. Along their journey, they end up experiencing a strange premonitory dream. Meanwhile, two Civil Guard officers are patrolling across Spain's south coast in a 4x4. Both are attentive, and the vehicle's headlights probe the darkness in search of clandestine presences. At the same time, a young woman performs a symbolic burial in a suburban park in Paris. The short film by Parisian director Anton Bialas presents three parts of one spiritually connected and resonant story, involving characters across Africa and Europe.
Thanatos | Luiza Fagá | 7' | BRA
Wax-winged, he flies, dreaming of himself as a bird. These are the delusions allowed within Greek myths. The sun, however, is forbidden. Let us remember that the moral of the Icarus myth is prudence. This experimental short film deals with the life impulse versus the death impulse. Dutch artist Bas Jan Ader and the security robot Knightscope K5, after all, seem to have one thing in common: recklessness. Combining found and original footage, the narrative is based on several anecdotes as profound as they are mundane, all compiled by Brazilian director Luiza Fagá.
Others | Grace Rex | 13' | USA
Others is a collection of eight surreal and experimental vignettes. Each piece focuses on a different person, in the midst of a seemingly quotidian moment, but each connected by an umbilical cord to an innocent but unpredictable being. While each vignette has its own location and characters, an unsettling and uncanny undertone brings them together, using absurdist and dark humour to build a world of irreverent and tender stories. By creating challenging and ambiguous images, director Grace Rex weaves a visual language that allows viewers to explore the visceral experience of everyday life.
Keygrip | Nasos Gatzoulis | 6' | GRC
After a sudden and difficult breakup with his girlfriend, a man is transferred into an alternate psychedelic world. There, the territory is dominated by multiple sadistic versions of his ex-girlfriend. In a frantic, visual and audible rhythm, we observe the damnation of the protagonist, who keeps experiencing the worst of his nightmares. The film shows, with biting humor, that even between electric shocks, drowning in the pool and cruel torture with different objects, the victim remains submissive to these women, who are actually one. He's going to need more than just finding the key to get back home.
WALD | Floortje Pols | 11' | NLD
The characters in Floortje Pols’ short drama are influenced in a vicious cycle by one another’s behavior. By always choosing to protect their own emotions, they exist at emotional extremes: either erupting in vicious confrontation or avoiding confrontation altogether. Everything is worth it to gain control over the other and avoid vulnerability. We too are faced with this familiar feeling of being caught between the desire for invulnerability and the search for intimacy. WALD reveals the director's fascination with the destructive side of human beings and the need to exceed emotional limits in an attempt to truly feel.
Donut Paradise | Erdem Arslan | 6' | TUR
It all starts when a white-collar man gets lost while driving his car. In the midst of his journey, the protagonist seems to find the promised land. Donut Paradise is the surrealist experiment by Turkish director Erdem Arslan, born in Istanbul. The short film plays with the conventional structures of its genre and offers an eccentric take on the paradigms of the socio-cultural structures in which we live, breathe and sweat. Throughout the narrative, the film invites the viewer to decipher for themselves what synthesizes the Donut Paradise that gives the short film its name.
Orbit | Tess Martin | 7' | NLD
The sun’s energy circulates throughout the earth, feeding the cycle of life. Everything is connected in a natural loop, which repeats, like the circular discs of magical optical toys. This perfectly balanced rhythm is disrupted by human excess, throwing the cycle out of orbit and temporarily stopping the circulation of energy in nature. Orbit is Tess Martin’s phonotrope project exploring the relationship between humanity and the sun. Spinning drawings guide us along with the flow of energy through our planet allowing us to ponder our place in the natural cycle. Martin’s short premiered at Rotterdam International Film Festival along with an interactive installation and print series.
Vitiligo | Soraya Milla | 7' | FRA
When you have a mixed cultural heritage, you are constantly prey to doubt. Vitiligo invites the viewer into the minds of two women of mixed heritage in an unflinchingly visceral mode. Director Soraya Milla constructs a spectral experience by mixing performance, music, poetry, installation, theater and dance. The short film reflects on the feeling of being exiled and the impact of the globalized world on the women’s perception of their own identity. What is it like to never truly feel at home? Since its premiere, Vitiligo has been exhibited at film festivals around the world.
I Will Go Backwards of Our Path | Mattia Biondi | 3' | ITA
A backwards journey through the seasons and the units of language by director Mattia Biondi, an independent Italian filmmaker who meticulously works and reworks his images. His research is based on the use of minimal and essential technical instruments and is oriented towards the development of creative processes that fuse archival material and autobiographical elements. Biondi asks what it would be like to change the grammar of the world and its internal clock. There is always a way to look for a more concrete point - images lost in between the fleeting moments. These are the images that make up I Will Go Backwards Of Our Path.
Mary, Mary So Contrary | Nelson Yeo | 15' | SGP
Repurposing and manipulating images from two classic films drawn from two different corners of the Globe (Fei Mu’s 1948 film Spring in a Small Town and Alfred Hitchcock’s 1938 film The Lady Vanishes) combined with the filmmaker's own personal images, Mary, Mary So Contrary creates a hallucinatory narrative about a Chinese woman named Ma Li. Almost every night, she dreams of a lamb she had as a child, or that she is a Caucasian woman named Mary. Director Nelson Yeo is a filmmaker from Singapore and participated in the Berlinale Talents Tokyo in 2014, the BiFan Fantastic Film School in 2015 and the Locarno Filmmakers Academy in 2018. He is currently working on his first feature film.
I Don‘t Exist Yet | Susanna Flock | 14' | AUT
In this experimental short film by Susanna Flock, the protagonists are not human. Clumsy, green, ambiguous objects - the placeholder forms for computer-animated characters - are at the center of this troubling and uncomfortable investigation into the conditions behind computer-generated images (CGI). Initially invisible to the viewer, these characters only come to life through mathematically simulated textures. In this film, the invisible construction of digital effects is dissected to make the body of the seemingly bodiless tangible. I Don’t Exist Yet takes digital material and the surplus ‘digital garbage’, as its subject in order to explore disembodiment, subjectification, and dislocation.
At The Entrance of The Night | Anton Bialas | 19' | FRA
Two young Senegalese men walk through a Moroccan forest at night looking for a passage to the north. Along their journey, they end up experiencing a strange premonitory dream. Meanwhile, two Civil Guard officers are patrolling across Spain's south coast in a 4x4. Both are attentive, and the vehicle's headlights probe the darkness in search of clandestine presences. At the same time, a young woman performs a symbolic burial in a suburban park in Paris. The short film by Parisian director Anton Bialas presents three parts of one spiritually connected and resonant story, involving characters across Africa and Europe.
Thanatos | Luiza Fagá | 7' | BRA
Wax-winged, he flies, dreaming of himself as a bird. These are the delusions allowed within Greek myths. The sun, however, is forbidden. Let us remember that the moral of the Icarus myth is prudence. This experimental short film deals with the life impulse versus the death impulse. Dutch artist Bas Jan Ader and the security robot Knightscope K5, after all, seem to have one thing in common: recklessness. Combining found and original footage, the narrative is based on several anecdotes as profound as they are mundane, all compiled by Brazilian director Luiza Fagá.
Others | Grace Rex | 13' | USA
Others is a collection of eight surreal and experimental vignettes. Each piece focuses on a different person, in the midst of a seemingly quotidian moment, but each connected by an umbilical cord to an innocent but unpredictable being. While each vignette has its own location and characters, an unsettling and uncanny undertone brings them together, using absurdist and dark humour to build a world of irreverent and tender stories. By creating challenging and ambiguous images, director Grace Rex weaves a visual language that allows viewers to explore the visceral experience of everyday life.
(In)dividual | Beatriz Bagulho | 5' | PRT
In Beatriz Bagulho’s animated short a young woman dreams she is inside her mind during a medical examination. Guided (or dragged) by her antagonist and proponent of her apprehensions, she explores the different sections of her personality. Among unusual spaces full of surreal metaphors, the girl is constantly shocked and unsettled when navigating her own subconscious. Faced with delirium, the protagonist is the only one who can find the way out of that dream labyrinth. Only when she stops questioning who she is, can she realize that the cause of her misfortune has always been right in front of her.
No, In my Room | Luís Azevedo | 9' | PRT
According to Jacques Rivette, every film is also a documentary about its own making. In this short film, the Portuguese director Luis Azevedo imagines what would happen if filmmakers took this concept literally. In essence, imagines the production of a film writing its own parallel story without control, right under the director's nose. The filmmaker ends the take, but the camera continues to roll, capturing what the viewer should not see and openly documenting whatever the official, directed narrative leaves out. There will always be someone to hold the camera, someone to edit the frames. So, what happens if the camera takes over?
Erva Daninha | Guilherme Daniel | 14' | PRT
A couple cultivating seemingly infertile ground come across a dark seed that grows and begins to exert a strange influence on their behaviour. The latest film by Guilherme Daniel is a stunning visual experience that imagines dark organic matter taking root, not in the earth, but within the spirit of a man and a woman. His sensitive and tender horror marks the continuation of a path that has turned the director into a major name when it comes to genre cinema. This distinctly Portuguese film that 'surprised, fascinated... and disturbed' judges at Lisbon's International Horror Film Festival MOTELX is not to be missed.
As Cartas da Minha Mãe | António Sequeira | 16' | PRT
In this surrealist tale, we follow Alice, who appears to be 14 years old. Despite physically resembling an ordinary girl of that age, enthusiastic, bubbly and bright... she is one of the daughters of death! Every day Alice receives a letter with a name and carries out the brutal task, but unwillingly. She believes her work brings only suffering and is intrigued by humans and the concept of love. Her perception of her own work is complicated even further when the girl begins to develop feelings for a suicidal teenager. Will she be able to confront her own mother?
Sofia | Filipe Ruffato, Gonçalo Viana | 10' | PRT
A woman takes her usual path back home, passing suspicious figures, staircases, pedestrian tunnels and dark streets. The journey, as always, can be daunting. According to directors Filipe Ruffato and Gonçalo Viana, true art is something that synthesizes the complexity of life. And for them, this is Sofia. In a single ten minute bold shot of artificial beauty, we witness fear, misunderstanding, prejudice, craving and desire, all of which arrive and depart as unspoken forces. This short film is an exercise in the precarious human condition.
Um Retrato de Borboletas | Henrique Prudêncio | 11' | PRT
For a few weeks now, Alexandra and Miguel have been meeting regularly and passionately. A little older than the girl, Miguel begins to develop specific and definite expectations for their future. She, in turn, is still trying to figure out exactly where the relationship is going to take her. This disconnect between the two catalyzes a difficult confrontation, one which will mark them both for life. A Portrait of Butterflies, by Portuguese director Henrique Prudêncio, proposes a reflection on women's freedom, transformative relationships, their consequences, and different modes of loving.
Alvorada | Carolina Neves | 13' | PRT
In Alvorada, the short film by Portuguese director Carolina Neves, we meet the sweet Vasco. Despite his peaceful nature, he has always been exposed to his brother's extremist ideals, expressed through the musical genre of National Socialist Black Metal. However, Vasco does not identify with the nature of this exclusionary movement and hides an essential aspect of his life and personality from his brother in order to avoid a fraternal rupture. However, in order for him to remain true to his beliefs, he will have to confront their ideological disagreement.
The Kiss | Miguel De | 9' | PRT
In The Kiss, the sexual act is reduced to one thing: a long kiss multiplied on several faces, several moans, and the sound as an assault on the senses. The paradox of the pure act, the kiss, in an impure pornographic film, reveals that the “problem” is not the kiss itself, but the context in which it occurs. The cinematic trend is to show more and more of the sexual act, albeit often simulated. In The Kiss, we don't see sex, even though we know it has happened. The shame of the body, an obstacle to divine aspiration, a fallible, impure vessel. Is this more obscene than the pornographic films that compose it?
(In)dividual | Beatriz Bagulho | 5' | PRT
In Beatriz Bagulho’s animated short a young woman dreams she is inside her mind during a medical examination. Guided (or dragged) by her antagonist and proponent of her apprehensions, she explores the different sections of her personality. Among unusual spaces full of surreal metaphors, the girl is constantly shocked and unsettled when navigating her own subconscious. Faced with delirium, the protagonist is the only one who can find the way out of that dream labyrinth. Only when she stops questioning who she is, can she realize that the cause of her misfortune has always been right in front of her.
No, In my Room | Luís Azevedo | 9' | PRT
According to Jacques Rivette, every film is also a documentary about its own making. In this short film, the Portuguese director Luis Azevedo imagines what would happen if filmmakers took this concept literally. In essence, imagines the production of a film writing its own parallel story without control, right under the director's nose. The filmmaker ends the take, but the camera continues to roll, capturing what the viewer should not see and openly documenting whatever the official, directed narrative leaves out. There will always be someone to hold the camera, someone to edit the frames. So, what happens if the camera takes over?
Erva Daninha | Guilherme Daniel | 14' | PRT
A couple cultivating seemingly infertile ground come across a dark seed that grows and begins to exert a strange influence on their behaviour. The latest film by Guilherme Daniel is a stunning visual experience that imagines dark organic matter taking root, not in the earth, but within the spirit of a man and a woman. His sensitive and tender horror marks the continuation of a path that has turned the director into a major name when it comes to genre cinema. This distinctly Portuguese film that 'surprised, fascinated... and disturbed' judges at Lisbon's International Horror Film Festival MOTELX is not to be missed.
As Cartas da Minha Mãe | António Sequeira | 16' | PRT
In this surrealist tale, we follow Alice, who appears to be 14 years old. Despite physically resembling an ordinary girl of that age, enthusiastic, bubbly and bright... she is one of the daughters of death! Every day Alice receives a letter with a name and carries out the brutal task, but unwillingly. She believes her work brings only suffering and is intrigued by humans and the concept of love. Her perception of her own work is complicated even further when the girl begins to develop feelings for a suicidal teenager. Will she be able to confront her own mother?
Sofia | Filipe Ruffato, Gonçalo Viana | 10' | PRT
A woman takes her usual path back home, passing suspicious figures, staircases, pedestrian tunnels and dark streets. The journey, as always, can be daunting. According to directors Filipe Ruffato and Gonçalo Viana, true art is something that synthesizes the complexity of life. And for them, this is Sofia. In a single ten minute bold shot of artificial beauty, we witness fear, misunderstanding, prejudice, craving and desire, all of which arrive and depart as unspoken forces. This short film is an exercise in the precarious human condition.
Um Retrato de Borboletas | Henrique Prudêncio | 11' | PRT
For a few weeks now, Alexandra and Miguel have been meeting regularly and passionately. A little older than the girl, Miguel begins to develop specific and definite expectations for their future. She, in turn, is still trying to figure out exactly where the relationship is going to take her. This disconnect between the two catalyzes a difficult confrontation, one which will mark them both for life. A Portrait of Butterflies, by Portuguese director Henrique Prudêncio, proposes a reflection on women's freedom, transformative relationships, their consequences, and different modes of loving.
Alvorada | Carolina Neves | 13' | PRT
In Alvorada, the short film by Portuguese director Carolina Neves, we meet the sweet Vasco. Despite his peaceful nature, he has always been exposed to his brother's extremist ideals, expressed through the musical genre of National Socialist Black Metal. However, Vasco does not identify with the nature of this exclusionary movement and hides an essential aspect of his life and personality from his brother in order to avoid a fraternal rupture. However, in order for him to remain true to his beliefs, he will have to confront their ideological disagreement.
The Kiss | Miguel De | 9' | PRT
In The Kiss, the sexual act is reduced to one thing: a long kiss multiplied on several faces, several moans, and the sound as an assault on the senses. The paradox of the pure act, the kiss, in an impure pornographic film, reveals that the “problem” is not the kiss itself, but the context in which it occurs. The cinematic trend is to show more and more of the sexual act, albeit often simulated. In The Kiss, we don't see sex, even though we know it has happened. The shame of the body, an obstacle to divine aspiration, a fallible, impure vessel. Is this more obscene than the pornographic films that compose it?
Virago | Kerli Kirch Schneider | 15' | EST
In Virago village, where no man has lived long enough to see his fortieth birthday, Tõnu is about to turn forty. This Estonian film, with impressive and outstanding production elements, is doused in black humour and has clearly put director Kerli Kirch on the map, turning her into a major player of the short film world. After the premiere at the influential Montreal Festival du Nouveau Cinema, the film began an impressive festival run, including events such as Trieste and POFF shorts.
Caranguejo Rei | Enock Carvalho, Matheus Farias | 23' | BRZ
Eduardo (Tavinho Teixeira) has a mysterious disease taking over his body. The appearance of crabs everywhere in the tropical city of Recife may have something to do with it. Brazillian directors Enock Carvalho and Matheus Farias return to FEST, after presenting Room for Rent a few years ago, with another genre piece that is bound to enrapture the audience once again with its eerie vibe.
Postcards from the End of the World | Konstantinos Antonopoulos | 23' | GRC
Trapped on a seemingly dull family vacation, Dimitra, Dimitris and their two daughters have to find a way out of the secluded island in the Mediterranean when suddenly confronted with the apocalypse. Postcards from the End of the World is both a classic Greek Weird Wave piece and a film that stands on a unique pedestal of cinematic innovation. With this stunning masterpiece, Greek director Konstantinos Antonopoulos will undoubtedly leave a lasting mark on the film world in the coming years.
ANNA | Dekel Berenson | 15' | GBR
Living in war-torn Eastern Ukraine, Anna is an aging single mother desperate for a change. Lured in by a radio advertisement, she attends a party with a group of American men who are touring the country, searching for love. Anna was nominated for a short Palme d'Or, TIFF, AFI Fest and has been widely selected at several other events. Such success is justified: filmmaker Dekel Berenson is quickly becoming a name on the international scene. With Anna, he returns to FEST, after competing last year with his equally stunning and provocative Ashmina.
Things Like | Kálmán Nagy | 25' | AUT
Éva sits desperately on her best friend’s couch. For a while, she has suspected her husband Zoltán of sexually abusing their daughter, Anna. Éva has been away for a few days, but ever since she's returned Anna has been wetting herself, which she has never done before. When Anna integrates sexual sentences into her game while playing, Éva's fear grows and she secretly makes an appointment with a psychologist. Emotionally charged and impressively performed, Things Like is a disquieting experience, exploring the subject of child molestation with a necessary courage and decisiveness that will stun audiences.
Virago | Kerli Kirch Schneider | 15' | EST
In Virago village, where no man has lived long enough to see his fortieth birthday, Tõnu is about to turn forty. This Estonian film, with impressive and outstanding production elements, is doused in black humour and has clearly put director Kerli Kirch on the map, turning her into a major player of the short film world. After the premiere at the influential Montreal Festival du Nouveau Cinema, the film began an impressive festival run, including events such as Trieste and POFF shorts.
Caranguejo Rei | Enock Carvalho, Matheus Farias | 23' | BRZ
Eduardo (Tavinho Teixeira) has a mysterious disease taking over his body. The appearance of crabs everywhere in the tropical city of Recife may have something to do with it. Brazillian directors Enock Carvalho and Matheus Farias return to FEST, after presenting Room for Rent a few years ago, with another genre piece that is bound to enrapture the audience once again with its eerie vibe.
Postcards from the End of the World | Konstantinos Antonopoulos | 23' | GRC
Trapped on a seemingly dull family vacation, Dimitra, Dimitris and their two daughters have to find a way out of the secluded island in the Mediterranean when suddenly confronted with the apocalypse. Postcards from the End of the World is both a classic Greek Weird Wave piece and a film that stands on a unique pedestal of cinematic innovation. With this stunning masterpiece, Greek director Konstantinos Antonopoulos will undoubtedly leave a lasting mark on the film world in the coming years.
ANNA | Dekel Berenson | 15' | GBR
Living in war-torn Eastern Ukraine, Anna is an aging single mother desperate for a change. Lured in by a radio advertisement, she attends a party with a group of American men who are touring the country, searching for love. Anna was nominated for a short Palme d'Or, TIFF, AFI Fest and has been widely selected at several other events. Such success is justified: filmmaker Dekel Berenson is quickly becoming a name on the international scene. With Anna, he returns to FEST, after competing last year with his equally stunning and provocative Ashmina.
Things Like | Kálmán Nagy | 25' | AUT
Éva sits desperately on her best friend’s couch. For a while, she has suspected her husband Zoltán of sexually abusing their daughter, Anna. Éva has been away for a few days, but ever since she's returned Anna has been wetting herself, which she has never done before. When Anna integrates sexual sentences into her game while playing, Éva's fear grows and she secretly makes an appointment with a psychologist. Emotionally charged and impressively performed, Things Like is a disquieting experience, exploring the subject of child molestation with a necessary courage and decisiveness that will stun audiences.
Mila is a teenager with a serious illness. When she falls in love with Moses, a young tearaway whose only purpose in life is to wander the streets selling drugs, Mila’s parents must decide whether to accept their daughter’s final wish or to protect her.
The Australian director Shannon Murphy builds a curious dilemma, filled with dark humour. With a fatal disease as the backdrop, this creates a tender and provocative portrait of how we adjust in the face of adversity. So much boldness in an ostensibly light film has proven a success. As well as winning two awards at the last Venice Film Festival, Babyteeth has become one of the biggest audience successes of Australian cinema from the past 10 years.
Mila is a teenager with a serious illness. When she falls in love with Moses, a young tearaway whose only purpose in life is to wander the streets selling drugs, Mila’s parents must decide whether to accept their daughter’s final wish or to protect her.
The Australian director Shannon Murphy builds a curious dilemma, filled with dark humour. With a fatal disease as the backdrop, this creates a tender and provocative portrait of how we adjust in the face of adversity. So much boldness in an ostensibly light film has proven a success. As well as winning two awards at the last Venice Film Festival, Babyteeth has become one of the biggest audience successes of Australian cinema from the past 10 years.
Ara | Susana Ramalho Marques | 13' | PRT
Faith can take many forms. On a very special weekend in May 2017, the city of Fátima in Portugal became the epicenter of various forms of belief. Portuguese director Susana Ramalho delivers a short film carefully located in time and space, filmed during a period of emotion and frenzy: the expected visit of Pope Francisco and the explosive Portuguese fourth football championship win by Benfica, both on the same weekend.
Em Junho | Henrique Brazão | 16' | PRT
A seventeen-year-old girl starts her day riding a bus with her father from the precipitous, bucolic area of Funchal, where they live by the sea. Her entire routine is dictated by a slow pace: the monotonous boredom of classes, the endless afternoons the teenager spends with her friend, the repetitive movements of the ocean waves against the rocks. Em Junho unpicks how monotonous and uncomfortable teenage life can be, simultaneously existing under the constraints of age and the painful expanses of seemingly empty time.
A Mãe de Sangue | Vier Nev | 6' | PRT
In the last moments before childbirth, a mother realizes how similar her child's life will be to hers. A Mãe de Sangue is a work by Vier Nev, a multidisciplinary Portuguese artist. An animation whose hypnotic visual journey demonstrates that every image can have two simultaneous meanings. Each frame is minutely composed of an image with two possible interpretations which is responsible for a narrative that does not work in the conventional way. The short film is the result of a strange and psychedelic visual study on the limits of simultaneous narrative.
Banho Santo | Bruno Saraiva | 20' | PRT
When faced with the terrible fate awaiting his younger brother at the next 'Holy Bath Ritual', João finds a way to escape and cut ties with the cult his family belongs to. Although haunted by a great secret and a crisis of faith, João has only one goal: to save the life of the boy and protect him from the cold reality of the world in which they live. The short somber film by Portuguese directors Bruno Saraiva and Carolina Ferreira, students of Cinema, Video and Multimedia Communication at Universidade Lusófona, also won the 2020 Aipcinema award for best cinematography.
When the light goes out | Tânia Prates | 5' | PRT
When The Light Goes Out offers a glimpse into family, childhood and social class in mid 20th century Portugal as well as reflecting on the role of photography in preserving history. Photographs from the Fotocine Fund that belong to the collection of the Municipal Museum of Coruche form the subject of this experimental video essay. Narrated sensitively by the Portuguese director Tânia Sofia Oliveira Prates, who works as a communication officer at the Municipality of Coruche, this film is a tender conversation with the viewer.
Príncipe | João Monteiro | 11' | PRT
Príncipe represents the voices of a forgotten generation. It is also the portrait of a city on the verge of international rehabilitation – of the life, feelings of attachment and memories of its young inhabitants. In this Portuguese short film, written and directed by João Monteiro, we see a collection of the longings, loves and fears of the protagonist, João, who walks around with a fervent desire to leave. A melancholic film, produced from a collection of moments full of both candor and doubt.
Os Monstros Só Saem à Noite | João Pedro Ferreira | 15' | PRT
The film explores the close relationship of an unemployed young adult and his grandfather. While trying to find a job, Guilherme will need the help of Inês, his childhood friend and love interest, to take care of Jorge. Jorge's health, however, is worsening, and with no other alternatives, the young man finds himself in a bind. He will need to get in touch with a dangerous individual, whom he thought he had left behind. Os Monstros Só Saem à Noite is the academic final project of the Portuguese director João Pedro Ferreira, graduating in Cinema at the University of Beira Interior.
Ara | Susana Ramalho Marques | 13' | PRT
Faith can take many forms. On a very special weekend in May 2017, the city of Fátima in Portugal became the epicenter of various forms of belief. Portuguese director Susana Ramalho delivers a short film carefully located in time and space, filmed during a period of emotion and frenzy: the expected visit of Pope Francisco and the explosive Portuguese fourth football championship win by Benfica, both on the same weekend.
Em Junho | Henrique Brazão | 16' | PRT
A seventeen-year-old girl starts her day riding a bus with her father from the precipitous, bucolic area of Funchal, where they live by the sea. Her entire routine is dictated by a slow pace: the monotonous boredom of classes, the endless afternoons the teenager spends with her friend, the repetitive movements of the ocean waves against the rocks. Em Junho unpicks how monotonous and uncomfortable teenage life can be, simultaneously existing under the constraints of age and the painful expanses of seemingly empty time.
A Mãe de Sangue | Vier Nev | 6' | PRT
In the last moments before childbirth, a mother realizes how similar her child's life will be to hers. A Mãe de Sangue is a work by Vier Nev, a multidisciplinary Portuguese artist. An animation whose hypnotic visual journey demonstrates that every image can have two simultaneous meanings. Each frame is minutely composed of an image with two possible interpretations which is responsible for a narrative that does not work in the conventional way. The short film is the result of a strange and psychedelic visual study on the limits of simultaneous narrative.
Banho Santo | Bruno Saraiva | 20' | PRT
When faced with the terrible fate awaiting his younger brother at the next 'Holy Bath Ritual', João finds a way to escape and cut ties with the cult his family belongs to. Although haunted by a great secret and a crisis of faith, João has only one goal: to save the life of the boy and protect him from the cold reality of the world in which they live. The short somber film by Portuguese directors Bruno Saraiva and Carolina Ferreira, students of Cinema, Video and Multimedia Communication at Universidade Lusófona, also won the 2020 Aipcinema award for best cinematography.
When the light goes out | Tânia Prates | 5' | PRT
When The Light Goes Out offers a glimpse into family, childhood and social class in mid 20th century Portugal as well as reflecting on the role of photography in preserving history. Photographs from the Fotocine Fund that belong to the collection of the Municipal Museum of Coruche form the subject of this experimental video essay. Narrated sensitively by the Portuguese director Tânia Sofia Oliveira Prates, who works as a communication officer at the Municipality of Coruche, this film is a tender conversation with the viewer.
Príncipe | João Monteiro | 11' | PRT
Príncipe represents the voices of a forgotten generation. It is also the portrait of a city on the verge of international rehabilitation – of the life, feelings of attachment and memories of its young inhabitants. In this Portuguese short film, written and directed by João Monteiro, we see a collection of the longings, loves and fears of the protagonist, João, who walks around with a fervent desire to leave. A melancholic film, produced from a collection of moments full of both candor and doubt.
Os Monstros Só Saem à Noite | João Pedro Ferreira | 15' | PRT
The film explores the close relationship of an unemployed young adult and his grandfather. While trying to find a job, Guilherme will need the help of Inês, his childhood friend and love interest, to take care of Jorge. Jorge's health, however, is worsening, and with no other alternatives, the young man finds himself in a bind. He will need to get in touch with a dangerous individual, whom he thought he had left behind. Os Monstros Só Saem à Noite is the academic final project of the Portuguese director João Pedro Ferreira, graduating in Cinema at the University of Beira Interior.
Awaiting Death | Lars Vega, Isabelle Björklund | 12' | SWE
A son arrives at the hospital to be with his father on his deathbed. The son desires a final intimate and loving moment, but his father would rather find out what to do with two opened cans of mustard. It is in this farcically cold setting that Awaiting Death begins its comedic journey. In this film, Lars Vega disagrees with the idea that death is no laughing matter.
Home Sweet Home | Agata Puszcz | 21' | POL
Ten-year-old Olaf lives in a world where hiring family members and friends is common practice. When the Rent A Life company holds auditions at Olaf’s school, he doesn’t hesitate for a moment. He has every intention of being cast as a friend at the birthday party of a little girl from a rich family. It quickly becomes clear that the cost of taking part in the illusion is a high one. Agata Puszcz’s new film defies classification, residing somewhere between an emotional drama and the world of science fiction, and, with its blend of creativity and social satire, it forges a space of its own.
Marshmallows | Duván Duque | 15' | COL
In spite of her father, a government official, being publicly accused of corruption, Melanie throws a party with her friends at her family’s luxurious country house. She pretends not to be affected by the scandal and her Colombian upper-class friends are delighted to enjoy the decadent life, despite the storm brewing outside. Duván Duque’s film is an exquisite social satire that dissects class and social relations in ways few others can.
Unnamed | Chun-yu Chang, De-Gao Hong | 29' | TWN
Ya-Ting wants to change her name because it's too girly. But her father opposes it due to a traditional belief. Ya-Ting turns to A-Hao, her best friend, for help. But A-Hao has his own problems to solve. This is an unnamed story, devoted to a part of life that cannot be named. Unnamed was completed in 2019, the year when Taiwan legalized same-sex marriage.
Lucia En El Limbo | Valentina Maurel | 20' | BEL
At the age of sixteen, Lucia is going through an uncomfortable phase of adolescence. She still wears braces, has acne and is uncomfortable in her rapidly changing body. Lucia feels she does not follow the criteria of delicacy and femininity that are expected of her, and struggles not to be limited by this. Still in metamorphosis, this young woman seeks her place in the world. Full of hormones and questions, she has two major problems to solve: how to get rid of the lice that are now nesting in her hair and how to lose her virginity.
Awaiting Death | Lars Vega, Isabelle Björklund | 12' | SWE
A son arrives at the hospital to be with his father on his deathbed. The son desires a final intimate and loving moment, but his father would rather find out what to do with two opened cans of mustard. It is in this farcically cold setting that Awaiting Death begins its comedic journey. In this film, Lars Vega disagrees with the idea that death is no laughing matter.
Home Sweet Home | Agata Puszcz | 21' | POL
Ten-year-old Olaf lives in a world where hiring family members and friends is common practice. When the Rent A Life company holds auditions at Olaf’s school, he doesn’t hesitate for a moment. He has every intention of being cast as a friend at the birthday party of a little girl from a rich family. It quickly becomes clear that the cost of taking part in the illusion is a high one. Agata Puszcz’s new film defies classification, residing somewhere between an emotional drama and the world of science fiction, and, with its blend of creativity and social satire, it forges a space of its own.
Marshmallows | Duván Duque | 15' | COL
In spite of her father, a government official, being publicly accused of corruption, Melanie throws a party with her friends at her family’s luxurious country house. She pretends not to be affected by the scandal and her Colombian upper-class friends are delighted to enjoy the decadent life, despite the storm brewing outside. Duván Duque’s film is an exquisite social satire that dissects class and social relations in ways few others can.
Unnamed | Chun-yu Chang, De-Gao Hong | 29' | TWN
Ya-Ting wants to change her name because it's too girly. But her father opposes it due to a traditional belief. Ya-Ting turns to A-Hao, her best friend, for help. But A-Hao has his own problems to solve. This is an unnamed story, devoted to a part of life that cannot be named. Unnamed was completed in 2019, the year when Taiwan legalized same-sex marriage.
Lucia En El Limbo | Valentina Maurel | 20' | BEL
At the age of sixteen, Lucia is going through an uncomfortable phase of adolescence. She still wears braces, has acne and is uncomfortable in her rapidly changing body. Lucia feels she does not follow the criteria of delicacy and femininity that are expected of her, and struggles not to be limited by this. Still in metamorphosis, this young woman seeks her place in the world. Full of hormones and questions, she has two major problems to solve: how to get rid of the lice that are now nesting in her hair and how to lose her virginity.
In a shelter run by an order of nuns, we meet Lu, a young mother who seems to be more concerned with her flirtations than with educating her daughter. This is not a rare case at this institution in Buenos Aires, where the nuns' outward peace contrasts with the whirlwind of conflicts that multiply between the occupants. The arrival of Paola, a gentle Italian nun, disrupts the dynamic of the community, culminating when Paola approaches Lu’s daughter.
This first feature from Maura Delpero offers us a distinctive take on the concept of motherhood, allowing us to ponder what it really means to be a mother. Maternal was one of the great successes of the influential Locarno Festival, where it won three awards.
In a shelter run by an order of nuns, we meet Lu, a young mother who seems to be more concerned with her flirtations than with educating her daughter. This is not a rare case at this institution in Buenos Aires, where the nuns' outward peace contrasts with the whirlwind of conflicts that multiply between the occupants. The arrival of Paola, a gentle Italian nun, disrupts the dynamic of the community, culminating when Paola approaches Lu’s daughter.
This first feature from Maura Delpero offers us a distinctive take on the concept of motherhood, allowing us to ponder what it really means to be a mother. Maternal was one of the great successes of the influential Locarno Festival, where it won three awards.
Death will always be a taboo topic, about which we tend to avoid major dissertations. Meanwhile On Earth demystifies what happens behind the scenes of the cremation chamber in the day-to-day life of an undertaker. It welcomes us into the conversations of funeral vans drivers. It reveals the dark humour that proliferates in a morgue. We discover what music the cleaning lady listens to in an autopsy room. The result is an authentic triumph of documentary cinema. Guided by an impeccable aesthetic, reminiscent of Ulrich Seidl's work with his static and observational plans, or Roy Andersson’s humorous constructions, this set of sketches by Carl Olsson reveals the inner-life of the death industry.
Death will always be a taboo topic, about which we tend to avoid major dissertations. Meanwhile On Earth demystifies what happens behind the scenes of the cremation chamber in the day-to-day life of an undertaker. It welcomes us into the conversations of funeral vans drivers. It reveals the dark humour that proliferates in a morgue. We discover what music the cleaning lady listens to in an autopsy room. The result is an authentic triumph of documentary cinema. Guided by an impeccable aesthetic, reminiscent of Ulrich Seidl's work with his static and observational plans, or Roy Andersson’s humorous constructions, this set of sketches by Carl Olsson reveals the inner-life of the death industry.
Denmark is often described as a social paradise. But a world of crime proliferates. Wildland harnesses this contradiction to forge an unforgettable thriller that garnered significant attention upon its debut at the Berlin Festival. Ida is still a child entering adolescence when her mother's death in a car accident forces her to move in with her aunt. Her new home may be full of love, but outside the house this is a family that thrives in the world of organized and violent crime.
The director Jeannete Nordhal presents us with a cruel portrait of a family of criminals who sees its dominion threatened by the inclusion of Ida. From living with the matriarch who leads the family, to her cousins' emotional imbalance, this environment requires Ida to make an extremely difficult choice.
Denmark is often described as a social paradise. But a world of crime proliferates. Wildland harnesses this contradiction to forge an unforgettable thriller that garnered significant attention upon its debut at the Berlin Festival. Ida is still a child entering adolescence when her mother's death in a car accident forces her to move in with her aunt. Her new home may be full of love, but outside the house this is a family that thrives in the world of organized and violent crime.
The director Jeannete Nordhal presents us with a cruel portrait of a family of criminals who sees its dominion threatened by the inclusion of Ida. From living with the matriarch who leads the family, to her cousins' emotional imbalance, this environment requires Ida to make an extremely difficult choice.
Lovemobil takes us to the motorways that cross the German rural landscape. Along the road several prostitutes, from different areas of the planet, sell their bodies and services in caravans: the famous Lovemobils. In this highly specific scenario, the violent death of a young woman forces the two protagonists to re-evaluate their life choices. The work of director Elke Lehrenkrauss allows us to take a stark but benevolent look at the world of prostitution, ranging from the dangers that these women face in their day-to-day lives, to the wishes and desires of their clients. This work promises to elucidate the FEST audience, opening their eyes to the reality of the “oldest profession in the world” operating in contemporary Germany.
Lovemobil takes us to the motorways that cross the German rural landscape. Along the road several prostitutes, from different areas of the planet, sell their bodies and services in caravans: the famous Lovemobils. In this highly specific scenario, the violent death of a young woman forces the two protagonists to re-evaluate their life choices. The work of director Elke Lehrenkrauss allows us to take a stark but benevolent look at the world of prostitution, ranging from the dangers that these women face in their day-to-day lives, to the wishes and desires of their clients. This work promises to elucidate the FEST audience, opening their eyes to the reality of the “oldest profession in the world” operating in contemporary Germany.
Algeria, 1997. The country finds itself increasingly controlled by extremist Islamic groups determined to implement an archaic state, where the oppression of women is a top priority. No woman escapes this threat. In an attempt to challenge this new status quo a group of young girls organizes a fashion show.
The French director Mounia Meddour's first work presents us with a complex portrait of a generation of women forced to confront an all-powerful patriarchy. Papicha made a name for itself upon debuting, becoming one of the most popular films of the Cannes Festival's Un Certain Regard competition and later picking up two Caesars awards.
Algeria, 1997. The country finds itself increasingly controlled by extremist Islamic groups determined to implement an archaic state, where the oppression of women is a top priority. No woman escapes this threat. In an attempt to challenge this new status quo a group of young girls organizes a fashion show.
The French director Mounia Meddour's first work presents us with a complex portrait of a generation of women forced to confront an all-powerful patriarchy. Papicha made a name for itself upon debuting, becoming one of the most popular films of the Cannes Festival's Un Certain Regard competition and later picking up two Caesars awards.
The conflict in Ukraine remains one of the biggest unknowns on the world stage. The world of cinema and documentary work provides a privileged route into understanding what is happening. In The Earth Is Blue as an Orange, the filmmaker Iryna Tsilyk travels to the war front to meet a family that attempts to cope with existing under constant threat. Anna and her children have already witnessed everything. Now they begin to deal with the trauma of war by partaking in a film that reproduces many of their most difficult moments, allowing us to take an intimate look at the conflict and its repercussions. The film won the Directing Award at the last Sundance Festival beginning a journey that has made it one of the most important works of the moment.
The conflict in Ukraine remains one of the biggest unknowns on the world stage. The world of cinema and documentary work provides a privileged route into understanding what is happening. In The Earth Is Blue as an Orange, the filmmaker Iryna Tsilyk travels to the war front to meet a family that attempts to cope with existing under constant threat. Anna and her children have already witnessed everything. Now they begin to deal with the trauma of war by partaking in a film that reproduces many of their most difficult moments, allowing us to take an intimate look at the conflict and its repercussions. The film won the Directing Award at the last Sundance Festival beginning a journey that has made it one of the most important works of the moment.
Jeanne is a very shy young girl who works at the local amusement park and lives alone with her mother. Her fascination with carousels takes on surreal proportions when she begins to develop an obsession with Jumbo, the park's main attraction. When everyone realizes that Jeanne is creating an unusually strong bond with the merry-go-round, they begin to doubt her sanity. This is the story of a woman who falls in love with an inanimate object.
The concept, which pushes at the limits of absurdity, made Jumbo one of the most anticipated films in 2020. It debuted at the Sundance Festival and has been praised for its boldness, ambitious aesthetics and narrative structure that mixes elements of Social Realism with Magical Realism.
Jeanne is a very shy young girl who works at the local amusement park and lives alone with her mother. Her fascination with carousels takes on surreal proportions when she begins to develop an obsession with Jumbo, the park's main attraction. When everyone realizes that Jeanne is creating an unusually strong bond with the merry-go-round, they begin to doubt her sanity. This is the story of a woman who falls in love with an inanimate object.
The concept, which pushes at the limits of absurdity, made Jumbo one of the most anticipated films in 2020. It debuted at the Sundance Festival and has been praised for its boldness, ambitious aesthetics and narrative structure that mixes elements of Social Realism with Magical Realism.