Head Over Heels, 12min., UK Directed by Ignacio Rodo When conventional therapy fails, it’s time for a crazy approach.
Hello, min., USA Directed by Lauren A. Poole A disaster brings three people into irritating proximity of each other.
Indyana Jones – End of the world, 25min., Finland Directed by Petri Puroano Sometimes filming a movie is not easy when people involved in the film-production have a different vision of the final product. Star wanna-be faces these challenges and struggles with motivation to move forward when dealing with the demands from the films director, producer and reacting to animals on set. All this dream-chasing moves “Indyana” into direction that was not planned. The film is a parody, almost like a mockumentary while trying to show respect towards the original movies which this one is based on. This shortfilm, fan film, is a prequel-film that launches season 5 for “We Sock” webseries & feature film.
A showcase of the best LGBTQ+ films in the world today.
AUDIENCE AWARDS: Best Short Film: Astronaut’s Uniform Best Direction: Reflections of Us
Reflections of Us, 15min., USA Directed by Sanna Lexhed Anna wants to have a perfect relationship, devoid of any negativity. Her partner, Charlie, wants to have honest, difficult conversations about their feelings. When the two stumble upon an ice rink in the park, we see Anna at her best: spontaneous, fun, pushing Charlie out of her comfort zone. Later that night, Charlie receives devastating news from her mom over the phone. Instead of asking Charlie about it, Anna avoids Charlie and acts as if everything’s fine. As their relationship falls apart, Anna must overcome her fear of opening up if she wants to keep Charlie in her life.
A showcase of the best from the STYLE, EXPERIMENTAL, FASHION festival.
AUDIENCE AWARDS: Best Micro-Short: NAKIELSKY Best Dance Film: HYPNAGOGIA Best Experimental: MX. Best Story: BLACK AND CATHIE Best Performances: SEEKING TRANQUILITY Best Direction: RIPPLES Best Visual Design: LAST LOVE Best Documentary: Tomasz Kwiecien – Professional skating instructor Best Music Video: Maria Niklińska Marlen – make it
Mx., 5min., UK Directed by WWenen Lusa “Mx.” is a title used as a gender-neutral alternative to Mr. or Ms., reflecting inclusivity in gender identity. This film delves into the tension between gender identity and societal expectations, highlighting the quest for selfhood amidst oppression. Through the lens of diverse, non-binary lesbians, it showcases their struggles with physical acceptance, cultural pressures, and homophobia. The narrative emphasizes the symbolic power of costumes and dance as tools for inner awakening and liberation, illustrating the beauty and strength found in diverse identities. By following the journeys of these individuals, “Mx.” challenges societal norms and questions how the fashion industry can lead the way in accepting varied gender expressions, ultimately portraying the ongoing fight for identity acceptance and understanding.
BLAKE AND CATHIE, 8min., Argentina Directed by Ileana Gómez SHORT FICTION FILM ABOUT WILLIAM BLAKE, ENGLIH WRITER AND PAINTER.
Hypnagogia, 4min., UK Directed by Ysabelle Taylor Hypnagogia is the transitional state of consciousness between wakefulness and sleep. A sensation of semi-consciousness or trance where images float sometimes randomly, sometimes sequentially through our minds.
Seeking Tranquility, 4min., UK Directed by Ysabelle Taylor An improvised dance film in collaboration with dancer Aleth Berenice and composer Alberte Erantis. Filmed at Acosta Dance Centre, located in a historic building of the Woolwich Royal Arsenal in London.
Last Love, 18min., Russia Directed by Dmitri Frolov The musical and poetic composition “O my prophetic soul” on the verses of Fedor Ivanovich Tyutchev for the Reader, Pianist and String Orchestra of the composer Sergei Aleksandrovich Oskolkov served as a sound basis for the philosophical parable about the Love of the human and divine, about the cycle of life, about the decline of civilization, That the latter will be the first. The film is shot as a dream, and the use of the aesthetic series of experimental cinema only emphasizes this state. The universal sound gives him the poetry of Fedor Tyutchev (1803-1873), deeply played by Leonid Mozgovoy behind the scenes. The young actors Natalya Surkova and Vladimir Zolotar, who existed in the frame, had a difficult task to show the first people not burdened with the intellectual work of subsequent generations. It was necessary to abandon today’s problems and try to imagine themselves as original people, and then immediately move to the very end of time. The plot begins with them and ends with humanity. This author wanted to show continuity: the first love and the supposed last is an indivisible whole of one eternal Love.
Tomasz Kwiecien – Professional skating instructor, 6min., USA Directed by Dominika Machel Tomasz Kwiecień is on a mission — to get as many people involved in blading as possible, not just kids but adults too. His passion for skating knows no limits — he even set a Guinness World Record by completing a full marathon… skating backwards! Blading in schools?
Nakielsky, 1min., Poland Directed by Dominika Machel This isn’t a story – it’s a collision of senses. Movement, sound, image – equal, sharp as glass, precise as a blade. Nothing leads, nothing follows. They coexist in tension, in a rhythm that doesn’t obey rules but rises from the clash of motion, sound, and visuals. Each sense holds its ground – sight never overshadows hearing, sound never silences the body. But everything penetrates everything else – without that, there’s no meaning. The layers merge, not in harmony, but in friction – and that friction sparks reaction.
Loved this festival! It was great to receive feedback on our short film 148: SNEEZE – something many festivals do not do. Also we were very happy to have won “Best Performances” too – thanks. Highly Recommend!
AIRBORNE ABYSS, 3min., Bangladesh Directed by Soumya Shah As the world suffocates, a helpless father fights desperately to keep his family breathing.
Together with ALS: a wife’s perspective, 25min., USA Directed by Kimber Leigh, Diane Dresback Dresback ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, affects thousands each year, but the true impact extends far beyond the diagnosis.
(French) Stories from my window, 4min., UK Directed by Marie Chiriac Super short poetry film about one possible end of the world and love. Contemplative perspective on what makes this world beautiful and worth saving is love, as this realm being the backdrop and anchor of a universal love story.
If I Were a Carpenter, 2min., Canada Directed by Elizabeth Lewis This hand drawn animated film is based on the classic song If I Were a Carpenter and sung by the great Bobby Darin. How can love conquer the social divide? This film is a tender slightly tongue in cheek story of how love can transform us and ultimately bridge our differences.
Wall unit, 10min., Poland Directed by Joanna Polak A ramshackle wall unit is a symbol of the monotonous life of a certain 40-year-old man living in a grey, dirty post-communist block of flats district. Right after his birthday, suffering from the midlife crisis, the man decides to change his dull and routine-based existence. Alas, his wife stands in the way
HOUSE, 6min., Afghanistan Directed by Zainab Entezar A female individual is actively seeking a residential property for rent within the Kabul region. However, despite her diligent efforts, she has not yet been able to secure a suitable dwelling for shelter.
AUDIENCE AWARDS: Best Fantasy Film: Dante’s Inferno – The Ascension Best Sci-Fi Film: Aeolus 15 Best Thriller Film: DIMENSIONS: The Interrogation Best Student Film: Super Villain Coffee Best Story: Wukong Couriers Best Direction: Obsidian
Super Villain Coffee, 15min., USA Directed by Leonard Frank Smith “Supervillain Coffee” is a satirical comedy about Maximum “Chaos” Maxwell, a once-feared supervillain now slinging espresso in a hip downtown coffee shop. Max trades doomsday devices for latte art, grumbling about his past while perfecting milk foam with the precision of a mad scientist.
DIMENSIONS: The Interrogation, 8min., USA Directed by Robert James Harden Jr. During an interrogation for the murder of his mother, a man pleads for his release in fear of his life. Two special detectives grill him in order to solve their case. In the shadows of these men’s dimension, the answers to all their mysteries live.
Aeolus 15, 11min., USA Directed by Diego Ugalde Haunted by his past, an old man waits for a cosmic phenomenon that could let him communicate with a young astronaut from the past – that astronaut is himself.
Wukong Couriers, 15min., USA Directed by Peter Gabriel Gagnon An unwitting bicycle messenger is chosen as the mystical hero to save the city from an ancient horror.
Obsidian, 18min., Canada Directed by Sohil Chhabra David Smith, a deeply troubled detective grappling with a brutal murder case and the collapse of his personal life, finds himself spiraling into darkness-only to uncover a path to unexpected self-discovery.
Dante’s Inferno – The Ascension, 29min., UK Directed by Sofian Francis Dante, a regretful ex military contractor and his companion, his horse, search for his missing wife and daughter in the remnants of civilization decimated by thousands of malevolent entities known as ‘ Reapers ‘,
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Mayday, 7min., Portugal Directed by Miguel Gaspar From a report by a Portuguese volunteer who carried out maritime rescue missions on a ship of a German NGO during the current refugee crisis in the Mediterranean, “Mayday” builds a visual narrative, giving space to a reflection on the drama of this humanitarian issue.
Festival Reviews 