Author: Festregards

Original Film Title: Isomer

Director’s Name: Nikki Silvestre

Writer’s Name: Nikki Silvestre

Producer: Nikki Silvestre

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: United States

Language: English

Runtime: 4 minutes 56 seconds

Film Description:

Original Film Title: From the Midnight Sun to Eternity

Director’s Name: Paola Ivana Suhonen

Writer’s Name: Paola Ivana Suhonen

Producer: Olli M. Happonen

Country of Origin: Finland

Country of Filming: Finland

Language: No Dialogue

Runtime: 2 hours 30 minutes

Film Description:

A lovestory, a roadtrip and a betrayal- under the eternal Midnight sun in Finland. This is a roadtrip never to forget.

Original Film Title: End of the Cycle

Director’s Name: Sammy Jaye, Soraya Simi

Writer’s Name: Sammy Jaye, Soraya Simi, Lauren Brinkman, Veronica Pinkham

Producer: Sammy Jaye, Soraya Simi

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: United States

Language: English

Runtime: 1 hour 20 minutes

Film Description:

END OF THE CYCLE is a feature-length documentary about endometriosis that weaves together intimate first-person stories from Amy Schumer, Olympic medalist Brittany Brown, Julianne Hough, Janel Parrish, and Folakẹ Olowofoyekú. The film also incorporates groundbreaking science, historical revelations, and moments of humor and cultural critique, as well as never-before-shared details about Marilyn Monroe’s own experience with endometriosis, giving us the unique opportunity of re-writing her legacy in a more empathetic manner.

Original Film Title: City of Dancers

Director’s Name: Mary Kent

Writer’s Name: Mary Kent

Producer: Mary Kent

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: Colombia, United States

Language: Spanish

Runtime: 56 minutes 48 seconds

Film Description:

“City of Dancers” is a documentary about young people and adults who have found an alternative to drugs and gangs – as salsa dancers and competitors in the genre. This dance, which incorporates acrobatics, tribal elements, and is danced with great passion, is known as Salsa Caleña. We examine the impact of Salsa Dancing on an entire City and bask in the seductive music and world-class dancing performances.

Original Film Title: Chaton – We Are Invincible

Director’s Name: Marcus CB Soori

Writer’s Name: Marcus CB Soori

Producer: Marcus CB Soori

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: United States

Language: English

Runtime: 3 minutes 8 seconds

Film Description:

The multi-award-winning melodic techno artist Chaton returns with his second-ever single, We Are Invincible.

Set in a futuristic beach city on another planet in the galaxy, the music video follows Chaton on a day in his life as he travels to and performs in a beachside nighttime concert with his band mates.

The visuals in We Are Invincible assert that as technology progresses, it brings us closer by breaking down artificial communication barriers and allowing us to learn and understand others, while also allowing each of us to express our individuality and value our culture.

Together, we are stronger. Together, we are invincible.

Original Film Title: BEGGING THE SILENT HORIZON

Director’s Name: Reihaneh Youzbashi Dizaji

Writer’s Name: Reihaneh Youzbashi Dizaji

Producer: Reihaneh Youzbashi Dizaji

Country of Origin: Germany

Country of Filming: Germany

Language: English

Runtime: 7 hours 56 minutes

Film Description:

A group of about 30 refugees from various countries is heading west. They travel in containers, covering long distances without rest or supplies. Soha, a 14-year-old girl, loses her only companion—an elderly man from her village—who dies early in the journey. Though she barely knew him, he offered her protection and trust. Now, she must continue alone.

The biggest barrier is language. Soha understands no one, so all spoken languages remain unintelligible. During a rest after a long forest march, she is raped by two smugglers. Trapped and powerless, she stays silent and continues with the group. Fearing further assault, she steals a knife. Wali, a 19-year-old, notices and decides to stay close. Though they don’t share a language, his kindness slowly earns her trust.

The group is hidden in an abandoned sports hall, where they endure ten days in the basement—days that stretch into unbearable weeks. Soha refuses to speak and suffers from nausea, prompting rumors of pregnancy. Their smugglers remain missing. When food runs low, some young men go searching but are reported to the police. One is arrested; Wali and others escape with minor injuries.

Wali suggests they leave the group and flee together. Against all odds, they reach Germany and share a room in a refugee shelter, posing as a couple. Soha is visibly pregnant, and a deep friendship grows between them.

One day, Wali believes he sees Soha’s rapist. In a fit of rage, he attacks the man with an iron rod. The man—innocent—dies from his injuries. Wali is convicted and deported.

Soha remains behind, gives birth in Germany, and begins building a new life. The memory of Wali stays with her.

Original Film Title: A poem by 12 year old boys

Director’s Name: XU JIAN SHENG

Writer’s Name: XU JIAN SHENG

Producer: SHEN YUN

Country of Origin: China

Country of Filming: China

Language: Chinese

Runtime: 13 minutes 37 seconds

Film Description:

This is a non-fictional documentary. Although it looks like a staged film, that’s exactly what I want to do – to turn documentaries into films and films into documentaries.
This documentary follows two children from rural China, Li Wanqin and Shi Yingsuo, who are now 18 years old.
In the summer of 2025, we will look back on the poems they wrote when they were 12 years old. By documenting their lives today at the age of 18, we will observe the changes in their personalities over the past seven years.
In order to create a poetic atmosphere on the screen, we did not use traditional documentary filming techniques. Instead, we specially prepared lighting and angles for each shot, allowing the subjects to freely express themselves within the frame, thereby presenting the most authentic and poetic images.
The two protagonists we have chosen each have their own unique characteristics,
We don’t believe that writing poetry can genuinely enhance one’s academic performance, nor do we think it can help them achieve higher scores in China’s unique selection system, the gaokao. Therefore, we chose the protagonist who studies cooking in a vocational college (which is considered a relatively inferior university in China). His life lacks poetic flair, leaving him burdened with societal pressures, and his voice is drowned out by the hustle and bustle of the city.
For the other protagonist, we chose a particularly shy child at the age of 12. At that time, he was introverted and solitary, living in the mountains with no friends around to chat with. At 12, he was not talkative and his only companion was their family’s calf, his sole friend. Now, at 18, he has finished the college entrance examination, but his results are not ideal.
Our camera captured their 18-year-old moment, but beyond the frame, it also documented our (the main creators’) 28-year-old moment.
At 28, we looked at the 18-year-old version of ourselves in the camera and reminisced about our own 12-year-old selves.
At 28, we ran alongside them, 18-year-olds, in the wheat field bathed in the setting sun.
We believe that the significance of images goes beyond merely recording the moment captured,
It also records the present moment of the recorder.

Original Film Title: A MOTHER’S LOVE

Director’s Name: Harald Schwarzenbacher

Writer’s Name: Gregor Schmidinger

Producer: Harald Schwarzenbacher

Country of Origin: Austria

Country of Filming: Austria

Language: German

Runtime: 21 minutes 10 seconds

Film Description:

Beate, 43, lives with her husband Uwe and their eight-year-old son Benjamin in a small town. On the surface, they appear to be an ordinary family—yet they are still reeling from the tragic bus accident that claimed the life of their eldest daughter, twelve-year-old Jana. The loss continues to weigh heavily on Beate, piercing through her daily life like a wound that refuses to heal.

When Benjamin is unexpectedly summoned to the police for questioning, Beate learns that her own son carries partial responsibility for the accident.

This revelation shatters her. A storm of emotions begins to rage within her, pushing her into a psychological limbo between grief and maternal love. She can barely look Benjamin in the eyes without seeing in him the cause of her daughter’s death.

How is she supposed to face her child now?
How can she reconcile his innocence with the unbearable weight of guilt?

Original Film Title: 5 Stars

Director’s Name: Alonzo Alonzo Rodriguez-Spencer, Ginger Yifan Chen

Writer’s Name: Alonzo Alonzo Rodriguez-Spencer

Producer: Alonzo Alonzo Rodriguez-Spencer

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: United States

Language: English

Runtime: 7 minutes 49 seconds

Film Description:

A online marketplace reseller with a perfect reputation gets a review that taints his five star status hurting him financially. With their back up against the wall they are bent on getting the review changed by any means.