Category: Best Student Film ARFF Berlin 2022

Original Film Title: Dormant

Director’s Name: Leonard Heinz-Eckhart Heinrich Kuhn

Writer’s Name: Leonard Heinz-Eckhart Heinrich Kuhn

Producer: Isabell Schuster, Katharina Ibscher

Country of Origin: Germany

Country of Filming: Germany

Language: German

Runtime: 27 minutes 55 seconds

Film Description:

19 year old Kiara is already fighting her depression when her rolemodel, Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington, looses his fight against depression and takes his own life. Suddenly the young girl fears for her life and tries to reach out for help, desperately trying not to follow her rolemodel for the first time.

Original Film Title: The Painter

Director’s Name: Mackenzie Bunnell

Writer’s Name: Mackenzie Bunnell

Producer: Berridge Programs

Country of Origin: France

Country of Filming: France

Language: English

Runtime: 10 minutes 46 seconds

Film Description:

Jack, a pretentious American painter, is taken by surprise when his portrait comes to life.

Original Film Title: 无人生还

Director’s Name: Shidan Huang

Writer’s Name: Shidan Huang

Producer: Yang Zhen

Country of Origin: China

Country of Filming: China

Language: Chinese

Runtime: 21 minutes 19 seconds

Film Description:

At the end of the 19th century, Qingqing Zhao was sold into a joyhouse in Gusu China. In this futureless place, she starts to be on intimate terms with Qi Liu who is a cowardly yet rich man. However, after Qing learns of the misery of her friend Weiwei Chen and her bawd Ming, she begins to think about her future, and gradually use, ruin, and abandon Qi Liu. Nevertheless, Qi Liu does an extremely risky thing for her…

Original Film Title: 《收获月影的季节》

Director’s Name: Duman Birleskhan

Writer’s Name: Duman Birleskhan

Producer: Wei Li

Country of Origin: China

Country of Filming: China

Language: Kazakh

Runtime: 28 minutes 45 seconds

Film Description:

Kazakh has an old tradition that every Kazakh boy over the age of five has to take circumcision in autumn, which is one of those big moments for every Kazakh man.
This traditional ceremony has a symbolic meaning that a boy is about to become a man.
The story takes place in northern Xinjiang in early 2000. It is about a young Kazakh boy who missed the age of circumcision then came to his grandfather’s house in the grassland of pastoral areas with his family and went through the traditional circumcision ceremony. During the process, he gradually became afraid after discovering it is a medical surgery in fact, so he ran away and hid, However, had the circumcision in the end.
With the physiological changes, his character and thoughts have been changed in a sudden, then he is on his new path to adulthood now…

Original Film Title: The First Sieve is the Truth

Director’s Name: Molin Liu

Writer’s Name: Molin Liu, Mengyao Lin

Producer: Peifei Wu

Country of Origin: China

Country of Filming: China

Language: Mandarin Chinese

Runtime: 15 minutes

Film Description:

Driven by curiosity, a thief opens a personal laptop but soon uncovers a dirty secret, forcing him to make the most difficult choice in his lifetime.

Original Film Title: Almost Christmas

Director’s Name: Xinyuan Zhao

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: United States

Language: English

Runtime: 4 minutes 27 seconds

Film Description:

“Almost Christmas” is a hybrid 2D and 3D animated film which tells a story that happened on Christmas Eve. A blind girl and a wheelchair-bound boy encounter a healing light that allows them to walk and see. Together they chase the mysterious light and try to find where the magic comes from. They are led toward the final destination where they finally discover a place full of light and hope.

Original Film Title: Was ich wollte

Director’s Name: Sarah Tschaikowski

Writer’s Name: Sarah Tschaikowski

Producer: Sarah Tschaikowski

Country of Origin: Germany

Country of Filming: Germany

Language: German

Runtime: 13 minutes 51 seconds

Film Description:

The 18-year-old Julia has to decide for a new phase in her life, breaking away from the high expectations of her family and friends to go her own way.

Original Film Title: Aure de Lola

Director’s Name: Gregor Hvastja

Writer’s Name: Barbora Benoni, Veronika Andrejsková

Producer: Gregor Hvastja, Vladana Terčová,

Country of Origin: Czech Republic

Country of Filming: Czech Republic

Language: Czech

Runtime: 19 minutes 48 seconds

Film Description:

Seemingly shy and solitary young man Adam works as a hair stylist assistant in a professional hair salon. Besides sweeping and regular cleaning, his main tasks also include preparing clients for treatments by giving them scalp massages and shampooing their hair. Though this might seem as a second-grade duty, it fulfils and thrills him. Adam is modest, with no ambitions or any other hobbies whatsoever. He lives in a small apartment with his cat. But when he is at work, he feels genuinely happy and content. There he gets to regularly meet the beautiful hairdresser Lola, who has become an object of his affection and hidden desires. Lola is attracted to Adam particularly because of his shyness. She has wanted to get to know him better for a while now. It is obvious that the two are attracted to each other and it is only a matter of time when one of them will make the first move.
But, what’s lurking behind Adam’s insecurity? And does this unusual job have some deeper, hidden meaning for him?
Have you ever wondered… How fragile the human mind really is?