Sick ! – dir. Rotem Jackman

Original Film Title: Grave !

Director’s Name: Rotem Jackman

Writer’s Name: Rotem Jackman

Producer: Salam Jawad

Country of Origin: France

Country of Filming: France, Israel

Language: French, Hebrew

Runtime: 24 minutes 30 seconds

Film Description:

Tom and his sister Meirav meet up with Haïm Bouzaglo, a famous Israeli film director they know nothing about, in a cafe in Tel Aviv during one of Tom’s visits to his family in Israel. Haïm proposes a role to Tom in his next movie. Tom is sceptical at first but he then realises Haïm’s notoriety when both his whimsical mother and his father won’t stop talking about Haïm. Tom decides to look into Haïm’s films and immediately becomes a big admirer of his work. Then, when Haïm offers a screenwriter mission to Tom on a new project of his, Tom is over the moon. The writing process will prove to be harder than expected, and when Haïm decides to challenge Tom to write the entire film script in 14 days, a race against the clock begins that will force Tom to become resourceful while also dealing with his extravagant, colourful, and invasive family, to try his best to finish writing the script in time.

Out Of The Abyss – dir. Guang Wei Yan

Original Film Title: Out Of The Abyss

Director’s Name: Guang Wei Yan

Writer’s Name: Guang Wei Yan

Producer: Yi Zi Shao

Country of Origin: China

Country of Filming: China

Language: Chinese

Runtime: 17 minutes

Film Description:

The protagonists of the film are the “Beijing drifters” who are over 30 years old. They are not successful, nor are they competitive, but they are contented, down-to-earth and struggle on their own. Experiencing so many difficulties in life, he finally became violent and took the wrong road. The ending of the story is tragic or rather helpless, but it seems to be their only destination. The protagonist fights back after being hit by life and tries to change his fate. The film is grounded in the plight of contemporary people, whose lives are affected or changed by the epidemic, education reform and other factors.

No Matter What – dir. Christopher James Thompson

Original Film Title: No Matter What

Director’s Name: Christopher James Thompson

Writer’s Name: Christopher James Thompson, Jimmy Willden

Producer: Brian Cobos, Jake Gonzales, Christopher James Thompson

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: United States

Language: English

Runtime: 9 minutes 51 seconds

Film Description:

A humble exploration into the effects a mental health crisis can have on a relationship.

South Bridge – dir. Darko Silajdzic

Original Film Title: South Bridge

Director’s Name: Darko Silajdzic

Writer’s Name: Darko Silajdzic

Producer: Darko Silajdzic

Country of Origin: Bosnia and Herzegovina

Country of Filming: United States

Language: English

Runtime: 12 minutes 37 seconds

Film Description:

Story of two young lovers in time of war. Living in a city under siege, struggling to survive. Going from despair to dreaming of escaping, to build a family in peace.

Block 170 : The First Transaction – dir. Jonathan Plesel & Thibault Zeller

Original Film Title: Block 170 : The First Transaction

Director’s Name: Jonathan Plesel & Thibault Zeller

Producer: Motion Plus Design,

Country of Origin: France

Language: English

Runtime: 3 minutes 6 seconds

Film Description:

This film is a tribute and surreal representation to Blockchain technology and its creator Satoshi Nakamoto.
It talks about the first financial transaction between Satoshi and Hal Finney. Meet here a mysterious environment, gigantic gods and a specific mythology to illustrate this brilliant and complex universe.

Larger Than Life – dp. Kim Bech – dir. Ian Isak

Original Film Title: Larger Than Life

Director of Photography: Kim Bech

Director’s Name: Ian Isak

Writer’s Name: Ian Isak, Tobias Rahim

Producer: Hugo Dichman, Lea Lund

Country of Origin: Denmark

Country of Filming: Denmark

Language: Danish

Runtime: 12 minutes 11 seconds

Film Description:

Tobias Rahim is a busy guy, but when his best friend calls to calm his fear of death, the musician naturally takes the time to help. The conversation quickly develops into a talk about life and the afterlife.

THE CONJUGACY – dp. Alexander Kovalcuk – dir. Anastasia Kalinovskaya

Original Film Title: СОПРЯЖЕНИЕ

Director of Photography: Alexander Kovalcuk

Director’s Name: Anastasia Kalinovskaya

Writer’s Name: Anastasia Kalinovskaya

Country of Origin: Russian Federation

Country of Filming: Russian Federation

Language: Russian

Runtime: 30 minutes

Film Description:

Lonely 12-year-old Girl, thoughtfully walking along the railroad. She meets a handsome 18 year old Guy who seems to be lost in the woods. The Guy decides to join her and find out who she is and what she hides in her suitcase. The Girl tells him stories from her difficult life, full of sadness and fear. She opens to him the world of memories of her family, through fantastic images..
Each of the stories involves the Guy in its own original atmosphere, opening the doors to a child’s fantasy for him, which is able to transform familiar forms and events into metaphorical symbols.
But suddenly, the Girl runs away. Having caught up with her, the Guy finds out what could bind them…

The return of the hummingbird women – dp. Patricia Kaersenhout, Ravi Breukers – dir. Patricia Kaersenhout

Original Film Title: Le retour des femmes colibris

Director of Photography: Patricia Kaersenhout, Ravi Breukers

Director’s Name: Patricia Kaersenhout

Writer’s Name: Patricia Kaersenhout

Producer: Patricia Kaersenhout

Country of Origin: Netherlands

Country of Filming: France

Language: French

Runtime: 18 minutes 23 seconds

Film Description:

The film takes as a starting point the famous Artist and writers conference from 1956 which took place in the Sorbonne in Paris. This conference was organized entirely by Black women, but no women got the podium
As an honorary member, Josephine Baker was mostly formally involved with the Congress, which certainly had political significance. Christiane Yandé Diop, wife of Alioune Diop (founder of the famous bookstore Présence Africaine) was one of the organizers. She is 97 years old and her voice is present in the film.

Black women were at the forefront of an international network of solidarity between Africans and people of the African diaspora. The sisters Jeanne and Paulette Nardal played an important role in the creation of Négritude, a French literary and ideological movement from the 1930s. Members of the movement felt united by their common origins and aversion to the racism in the French colonial empire . Paulette Nardal who mastered English well, became an important cultural intermediary between the Anglophone Harlem Renaissance writers and the Francophone students from Africa and the Caribbean. Three of them would later become the founders of the Négritude movement: Aimé Césaire from Martinique, Léopold Sédar Senghor from Senegal, and Léon -Gontran Damas from French Guiana (les Trois Pères ) . Paul Hazoumé , also known as the father of African literature, is less well known, but also involved in founding of the movement.

Closed World and Its Friends – dp. Sungwon Lee – dir. Nuhae Lee

Original Film Title: 닫힌 세계와 그 친구들

Director of Photography: Sungwon Lee

Director’s Name: Nuhae Lee

Writer’s Name: Nuhae Lee

Producer: Jihun Park

Country of Origin: Korea, Republic of

Country of Filming: Korea, Republic of

Language: Korean

Runtime: 29 minutes 55 seconds

Film Description:

In the future where virtual reality has become a thing of daily life, Soomin works as a counselor in her own virtual reality. One day, a strange man, Cheolwoon, comes to Soomin’s virtual space. Cheolwoon asks Soomin to come to his space, where Soomin goes to find Cheolwoon’s hidden dark secret. A look into our future, intertwining escapism and transhumanism.

Wāhine & Waves – dir. Ryan Thielen

Original Film Title: Wāhine & Waves

Director’s Name: Ryan Thielen

Writer’s Name: Amber Jones

Producer: Amber Jones

Country of Origin: New Zealand

Language: English

Runtime: 27 minutes 22 seconds

Film Description:

A local photographer (Amber Jones) travels around New Zealand capturing the essence of female kiwi surf culture.