Category: Best Student Film ARFF Berlin 2023

Original Film Title: Lea’s Josephine

Director’s Name: Sofie Cederholm

Writer’s Name: Sofie Cederholm

Producer: Julia Guillén

Country of Origin: Denmark

Country of Filming: Denmark

Language: English

Runtime: 15 minutes 1 second

Film Description:

Two friends meet by the water in the dead of night for an intimate conversation about love and identity.

Original Film Title: GRENZHOLZ

Director’s Name: Axel Schuldes

Writer’s Name: Axel Schuldes

Producer: Axel Schuldes, Laurenz Feidicker

Country of Origin: Germany

Country of Filming: Germany

Language: German, Polish

Runtime: 26 minutes 2 seconds

Film Description:

FRONTIER tells the story about the 19-year-old Aniela (Vanessa Boritzka), who lives with her 54-year-old husband Boguś (Marius Biegai) in a small lumberjack’s hut in the war-ravaged Poland of 1941. 
Boguś’ repression gradually takes on violent characteristics, but Aniela’s fear of the war binds her to the hut in the forest. 
One night, the two German soldiers Helmut and Ralf (Jonas Brunstein & Lukas Koller) knock on the door and completely new opportunities open up, but not only for Aniela.

Original Film Title: Rose Ice Jelly

Director’s Name: Jiayi Liu

Country of Origin: China

Country of Filming: China

Language: Chinese

Runtime: 5 minutes 56 seconds

Film Description:

A babysitter Xiumei has already taken care of Junjun who is the son of her employer for decades. They’ve developed a close relationship, taking photos and celebrating birthday together. Rose ice jelly is Junjun’s favorite food, which stores a lot of memories. However, camera won’t lie. This beautiful illusion is revealed by photos they took when she is about to leave the house. What is lost cannot be regained. It’s a lie of love and grief made by the real son of the employer Junhao. Ultimately, rose ice jelly becomes the only way to remember her.

Original Film Title: In the Gaze of a Second

Director’s Name: Lap Zhing Yeung

Writer’s Name: Lap Zhing Yeung

Producer: Tak Yip Leung

Country of Origin: Hong Kong

Country of Filming: Hong Kong

Language: Yue Chinese (Cantonese)

Runtime: 1 hour 28 minutes 38 seconds

Film Description:

After transferring to a new school, Chik-Yin meets Tin-Wan, a visually impaired girl who loves photography, and is immediately attracted to Tin-Wan’s lightheartedness and decides to join the photography club she is in, where he will meet her younger sister, Tin-Yeut.

Secretly, Tin-Wan has always felt guilt for Tin-Yeut confining herself to be her caretaker due to her disability. This makes Tin-Wan sacrifices herself by working as a part-time girlfriend for remedy to her sister and to support their family financially. An unexpected turn of event happens as a video of her at work is posted and spread on the internet violently, resulting her, Tin-Yeut, and Chik-Yin being ostracized. She, again, takes the situation personally, but this time she decides to commit suicide.

Since then, Chik-Yin has lived under the shadow of Tin-Wan’s death for three years. However, after he reunites with Tin-Yeut and is given a photo left by her sister, it awakes his memories that sends him to the realm of memories. In that realm, Chik-Yin and Tin-Wan meet again. Perhaps Chik-Yin can find the strength to move forward despite past hardships and struggles.

Original Film Title: The Author

Director’s Name: Anna Davydova

Writer’s Name: Anna Davydova

Producer: Anna Davydova

Country of Origin: France

Country of Filming: France

Language: English

Runtime: 4 minutes 50 seconds

Film Description:

An author grappling with self-doubt finds solace when visited by his muse.

Original Film Title: 浮游

Director’s Name: Yunqing Wang

Writer’s Name: Yunqing Wang

Producer: Yuemeng Chen, Oi Kiu Kwok

Country of Origin: China

Country of Filming: Hong Kong

Language: English, Mandarin Chinese

Runtime: 15 minutes 25 seconds

Film Description:

A Chinese girl who has always dreamed of going to America meets an American man in an alley at a common friend’s birthday party one night. As they get closer, she becomes more emotionally invested in their undefined relationship. However, when he offers an unexpected opportunity to visit America, she faces a difficult decision.

Original Film Title: 余痕

Director’s Name: Ziyi Wang

Writer’s Name: Ziyi Wang

Producer: Jie Zhou

Country of Origin: China

Country of Filming: China

Language: Chinese

Runtime: 17 minutes 24 seconds

Film Description:

When CHEN Yu comes back to the old house with his daughter, a broken pair of ice skates reminds him of the memory about his father.

Original Film Title: Transparensea

Director’s Name: Jakari Lister

Writer’s Name: Jakari Lister

Producer: Mia Symone Upshaw, Joey Wright, Alicia Lister, Cedric Lister, Marvita Steward

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: United States

Language: English

Runtime: 11 minutes 49 seconds

Film Description:

A young couple comes to terms with their dying relationship the day they’re to be engaged.

Original Film Title: Darker Thank Black

Director’s Name: Keyu Chen

Country of Origin: China

Country of Filming: China

Language: Mandarin Chinese

Runtime: 16 minutes 22 seconds

Film Description:

Diao Xuchen, who yearns for dance, is forced to learn piano by his blind mother, and Xuchen himself will gradually lose his light from the healthy person. To go out and dance to the pulse of fate, or to retreat and follow a seemingly doomed trajectory. A game with destiny is slowly unfolding.

Original Film Title: I Had A Strange Dream Last Night

Director’s Name: Mira Haley Steuer

Writer’s Name: Mira Haley Steuer

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: United States

Language: English

Runtime: 2 minutes 29 seconds

Film Description:

Experimental short about being a child (now young adult) with chronic illness. Drawn and shot as a Freshman in college. 2021.