Category: Best Experimental Film WSXA 2023 Amsterdam

Original Film Title: Cold Thoughts

Director’s Name: Kristina Schippling

Writer’s Name: Kristina Schippling

Producer: Kristina Schippling

Country of Origin: Germany

Country of Filming: Germany

Language: English

Runtime: 7 minutes 20 seconds

Film Description:

The philosophical short film ‘Cold Thoughts’ doesn’t follow the paradigm of story-telling in a classical sense. One metaphorical picture refers to experiences in the past, emotional processes and time. It is more a rotary motion, fixed in an abstract point, than a linear plot.

Original Film Title: where… (360°)

Director’s Name: Thomas Kutschker

Writer’s Name: Thomas Kutschker

Producer: Thomas Kutschker

Country of Origin: Germany

Language: English, German

Runtime: 10 minutes 15 seconds

Film Description:

„where…“ is a 360° science fiction short film, a poetic retrospective from a seemingly post-catastrophic, 
near future with flashbacks to our current present.The questions after origin and aim accomagny 
the protagonist in different environements and periods of time. A rambling through parallel worlds – 
through memories? 
Multi-layered images become an inventory that exposes possible variants of history. 
„where“ is an poetic immersive photo film. Its a contemplation on the inner cinema and your own 
fragile memories.

Original Film Title: Jeden dritten Tag

Director’s Name: Kim Spierenburg

Writer’s Name: Kim Spierenburg

Producer: Kim Spierenburg, Andy Dockett

Country of Origin: Netherlands

Runtime: 3 minutes 47 seconds

Film Description:

In 2023 we remember the 70th anniversary of the 1953 flood, de Watersnoodramp, the worst natural disaster in living memory in The Netherlands. 

This experimental short animation is a result of the artistic research project Water Nation which researches the contradiction of the vast natural violence of water and the industrial machine ingenuity and hand labour of the Dutch through archives.

Water Nation is an exploration into felt experience, into the connection between the heard and the seen, into what happens within us when we connect to our feelings and history. This film is about resilience surfacing over disaster, about working against the immense power of natural forces, something that has been part of the nations history and which looms as a constant threat due to rising sea levels. 

Water Nation unfolds Dutch identity and is inspired by Dutch archival material of flooding in the 20th century from the archives of the Dutch Institute of Sound & Vision. The archival video footage shows Dutch villages underwater and the human effort to control the force of water.

Original Film Title: Jeden dritten Tag

Director’s Name: Haris Samuel

Writer’s Name: Haris Samuel, Marika Rockstroh

Producer: Haris Samuel

Country of Origin: Germany

Country of Filming: Germany

Language: German

Runtime: 27 minutes 27 seconds

Film Description:

This oneshot short film questions and portrays the perception of women and sexual violence in society. 

The aim is to emphasize, portray and to showcase sustainable approaches to addressing the issue: toxic humans. The main protagonist goes through an emotional rollercoaster and is haunted by her thoughts. 

The camera acts as a voyeur, creating a shared choreography between the protagonist and the viewers. The project explores the position of victims in society by showing the problems.

Original Film Title: Fellini Mastorna…a film of no return

Director’s Name: Jennifer Glee Foley

Writer’s Name: Federico Wardal

Producer: Jennifer Glee Foley

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: United States

Language: English

Runtime: 25 minutes 6 seconds

Film Description:

Legendary Italian Filmmaker Federico Fellini never made a film he had been commissioned to do entitled ‘Il Mastorna.’ The new short film ‘Fellini Mastorna…a film of no return’ finds Fellini’s actor muse Federico Wardal as the Fortune Teller/Ghost within the original script as well as the young actor of Mastorna who is mute and vulnerable and new. The film follows a newly scripted version of ‘Mastorna’ the ‘Land of No Return.’ It is made in the United States and has an international resonance with the constant attempts within the manifestation of Self and Mask to penetrate to what is, is not, could be, couldn’t be or could be both or even more.

The film is its own ‘vision,’ its own ‘projection’ of the Self, the Mask, the Person, and the Mirror. The Mirror is ever-present, it penetrates the Camera, it is dangerous, as it was for Dorian Gray, Narcissus, and all who have looked into it and seen their ‘own image…covered by the Actor’s Mask…But the mirror is behind the mask and shows his (their) true face…’ –Carl Gustav Jung in _’Archetypes and the collective unconscious.’

The ‘invisible’ governs ‘Fellini Mastorna…a film of no return;’ it is the ‘mystery’ behind the movie. Its music is other-worldly, suggestive of other realms that are not within reach in the diurnal. The silent film tableau brings the film into the discussion of the Avantgarde in cinema; even the camera in the film belonged to silent film star Rudolph Valentino.

Original Film Title: ”Et si les écoles nous apprenaient à aimer”

Director’s Name: Yannick Borit

Writer’s Name: Yannick Borit

Producer: Yannick Borit

Country of Origin: Myanmar

Country of Filming: Myanmar

Language: Other

Runtime: 55 minutes 28 seconds

Film Description:

This independent documentary, my second film as a director, with an original score specially created for these visuals, tells the story of a young Burmese girl who witnesses the harassment faced by a classmate. When she turns to her father in Dubai for help, he responds with a letter presenting three inspiring stories of individuals who have overcome obstacles through their determination, wisdom, and courage.

The first story follows a Buddhist monk. Despite the poverty he experienced in his village, he found refuge and a new life in a monastery.

The second story features a man of Burmese descent, half Buddhist through his grandmother and half Muslim through his grandfather. He participates in a grand “fire balloons” competition held annually in the Shan State. Unfortunately, his dragon-shaped balloon catches fire, symbolizing the failures and difficulties of his life. Despite this, he finds the strength to keep moving forward without giving up.

The third story revolves around a painter. Despite the handicap of having only one foot, he has transformed his life through painting, a passion he was able to develop through the encounter with a painting teacher and the unwavering support of his family. Painting and poetry have allowed him to express his creativity and emotions, offering him a means to transcend physical limitations and find deeper meaning in his life.

In conclusion, as the father reminds his daughter, this story shows us that we all have the potential to be agents of change in the world. We have all the answers to our problems within ourselves, but our inactions often allow these problems to persist. It is only when we find the courage to seek these answers and take action that we can truly make a difference.

Original Film Title: Omnipotent Resolution

Director’s Name: Uniqueness

Writer’s Name: Uniqueness

Producer: Uniqueness

Runtime: 9 minutes 20 seconds

Film Description:

This is a short film of the song, “Omnipotent Resolution”, 
from the band Uniqueness, with a conceptual theme called, reality in dreamscape.

Original Film Title: White Light

Director’s Name: William J Thinnes

Producer: William J Thinnes

Country of Origin: United States

Runtime: 1 minute 20 seconds

Film Description:

Red, Green and Blue = White Light. See for yourself!