Category: Best Inspirational Film WSXA Barcelona 2023

Original Film Title: Azart. Come Make Art

Director’s Name: Annike Kaljouw

Writer’s Name: Maria Novikova

Producer: Maria Novikova

Country of Origin: Netherlands

Country of Filming: Aruba, Colombia, Ecuador, Netherlands, Spain

Language: Dutch, English, Russian, Spanish

Runtime: 1 hour 23 minutes

Film Description:

Welcome to Azart: the Ship of Fools. A unique ship that symbolizes the realization of dreams.

Based on a painting of Hieronymus Bosch, Captain August turned an old fisherman’s ship into a sailing theatre. During more than 30 years he travelled around the world to bring theatre, joy and folly. Until 2020, the ship has visited hundreds of cities, to brighten them up with its theatrical performances. Together with his crew – consisting of actors and musicians, in varying composition – August showed how to live an adventurous life by following your heart, create dreams and make them come true.

In the film we follow August in his mission to give the ship a final destination. He visits old friends and family in the Netherlands and looks back on his travels. Because August always had filmmakers on board, we have a rich archive of film images at our disposal. This creates a colorful overview of the wonderful history of the theater ship.

‘The ship of fools’ was actually on its way to Australia, to put the ship on wheels and drive though the desert to bring theatre. But unfortunately this dream was abruptly coming to an end, when serious illness forced him to go back to Holland to get treatments. He had to leave the ship behind in Ecuador. His last wish was to get the ship on the beach. This seemed like an impossible dream. But in the spirit of Azart, he completed this mission too.
The end scene looks like a surreal ‘grand final show’: the Amsterdam theatre ship Azart is making its very last voyage after thirty-three years of sailing. On wheels, pulled by bulldozers. The ship now stands perky on a beach in Ecuador and is fully embraced by a local theater group.

The name Azart has several meanings: passion; taking risks; take the gamble, fearlessly pursue your goal, opportunities.
Captain August: “The name is the omen.. of the many near-collisions, and other perils about permits, lack of money, etc. But also the omen of a life journey in permanent amazement that it just kept going! Nothing is impossible.” Everyone in the world who knows Azart shares this amazement: it is a source of inspiration until the very end.

Watch the wonderful history about living your dreams, and dealing with obstacles on the way.
Please enter the world of captain August and his Ship of Fools!

Original Film Title: En busca del Amor

Director’s Name: Antonio Bellido

Writer’s Name: Antonio Bellido

Producer: Antonio Bellido

Country of Origin: Spain

Country of Filming: Spain

Language: Spanish

Runtime: 1 hour 17 minutes

Film Description:

Basado en la fotonovela romántica “Singing to Love” (Amazon / libros) nació este musical. Como en el cine mudo, se ha incorporado un narrador que CANTA la historia de amor con ayuda de imágenes románticas. Sus canciones y bailes refuerzan la historia. En conjunto es un hermoso entretenimiento para los sentidos donde el espectador puede INTERACTUAR cantando con nosotros.

Original Film Title: Let Me Have My Son

Director’s Name: Cristóbal Krusen

Writer’s Name: Cristóbal Krusen

Producer: Cristóbal Krusen, Cristóbal Krusen

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: Mexico, United States

Language: English, Spanish

Runtime: 1 hour 59 minutes

Film Description:

Informed that his son, Benny, has recovered from schizophrenia, Ben Whitmore Sr. travels to Middlemouth Security Hospital to bring Benny home, only to discover he’s nowhere to be found.
This is the storyline of Let Me Have My Son, a semi-autobiographical, emotion-laden tale of a father coming to grips with his son’s devastating mental illness.

Original Film Title: A Rally for Rangers

Director’s Name: Eric Daft

Writer’s Name: Arianna Usai

Producer: Mark Fisher, Mongol Ecology Center

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: Argentina, Mongolia, Nepal

Language: English, Mongolian

Runtime: 52 minutes

Film Description:

Park rangers are the heroes on the front lines of conservation, yet in many parks across the globe they are often under-appreciated, and under-equipped. As a foundation, Rally for rangers seeks to empower park rangers, as well as raise awareness for some of the world’s most remote, rugged and ecologically important places, all through the use of motorcycles.

Original Film Title: Lifetime Trial

Director’s Name: Miya Wang

Writer’s Name: Miya Wang

Producer: Miya Wang

Country of Origin: China

Country of Filming: China

Language: Chinese

Runtime: 23 minutes 34 seconds

Film Description:

Shan is an unmarried woman in her thirties. She’s pretty and career-minded. There are three highly eligible men pursuing her. One is a dancer, a charmer much younger than her. The second is her close colleague and the one most akin to a “soul mate”. The last gentleman is a very rich man. With the help of “Lifetime Trial”, a pioneering dating technology, she is able to date three different eligible men concurrently without them being aware of each other. She enjoys the trial dating periods with each man, but soon realises that time-honoured axiom, no man nor relationship can ever be perfect. As the trial periods near the end, all three propose marriage. Who will our smart and independent protagonist choose? Will she be happy and live the life she desires?

Original Film Title: Isolated Canvas

Director’s Name: Arianna Usai

Writer’s Name: Arianna Usai

Producer: Arianna Usai

Country of Origin: Spain

Country of Filming: Spain

Language: English, Spanish

Runtime: 25 minutes 50 seconds

Film Description:

Isolated Canvas takes place during the pandemic and it follows the story of a young painter who faces drug addictions when her love relationship with a gymnastic artist is at stakes.

Original Film Title: Μαύρο Τριαντάφυλλο

Director’s Name: Μιχάλης Ηλιάσκος

Writer’s Name: Αριστείδης Μωυσιάδης, Σωτηρία Ιωαννίδου

Producer: Μιχάλης Ηλιάσκος

Country of Origin: Greece

Country of Filming: Greece

Language: Modern Greek (1453-)

Runtime: 6 minutes 34 seconds

Film Description:

A dramatic story develops in the short film “Black Rose”. A young woman suddenly dies in the prime of her life, leaving her lover behind. Her soul wanders the world of the living and the mind of the young man gets lost in his memories. A black rose is the key to a gate that will unite them in a short voyage until it withers away. The story begins, after her husband’s flashback, with the girl throwing the black rose in order for her beloved to find it and go through the gate to meet her. They are then transferred to their house, in the yard, where a horse is waiting for her. The horse symbolizes the messenger but also the herald of death, who as a psychopomp will guide her soul to Hades. She asks for a bit more time, a few moments with him. She is at the rusted swings to remind him of their carefree childhood. The rose begins to wither reminding her that time is almost over. With her tears she hopes to keep it alive. They are transferred to a lake; the water reflects their pure feelings. It’s the only moment they see each other. She turns her back on him, feeling apologetic for leaving him alone. As a response, he goes to her grave where he reverently places the black rose. Their life, as the railways where trains travel simultaneously and meet for a moment along the way only to lose each other..