Category: Best Film Score & Sound Design – 2024 ARFF BERLIN

(HONORABLE MENTION)

Original Film Title: TEK YOL

Director’s Name: Furkan Cetin, Tony Özkan

Writer’s Name: Furkan Cetin, Tony Özkan

Producer: Furkan Cetin, Tony Özkan

Country of Origin: Germany

Country of Filming: Germany

Language: German, Turkish

Runtime: 14 minutes 54 seconds

Film Description:

Sahin, a Turkish immigrant in Berlin, struggles with a profound sense of belonging, questioning the meaning of home as he and his best friend Umut navigate a world of violence, identity, and resilience.

(WINNER)

Original Film Title: Man & Witch: The Dance of a Thousand Steps

Director’s Name: Michael Hines

Writer’s Name: Greg Steinbruner,

Producer: Angela Murray, Tami Stronach, Greg Steinbruner

Country of Origin: United Kingdom

Country of Filming: United Kingdom

Language: English

Runtime: 1 hour 34 minutes

Film Description:

A reclusive Witch in a magic kingdom strikes a bargain to help a lonely Goatherd break an Evil Wizard’s curse and finally take a wife. But when against all odds the man completes her three impossible tasks, and earns the hand of the Contented Kingdom’s perfect Princess, the Witch and the Goatherd are destined to discover that there is one thing even harder to conquer than the curses of an Evil Wizard. True Love.

The long awaited comeback film for the Childlike Empress from Wolfgang Petersen’s The NeverEnding Story – Tami Stronach, the star who got away, is coming home to fantasy. She is joined by some of the most iconic names in the genre (Christopher Lloyd, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Michael Emerson, Daniel Portman) and a legendary line up of comic talent (Sean Astin, Eddie Izzard, Jennifer Saunders, Bill Bailey) voicing puppets fabricated by the Jim Henson Creature Shop. A crowd pleasing lo-fi 80s comic love-fest for the whole family. As seen in Deadline, Newsweek, EW, HR, Variety, The Times.

(HONORABLE MENTION)

Original Film Title: Laura, 29 Old Compton Street

Director’s Name: Weiqi Cai

Writer’s Name: Weiqi Cai

Producer: Xin Yu, Fangning Shen

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: United States

Language: English

Runtime: 12 minutes 24 seconds

Film Description:

How does a woman navigate her actions and emotions after committing murder?

(FINALIST)

Original Film Title: COLOR

Director’s Name: Joel Campbell

Writer’s Name: Joel Campbell

Producer: Joel Campbell

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: United States

Language: English

Runtime: 1 hour 42 minutes 10 seconds

Film Description:

(FINALIST)

Original Film Title: A Place I’m Meant To Know

Director’s Name: Chantal Spittles, Giada Origlia, Josh Booth

Writer’s Name: Josh Booth, Epilepsy Action

Producer: Chantal Spittles, Giada Origlia, Josh Booth

Country of Origin: United Kingdom

Country of Filming: United Kingdom

Language: English

Runtime: 2 minutes 52 seconds

Film Description:

UK charity Epilepsy Action has teamed up with upcoming composer, music producer and drummer Alex Marchisone (CBS, BBC, Channel 4 etc) to gather real-life experiences of people with epilepsy to create an immersive animated music video to show what a seizure feels like.
As the leading UK epilepsy charity, we’re here to create a world without limits for people with epilepsy and know education is on the key ways we’re going to get there. An overwhelming number of our supporters told us improving public attitudes towards epilepsy is their top wish. Epilepsy affects 1 in 100 people in the UK, with 79 facing a new diagnosis every day, and yet we know it’s still hard for members of the public to understand the true impact of living with a fluctuating and invisible condition.
We think this short film really brings to life the varied emotions and feelings people with epilepsy feel before, during and after a seizure, in a way we can all relate to. Not only will it help to educate members of the public, we know it will also give people affected by epilepsy a voice – helping them feel better understood.
We worked hard on making sure the film is true and the experience authentic by using real life seizures accounts as basis for the script and by working hand in hand with composer Alex Marchisone who suffers from generalised epilepsy.

(FINALIST)

Original Film Title: Masked

Director’s Name: Esther Chung, Sarah Forrestal

Writer’s Name: Esther Chung, Sarah Forrestal, Gary Luo, Farah Mia, Jane Jian

Producer: Esther Chung, Sarah Forrestal

Country of Origin: Canada

Country of Filming: Canada

Language: English

Runtime: 8 minutes 41 seconds

Film Description:

Animated film about a boy who longs to please his mother and trades his face for a mask in order to be a great performer.

(HONORABLE MENTION)

Original Film Title: The Player

Director’s Name: Daniel Yanik

Writer’s Name: Daniel Yanik, Steffen Ludwig, Luca Backhaus

Producer: Daniel Yanik, Luca Backhaus

Country of Origin: Germany

Country of Filming: Germany

Language: No Dialogue

Runtime: 11 minutes 34 seconds

Film Description:

An unsuccessful street musician discovers a miraculous melody in a slot machine that propels him to rapid fame. However, there’s a catch…

(HONORABLE MENTION)

Original Film Title: Grant Sheehan: Light, Ghosts & Dreams

Director’s Name: Robin Greenberg

Writer’s Name: Robin Greenberg

Producer: Vincent Burke, Marie Silberstein

Country of Origin: New Zealand

Country of Filming: New Zealand

Language: English

Runtime: 1 hour 59 minutes 2 seconds

Film Description:

‘Grant Sheehan: Light, Ghosts & Dreams’ reveals the art and life of avant-garde New Zealand photographer and publisher Grant Sheehan and his visual AI explorations. Spanning more than four decades, Sheehan’s exquisite soulful images traverse many genres of photography, from his life-long obsession with lighthouses and heritage architecture, to his trailblazing night photography and drone photography. Delving deeply into his cutting-edge projects, the film explores larger questions about humanity, artistry, and technology.

Sheehan’s early fascination with science fiction and abstract art informs his dedication and passion for AI experimentation. The kaleidoscopic documentary follows his journey as he sets out to explore, as a photographer, what an AI might see if it dreams. Accompanied by a dynamic soundtrack by Rhian Sheehan (Grant’s son), Tyaan Singh and Grammy Award WINNER Jim “Kimo” West, the inspiring film transports us as we glimpse the world in new ways and reflect on our place in the universe through Sheehan’s unique lens and artistry.