Category: Best Experimental Film – 2024 WSXA PARIS

Original Film Title: Fear

Director’s Name: Pimdao Panichsamai

Writer’s Name: Pimdao Panichsamai

Producer: Pimdao Panichsamai

Country of Origin: Thailand

Country of Filming: Thailand

Language: –

Runtime: 8 minutes 25 seconds

Film Description:

Nowadays, people live their lives under the power of fear and have to confront all kinds of obstacles that come with the feeling of fear. People are driven by fear, letting it take over their daily lives. They’re scared to act, to feel, and scared to be themselves in public.

This short experimental film is representative of human nature. The two actors will tell two sides of the story through their movements. The mirror is used as a medium to reflect the storytelling so that the audience can be drawn back to their emotions and thoughts about human nature, and introduced to fear.

Fear is, in fact, something we create to protect ourselves. Most of the time, we rely on fear. When in fact, if we find the treasure and value within us, the capability to confront, understand, and become friends with fear can help us see life through a different lens, which could lead to us living our lives differently.

Original Film Title: Before The Freeze

Director’s Name: Tenley E. Raj

Writer’s Name: Tenley E. Raj

Producer: Tenley E. Raj

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: United States

Language: English

Runtime: 6 minutes 39 seconds

Film Description:

There might not be blood, but there may be murder.
“Before the Freeze” is an experimental psychodrama about the anxieties of motherhood and the dangers of escapism.

Jo is a newly-single, over-stressed mother to daughter, Jo, and their dog, Rufus. Watch what happens one afternoon when a friend comes over. “Before the Freeze” is available with subtitles for an alternate experience. Thank you.

Original Film Title: Fatima

Director’s Name: Benedykt Zasadzki

Writer’s Name: Benedykt Zasadzki

Producer: Huiwen Wu

Country of Origin: United Kingdom

Country of Filming: United Kingdom

Language: English

Runtime: 22 minutes 22 seconds

Film Description:

“Fatima” is a dreamy film that delves into the complexities of cultural clashes, sexuality, religion, lack of religion, loneliness, time, and power. The film follows the journey of a young woman named Fatima, seeking a refuge in London. As she struggles to acclimate to her new surroundings, Fatima finds herself cutting ties with her roots and embarking on a quest for self-discovery.

As she becomes increasingly vulnerable to the dark and dangerous forces that lurk in the shadows, she finds herself grappling with issues of power, control, and abuse. The film examines the ways in which societal pressures and expectations can shape an individual’s identity and sense of self-worth, and the toll that loneliness and isolation can take on a person’s psyche.

“Fatima” takes viewers on a journey through the complexities of the human experience. The film is a thought-provoking exploration of the universal themes of identity, belonging, and the search for meaning in a world that can be both beautiful and terrifying.

Original Film Title: A Completely Sad Miracle

Director’s Name: Henry Jack Toll

Writer’s Name: Henry Jack Toll

Producer: Henry Jack Toll

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: United States

Language: English

Runtime: 6 minutes 4 seconds

Film Description:

A deranged artist in the present day begins a correspondence with John Howland, a pilgrim who fell off the Mayflower during his voyage to America 400 years ago.

Original Film Title: Der entscheidende Augenblick

Director’s Name: Dominic Kubisch

Writer’s Name: Dominic Kubisch

Producer: Dominic Kubisch

Country of Origin: Australia

Country of Filming: France

Language: German

Runtime: 19 minutes 32 seconds

Film Description:

This short documentary accompanies the photographer Sebastian Philipp on a journey of discovery through the 19th Arrondissement of Paris. The film provides touching insights into the working methods and thought processes of the self-taught photographer who turned his passion into a profession. Between his wanderings through Paris, Philipp tells of his reportage work in Vienna and his travels to Lebanon and South Sudan. He speaks of his approach to reportage photography and the photos taken during the course of these projects.

“The Decisive Moment” portrays the person behind the camera: Why did he become a photographer? How did he train himself? How do his views on people influence his work? What does it mean for him as a photographer to be able to pause the world for a decisive moment – and why is he more interested in happiness than drama in photography?

Original Film Title: Haunted Burqa

Director’s Name: Hellen Rose

Writer’s Name: Hellen Rose

Producer: Hellen Rose

Country of Origin: Australia

Country of Filming: Afghanistan

Language: –

Runtime: 14 minutes 45 seconds

Film Description:

Experimental Documentary by Hellen Rose, Performance Artist and Musician living in Jalalabad Afghanistan. A deep and moving autobiographical short film experiencing a day in the life under the burqa for an Australian national. From a suicide bombing to singing and creating a musical, magical homophonic ‘ecstatic’ with the 100 year old Sufi Shaman in the garden .