Category: ARFF Amsterdam 2024 – Best Director

Original Film Title: Breach

Director’s Name: Joana Antonaccio

Writer’s Name: Joana Antonaccio

Producer: Joana Antonaccio

Country of Origin: Brazil

Country of Filming : Brazil

Language: Portuguese

Runtime: 24 minutes

Film Description:

Seven women from different backgrouds seek refugee in an abandoned house to survive a city immerse in war.

Original Film Title: Après nous

Director’s Name: Alexandre Szuren

Writer’s Name: Aurelie Rolland

Producer: Claire Hoessler, Aurelie Rolland

Country of Origin: France

Country of Filming : France

Language: French

Runtime: 29 minutes 57 seconds

Film Description:

Franck is very happy with his wife Laura. They are friends, lovers, they trust each other and the alchemy between them has remained intact over the years. But one day, Laura suddenly changes her behavior. What happened? A mystery hangs over the couple, and Franck will try to understand…

Original Film Title: Berdyans’k

Director’s Name: Tom Hopkins, Kateryna Paida

Writer’s Name: Tom Hopkins, Kateryna Paida, Sophia Lyons, Ted Endo, Jonathan Dungan

Producer: Ciaran Grace

Country of Origin: Ukraine

Country of Filming : Ireland

Language: English

Runtime: 15 minutes 33 seconds

Film Description:

Lera, a young Ukrainian refugee who has recently reached Ireland, who, fearing the worst, uses dark-web séance software (The Orb) to discover that her sister Maryna has died in the conflict back home. Through The Orb she makes contact – and discovers that her sister Maryna is disoriented and stuck in an after-death limbo, based around the beach that they went to as children. The beach is in Berdyans’k – a Sea of Azov resort currently under Russian occupation. Together, the sisters must find a way to come to terms with what has happened and find a way for both of them to move on…

Original Film Title: Fading Frames

Director’s Name: Götz Raimund

Writer’s Name: Götz Raimund, Joshua McGill

Producer: Sabrina Worsch

Country of Origin: Austria

Country of Filming : Austria

Language: English

Runtime: 23 minutes 30 seconds

Film Description:

A conversation between observer and observed turns into a question of integrity and beliefs.

Original Film Title: HE

Director’s Name: CHUNZI ZHANG

Writer’s Name: CHUNZI ZHANG

Producer: JIATONG HAN

Country of Origin: China

Country of Filming : China

Language: Chinese

Runtime: 24 minutes 58 seconds

Film Description:

In the future world of 2035, the girl Sifan was hurt by Zheng Yi in her marriage, so she placed her hopes for love on the AI person Li Zhe. Unexpectedly, she was kidnapped and injured by the AI person. Only then did Sifan realize that the true meaning of love is not only the pursuit of desire, but also the forbearance and restraint behind love.

Original Film Title: 冬天不比其他季節孤獨

Director’s Name: Morgan Lu

Writer’s Name: Morgan Lu, Hank Lee

Producer: Arthur Liu, Hank Lee, Pingchun Tien, Mike Wang, MengYu Lu

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming : United States

Language: Mandarin Chinese

Runtime: 14 minutes 52 seconds

Film Description:

“Winter is no more lonely than other seasons” delves into the life of Wang Fang, a Chinese waitress navigating cultural and linguistic barriers while working in a small restaurant. Strained interactions with her daughter Kayla and Kayla’s American boyfriend Tanner underscore Wang Fang’s struggles with communication and her longing for connection. Despite her efforts to bridge the language and generational gap with Kayla, their relationship remains distant. However, when Tanner seeks Wang Fang’s blessing to marry Kayla, she expresses her hopes and fears, leading to a moment of reconciliation between mother and daughter. Through poignant scenes of solitude and reflection, Wang Fang ultimately finds solace in embracing her independence in spite of her loneliness and cherishing the simple joys of life, offering a touching portrayal of resilience and acceptance of change amidst cultural differences.
No matter how old, no matter what culture, a person will often end up alone in the end.