Bubbe’s Seaside Shiva – dir. Beo Lerman

(AUDIENCE AWARD WINNER)

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Original Film Title: Bubbe’s Seaside Shiva

Director’s Name: Beo Lerman

Writer’s Name: Beo Lerman

Producer: Tim Robins, Amado DeHoyos, Adrian Pitts

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: United States

Language: English

Runtime: 18 minutes 54 seconds

Film Description:

Two estranged cousins find that they are the only ones to attend their abusive grandmother’s funeral. As the two struggle to dispose of the ashes at the beach, they slowly forge a connection.

The Quest For The Golden Dragon – dir. Tom Whiteley

(FINALIST)

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Original Film Title: The Quest For The Golden Dragon

Director’s Name: Tom Whiteley

Writer’s Name: Tom Whiteley

Producer: Tom Whiteley

Country of Origin: United Kingdom

Country of Filming: United Kingdom

Language: English

Runtime: 29 minutes 59 seconds

Film Description:

From the Director who has watched Lord of the Rings and many other movies comes an epic tale of epic epicness! Two sisters embark on a quest through a mythical land (that looks suspiciously like someone’s back garden) to find a Golden Dragon. On the way they encounter a wizard, zombies and other assorted weird and zany characters.

EnAbeling Cain – dir. Jim Menza

(HONORABLE MENTION)

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Original Film Title: EnAbeling Cain

Director’s Name: Jim Menzavenot

Writer’s Name: Jim Menza

Producer: Jim Menza, Rocco Menza

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: United States

Language: English

Runtime: 1 hour 30 minutes

Film Description:

Three brothers fight to win their father’s inheritance.

It is not dirty – dir. Ulysse Patrick Thevenot

(FINALIST)

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Original Film Title: It is not dirty

Director’s Name: Ulysse Patrick Thevenot

Writer’s Name: Ulysse Patrick Thevenot

Producer: Gerard Barros

Country of Origin: France

Country of Filming: France

Language: French

Runtime: 4 minutes 22 seconds

Film Description:

Didier remembers.
In the intimacy of his daily life, he recounts his memories of love and loneliness, of what is hidden and what remains.
The film questions how memories build our identity, while raising awareness of the struggles and hardships that LGBT seniors face throughout their lives. It values resilience in the face of discrimination, while offering support tailored to this community.

The film is also a message of hope to future generations with worries and fears about growing up and growing old in a blurred and uncertain world and future, where acquired rights – those of women, LGBT+ people and minorities – seem once again to be weakened and called into question.

To preserve essential narratives.

Iss Taraf – dir. Shrey Leena Shah

(AUDIENCE AWARD WINNER)

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Original Film Title: Iss Taraf

Director’s Name: Shrey Leena Shah

Writer’s Name: Shrey Leena Shah

Producer: Leena Dilipkumar Shah

Country of Origin: India

Country of Filming: India

Language: Hindi

Runtime: 8 minutes 34 seconds

Film Description:

Iss Taraf offers a glimpse into the quiet struggles and momentary victories of a trans man living in a cisnormative world, navigating the journey of acceptance in daily life.

HUNTING – dir. Li XU

(HONORABLE MENTION)

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Original Film Title: HUNTING

Director’s Name: Li XU

Writer’s Name: Li XU

Producer: Li XU

Country of Origin: China

Country of Filming: China

Language: Chinese

Runtime: 9 minutes 45 seconds

Film Description:

“HUNTING” is a cultural video work that combines documentary and experimental characteristics. The film invites indigenous performers from Shiti Village, Longshan County, Xiangxi, Hunan Province, to use palm leaves and tree bark as costumes to recreate a primitive hunting ritual through performance – from observing the weather, assembling teams, searching for and catching prey, to worworship heaven, earth and mountain gods, sharing food, celebrating the success of the hunt, and finally ending with ritual activities such as reproductive worship.
The work not only focuses on the reproduction of movements and scenes, but also delves into the symbolic structures and spiritual implications contained in the rituals, revealing the deep connections among nature, individuals, groups and the cycle of life. Through the interweaving of body language and primitive symbols, “HUNTING” attempts to reconstruct a cultural dialogue between historical memory and contemporary gaze in the short film, allowing the audience to touch the original appearance of early human beliefs and spiritual expressions in the dual dimensions of the senses and thoughts.

Je Vois L’Obscurité (Veo Oscuro) – dir. Domingo Pisón

(WINNER)

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Original Film Title: Je Vois L’Obscurité (Veo Oscuro)

Director’s Name: Domingo Pisón

Writer’s Name: Domingo Pisón

Producer: Domingo Pisón, David García Ferreiro

Country of Origin: Spain

Country of Filming: Spain

Language: Spanish

Runtime: 12 minutes

Film Description:

En sortant d’une boîte de nuit, Neka, une jeune fille sourde-aveugle, et Raul, son interprète en langue des signes, retrouvent Ailén, une amie sourde commune. Neka insiste pour rentrer chez elle et Ailén l’accompagne. Entre rires et confidences, Neka est contrainte d’affronter ce qu’elle avait si longtemps ignoré.

Tightly Bound – dir. Joey R Marino

(ENVISION AWARD WINNER)

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Original Film Title: Tightly Bound

Director’s Name: Joey R Marino

Writer’s Name: Marla Jean Marino

Producer: Joey R Marino

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: United States

Language: English

Runtime: 24 minutes 17 seconds

Film Description:

Haunted by a violent past, 26-year-old Emily marries a wealthy man for security, only to face his sadistic cruelty. Pregnant and trapped, she must find a way to escape before it’s too late.

I need something – dir. Ronald Pfisterer

(WINNER)

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Original Film Title: I need something

Director’s Name: Ronald Pfisterer

Writer’s Name: Ronald Pfisterer

Producer: Ronald Pfisterer, Johannes Grenzfurtner, Günther Friesinger, Günther Friesinger

Country of Origin: Austria

Country of Filming: Austria

Language: English

Runtime: 8 minutes 35 seconds

Film Description:

„I need something“ is an intimate drama about an artist who suddenly loses his sense of purpose and falls into a spiral of obsession. A mysterious woman, seen by chance on a screen, begins to haunt his thoughts and seep into every aspect of his life. Her presence becomes both an inspiration and a curse, a force that robs him of peace and drives him to the edge of madness.

The film explores the fine line between creativity and self-destruction, between inspiration and addiction. It is the story of a man who, in search of answers, comes face to face with his own fears, illusions, and desires.

Nothing to See Here: Watts – dir. Michael Soenen

(HONORABLE MENTION)

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Original Film Title: Nothing to See Here: Watts

Director’s Name: Michael Soenen

Writer’s Name: Michael Soenen

Producer: Michael Soenen, Todd Lieberman, Suzanne Malveaux,

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: United States

Language: English

Runtime: 1 hour 30 minutes

Film Description:

Sixty years after the 1965 Watts uprising, the neighborhood America wrote off has shown us what is still possible.

After a late-night police ride-along in Watts, an outsider witnesses a version of Watts that never makes the news.

Searching for a way to understand what he had seen, he poses a simple question: what would happen if the people living the story told it themselves?

Twenty residents—rival gang members, police officers, students, parents, and victims of violence—are given iPhones and full control over their narratives.