Edition 2020
Official Selection - Shortfilm
ECM - Ruben Jiménez (Spain)
John starts seeing lights and strange objects that confuse him. His girlfriend doesn’t want to go throguh that situation again, so his life falls apart. But John remains apathetic and wonders what is really happening. Lucky for him, the guide always comes for who needs it. |
Always on the Edge - Fran Alvarez Collado (Spain)
Elena, 47, woman, actress with more than 20 in the show business. She's in a very difficult professionally situation. With the lack of female roles for an actress older than 40, and the deteriorated relationship with his friend Ivan, your flatmate and casting director, she feels the struggle of show business never ending. The desire to keep fight and to live from her work, makes her plan a solution. Her goal will be to reconquer Ivan and remind him that an actress of his age has much to contribute. The result will not be the expected one. |
A Celebration - Mahsa Razavi (Canada)
A Celebration is a short drama about 8-year-old Ada who tries to convince her newly immigrated mother to celebrate Thanksgiving by cooking a turkey. However, when Ada sets to celebrate Thanksgiving like a “true Canadian”, she discovers what it means to be an immigrant family. This is also the story of a young girl’s struggle to dissociate herself from the protecting identity of her mother in order to recreate her identity in a land other than her motherland. Through this story, I want to explore the narrative Ada’s search for identity, which will be told in the context of the human condition of a generation of young immigrant families who live in the margins of society and search for a better life and place in the world. |
Korte Kuitspier- Victoria Warmerdam (The Netherlands)
Short Calf Muscle is an absurdist black comedy about Anders. And Anders is different. But he doesn’t know that. Yes, he’s also gay, but that’s not the point here. There is also this thing that others see but he doesn’t. Winner 'Best Shortfilm 2020'! |
Burn my pages, Bury my crown - Anita Morina (United Kingdom)
Two lovers, Gabriella and Robert are writing a book together. None of them is aware that the other one is writing it as a perspective upon their own relationship. They build up their imaginary characters as portraits of their own. They figure out, fight and break out. |
Official Selection - Student Shortfilm
'Lunchbox' - Demet Derelioglu Aran (Czech Republic)
Antonin is a 19 years old boy, he works in a coal mine with his father. He is a daydreamer and he would like to find a motivation to keep working in the mine. One day he notices a sun shape on the rice served in the lunchboxes. It becomes a daily routine and motivation to see a new shape every lunch time. Those shapes are made by a new chef. He falls in love with the chef whom he never met before. Winner 'Best Student Shortfilm 2020'! Winner 'Best Actor 2020' - Frank Jicha - 'Antonin'! Winner 'Best Screenplay 2020' - Demet Derelioglu Aran! Winner 'Best Sounddesign 2020' - Miiro Chalayka! |
'Pardon' - Rositsa Trayanova (France)
After the three times that Thais tried to kill herself, she ends up at the rehabilitation center where she meets Roxan. Young singer, who is seeking treatment for her drug addiction. They get close very quick after spending little time together behind the doctors back. During a secret beach walk, a day before they release Thais, Roxan makes a present. Small player with a record of her last song. On other hand, Thais tells Roxan all the reasons why she wanted to end her life. Roxan is asking Thais to forgive, because “if we do not forgive we will never forget the pain.” And the pains stay, especially if you cannot forgive to yourself. A random meeting with the love of your life. A young singer who makes you see the life from another side of view. Who teach you that forgiving is the way to forget. Winner 'Best Actrice 2020' - Garance Dupuy - 'Roxanne'! |
'Desiccation' - Jed Vinson (Australia)
DESICCATION is a fictional drama about a middle-aged man who’s struggling with his mental health due to his property being in a long drought. He yearns for help but keeps his pain and suffering repressed, due to the fears of being ‘weak’. He must find the strength within himself to speak up while dealing with the devastation of what is happening to his property as well as his livestock. |
'Bourgeois Absolution' - Jorrit Bouwmans & Jasper Koopmans (The Netherlands)
The depressed Cayden is being haunted by a sinister entity. This entity is troubling him in his daily routine: during his economy lectures, walking on the street and, most importantly, at home. Cayden wants to escape this traumatic cycle, and eventually falls for his overly optimistic friend Danny, who offers him the possibility to join a mysterious motorcycle gang under the leadership of the enigmatic Jansen. |
Official Selection - Music Video
'Kiss me Malibu' - Mikel Arraiz (Spain)
Horror-comedy film about the insecurities and overthinking that TV shows, religion, culture and belief systems create in us during male-female relationships and in courtship. It makes fun of us and the roles we take in that process, without making any moral judgements. The story is narrated through a song. This is a personal and independent project where the director also created the music for the video |
'All or Nothing' - LaMont Flanagan (USA)
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'Thank you Guitar' - Antonio Lopez Uroz (France)
A good musician is said to be one with his instrument. But here it is the guitar that takes shape with a head two arms and two legs. The guitars are alive and dance. They are like a feminine emanation of the musicians, some are famous, others are imaginary, but all are alive thanks to the music. |
'Alive' - Gon (USA)
Our hero is surrounded by four men who resemble his looks, each one of them representing a piece of his soul; perhaps an early memory or a moment in his life that dramatically affected him. We first see them as those who won’t let him thrive.; even when he moves away,they are still attached to him in a way. Their presence somewhat minimizes and limits him, and yet there is comforting familiarity in their relationship. As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that the four men act like one mind trying to control him and bring him down. He wants to let go, and they just want to keep him safe. Soon he will realize that this tension is too familiar to let go of just like that. He isn’t really sure what will remain of him should they leave, and the fear of the immeasurable emptiness takes over at times. He wants to come clean, and reorient himself and his life without chaining it to old patterns and past memories. The honest journey of letting go starts when - instead of trying to ignore the four men, fight them, and make them disappear - he finds a peaceful way to let them go: he looks inside and tries to understand, accept, and, perhaps, find a way to show them compassion. He knows it might be the only way out. The current version of him is enough, and as he realizes it, they do too. |
'Astronaut' -Jelly Bean (France)
Once upon a time, there was a broke guy who left the earth in a thrift store space suit -------------------------------------------------------- Astronaut is a no budget Space Odyssey, a voyage into the imaginary world of a hero who, night after night, explores the universe seeking for a safe haven. Winner 'Best Music Video 2020'! Winner 'Best Director 2020' - Pierre Ponchant! Winner 'Best DOP 2020' - Pierre Ponchant! |
Official Selection - Commercial
'Life is a beautiful journey' -Sven Greif (Slovenia)
The story talks about the journey of life. A young boy, who is a big fan of racing, so he watches all the races. He imagines he is one of the racers on the racing track, fighting for the title - to be the best. Races are his motivation that one day he will become number one. So he starts to train, race and train some more. During his journey, he faces multiple obstacles, which make him devastated. He is somehow more driven to achieve his goal through the strength of his memories. All roads lead him to the fastest supercar in the world. Every journey starts with a reason. Winner 'Best Commercial 2020'! |
Official Selection - Unproduced Screenplay
The Owl - Herman Perera (short film)
Fowler (60 years) is happily married to Mina (52 years). His world collapses when Mina suddenly dies in a car crash. Did Mina’s grandma foresee Mina’s death? Is Fowler stupid to believe that an owl’s hoot can bring bad luck? When Fowler gets a gun, Jack (26 years) their only son realises that it’s gonna end bad. Who can stop Fowler shooting the owl?
Winner 'Best Unproduced Screenplay 2020!
Fowler (60 years) is happily married to Mina (52 years). His world collapses when Mina suddenly dies in a car crash. Did Mina’s grandma foresee Mina’s death? Is Fowler stupid to believe that an owl’s hoot can bring bad luck? When Fowler gets a gun, Jack (26 years) their only son realises that it’s gonna end bad. Who can stop Fowler shooting the owl?
Winner 'Best Unproduced Screenplay 2020!
Made in America - J.B. (feature film)
Made In America is about a real girl named Rikki Rivera whose life parallels the inception of the notorious MS13. From having a father who fought as a guerrilla soldier in El Salvador's civil war, her challenging escape with her mother into America and growing up on the violent streets of East LA as an active gang member, Rikki was exposed to much but somehow managed to never allow her integrity to be compromised - even when facing perilous conditions. In the end she becomes pregnant and is forced to emulate the path of her past to escape the treacherous world she inherited in order to rescue her unborn child from the chains of a similar fate.
Made In America is about a real girl named Rikki Rivera whose life parallels the inception of the notorious MS13. From having a father who fought as a guerrilla soldier in El Salvador's civil war, her challenging escape with her mother into America and growing up on the violent streets of East LA as an active gang member, Rikki was exposed to much but somehow managed to never allow her integrity to be compromised - even when facing perilous conditions. In the end she becomes pregnant and is forced to emulate the path of her past to escape the treacherous world she inherited in order to rescue her unborn child from the chains of a similar fate.
Tags - Steve Glickman (feature film)
A young woman abandons her dying mother to free laboratory animals; capturing the world’s attention and forever changing the vivisection industry (based on real events).
A young woman abandons her dying mother to free laboratory animals; capturing the world’s attention and forever changing the vivisection industry (based on real events).
Hellebore - Jan Czmok (short film)
A new world where aliens and humans live together. Where the term "earthlings" describes all nationalities, and extraterrestrials are accepted as normal immigrants. In this system, every alien must wear a DNA bracelet device "Hellebore" according to the alien integration code and collect social credit points (reference: codebook with corresponding credit table). Once all the points have been successfully recognized, one can apply for a terrestrial status. In this way, the device helps to avoid errors and to give earthlings a feeling of security. If you do not follow the rules, you must leave Earth. Almost every planet has managed to integrate successfully, except one. A talented alien inventor, Rick Apelscord from the planet Grit, is the first to get permission to integrate on Earth. On earth, he has to get to know the new world, to understand earthly, absurd bureaucracy, and somehow establish himself as an inventor. Some things change, however, when his bracelet stops working properly and breaks down all the time. Rick is wanted by alien integration rangers and must find a way to earn the points quickly so he can stay on his dream planet.
A new world where aliens and humans live together. Where the term "earthlings" describes all nationalities, and extraterrestrials are accepted as normal immigrants. In this system, every alien must wear a DNA bracelet device "Hellebore" according to the alien integration code and collect social credit points (reference: codebook with corresponding credit table). Once all the points have been successfully recognized, one can apply for a terrestrial status. In this way, the device helps to avoid errors and to give earthlings a feeling of security. If you do not follow the rules, you must leave Earth. Almost every planet has managed to integrate successfully, except one. A talented alien inventor, Rick Apelscord from the planet Grit, is the first to get permission to integrate on Earth. On earth, he has to get to know the new world, to understand earthly, absurd bureaucracy, and somehow establish himself as an inventor. Some things change, however, when his bracelet stops working properly and breaks down all the time. Rick is wanted by alien integration rangers and must find a way to earn the points quickly so he can stay on his dream planet.
Meet Chloe - Firat Ersen (feature film)
"Meet Chloe'' tells a bittersweet story about how an artificially intelligent humanoid learns and make decisions in real life environment on a funny road trip she takes with the humanoid architect and his friend, a comedian.
"Meet Chloe'' tells a bittersweet story about how an artificially intelligent humanoid learns and make decisions in real life environment on a funny road trip she takes with the humanoid architect and his friend, a comedian.
Touch Gloves - David Keogh (feature film)
After saving him from being mugged, a homeless, black, Muslim man, joins forces with a racist ex-boxing trainer to try and conquer the underground boxing scene.
After saving him from being mugged, a homeless, black, Muslim man, joins forces with a racist ex-boxing trainer to try and conquer the underground boxing scene.
Apollyon's Gold - Robert J. Rogers (feature film)
A hard-luck tunnel worker accidentally opens a gold-laden cavern with a stone throne and demonic symbol the Vatican's chased for a thousand years.
A hard-luck tunnel worker accidentally opens a gold-laden cavern with a stone throne and demonic symbol the Vatican's chased for a thousand years.
Friends - Mazin Sherabayani (short film)
In an idyllic remote countryside in mountainous Kurdistan, 12-year-old Alan and his two friends roam the landscape fishing and skipping stones in a lake, until one day their peaceful routine is threatened by the arrival of a stranger on the verge of committing suicide, can a new friendship salvage the situation?
In an idyllic remote countryside in mountainous Kurdistan, 12-year-old Alan and his two friends roam the landscape fishing and skipping stones in a lake, until one day their peaceful routine is threatened by the arrival of a stranger on the verge of committing suicide, can a new friendship salvage the situation?
Snuff Box - Ronald Wright (feature film)
Sunday Girl is a young woman abducted when she was just ten years old seven years before, and kept in a box in the basement of her captors, cheerful and mundane sociopathic married couple Martha and Jim. Sunday (named after the day she was taken) is virtually brainwashed into submission, now trusted after all this time to act as housekeeper and dogsbody. Terrifyingly, it appears that she's the lucky one. She is kept in the Tool Box... but there are two other boxes in the basement with her. The disturbingly named Toy Box, kept for "special occasions"; and finally, the terrifying Snuff Box. As Martha tells her: "Once you're in the Snuff Box, my love... there's no coming back."
But within Sunday there remains a seed of hope, of hunger to escape; for she is not alone in her cramped prison. There's another girl in there with her, urging her on to fight back, to take the one chance she'll get to escape - the pale, frightened Ghost Girl, imprisoned in the box before Sunday... and dead for seven years. As Sunday comes to realise she's about to be moved down the pecking order - towards the nightmarish Snuff Box - her pale dead friend's prediction comes true, and fate presents Sunday with one chance to escape. But will her dream of being reunited with the mother she only remembers as a vague blur turn into an even worse nightmare than the one she's already in ?
Sunday Girl is a young woman abducted when she was just ten years old seven years before, and kept in a box in the basement of her captors, cheerful and mundane sociopathic married couple Martha and Jim. Sunday (named after the day she was taken) is virtually brainwashed into submission, now trusted after all this time to act as housekeeper and dogsbody. Terrifyingly, it appears that she's the lucky one. She is kept in the Tool Box... but there are two other boxes in the basement with her. The disturbingly named Toy Box, kept for "special occasions"; and finally, the terrifying Snuff Box. As Martha tells her: "Once you're in the Snuff Box, my love... there's no coming back."
But within Sunday there remains a seed of hope, of hunger to escape; for she is not alone in her cramped prison. There's another girl in there with her, urging her on to fight back, to take the one chance she'll get to escape - the pale, frightened Ghost Girl, imprisoned in the box before Sunday... and dead for seven years. As Sunday comes to realise she's about to be moved down the pecking order - towards the nightmarish Snuff Box - her pale dead friend's prediction comes true, and fate presents Sunday with one chance to escape. But will her dream of being reunited with the mother she only remembers as a vague blur turn into an even worse nightmare than the one she's already in ?
Pale Blue Dot (short film)
Scientists discover a dwarf orphan planet on a collision course with Earth within three years.
The stories of seven people intertwine, each trying to deal with the drama in a different way, seeking a meaning to life through ethics, morality, religion and science.
Scientists discover a dwarf orphan planet on a collision course with Earth within three years.
The stories of seven people intertwine, each trying to deal with the drama in a different way, seeking a meaning to life through ethics, morality, religion and science.
The Wall Between (short film)
Two strangers wake to find themselves imprisoned in an empty room where they are set increasingly bizarre challenges as part of a sinister psychological game.
Two strangers wake to find themselves imprisoned in an empty room where they are set increasingly bizarre challenges as part of a sinister psychological game.
Bad Guys Finish First - Andrew V. Merkulov (Feature film)
Two inseparable friends, in a time not so long ago professional shooters, rejected by society and forced into a criminal underworld where they instantly find a suitable application for their skills. Everything starts going wrong when two female students end up involved in their fight. Forced in a twist of fate to protect their new friends, two comrades fall into a maelstrom of events. The only way out for each of them depends not on their skills, but on their personality and views on life.
Following the rules, bearing responsibility, and holding to principles, or improvising, being audacious, and free?
Two inseparable friends, in a time not so long ago professional shooters, rejected by society and forced into a criminal underworld where they instantly find a suitable application for their skills. Everything starts going wrong when two female students end up involved in their fight. Forced in a twist of fate to protect their new friends, two comrades fall into a maelstrom of events. The only way out for each of them depends not on their skills, but on their personality and views on life.
Following the rules, bearing responsibility, and holding to principles, or improvising, being audacious, and free?
Olere - Dania Torjemane (Short film)
A photo-journalist fell in a hole because of his profession.
A photo-journalist fell in a hole because of his profession.