Official Selection 2024
Take me to: Animation Change Comedy Documentary Drama Music Video Student Film
Animation
From the ultimate lunch table to confronting holiday resorts and a young punk in East Germany, the short films in the Animation programme challenge the boundaries of identity, creativity and comfort with fearless imagination. Expect an expressive collision of kaleidoscopic memories, tested friendships, escalating thoughts, and the role of a lifetime.
MARGARETHE 89
Dir: Lucas Malbrun
Leipzig, 1989. Margarethe, a young punk opposed to the East German regime, is detained and dreaming of breaking out to join the man she loves. Though the regime's days may well be numbered, the Stasi informants are more present than ever.
THE ROLE
Dir: Paolo Chianta
An animated short film about breakfast and one man blowing the role of a lifetime. A brother and sister approach a diner cook to play their father in an upcoming movie about his life. Their father was very, very famous. The diner cook is not famous. He must try harder…
SWEET LIKE LEMONS
Dir: Jenny Jokela
A visual reflection on getting out of a harmful relationship and moving on. The title is a play on the saying “when life gives you lemons make lemonade”, only in this case there is no lemonade to be made but the lemons still taste sweeter than what you left behind.
MAKING MOUNTAINS
Dir: Sammi Duong
A chaotic stream of consciousness, expressing the escalating thoughts and feelings of a person navigating the difficulties of explaining her anxious mind.
THE MIRACLE
Dir: Nienke Deutz
Exploring a holiday resort after checking in late, Irma quickly comes to realise that everything there is designed to facilitate families. She fully immerses herself in the world of the all-inclusive resort, but how do you relate to a place that constantly confronts you with the things you don’t have?
VIEWFINDER
Dir: Nate Milton
A kaleidoscope of memories to remind us that we’re all living different facets of the same experience.
GIRLS IN REAL LIFE SITUATIONS
Dir: Ofre Sparrow Vaknin
Sam, Lexi and Jane spend the first day of Eighth Grade plotting a scheme to get the ultimate lunch table. Their plans unravel when Katy, a preppy, sixth-grade TikTok influencer, beats them to the coveted spot.
27
Dir: Flóra Anna Buda
Alice is 27 years old today. Even though she is suffocating, she still lives with her parents and dreams to escape her dreary everyday life. After a psychedelic party on a factory roof, she has a serious drunken bike accident. Will this give her the courage to become an adult?
PEEPING MOM
Dir: Francis Canitrot
Eli, fifty, takes care of his mother. Intrusive and lustful, the old lady is nostalgic about her wild youth - and completely obsessed with sex.
Change
Across seven compelling documentaries, we journey alongside young activists, explore the concept of home, and witness the courage of those defying societal norms. The Change programme spotlights pressing global causes and the changemakers advocating for the future, examining the choices we make and the ripples they create. A powerful look at the forces shaping our collective destiny.
KNOW YOUR STONES
Dir: Katarina Jazbec
Young climate activists, steelworkers, and a geologist come together in a dream-sharing, time-travelling space. Their special bonds with ores, fossil fuels, and machines act as the oracles for the future. Who else could speak on behalf of stones about the faith of humanity?
FOR YOU
Dir: Luca Paulli
A heartfelt letter from a father to his two-year-old son, capturing a summer day in Peckham, a world filled with wonders yet to be discovered, and looming danger. What lies ahead might be uncertain, but with love, courage, and imagination, we can create a better future.
PUFFLING
Dir: Jessica Bishopp
On a remote Icelandic island, teenagers Birta and Selma rescue pufflings (young puffins), taking it upon themselves to counteract humanity's damaging impact on nature. A coming-of-age documentary about growing up and making choices that explores the delicate interplay between wildlife, the environment, and human life.
INSIDE OUTSIDE
Dir: Benji Human
An experimental documentary exploring how the people’s right to home has been lost and won throughout time. Home has always been something to fight for. As squatting in empty buildings and trespassing on empty land becomes increasingly criminalised, a timeline of unseen voices recall why we must fight for the right for home, wherever that may be.
BROWN BRIT
Dir: The Romantix (Jay Stephen & Ralph Briscoe)
A woman’s journey from an arranged marriage in 1987 India to her new life on a North London council estate. Told through real archival VHS footage, and created by her family and friends, this film is a tribute to a mother’s resilience, her bravery in defying societal norms, and her unwavering commitment to forging her own destiny, for both herself and for her daughters.
PORTA D’EUROPA
Dir: Samuel Mueller
For over 30 hours, a migrant boat with fifteen people on board has been stranded off the coast of Lampedusa, Italy. Emergency calls made to European coastal authorities have been ignored. As The Sea-Watch Crew, an NGO fighting for the rights of refugees, pinpoint the boat’s location and send out distress calls, an unknown vessel appears on the horizon.
ISLAND IN BETWEEN
Dir: S. Leo Chiang
The Taiwanese islands of Kinmen sit merely 2 miles off the coast of China, marking the frontline for Taiwan in its escalating tension with China. With lyrical vignettes of tourist visits, local life, and the director’s own bonds with Taiwan, China, and the US, this Oscar-nominated documentary explores the islands’ uneasy peace - and contemplates Taiwan's uncertain future.
Comedy
Humour in all its quirky forms, from a sound recordist tormented by a disturbing noise, a surprising breakthrough in the chaos of a divorce, an aspiring auteur looking for funding, and a too-distinctive dead cat. Each film in the Comedy programme brings its own unique twist on life’s absurdities, promising an unforgettable salute to the things that make us laugh.
THE SWIMMER
Dir: Máté Boegi
When a sound-recordist brings his girlfriend on a trip to the Danish west coast to record atmospheres, he picks up a disturbing sound that begins to torment his conscience.
PROOF OF CONCEPT
Dir: Max Cohn & Ellie Sachs
An aspiring auteur tries coaxing her dad and uncle into financing her first short film but winds up raising more questions than dollars.
THE FAMILY CIRCUS
Dir: Andrew Fitzgerald
A Vietnamese-American family's plan to cover up a drunk driving accident begins to unravel when their emotional baggage spills out in front of the police.
DON’T HATE ME
Dir: Grace Campbell
Grace is like, the happiest she’s ever been. But as she is due on stage to perform to a huge audience, something happens that sets the evening on a path of chaos; Grace sends “the love of her life” a picture of herself. He opens the message and… doesn’t reply.
FLAIL
Dir: Ben Gauthier
It's her boss's birthday, and Allie is trying as hard as she can. Driven ever more distracted and desperate by attention-zapping forces outside of her control, can Allie get her boss’ birthday party sorted and survive the stress?
DEAD CAT
Dir: Annie-Claude Caron & Danick Audet
What were Catherine and Louis thinking when they chose a cat with distinctive white spots? It would have been much easier to replace if they had picked the all-black one. Now, they will have to tell their daughter Sophie that Nugget’s dead. Unless…
THE BREAKTHROUGH
Dir: Daniel Sinclair
Jane and Teddy are on the brink of divorce. But when their marital problems come to a sticking point, they have an unexpected breakthrough.
Documentary
Delving into the mysterious, the dark, the absurd, and the revealing, Documentary includes a cold case alien rumour-mentary, a hyperbolic take on alpha male fantasies, and an exposé on our widespread desire to travel. Through a distinct lens, each film invites you to explore the complexities and curiosities of the world around us.
HAVE YOU SEEN THE BEAST?
Dir: Will Hewitt & Austen McCowan
A cold case rumour-mentary about sightings of an alien big cat in the rural Welsh countryside told through eyewitness telephone accounts.
I AM THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
Dir: Frank Eli Martin
In the mystical landscape of rural Irish Catholicism, a terrible darkness lies beneath. In 1985, the village of Ballinspittle was the site of a mass visionary experience. Worshippers at the local grotto saw the statue of the Virgin Mary come to life in a phenomenon that gripped the country. Almost forty years later, a handful of local devotees remain…
THAT’S YOUR LOT
Dir: Duncan Cowles
A very short film about nothing.
DIRECCIONES
Dir: María Luisa Santos and Carlo Nasisse
In Costa Rica there are no street addresses. Instead, an address contains a series of directions in reference to various landmarks. One woman, feeling a pressing anxiety by this lack of order, sets out to understand its origins. In doing so she discovers a larger story about human memory and place.
BEEN THERE
Dir: Corina Schwingruber Ilić
Weekend trips, city breaks, a detour into nature, or once around the world. Barely a few days off, you're already gone. Never before has the desire to travel been so widespread, and visited places so overloaded. What do we get out of it, other than the picture proof that we have been there?
EXIT 238
Dir: Henry Davis
Every year, the early weeks of fall bring a natural phenomenon to the Capital Plaza shopping centre in Austin, Texas. Shoppers, employees, passersby, young families and avid birdwatchers, alike, all gather to marvel at the communal migratory roosting of tens of thousands of Purple Martins as they journey along their migratory path to Brazil.
ALPHA KINGS
Dir: Enrique Pedráza-Botero & Faye Tsakas
From a rented mansion in suburbian Texas, a group of young men sell a hyperbolic, alpha male version of themselves on the internet.
UR HEINOUS HABIT
Dir: Eugene Kolb
A blackmail email prompts a filmmaker to explore the intersection of shame and masturbation through a series of Zoom conversations with his friends.
Drama
Stories brought to life with tension, mystery, and emotional depth. The Drama programme features the tale of a stolen magician's rabbit, a secret hidden in a Seoul apartment, and a young New Yorker who is anywhere but school. A masterclass of narrative filmmaking where every decision carries weight and every moment tells a story.
CLOSING DYNASTY
Dir: Lloyd Lee Choi
On a school day, a seven year-old girl, Queenie, hustles and schemes ways to make money on the streets of New York City.
LEMON TREE
Dir: Rachel Walden
At a Halloween carnival, a young father steals a magician's rabbit to impress his ten year old son. The thrill of the petty theft quickly dissolves into reality when the young boy is tasked with getting himself, his father, and his new pet home safe.
THE MASTERPIECE
Dir: Alex Lora Cercos
Leo and Diana, a wealthy couple, meet Salif and Yousef, two scrap dealers, at a recycle center. Offering them more junk, Diana invites them to their mansion, but the immigrants actually might be the ones with something she wants.
CROSS MY HEART AND HOPE TO DIE
Dir: Sam Manacsa
Mila struggles as she remains unpaid at work. A love interest becomes a source of comfort through his constant phone calls, but a promise of hope may also lead to tragedy and sad love songs.
HOLE
Dir: Hwang Hyein
In Seoul, Jeong-mi visits a mysterious apartment complex to conduct a survey on child welfare, where she meets a young brother and sister who claim that their parents will be back soon. Leading her into a room and revealing a manhole cover embedded in the floor, the children ask Jeong-mi to go down...
Music Video
Vibrant, rhythmic and visually stunning, the Music Video programme celebrates the trailblazers of this notoriously eclectic art form. Featuring a mind-bending cascade of nighttime lights, witches, robots, aliens - and a star turn for MS Paint - this is a pulsating and unconventional sensory showcase that redefines the boundaries of creativity.
JAMES BLAKE - THROWN AROUND
Dir: The Reids
In a quest to stay relevant via social media, things go from bad to worse for James Blake, who gets his phone robbed while making a TikTok video.
GLASS ANIMALS - THE OTHER SIDE OF PARADISE
Dir: Eoin Glaister
YouTuber TinFoilPat, a superfan of the band, drives a rumour that lead singer Dave Bayley has been replaced by clones. His followers track his mission to uncover the truth.
LONDON GRAMMAR & CAMELPHAT - HIGHER
Dir: Waxxwork
A hyper kinetic exploration into the history of euphoria and its artistic expression through time, from comparisons to the religious experience, to the ecstasy of the dancefloor.
SLOWDIVE - ALIFE
Dir: Jake Nelson
A witch summons a robot from the bricks of her enclosure. When the beast grows beyond her control, she has no choice but to build walls. The result defies any prediction.
HAK BAKER - LUVLY
Dir: Broken Antenna
A fragmented young man, played by Hero Fiennes Tiffin, is released from prison and quickly falls into old patterns, in a breathless yet fluid ride through London's East End.
GOAT GIRL - MOTORWAY
Dir: Holly Blakey
Inspired by carefree childhood memories of long drives, a trio of characters are caught in the headlights as they dance in the otherworldly near-darkness of a motorway.
YEULE - DAZIES
Dir: Zhang and Knight
Glitchy and distorted yet oddly soothing and spell-binding, Yeule’s hushed cyberpunk android cries out in the aftermath of a broken relationship.
SHAKE STEW - LILA
Dir: Rupert Höller
A surreal musical travelogue of world and jazz finds a dancer melting into a landscape of palm trees, rocks and ocean waves.
ZULU - HOOLIGAN BREAK
Dir: Gil Gharbi
A man reads a letter to camera. Fed up with being ignored, he promises to start a new life that fulfils his passions; music and horses.
EFFY & MALL GRAB - I LUV
Dir: Shammond Shorter
Nostalgic, euphoric, addictive. A dazzling urban journey through the morphing colours of late night lights and club-culture beats.
SIRIUSMO FEAT. MR OIZO - DOPPELKLICK
Dir: Niels P. Rost
Drawn entirely in Microsoft Paint, this animated video pokes fun at humankind’s often absurd relationship with technology and our ever increasing addiction to screens.
SUPERPARKA - AZ
Dir: Pablo Padovani
On a hallucinatory journey through the Sahara desert, Paco and Simon uncover an ancient alien creature and a transforming, flying goat in the creation of their new record.
VONFELT - I’M LEAVING
Dir: Michelle Brand
As the night comes, the journey begins. Running, rushing, racing. Unbound from time and swept away by the night’s surreal cascade of lights, we leave day-life behind.
KING KRULE - SEAFORTH
Dir: Jocelyn Anquetil
As the world sleeps, a man dreams of two golden retrievers - the connection between a father and a puppy - and finds peace among chaos.
NORTH DOWNS - HERE COME BUTTERFLIES
Dir: Jake Mavity
A girl dances through a remarkable transformation, from a trapped version of herself, to one ready to emerge from a kaleidoscopic cocoon.
EZRA COLLECTIVE - GOD GAVE ME FEET FOR DANCING
Dir: Tajana Tokyo
A romance told through the infectious, joyous act of dancing, as a boy and girl come together in an escapist nighttime fantasy.
KHRUANGBIN - A LOVE INTERNATIONAL
Dir: Scott Dungate
On a beach in Thailand, a sweet, slightly surreal story of romance, rivalry and mango sticky rice unfolds.
Student Film
A stunned crowd faces a fire, a man enters an extraordinary recycling machine, a 6-foot volcano threatens a relationship, a boy discovers he is not so different from his father. The Student Film programme abounds with intoxicating and thought-provoking freshness; a glimpse into the originality and talent of the next generation of filmmakers.
ARDENT OTHER
Dir: Alice Brygo
A stunned crowd faces a fire. The threat has no name, a diffuse anguish spreads. Fear needs to be conjured, fire must be turned into a sign.
RESSOURCES HUMAINES
Dir: Isaac Wenzek, Titouan Tillier & Trinidad Plass Caussade
Camera on. A cameraman follows Andy, entering a shop. Is that a human hand in the strange jar on the shelf? Andy introduces himself, hands over a recycling folder, asks permission for the camera man to record the scene, undresses and enters a machine…
SEA SALT
Dir: Leila Basma
On this hot summer day, 17-year-old Nayla is faced with the same dilemma every Lebanese youngster is faced with today; to leave or to stay. Two men in her life have set ideas about it, but both might wake up to a surprise.
CLAWS
Dir: Nim Longley
A short experimental analog animation of a game of cat and bird.
ATOMIC CHICKEN
Dir: Thibault Ermeneux, Lucie Lyfoung, Solène Polet, Capucine Prat, Morgane Siriex & Anna Uglova
The idyllic daily life of a rural chicken coop is turned upside down overnight when the neighbouring nuclear power plant starts spewing its toxic fumes over the surrounding area. The chickens will have to cope with a myriad of mutations and find a way to defeat the power plant at the root of their misfortunes.
MY DAD AND THE VOLCANO
Dir: Gavin Reid
A father and son and a volcano. Gavin built a 6-foot volcano. He asked his Dad if he could store it in the shed for 'a wee while' until he figured out what to do with it, but after five years, it’s still there. In a test of patience, could the volcano actually bring Gavin and his dad together?
EVERY OTHER WEEKEND
Dir: James Naughton
Desperate to escape from a routine of biweekly visits, a recently divorced father drags his two children camping to the west of Ireland.
SHOOTING WATERMELONS
Dir: Antonio Donato
Federico is on holiday with his father and brother in a summer residence in Sardinia. Their father, Aurelio, is a severe and overtly masculine man who makes Federico feel anxious and inadequate. When a wealthy foreign family invites them to dinner, Federico discovers he is not so different from his father.
