Thunder (Ukraine) by Orest Smylanetz

Synopsis: This film was shot during the air raid on the 77th day of Russia's aggression against Ukraine Running time: 00:01:00.

Selections/awards: Venice Film Week, Obskuur Ghent FF.

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The Consolation of Life (Netherlands) by Caspar Duijsens

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Synopsis: A poetic glimpse into an inevitable faith waiting to eventually become everyone’s fear Running time: 00:01:50.

About the director: “Some people talk about their feelings, fears and emotions, while others write or maybe sing about them, but some people, including myself, create films out of them. Film is like the healthcare to my troubled, chaotic, but ultimately imaginative mind. Film is just the healthcare to my troubled, chaotic but overall imaginative mind.” - Caspar Duijsens

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Dynamite (France) by Jim Vieille

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Synopsis: April 2020. Lêg always stays locked up at home, engrossed by screens that all broadcast the same image: a burning car. But is it the outside world that smoulders or Lêg himself ? Running time: 00:04:37.

Selections/awards: Brussels Independent FF, Sydney World FF, Boston Short FF, and more.

About the director: Jim Vieille is a french director. Dark, violent and enigmatic, his work in different mediums (film, video, installation) explores the boundary between fiction and experimental. His films have been featured in several festivals. In 2010, his first short, 'Take Me To The Water', won the Prize Of The City Of Clermont-Ferrand. In 2021, his music video "Atlas" was nominated at the Berlin Music Video Awards, has received the 1st Prize for the Best Music Video at the Rhode Island International FF and the Best Music Video Award at the Verona, Bruges, London and Los Angeles International FF. Jim lives and work in Paris.

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A Feast That Never Comes (USA) by Maria Juranic

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Trailer

Synopsis: Four characters inhabit cycles within cycles of contentment, discontentment, inertia, movement, desire, and betrayal. A story emerges—told through the marriage of music (Ex-Fiancée) and dance (ChrisMastersDance)—functioning as a set of nesting dolls, inviting you to uncover as many layers as you wish. Running time: 00:16:22.

About the director: An immigrant from Yugoslavia, Maria Juranic is a director and editor working in NY and LA. She has made visuals on a variety of media platforms from music videos and advertising to fashion and film. In the last decade, Maria has been writing and directing short form content for brands and companies as disparate as Conde Nast and Sesame Street. She is also sought out by labels such as Warner and Universal for her music videos. Her work has been seen on MTV, VH1, Rolling Stone and Nowness.

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Before We Collide (UK) by Guy Gooch, Gregor Petrikovic

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Trailer

Synopsis: Before We Collide is a short film shot on a Nishika N8000 analog lenticular camera consisting of over 800 photographs pieced together. In a haunting encounter, the film captures our fragmented perception of time during the pandemic while exploring the dynamics of mutual support. The film does not give the impression that it is made for me, you, or anyone for that matter. It simply exists as an artifact that can be witnessed, like found footage of a ghostly apparition. Running time: 00:01:10.

Selections/awards: Super Shorts London FF, Brussels Independent FF, Hong Kong Arthouse FF, Boston Short FF, and more.

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Humanization (Sweden) by Giulio Musi

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Trailer

Synopsis: Anna lost her child in an accident. Estranged from mundane life she has stopped feeling physical pain. Numb, she decides to end her life throwing herself out of a window. Miraculously Anna survives and wakes up in a nursing home where she befriends a nurse and a young boy. Slowly Anna starts to create meaning to her existence in hope to be able to carry on living. But how does this created meaning relate to the actual reality? Anna seems struggling with how to perceive her surroundings. Running time: 01:24:00.

Selections/awards: IFF of India, Brussels Independent FF (Best Narrative Feature)Venice Film Week (Best Narrative Feature).

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