Following a shocking on-air disturbance, a curious Stage Manager begins to suspect that something is deeply off about the talk show she works for, and its eccentric host.
A man is reunited with his father who has been gone for more than 15 years.
In a strange place where daily broadcasts require everyone to “keep the silence”, the long-isolated residents of Edifice 129, trapped in their apartments and by distant memories, creep forwards, day by day. / Edifice 129 is a particular collaborative project, created by filmmakers across three countries. In the midst of the COVID-19 lock-downs, Linda Gasser — director of the Arc Film Festival in Mainz, Germany — invited filmmakers to join her Creatives Across Borders initiative. The aim was to meet via Zoom, support each other, and talk film, but talking film soon turned into developing a film. Meeting regularly, sometimes weekly, four writer/directors and a digital 3D artist created short films designed to work both as standalone projects and, when inter-cut, as one cohesive story, despite being filmed in Germany, the UK and Malta, and with the filmmakers never having met in person until after the films were finished.
Appalachia, 1946: a seamstress welcomes home her tailor husband to find they are not the team they were. Trying to stitch their old life back together, time and again it threatens to fall apart - with each of them pulling at the thread.
The love story and loss of Mok and Iris, a young couple whose lives are intertwined by the sounds of analog music. What was once a symbol of their love now echoes with the pain of separation and memories that can never be forgotten.
A short film exploring the feelings of grief
Shadow plays flicker, birds call, and colour leaks into grey walls. In Starlings, live action collides with puppetry and poetic visuals as a teen girl transforms loss into light, reviving the fractured bond with her father through the fragile power of art.
Two rival acting students are forced to reconcile their differences and play lovers Romeo and Juliet in their final school play, vying for a life-changing prize.
"Everyone waits for different things in life. Waiting for the day to go on a trip, putting money into savings every month; waiting for the day a loved one returns after graduation; being starving and waiting for your instant noodles to cook after pouring in hot water... It's difficult, yet exciting, and also requires patience... So then, what is it like... to wait for life itself?"
Standout tells the powerful story of Ben Kjar, born with Crouzon Syndrome, a rare craniofacial disorder. From birth, doctors warn that his life will be overshadowed by limitations. Ben yearns for an ordinary life free from the harsh scrutiny he faces daily. However, each experience of adversity, including relentless bullying and a series of painful surgeries, ignites a fire within him. Wrestling becomes his proving ground, a place where he learns to transform his facial difference into a source of power. Determined to succeed, he pushes himself relentlessly, breaking through physical, social, and even romantic barriers that once seemed insurmountable. But as unexpected challenges arise and ridicule resurfaces, Ben finds himself at a defining crossroads: fade into the background of a “normal” life, or fully embrace his unique path and boldly stand out.
A gentle yet troubled college student battles with her abandonment issues as her friendship comes to an end and she relies on the guidance of her therapist to move forward into her next chapter of life.
Two women in their fifties. Everything sets them apart: their social standing, their life experiences, their backgrounds. Despite their differences, they will join forces for the same deeply personal and visceral goal: to gain custody of their grandson upon his return from a jihadist prison camp. Two women, one child. Three destinies inextricably linked.
Expelled from the ruling party, two young people determines to try their luck in party politics. Having no idea about anything they decides to find a shortcut to attain power.
A chilling short horror film about two young strangers waiting for the bus and getting entangled in the mysterious and terrifying circumstances around the bus stop.
Gregorio cannot fend for himself, so he is under the care of his family. With no one understanding his true needs, his only option will be to escape into the world of mexican golden era cinema, where he will not only find comfort, but possibly also love.
A relentless documentary filmmaker struggles to unravel the mystery of his uncle's death as an unknown adversary threatens to destroy the project and his family.
A short portrait of a mother-daughter relationship.
'Smile.mp4' is a heartwarming Malayalam Short Film that seamlessly blends the contrasting styles of French New Wave (fluid) and Classic Hollywood filmmaking (static) to tell a poignant tale of change and acceptance. Just as these two distinct cinematic approaches converge in this short film, so do the lives of Diya and George, illustrating that harmony can exist even between seemingly disparate elements.
Faced with the need to care for her mother, a woman moves into a condominium she had never visited before. However, little did she know how the men who lived there would react when they met her.
Like Handel’s Orlando (1732) and Ariodante (1734), Alcina derives from the narrative material in Ariosto’s Orlando furioso. The story of the sorceress Alcina, an initially hedonistic, manipulative woman who later finds herself a victim of love, fits into the genre of the ‘magical opera’ with numerous magical elements, but Handel achieved considerable emotional authenticity in his characterisations. This makes Alcina one of the most deeply felt and multifaceted operas. ‘You may despise what you like ; but you cannot contradict Handel,’ said the Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw. As in Tamerlano, Pierre Audi based this production on the stage at the baroque theatre at Drottningholm, for which he originally developed the directing concept. His set is thus based on the principles of perspective, with wings in the form of painted panels. The result is marvellous modern musical theatre in a historizing frame.