2016 Short Films

SUNDANCE CHANNEL SHORTS

Τhe 2016 Sundance Channel Shorts competition ran in 4 European countries – Spain, France, Belgium and Poland. In collaboration with the Sundance Institute, a Grand Jury Prize winner was selected from each country and the winning films premiered at the 2016 Sundance London Film Festival. Fans also took part by voting for their favour- ite film to receive the Vimeo Audience Award.

The Sundance Channel Shorts competition perfectly represents the unique spirit of Sundance Channel. As the destination for indepen- dent films internationally, Sundance Channel is ideally placed to showcase and support emerging talent in the European filmmaking community.

For the four consecutive year, Sundance Channel is partnering with the International Film Festival of Patmos, whose mission to cele- brate creativity in independent film from around the globe aligns with the Sundance Channel vision.

Gagarine

Short film • 15’ • France • 2015
Director: Fanny Liatard

A teenage boy Yuri is confronted with the necessity of growing up and becoming independent. But Yuri is a dreamer and he’s not ready yet to say goodbye to his imaginary world.

Creatures

Short film • 10’ • Poland • 2015
Director: Tessa Moult

Creatures is a grotesque love story about Harold and Matylda – two caricatures of people, trying to adjust to the black and white environment they live in. In a search for acceptance they cover their characteristic features, but they can’t hide their true nature.

Nymphet

Short film • 12’ • Belgium 2015
Director: Laura Hermanides

Dolly discovers her sensuality
as an unknown power of making contact. She doesn’t realise she’s playing a game that has effect beyond her control.

As not to die when our eyes meet

Short film • 15’ • Spain • 2015
Director: Carlos Crespo

Marcos and Clara are a couple going through a rough patch. As they are about to have dinner
on a damp, gloomy Wednesday evening a power cut unexpected- ly breaks their daily routine and leaves them lost in the dark with- out a chance to keep ignoring each other any longer.

IFFP SELECTION A'

The Culprit

Short Film • 3’ • 2015 • Germany
Director: Michael Rittmannsberger

A young man is accused of a crime. He confesses and doesn’t show a sign of regret. On the contrary – the young man seems to be proud and fully convinced of what he did…

In the distance

Short Film • 8’ • 2015 • Germany
Director: Florian Grolig

It’s calm and peaceful above the clouds. But chaos lurks in the distance and each night, it draws closer.

All The Pain In The World

Short Film • 12’ • 2014 • UK
Director: Tommaso Pitta

London. Christmas time. A man is desperately trying to save the life of a minuscule fish, but the situa- tion spirals out of control. Based on the short story «Tutto il dolore del mondo» by Michele Mari.

Bus 43

Short Film • 16’ • 2016 • Greece
Director: Alexis Lazaridis

The film deals with the story of a wealthy man who makes a “journey” incidentally with the public bus of the line, where he encounters some moments of his life that have marked his past. More specifically, he contacts with the bus passengers, who
are reminiscent of his past at the most crucial periods of his life. Ηis closest passenger is an old ragamuffin, who operates as a deus ex machine, by giving him advices and holding a different attitude than usual. The raga- muffin releases this man from the oppression.

Blue Thunder

Short Film • 21’ • 2015 • Canada
Director: Jean-Marc E.Roy/ Philippe David Gagné

Bruno, in his thirties and in des- perate need of a purpose, ends up homeless after a breakup. Without despairing and under the watchful eye of his motherly big sister, this sawmill worker will find the drive to put his beloved blue suit back on and to rekindle an old flame.

Shooting Star

Short film • 28’ • 2015 • Bulgaria/ Italy
Director: Lyubo Yonchev

Lilly (47) is a divorced mother of two – Martin, who has recently come of age, and the little Alex- andra (5). One cold winter eve- ning Martin takes Alexandra from kindergarten. In the dark streets of the neighbourhood they be- come a part of a tragic accident that hardly can be forgotten or erased. Lilly and her kids have to make tough decisions, the con- sequences of which will change their life for good.

IFFP SELECTION B'

Crack

Short Film • 12’ • 2015 • UK
Director: Peter King

A new craze is taking over the estates of London. With fights, street deals and territorial war- fare growing ever dangerous, it won’t be long until it’s out of control. ‘Crack’ follows Jay and his gang, B.H.S. (Brixton Hit Squad), in an exposé of this trou- bling social epidemic.

Occupy Jämsä

Short film • 15’ • 2015 • Finland
Director: Jaakko Kaján

Disgruntled construction worker calls his friend to help him exe- cute a dramatic plan.

#YA

Short Film • 16’ • 2015 • Germany/Chile/Argentina
Director: Ygor Gama / Florencia Rovlich

First it’s paint bombs, followed hard by riots. Tweets proclaim what is to be done. Resistance is everywhere. Something has to give. Two young activists meet amid turbulent events. They dance. the city belongs to them.

Without Milk

Short Film • 18’ • 2015 • Greece
Director: Thodoris Vournas

An ambitious writer and an experienced producer looking for the right balance for their upcoming collaboration. One of them should subside, putting milk in his coffee.

Simply The Worst

Short Film • 21’ • 2015 • Germany
Directors: Johannes Kürschner and Franz Müller

Günther and Hindrich are sick of the worst winter in years. They want to go to ski some real mountains, aiming for the dangerous and most epic «Cleft of Lomnica». But on the way to the High Tatra mountains they have to conquer a couple barriers which are followed by some bad luck. Follow them on their breathtaking journey which scores off the adventures by Frodo and friends. Sick!

The Test

Short Film • 25’ • 2015 • Poland
Director: Teresa Czepiec

A young woman decides to test herself in a special institute to judge, if she has a potential to become a celebrity. She had never expected how much she will discover about herself during tests.

BEST OF EUROPE

BEST OF EUROPE Program presents the Best European Short Films of the last 2 years.
Since the choice is not easy, each affiliate film festival with IFFP, proposed a film for the program.

Love is a Sting

Short Film • 19’ • 2015 • Ireland
Director: Vincent Gallagher
Proposed by James Mullighan, Festival Director of Cork Film Festival, Ireland.

At his lowest point, struggling children’s book writer Harold Finch gains an unexpected house guest in the form of an ageing hyper-intelligent mosquito named Anabel. Anabel has literally been the fly on the wall throughout history, but has never managed to communicate with a human being. She will attempt to do so now, even if it kills her.

The Chicken

Short Film • 15’ • Germany/ Croatia • 2014
Director: Una Gunjak
Proposed by Scott Hillier, Festival Director of ECU – The European Independent Film Festival, France

As a present for her 6th birthday, Selma gets a live chicken. When she realises the animal is going to be killed to feed the family, she decides to save it and set it free, unaware of the high stakes such action will lead to. While trying to bring back the missing chicken, Selma’s mum becomes the target of a sniper shoot. It’s Sarajevo, year running 1993.

Discipline

Short Film • 12’ • 2014 • Switzerland
Director: Christophe M. Saber
Proposed by Martin I. Petrov, Festival Director of World Film Festival of Glasgow, Scotland

It’s 9:50pm in a grocery store in Lausanne, Switzerland. The place is run by Egyptians. In a moment of anger, a father looses patience and disciplines his disobedient child. A shocked customer immediately intervenes to express her concern. Other customers join the conversation, they each put in their two cents and the staff is swamped. This discussion turns into a debate, which into quarrel. The situation gradually gets out of hand and into chaos…

Spectrum

Short Film • 12’ • Greece
Director: Dimitris Gkotsis
Proposed by Fernando Vasquez, Program Director of FEST – New Directors/ New Films Festival, Portugal

Spectrum is used to classify something in terms of it’s position on a scale between two extreme points. Documenting a slice in the life of five differ- rent people living in the heart of the city of Athens and the power relations between them. Priorities entwined, leading to misunderstandings and finally the absolute brutality.

Eternit

Short Film • 11’ • 2015 • France
Director: Giovanni Aloi
Proposed by Enrico Vannucci, Programmer of Venice International Film Festival, Italy

Italy, during the year 2015, Ali, a tunisian immigrant working in asbestos removal receives the Visa which will allows his wife and daughter to join him. To get ready to welcome his family, he must do a radical choice.

Over

ShortFilm • 14’• 2015• UK
Director: Jörn Threlfall
Proposed by Philip Ilson, Festival Director of London Short Film Festival. UK

Based on a real-life event, Over, presents a crime scene. During the course of 9 wide shots, we watch an intriguing story unfold. What’s happened in this quiet neighbourhood? A murder, hit-and-run, an accident?
The reality is profound, and deeply unexpected.

People are strange

Short Film • 20’ • 2014 • France
Director: Julien Hallard
Proposed by Angelique Muller, Program Director of Valletta Film Festival, Malta

Julien, a self-proclaimed Jim Morrison lookalike, earns a living by entertaining tourists at the Pere Lachaise cemetery. When he finds out his idol’s body is to be returned to California, he teams up with his friend Also to steal the remains of the ‘Lizard King’.

Fantasy

Short film • 9’ • 2016 • Finland
Director: Teemu Nikki
Proposed by Jukka-Pekka Laakso , Festival Director of Tampere Film Festival, Finland

A country boy doesn’t want to eat potatoes. He wants some- thing more exotic.

Searchlight - Germany

SEARCHLIGHT Program presents the best short films of a specific country of the last 2 years. This year, in the spotlight of SEARCHLIGHT is Germany and in affiliate with AG-KUZFILM, German Short Film Assosiation and with German Films presents the best German short films of the last 2 years.

Τhe Bathtub

Short Film • 12’ • 2015 • Germany/Austria
Director: Tim Ellrich
Proposed by Alexandra Gramatke, Program Director of Hamburg International Short Film Festival.

The brothers, Georg, Alexander and Niklas, are preparing an original present for their mother. But the idea to re-enact an old bathtub picture from their childhood is way too stupid for the oldest one. Little by little the three brother who have grown apart for so long, they bare all.

No goodbye

Short Film • 14’ • 2016 • Germany
Director: Ludo Vici
Proposed by Michael Orth, Festival Director of Landshuter Short Film Festival.

One day, you are forced to look in the mirror. It was the perfor- mance of her life, but then, a glance in her dressing mirror changes everything. Who is the stranger in her dressing room. He’s come to pick her up.

90 Grad Nord

Short Film • 20’ • 2015 • Germany
Director: Detsky Graffam
Proposed by Jutta Wille, Managing Director of AG-Kurzfilm, German Short Film Association.

It’s a fact: good Germans wait at red traffic lights. But what do you do when the green man simply won’t appear? Taking place almost entirely on the most pernicious traffic island imaginable, 90 Degrees North is a humorous, fantastical parable offering an extreme take on the notion of following the rules of a civil society.

Nevertheless

Short Film • 25’ • 2014 • Germany
Director: Anja Badeck

Alice and Henning are together for five years, married two years, separated recently. Alice is going to move out of their apartment and Henning will stay. That’s the plan at least. But when Henning returns home he does not only find packed boxes but also his wife in the kitchen. Is the rela- tionship really at its end?

Telecommando

Short Film • 5’ • 2015 • Germany
Director: Erik Schmitt

Volker Henk has been working for the local city authorities for years, he’s in charge of the au- tomation of urban activities. He impressively demonstrates the myriad possibilities of his univer- sal remote control. But when it gets stolen, the city succumbs to apocalyptic chaos.

MayDay relay

Short Film • 15’ • 2016 • Germany
Director: Florian Tscharf

When the German sailor Max and his daughter Emily receive a mayday call on the Mediterranean sea, they act immediately: They change the course of their little sailing- boat and try to contact other ships. But soon the situation gets out of their control.

Everything will be okay

Short Film • 30’ • 2015 • Germany
Director: Patrick Vollrath

A divorced father picks up his eight-year-old daughter Lea. It seems pretty much like every second weekend, but after a while Lea can’t help feeling that something isn’t right. So begins a fateful journey.

Life is rugged

Short Film • 3’ • 2015 • Germany
Director: Simon Schnellmann

Five short sequences about life are linked together by a black point.

SHORT SCREENPLAY COMPETITION WINNER 2015

Life Between

Short Film • 6’ • 2016 • Greece
Director: Vaggelis Zouglos

Two men share five minutes of their daily routines at a dead-end alley.