The movement of people from place to place is one of the most basic of human functions. Sometimes this is in a quest to discover new things. Sometimes it’s forced through war and outside influences. Nothing is ever set in stone however, and the wave of time will soon wash over it all.
Short Story
Original Title: Duan Pian Gu Shi | Director: Wu Lang | China | 2023 | 12 Minutes | UK Premiere
The husband dreams about his wife leaving, he attempts to save the relationship. In his wakefulness, he finds their life standing still before them, not knowing whether what just happened was reality or merely a dream.
Cast: Huang Jue, Li Meng
Writer: Wu Lang | Producer: Han Xiaoyi, Wei Jian, Liao Xiaorui | Director of Photography: Yao Jie | Editor: Liu Xinzhu | Music: Li Danfeng
The Serena Variations
Director: Warren Fischer | USA | 2023 | 28 Minutes
A young female violinist with undiagnosed autism spirals out of control as she works on a new opus with a domineering composer, embarking on a psychedelic journey that both pushes her to the edge of mental collapse and fuels her creative power.
Cast: Dylan Brown, Renata Friedman, Ellen Mah, Chance Gabriel
Writer: Nathan DeZur, Sam Kahn | Producer: Tyler Ben-Amotz, Warren Fischer, John Walter | Director of Photography: Matthew Santo | Editor: John Walter | Music: Warren Fischer, Max Richter
Death and Landscapes
Director: Fuaduzzaman Fuad | Bangladesh | 2023 | 7 Minutes | International Premiere
The harrowing story of missing journalist Julius Gomez and his wife Florida Gomez’s subsequent anguish. Protests broke out across the nation following Julius Gómez’s disappearance but although the voices of protest have ceased, the family members’ resentment remains over the years and Florida Gomez’s life turns dark.
Cast: Sujana Payel Susmita
Writer: Fuaduzzaman Fuad | Producer: Sujana Payel Susmita | Director of Photography: Jarip Hossain, Asif Uddin, Fuaduzzaman Fuad | Editor: Fuaduzzaman Fuad | Music: Sakir Ahmed Antu
Sheep and Wolves
Original Title: Ovejas y Lobos | Director: Alex Fischman Cárdenas | Peru/Chile/USA | 2024 | 17 Minutes | UK Premiere
A mother’s world shatters after her son vanishes without a trace. Set in the height of the Peruvian armed conflict, ‘Sheep and Wolves’ [Ovejas y Lobos] follows a mother’s suspenseful search through the perilous, vast, and unforgiving landscape that mirrors her seemingly insurmountable mission.
Cast: Sylvia Majo, Anibal Lozano Herrera, Amiel Cayo, Edu Ramos
Writer: Alex Fischman Cárdenas, Taki Carranza | Producer: Carmen Calderón | Director of Photography: Jesse Bronstein | Editor: Alex Fischman Cárdenas, Antolin Prieto | Music: Paulo Gallo
Void
Nominated for Best Live Action Short
Original Title: | Director: Yusuke Iwasaki | Japan | 2023 | 24 Minutes | UK Premiere
High school student Asagi, living in the suburbs, loses her friend Satake in an unexpected accident. As her friends continue their daily school life as usual, she senses something strange and eerie happening around her while trying to return to normalcy.
Cast: Maru Nouchi
Writer: Yusuke Iwasaki | Producer: Kentaro Hayashi, Kenta Suzuki, Jun Inoue, Yusuke Natsuka | Director of Photography: Mao Ohkawara | Editor: Yuki Omori | Music: Pause Catti
Lullaby
Director: Chi Thai | UK | 2023 | 14 Minutes | UK Premiere
A refugee is forced to confront her guilt.
Cast: Jan Le
Writer: Chi Thai | Producer: Chi Thai | Director of Photography: Mark Nutkins | Editor: Christopher Cf Chow | Music: Jon Clarke
