The pervasive sense of disconnection within a modern society that seemingly prioritizes individualism has become an increasingly prevalent theme. The relentless pressure to conform to societal expectations can drive individuals to lash out at those in their proximity, despite their deep-seated yearning for meaningful human connections.
Brick Head
Nominated for Best Short of the Festival
Original Title: Tête de brique
Director: Alexis Manenti | France | 2022 | 22 Minutes
Set in an Eastern European town, a young gang leader is terrorizing his neighbourhood. He forces everyone to carry a brick as a sign of submission. Things are going well until one day, an adolescent humiliated by the tyrant decides to fight back.
Cast: Denis Murić , Ivana Zečević, Ilija Maršićević, Uroš Gojković, Tatjana Venčelovski
Writer: Alexis Manenti | Producer: Arnaud Bruttin | Director of Photography: Stefan Đorđević | Editor: Nicolas Larrouquère | Music: Damien Vandesande
Closing Dynasty
Nominated for Best Short of the Festival
Director: Lloyd Lee Choi | USA | 2022 | 17 Minutes
Queenie, a feisty seven-year-old, hustles and schemes ways to make money on the streets of New York City. As a day in her life unravels, we ultimately wonder what her true intentions are and why this little girl is working so hard when she should be at school.
Cast: Milinka Winata, Allen Chen, Eleven Lee, Khadijah Muhammad, Maggie Law
Writer: Lloyd Lee Choi | Producer: Jonathan Hsu, Michelle Hamada, Alex Ingber | Director of Photography: Christopher Lew | Editor: Ashley Ingbretson, Lloyd Lee Choi | Music: Charles Humenry
Invasive Species
Director: Annie Ning | USA | 2023 | 13 Minutes
A young Asian American sound artist confronts feelings of imposter syndrome at her first ever artist’s residency. Maggie attempts to enter the off-kilter world of a residency in upstate New York, where her own repressed nature and frustrations begin to boil up to the surface.
Cast: Emily May Jampel, Pascal Yen-Pfister, Katya Golvin, Stuart Greene, JJ Paul, Eve Austin
Writer: Annie Ning | Producer: Ruby Fludzinski, Aisha Amin, Shuyuan Liu | Director of Photography: Leo Zhang | Editor: Annie Ning, Kali Kahn, Alex Fabry | Music: Annie Ning, Kali Kahn, Alex Fabry
CRUSH.
Director: Christian Schultz | USA | 2023 | 14 Minutes
A desperate and obsessive stalker, driven by an unhealthy infatuation, finds herself trapped under the bed of her love interest.
Cast: Tenea Intriago, Cecilia Leal, T.C. Matherne
Writer: Christian Schultz, Tenea Intriago | Producer: Mel Loncich, Ricardo Betancourt | Director of Photography: Steve Conry | Editor: Christian Schultz | Music: Chad Lawson
Duos
Director: Marion Defer | France | 2022 | 22 Minutes
Content Warning –
Marion Defer’s directorial debut, a couple of vagabonds break into a house while the owners are on vacation. When the owners return earlier than expected, the intruders are forced to hide.
Cast: Pablo Pauly, Marianne Maitre
Writer: Marion Defer | Producer: Igor Auzépy | Director of Photography: Pauline Doméjean | Editor: Nobuo Coste
One More Time With Feeling
Director: Morgan Green | USA | 2022 | 17 Minutes
A near-future portrait of a woman and her pursuit of belonging. Charlee, a struggling theatre actress in New York City, discovers her biological father online and instead of introducing herself, she stalks him through multiple realities until she is confronted with herself, the person she has actually been looking for.
IMDb | Website | Twitter | Instagram
Cast: Madeline Wise, Gabriel Marin, Mohammad Shehata
Writers: Morgan Green & Laura Sampson Hemingway | Producer: Rose Frullani-Bacon | Director of Photography: Kusi-Quyllur Del Castillo | Editor: Andrew Mazzei | Music: Jordan Dykstra
