Finalist films 2022 – Season 4

Seeing in the dark

What if you lose sight, how do you experience the world around you? Seeing in the dark examines the sensory experience of being blind, with a focus on being blind as a strength: how you can perceive more as a blind person and how the other senses become even more important when your sight is lost. The documentary tells the story of four powerful, blind characters: the couple Yany and Tinah and the sisters Sandra and Marjoke. Yany and Tinah have built their own exhibition, ‘Seeing in the dark’, in which sighted people can experience what it is like to use your non-visual senses. Sisters Sandra and Marjoke grew up in a completely blind family. The only exception was Sandra, who could see. These unique stories are bundled in the documentary and show how limitations in life can be turned into positivity. A lesson about decisiveness and optimism, an ode to the other senses and an investigation into the blind world: to learn to see in the dark as a sighted person.

Old Friends and Other Days

The viewer is instantly plunged into an atmospheric, decaying, beautiful world where ambiguity reigns supreme and the stream of consciousness is governed by the world of song. Is it a sanctuary to enrich your senses or could it be purgatory? Our four muses take us through these fleeting moments of reflection, discipline, loneliness and joy where they tempt and entice us to remember what has gone before. What happens once everyone’s cases are packed? Does it all just go back to the beginning again?

Original concept and direction by Cameron Menzies, Old Friends and Other Days takes the music of Irish composer William Vincent Wallace and one of his contemporaries William Balfe and theatricalises each piece into epic storytelling through song: taking the ordinary into extraordinary and back again. Four of Northern Ireland’s shining lights in opera are featured in this film, Mary McCabe, Emma Morwood, Carolyn Dobbin and Sinéad O’Kelly.

Shut

When Jonas visits his father after a long time, he’s shocked to find him in a confused state. Has his father’s mental state badly deteriorated or is something more sinister going on?

THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY

All is not what it seems when a father and son have a violent confrontation on Christmas Eve.

Wolf + Lamb

Wolf + Lamb (Lupo + Agnello) is above all a “coming-of-age novel”, based on the immortal and homonymous fable of Aesop. It is the story of the relationship Luca (Ladislao Liverani), Thomas (James Ferrara) and Elisa (Virginia Diop) entertain one another and behaviors such as bullying and the search for identity. Unbeknownst to them, are guided by a mysterious professor (Lino Guanciale) anthropology, and his blonde assistant, in this “Bildungsjourney” between ancient masks, religious festivals and archaic rituals that will inevitably lead our protagonists to confront each other and understand that wearing a mask is not enough to be what you want to be, but above all, every choice has consequences and responsibilities. With an unexpected ending and absolutely open to any further development.

Dancing with Dharma

Death is not necessarily an end, but rather an inevitable part of life.

Dancing with Dharma follows the journey of two oddly paired characters across a night in London. Dharma, is grappling to come to terms with the sudden unexpected death of her husband. Death, having collected her husband’s soul, is trying to make the most of his night in London. When she persistently follows him, a bizarre bond forms between the two— Dharma is able to get some of the answers she needs, and Death is able to alleviate his loneliness even if it’s only for one night.

You Must Have Come From Hell

In her short film, Chalabi tells about her own asylum experience and the roles that refugees are forced into in Sweden. She explores the impact of structural apathy towards refugees in migration offices, socio-political discourse, and private spaces. The work becomes a place for memory and history writing where Chalabi tries to understand how to document a process that is prohibited to be documented by the person undergoing it. Animation in this film is a tool that serves an aim beyond its practical aspect of depicting a narrative. It is a resistance against the restrictions of filming, recording, and photographing whatever happens inside the Migration Board’s offices in Sweden.

Summer, Kyoto

Somewhere in Kyoto, Mr. and Mrs. Nakamura make a living by making scented bags. One night, when the husband takes a walk alone, he finds an old man lying helpless on the street. Being kind in nature, he takes the old man to his house, and offers him food and a night’s lodging. 
Next day the old man, getting back on his feet again, offers his help to show his thanks, so the good-natured husband asks him to deliver their products to their customer. The old man leaves and doesn’t return, just as his wife expected. And now the old man walks along the shore for some reason…

Your Choice

Time goes fast. Progress seems too slow.
Food waste is a massive problem. For many it is just data, for others it means solutions to find. Our choices have an impact on the world we live in. Changing lifestyle, food habits, using technology or dumpster diving to open the dialogue on the topic is not enough. We need information, we need awareness, we need to move all together. Your choice, your world, your future.

Invisibilia

When a ordinairy man visits the toilet in a restaurant, he hears two men talking about what seems to be a drug deal. Scared but quiet he listens to them.

Things get out of hand and the dealers seem to cause a dangerous fight where guns are involved and the toilet visitor himself seems to get in trouble as well.

APPLE TREE

Kolya gives a sudden and unusual birthday present to his son, which turns out a momentous one for the kid.

Angelos At Christmas

It is Christmas Eve. Angelos, a mysterious 50-year-old man, observes a young boy singing the carols in the streets of Athens. He convinces the child to go with him in his car towards an unknown destination.

The Boy and The Mountain

Hernán is a child who likes to daydreaming, but in his studies he is not doing well at all. His father constantly urges him to improve, advising him that he must reach very high to succeed in life. Hernán dispenses with his dream, gradually forgetting it to devote himself to his studies. Over time, and already become a successful entrepreneur, Hernán achieves the dream that his father instilled in him, reach high, until one day he will realize that he has not really achieved something he always longed for. Then he will make the crucial decision to fulfill his dream, but fate will play tricks on him. Hernán will have to face a new challenge that will change the meaning of his life.

In Search of the Malwatu Oya

A Journey in Search of an Ancient Civilization.

Starting from the holy mountain of Ritigala, Malwatu River, the second longest river (102 miles) in Sri Lanka, flows across the face of the Raja Rata (Land of the Kings) to enter the Bay of Mannar of the Indian Ocean. The most historic river basin in Sri Lanka, called Malwatu Oya in the native language, the River of Flower Gardens, lies at the very heart of the beginning of Sri Lanka’s ancient civilization.

It is believed that the Malwatu Oya provided a direct water route from the ancient port of Mantai, the largest and the most important port in the Indian Ocean, to the historic capital of Sri Lanka, Anuradhapura. Situated near the mouth of the Malwatu Oya, this great port drew traders from Greece, Rome, Persia, Egypt, China and East Asia as regular visitors to Mantai, which was then the hub of the trade between the East and the West.

Despite its enormous significance and importance, today, very little is known about this historic river. The last person to explore the Malwatu Oya was the Englishman Robert Knox in 1679, who followed its path to escape the power of King of Kandy, Rajasimha II (1629 – 1687 CE).

Starting where Knox’s journey ended, at Arippu where the river flows into the sea, a group of artists, historians, and explorers took on a Journey to row up the Malwatu Oya in canoes while documenting its course, its scenery, beginnings, environment, the legendary irrigation systems, and its surrounding village life.

This is a Journey which has never been attempted in the modern era. The Malwatu Oya has never been explored or studied in its own right. Without Malwatu Oya, the civilization of Sri Lanka may never have come into being.

A Journey in Search of the Malwatu Oya is a Journey to the Heart of an Ancient Civilization.

(UN)CENSORED

Dance Short Film about the dream for equality in changes in life, status and freedom between women and men.

Only a few will see the sorrow, but every woman knows the struggle in her own way. She tries to be what is accepted and normal in a world where the majority acts the way they have learned without thinking and self-reflection. She is fed up of being seen as the weakest, the guilty one and the object of seduction. Those one-sided thoughts that are made by narrow visioned man originate frustration and despair.

She wonders what would be the right answer. Running away from bias and unwritten rules or show her story about equality with the power of movement.

‘Pipi Thay Too’ (‘The Grandmother Tree’)

Mother Tongue

A benefits claim appointment spins out of control when Candide, 23, borrows her sister’s baby and strangely pretends like it’s her own child. A suspicious Martijn, the caseworker, attempts to unravel her lies accusing Candide of fraud. But behind her charade lies an unexpected secret.

Quarterlife Cruisers

When the car is fine, but the people break down.

Two 30-something besties, Wendy and Karin, are about to relive their teen years at a rock concert, when they decide to spice it up this time. They meet eighteen-year-old Anton who makes them feel young again. ‘Hop on in!’ and off they go: two dressed up glam rock chicks and one young guy who tries to keep his cool. It’s like the olden days: carefree fun, adolescent sexual tensions, fantasies about doing drugs and the exciting promise of one very wild night.

Or is it?
Because Karin’s husband is calling with mundane questions about their baby and the boy appears to still be living at his parents’ house. The only one who can responsibly do drugs (because she’s not breastfeeding) or kiss someone (because she’s single) is Wendy. But this night should only be about being in the moment and only doing what they want, right? And does Wendy even want to do all these things, while Karin only watches?

This roadtrip makes two women realize they’re holding on to something that isn’t there anymore. Or at least not exactly as it used to be. Maybe they’ll have to redefine what their ‘fun night out’ should look like and discover that being young isn’t some holy grail to fixate upon.

Rukh

A middle-aged driver, Kazakh Yergalym, who is trying to find the meaning of life in material gain, files for divorce from his childless wife. At this time, a 12-year-old boy, Uyghur Farukh, escapes from the orphanage. Fate unexpectedly brings Yergalym and Farukh together, resulting in both life changing.

FARMERS – INDONESIA – EPISODE 1

Ponisih lives a community at the intersection of breaking traditions and keeping a legacy. Born in a village of coconut sugar farmers in Java, she decided to leave her roots and find a new life in a bigger city. Yet, after being there for several years it crystalized she was happier being a coconut sugar farmer and returned home. Ponisih now encourages a decreasing community of farmers to embrace similar choices. Yet, the next generation might have other plans.

As the pandemic permeated bigger cities, Ponisih’s family felt safe at home in the village of Hargorojo. She was reassured of her choice. But then everything changed. The delta variant of COVID-19 spread suddenly and unexpectedly.

Ponisih is one of three farmers featured in an unscripted documentary which follows Fairtrade farmers during the global pandemic in different corners of the world. Often forgotten, and yet crucial to our day-to-day, farmers had to carry on working during Covid-19, adjusting to a new reality while still facing other underlying societal challenges.

When I Explode

Chris’ thirtieth Birthday party is turned upside down when he finds out there is a ticking bomb growing in his stomach. Bomb expert Alim is brought in to defuse both the bomb and the tension.

Brother

Brother (2021) is a short film (drama, fiction) about the impact of psychosis on a family. Brothers Ivo (16) and Tom (18) are very close. One day Ivo notices that Tom is showing unusual behavior. His big brother Ivo has always looked up to is about to lose his mental sanity. When Tom’s behavior is becoming increasingly alarming, Ivo faces a difficult decision. Will he ever get his brother back?

Where Do You Go?

In this music video for Portland-based band MAITA (from the new record ‘I Just Want To Be Wild For You’, via Kill Rock Stars) a dream doctor gives a struggling couple virtual encounters with giant dream monsters, hoping to bring them to a place of common understanding. Things take an unexpected turn when the dream-induction equipment begins to malfunction…
Music video for Portland-based band MAITA, from the new record ‘I Just Want To Be Wild For You’, via Kill Rock Stars.

Conflict

Conflict is about Mohammad Abdullah, a Palestinian prisoner who is being interrogated by Moshe Levi, an Israeli soldier. They both exchange their own point of views in a heated conversation which eventually creates an unpredictable outcome.

Chuppah

Cloaked in secrecy for more than a half century, this is a powerful story of profound love in a world of religious persecution.

NIRVANA

Order of appearance
Staircase classic home.
musician play instrument ( kamancheh ).
dancer appear ( contemporary dance ).
couple dance.
Artists silhouette appears, sing the song.
calligraphy start writing over with video effect

Song Lyrics

“”I know not of the maker’s intent,
in heaven belong, or to ugly hell sent.
Cup, lover, and music next to the field
exalts more than heaven’s promise”

“How sweet is mortal Sovranty!”—think some:
Others—”How blest the Paradise to come!”
Ah, take the Cash in hand and waive the Rest;
Oh, the brave Music of a distant Drum!

“before you vanished from this world,
drink, once drunk sparrows are gone”

Omar Khayyam ”

MUSE

Dipsas Speaks

Changes are happening in the high Amazon cloud forest, and a snake speaks out.

The Neighborhood Storyteller

War tragically pushed Asmaa out of her home country, Syria, where her destiny had been written as a wife and mother with only 16 years of age. Asmaa rebuilt her adult identity as the neighborhood storyteller and began using reading aloud to children for fun as a bridge to tackle critical issues in her new community at the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan.

Six years later, with Asmaa’s first born daughter reaching adolescence, a flashback of her education deprived past emerges and inspires her to embark on a new read aloud project to empower teenage girls to build a future of opportunities she never had. Despite her complex living situation as a refugee and the community’s conservative mindset, Asmaa is determined to raise a conscious generation of successful women.

The Neighborhood Storyteller is a documentary feature film that explores human resilience, the transition from child to adult and one’s capacity to turn hardships into an opportunity for self growth.

The Better Angels

A young soldier trying to escape the horrors of war, finds an abandoned house and within its walls the stories of what might have been.

Italian Chefs

Italian Chefs want to promote Italian cuisine and the territory abroad. Telling the typical features of each region thus offering an overview of the state of the culinary art in Italy. The first series of 5 episodes are set in the Lazio Region. The series aims to extend the episodes to all regions of Italy.

More Than Blood

Every six minute a woman dies during childbirth. Using animation, documentary and the filmmaker’s voice, “More Than Blood” addresses the main cause leading to this tragic reality in low-income countries and what an extraordinary man is doing to reduce maternal mortality throughout the world.

UKWATI // The Wedding

Across the globe, child marriages are still taking place. Girls as young as 10 years old are being stripped of their innocence and thrown into the responsibilities of marriage. Our film, “UKWATI”, which translates to “The Wedding”, sheds light on the lengths to which a mother must go when living in extreme poverty. With limited opportunity, scarce resources and lack of education, millions of families are faced with this sobering reality. “UKWATI” captures the relationship between a mother and her daughter as they both struggle to survive.

Watts of Love provides financial literacy training and a solar light which empowers people to raise themselves out of poverty and onto a path of prosperity.

FAIRPLAY

A teenager in search of recognition, a worker ready to do anything to hit the jackpot, a senior executive at the end of his career who wants to prove to himself that he is still alive. Three characters who are losing speed on the competition highway…

SHARK

Completing the trilogy of wickedly dark comedy shorts that began with Spider and Bear, Nash Edgerton finds a perfect match in Rose Byrne as Sofie, a woman who loves pranks just as much as Jack, Edgerton’s onscreen alter ego. Alas, the couple’s quest to outdo each other may lead to the most outrageous calamity of all.

CENSOR OF DREAMS

Every night, The Censor and his team moderate Yoko’s dreams. Tonight nothing happens as planned.

SPIDER

It’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye.

BEAR

Jack has a new girlfriend, but he’s still up to old tricks.

Call Anytime, I’m Not Leaving the House

Two days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Lesya Verba, a Brooklyn-based artist and performer, gets through to her older sister in Odessa, Ukraine via FaceTime. Through the frame of this first FaceTime conversation since the day everything changed, Call Anytime, I’m Not Leaving the House is a film about love, memory, national identity, and the (im)permanence of home, as the sisters cling to a call that could be their last.

Capo di Famiglia III

It has been 12 years since Eva, Vincent la Rosa’s wife, passed away. Since then, in addition to caring for his son Daniel, Vincent has taken on the role as godfather to his niece Helena and has been busy maintaining his empire. In fact, Vincent is currently one of the most influential people in the Netherlands and he wants to use his influence, which reaches as far as the Catholic Church, to boost his son’s political career. The moment he seems inviolable and Vincent gets his way in everything, the past catches up with him and his family. Then the opponents come from an unexpected quarter for another person in the la Rosa family.

Unsettling Dust

Unsettling Dust, a collaborative short film project, explores the lived, bodily experience of radiation by focusing on the relationship between post-nuclear landscapes, radioactive dust and breathing. It draws attention to Fort de Vaujours, a former nuclear weapon testing site on the outskirts of Paris and asks what it means to be living with the threat of contagion, with doubt cast upon your every single breath.

F*ck Endo. More than just menstrual pain.

An intimate and vulnerable documentary that follows the daily lives of four women in the Netherlands and Belgium who suffer from endometriosis. Endometriosis is a chronic disorder where tissue, similar to the tissue that normally lines the inside of the uterus, grows outside the uterus. Anthropologist and documentary maker Wilke Geurds tries to understand what it is like to live with an invisible disease that affects one in ten women. Heavy menstrual pain is not normal and can be a sign that there is more going on, as in the case of Devina (28), Daphne (30), Margot (36) and Sanne (43). But the pain is often not visible, which can lead to a lack of understanding among outsiders. Therefore, Wilke also filmed in the women’s homes where an invisible world of pain unfolds before her camera. Sanne will soon undergo a surgery to remove spots of endometriosis on her intestine. Daphne can no longer work because of the pain and receives monthly sick pay. Devina known since last summer that she has adenomyosis, a form of endometriosis, and is searching for a suitable treatment. And single mother Margot combines her own life, which is affected by endometriosis, with the care of her two young children. Playful animations, an interview with a gynecologist, and the images that the women themselves have made, helps Wilke in order to make this disease understandable and also visual.

Between Summits

After a climbing accident Hein Noortman ends up in a five-week coma full of visions. Most of Heins bones are severely broken or shattered, and his face needs to be completely reconstructed. Against all odds he awakes from his coma. Blind and barely breathing a long physical rehab process starts.

Hein learned to walk, talk and stand on his own two feet. But some things keep nagging. The dependence on his surroundings weigh heavy on him. Despite everything, he does not give up on his dreams, and a big challenge is planned. A film on getting the most out of life.

A monologe, combined with animation and expository video.

Falling

This video depicts an imaginary post-war atmosphere, music is forbidden, army is ruling and repressing any kind of cultural activities. But there is a soldier who cannot suppress his emotions, his dancing, love, despite being one of the ruling kind, as he is probably forced to be a soldier. The band members had their illegal rehearsal and while running away, their singer was captured and symbolically tortured with roses by our soldier. The other band members saved the singer, and soldier unfortunately didn’t got away with it.

TWO OPTIONS

In the country of Freedom, Equality and Fraternity, in this new Europe without borders, besieged by fear and intolerance, a polish immigrant will have to face the reality of racism.
–
“TWO OPTIONS” was written, shot and completely post-produced in 5 days, at an International Filmmakers Laboratory in France.

On the border

In a setting surrounded by constant news of violence, catastrophes and organized crime, good will and fear oppose each other when a woman watches her neighbours suspecting they are into some kind of trouble.

Akesi and the fight for Independence

Part III of “Akesi and the Congo River”, “Akesi and the Fight for Independence” is the final installation of this series. Rounding off his life lessons with one of hope and strength, Akesi learns about Patrice Lumumba, the first Prime Minister of the independent Democratic Republic of the Congo, and how his resilience led to the independence of his homeland in 1960.

What I will not forget

In this documentary we follow Joeri, former copywriter. But unfortunately at the age of 61 he was diagnosed with Lewy Body, a form of dementia that also involves hallucinations and symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Despite his dementia, he is still known for his creativity, ability to relate and his extraordinary view of the world. He also looks at his dementia from the positive side as much as possible. In his own words, it has given him more freedom in his creative development. Writing and painting are now different than before, as if he has “discovered a new language and style”. He wants to show the world what is still possible when you have dementia, how much fun life can still be. But it is not always so cheerful. Sadness and powerlessness play a big role in his environment. His two sons, Abel (23) and Jim (19), are slowly losing their father and Annet her lover. What impact does dementia have on the family dynamic, and what awaits them in the near future?

Rice Connections

This documentary is about an artistic journey of Aida Redza, a muslim female contemporary dancer from Malaysia, and how she created a dance performance site by growing the paddy plot from scratch during the COVID-19 pandemic in late October of 2020. She is famous for creating collaborative multidisciplinary works involving rice. Aida and her co-collaborators participated in the different phases of the paddy’s life-cycle and finally created a dance performance out of this process.

Reviving Rivers

Can we revive our rivers and landscapes? Can we bring water back to regions that have been desertified? Yes we can, and this example shows us how.

Drought and water scarcity are now issues all around the world. Cities are running out of water, landscapes are engulfed in flames, and every year drought, flood and fire become more common and severe. Despite the huge amount of energy and money that has been put into developing elaborate water systems, the distribution and availability of water seems to continue getting worse. The engineered solutions that nations around the world have pursued, while solving our immediate needs, have made the long term outlook even more bleak. The best solutions we’ve found have come from people living close to their landscape, dependent on the health of their land for their own survival.

In the driest region of India, Doctor Rajendra Singh was up against these enormous challenges. The farmland in his region had turned to desert, water sources had gone dry, and all of the young people from the villages had migrated to the cities for work. While he was treating the remaining elderly villagers for night blindness (due to malnutrition), one village elder showed Rajendra a more powerful way to help the community. He told Rajendra that what the community needed to be healthy was not medicine, but water – Rajendra had to shift his focus to treating the Earth.

Le Pain

‘Le Pain’ is a historical short film that follows a house search during the 2nd World War. A German soldier investigates wether a jewish family is hiding in a dilapidated farmhouse that only seems to be inhabited by a French speaking Belgian girl.

Worn Out

Moe (Worn Out in English) is a film about surviving in a chaotic household with an alcoholic mother and an emotionally distant father. Or rather, parents that don’t behave like parents. From an early age, Robin has to grow up and effectively take responsibilities a child should not have to take. His emotions are visualized by a red dooming light, which stands for the stress, anger, fear, and exhaustion that lives in his house and himself. A space that should be safe never was. In contrast, he has friends that are free and have the ability to explore their identity and sexuality, while Robin is held back by his house situation. We see him grow up in three stages till adulthood, where he tries to find stability. He comes out of his shell the first time at a gay bar, but that doesn’t mean that the chaos at home has changed…

The film is spoken in Dutch.

Viva

Desperate to escape Cuba and find freedom, a young ballerina struggles to believe that she has the talent to dance her way off the impoverished island.

This is what I’m wearing when I’m dead.

At some point everyone, for better or worse, will have to deal with their own demise. The more years of life you have left behind, the closer death is about to come. In the film “This is what I’m wearing when I’m dead.” the three main characters, over 80, reflect on their thoughts on the inevitable.

Repentance

Ghostwriter Louisse van der Laan still regrets some wrong decisions from her past and is haunted by memories in her present-day life..

The House in the Middle of the Sea

After the Germans flooded large parts of The Netherlands towards the end of WWII in a last attempt to stop the Allied advance, the Brouwer family find themselves trapped in their attic surrounded by water.

With their rations dwindling, the question of whether to stay in the house, or risk going to the Nazi-occupied dry land begins to divide the family.

Non-standard errors

A prominent scientist gets a phone call from a someone calling himself a journalist who wants to interview him about his work. Both hilarity and insight ensue. Starring Sammy Obeid (host of “100 Humans” on Netflix) and Prof. Albert Menkveld (ranked as the #1 economist in The Netherlands) as himself.

“Finance for skeptics”

This is a three-part web series of short humorous educational comedies (“edcoms”) on finance topics. Their goal is both to entertain and to inspire learning. The three edcoms star the comedian Sammy Obeid (host of “100 Humans” on Netflix) and UCLA Distinguished Professor of Finance Ivo Welch.
Episode 1, “Pro Forma and the Profit Prophet” is uploaded, and is also available from https://youtu.be/ynlAcc99b4c
Episode 2, “Incomparables”, is available from https://youtu.be/WWHrPU2EZ2o
Episode 3, “CAPM Crunched”, is available from https://youtu.be/J6X26yFfsF4

Making an edcom

A short documentary about the making of an educational comedy (“edcom”) discussing a Nobel-prize-winning economic theory. Filmed at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management with professor Ivo Welch and comedian Sammy Obeid.

The box

An introverted girl is looking for a way to escape her insecurities. Her incapability of coping with the external world increases her sense of discomfort. To find some serenity she withdraws into herself more and more and she cuts ties with the outer reality.