This is not Norway
Alicia Albares, Paco Cavero
Spain. 2023. 18 min

Jorge’s father’s last wish is to have a viking funeral: to be cremated at sea in a drakkar. And fulfilling that wish is crucial for Jorge: not only will it honor his memory, but it will prove to himself and his family that he is capable of anything, that he is already well and has overcome the slum he was going through.
However, the lack of means and the mistrust of his mother, brother and sister-in-law will not help at all. But sometimes persistence, a bit of luck and the love of a family can change everything.

MYDEAR
Kim Sohee / Jeon Dohee
Korea. 2023. 24 min

In 2027, Ga-eul, a hearing-impaired college student, learns about the app MYDEAR and becomes immersed in conversations with an AI presence. The app’s features easily help her overcome her disability, and the AI is affectionate and considerate, like a boyfriend. Director Jeon Dohee’s performance, woven into the film’s steady rhythm, amplifies the audiences’ sense of empathy.

Journey to the Sun
Ansgar Schaefer, Susana de Sousa
Portugal. 2021. 109 min

Journey to the Sun reflects on children in situations of conflict and post-conflict, and the potency of their gaze in revealing the realities obfuscated by official narratives.

Just after the Second World War, 5,000 young children were sent from Austria to stay with host families in Portugal, where they could recover from the violence of war. They were often welcomed in by well-to-do families with domestic staff living in sunny villas, and for most of the children this was a holiday in paradise. The contrast with their living conditions at home, and the huge difference between the lives of rich and poor in Portugal in this period, made a deep impression on the young Austrians.

Witness
Aida Tebianian
Iran. 2023. 15 min

Shermin is a young girl who is in a dilemma to save her father’s life, and finally she makes a difficult decision…

The Sunlit Place
Zhang Qin
China. 2022. 25 min

A female journalist who is obsessed with “the truth” finally learns to accept her weakness after experiencing a career downfall and a fight with her mom.

ZHANG QIN

Zhang Qin, writer and director, was born in 1998 and is now a graduate student in Film (screenwriting/directing) at Columbia University in the City of New York. The Sunlit Place is her debut short film as writer and director.

DIRECTOR,S NOTE

The mother-daughter relationship is too close to bear any secrets. When daughter comes back to live with her mother after so many years away from home, they test and hurt each other when they attempt to probe into each other’s unspeakable secrets. I intended to record this period of life in this house to present their conflicts and intimacy, dwelling on women’s duty and nature of life.

POSTER

CONTACT

cinefun@163.com

Graveyard of Horses
Xiaoxuan Jiang
China, USA. 2022. 17 min

A frigid winter on the Mongolian steppe, an untimely snowstorm aggravated the lives of a pregnant herder and her 8-year-old daughter: the missing flock of sheep, the unborn child, the absent husband, traces of wolves…… everything led the mother and daughter to places they’ve never been.