Morse
Ronak Jafari
Iran. 2022. 25 min
Three ex-political prisoners, all of them once sentenced to death, gather to summon the ghost of Khosrow, one of their old comrades. It’s said that Khosrow had committed suicide in prison, but now would they find a way to the truth in their reunion?
Continue reading Morse (Ronak Jafari) IranOn Xerxes Throne
Evi Kalogiropoulou
Greece. 2022. 16 min
A dystopian workplace at the Perama shipyard. A ban on physical contact has turned human interaction into otherworldly simulations. The suppression of touch has alienated the workers communication transforming the boatyard into a charged landscape of alienation and repressed sensuality beyond stereotypical heteronormative desires. According to local legend, the Persian King Xerxes watched the overwhelming defeat of his fleet from his throne on the rocky peaks of Mount Egaleo, in today’s Perama.
Continue reading On Xerxes Throne (Evi Kalogiropoulou) GreeceTria
Giulia Grandinetti
Italy. 2022. 17 min
In a dystopian Rome, a law is enforced which doesn’t allow immigrant families to have more than three children. If a fourth is to be expected, he or she must be born, however, one of them must then be killed, giving the females priority for sacrifice. Zoe, Iris and Clio are three sisters, but one of them will soon be killed…
Continue reading Tria (Giulia Grandinetti) ItalyAbout Me
Ali Asgari
Netherlands. 2022. 15 min
Young Fatima holds a secret that could change her fate; she must place her trust in a doctor to make a tough decision between cultural tradition and medical ethics.
Continue reading About Me (Ali Asgari) NetherlandsYet Another Winter
Kiran Shrestha
Nepal. 2021. 22 min
Hoping her deaf daughter RADHA(5) might be able to hear and speak, YASODHA (25) her faithful mother visits the Shaman in the nearby village. As per ritual, Shaman tells Yasodha to go to the temple located in the heart of the capital city. Following her faith, Yasodha tries to convince her husband and even her neighboring sister but they refuse to accompany her. Hence, she leaves towards the city along with her daughter.
Upon reaching the temple, Yasodha learns about another Mata Temple where she has to lock her daughter until she utters a word. Yasodha follows the ritual and locks Radha inside the temple eagerly waiting for her to speak.
Shades of Melancholy
Karash Zhanyshov
Kyrgystan. 2022. 20 min
Baizak and Meerim grew up in the same village, and then both moved to the city. But this city draws in the girl, and one day she disappears. Baizak, in love with Meerim, embarks on a quest.
Continue reading Shades of Melancholy (Karash Zhanyshov) KyrgystanWheels on the Bus
Surya Shahi
Nepal. 2022. 16 min
After being bullied into making iron wheels for his upper-caste peers, BHYAL (12), a lower caste blacksmith, and his friend LABA (11) are compelled to steal iron from the village to make the wheels. At Bhyal workshops, the boys work through the night and fall asleep. Laba’s father finds his son asleep with Bhyal.
Outraged at this sight, he calls the village religious chief to purify his son. With the entire village gathered, the village chief purifies Laba and passes judgment on Bhyal.
No Longer a Boy
Anton Loginov
Russia. 2023. 24 min
You can grow as a person only by opening your “closet” — to admit guilt and try to correct the act, instead of hiding and hiding.
Continue reading No Longer a Boy (Anton Loginov) RussiaThe Violent
Sasha Gromova
Russia. 2023. 16 min
Zhenya is 15. Besides being a quiet and sensible boy, he is a promising violinist. Behind the door of Zhenya’s bedroom he daily hears his tyrannical stepfather being violent with the boy’s mother, but cannot find the courage to intervene. One sunny morning Zhenya comes to a decision to radically change his family’s life.
Continue reading The Violent (Sasha Gromova) Russia40 Minutes
Vlad Pavlov
Russia. 2023. 14 min
Waking up in the middle of the night from her husband’s snoring, Helen unexpectedly discovers a series of ‘evidence’ of his affair. While the suspect is sleeping, she does things that will change her life, but is she ready for these changes?
Continue reading 40 Minutes (Vlad Pavlov) Russia
