The Watchman
Ali Cherri
France. 2024. 26 min

In the remote village of Lourujina, situated within the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Sergeant Bulut, a young Turkish Cypriot soldier, finds himself stationed to guard the dividing line. As he dutifully stands watch over the quiet landscape amidst the routine and solitude, peculiar events unfold that challenge the very essence of his mission.
“The Watchman” looks at a life suspended in the limbo of waiting. While Sergeant Bulut grapples with the enigmatic occurrences around him, the film unfolds a narrative of duty entangled in illusion—a tale of disappointment by the anticipation of an elusive enemy that might never come.

Lees Waxul
Yoro Mbaye
Senegal, France, Belgium. 2024. 21 min

In his village where bread is scarce, Ousseynou, a former fisherman and cornerstone of his family, finds modest economic stability by selling stale bread.
However, the opening of his sister-in-law’s traditional bakery constitutes an affront to him, leaving a palpable unspoken tension between them (Lees Waxul), and gradually jeopardizing both his business and his role
as a family father.

Leela
Tanmay Chowdhary
India. 2024. 14 min

Two young women from a small village discuss the recent, mysterious vanishing of Leela. Is there any truth in the rumours about her death? Did she really take her own life? Or did she manage to escape and make it to the city? Roaming through their surroundings where despair is palpable, they wonder if they’ll ever find a way out themselves.

The Key
Rakan Mayasi
France, Palestine, Belgium, Qatar. 2023. 13 min

An Israeli family’s equilibrium gradually disintegrates as the mysterious sound of a key is heard every evening in the door of their apartment.

Ash Valley: Janyl
Shu Zhu
Kyrgyztan, Canada. 2024. 18 min

Ash Valley: Janyl is about Janyl who investigates strange behavior in livestock near a large oil rig. Something feels wrong, but her superior asks her to stay out of the investigation for her own safety.

A Piece of Meat
Varun Khettry
India. 2023. 13 min

A Piece of Meat is a film which showcases the period of 3 generations – 80’s, 2000’s & 2024.

3 daughters of the same family lineage, born in these 3 different eras, carry forward a traditional family recipe of “Kosha Mangsho”. With carrying that recipe forward, they also carried forward few nuances of their mother’s with them, when the current generation’s teenage daughter asks a pertinent but a curiousity filled question, it makes the older generations (mothers) think to ponder about a lot.

D-Day, Friday
Lee Yida
Korea. 2024. 26 min

In May 1980, the new military dictatorship in South Korea violently suppressed the pro-democracy protests in Gwangju. The crackdown led to a ten-day massacre in which thousands were killed and wounded. The massacre was kept secret in South Korea for decades and has still not been fully investigated.
The year is 1984 in Gwangju, and the enthusiasm for the professional baseball league is heating up. Eunju, a teenage girl, wants to go to a high school baseball game where the boy she has a crush on will be playing.

No Flowers
Michael Anug
Israel. 2024. 10 min

Natalie, a flower-delivery girl, is on a mission to deliver a bouquet, but things take a turn when the recipient refuses it. Determined to complete her delivery, Natalie soon finds herself in the middle of a relationship drama she never signed up for.

Sunflowers were the first ones to know
Chidananda S Naik
India. 2023. 15 min

The sun never rises again after an elderly woman steals the village’s rooster, which throws the community into disarray. To bring the rooster back, a prophecy is invoked, sending the old lady’s family into exile.