Official Selections
September - November 2022 Program
CoronaFAUST Germany is in the first lockdown winter. Clubs and theaters are closed. Social and cultural life has dropped below the freezing point. Warming up for better times, an independent theater group goes on with rehearsals despite strict restrictions. Turning for solace to Goethe’s “Faust” all those involved are bringing their anger, fears and worries on the stage. "Best COVID-19 Film" "Best Actor" - Michael Rothmann |
El Antifaz (the counterface) The Tarahumara in northwestern México are among the poorest native peoples in Latin America. Not often you may find peoples like them living in a kind of cultural resistance but even though in an unespectedly peacefull manner. The french poet and surrealist Antonin Artaud while staying with the Tarahumara in the late 30’s last century then wrote: „They are a challenge for this world which undoubtedly is talking so often about progress because it already lost any hope for enhancing so much.“ These people live according to their own statements as if they already were dead. They call themselves „Rarámuri“ what means „the footrunners“. In fact they are among the best long range runners in the world. Inspite of the pressures of modern civilization they maintain until these days their traditional behaviour and organization. This documentary is examplifying this culture by describing the life of maskcarver Simón Morales. This man until his death lived half blind and nearly deaf carving masks for a ritualistic use in his community. The masks are called „antifazes“ (counterfaces) in spanish-mexican, and in the own words of Tarahumara people they stand as a sign for the death. But Simón Morales also produced masks for the author of this film who starts a dialog at length with him about their lives, their differences, and what they might have in common. The film shows the many masks and the working of Simón Morales connected with his daily life until he died. The kind of transcultural dialog continues over the second part of the film when the community of Simón Morales prepares and celebrates the death ceremony for him while drinking lots of their traditional cornbeer. This ritual is for sending his soul up to heaven where the ancestors live. The ritualistic farwell of the soul means that it never should come back, it is a complete goodbye to the dead person, and the whole community is dancing the soul away for uniting it with the ancestors. For years the author of this film lived within the Tarahumara community which helped in realizing his documentary. Intimate insights to this culture in comparison to the counterface (was means „western civilization“, too) are shown. "Best Short Documentary" "Best Educational Film" |
Haruan: The Snakehead Do bad deeds always beget badness? A dark tale of a magical fish and its flawed human friends. 10-year old Ikan lives with his older sister Salomah and their stepfather Deris. Ikan adores his sister and loves all fish, especially his pet snakehead fish Haruan. Some snakeheads eat their young. Apparently, some humans do too. Like the snakeheads, hungry Deris has no natural predator. Like the snakeheads, Salomah is a survivor. Ikan and Haruan will do anything to save their beloved Salomah. Deris must be stopped, at whatever cost... "Best Experimental Film" "Best Horror" "Best Young Actor" |
Incognito A lonely motel receptionist makes an extra buck by selling the hidden-cam videos of his unsuspecting guests on the internet. But when one such guest turns out to be a young girl at risk of being trafficked, he faces a crisis of conscience. "Best Short Film" "Best Director Debut" |
Stan by Me Stan by Me is a geriatric spin on a coming-of-age story about a grumpy, resentful character called Mervin. Despite the overzealous encouragement of Stan, his jolly neighbour, Mervin's aches and pains overshadow every possible joy in life. Worlds apart in temperament; they both cope with aging, loneliness and isolation in their own way, but Mervin soon discovers that not everyone wears their struggle publicly. Everyone needs help and the best way through hard times is together. "Best Animation" |
Rayen RAYEN has recently lost her mother and lives alone with her father who prioritizes work over his daughter. The young woman wants to join the group of the most popular in the school so she doesn't feel so alone. She realizes that they are some evil girls who do bullying at school and invites them to a sleepover at her house to play a practical joke on them for the Holy Innocents' Day. she figures out what is supposed to happen at the sleepover and changes her mind to play a prank on them and she gets her revenge. "Best Student Film" "Best Director Debut" |
As Scared As You A twenty-something male “drifter” antihero, and a young blind woman become caged prisoners at a bed and breakfast in small-town northern California, where the drifter’s violent, malignant actions prior, push a group of malicious locals-- along with their two animalistic, basement-held zombified residents, dressed as a dog and a clown-- to seek vengeance. "Best Feature Screenplay" "Best Original Screenplay" |
The Four Of Us Are Dying While on a road trip through the American southwest, a twenty-something fugitive-antihero and her naive, romantically-involved male partner kidnap a random male/female “couple” that the fugitive plans to include in a human sacrifice— that also includes herself and her partner, by incorporating the four of them into a single-living, fusion-based organism— in order to fulfill her lifelong quest to become sexually compatible with the extra terrestrial that abducted her when she was a small child. "Best Feature Screenplay" "Best Original Screenplay" |
From the inside During the years 2020 and 2021, four Brazilian artists from different areas reflect, at different times, on the anguish and impacts caused by the biggest pandemic of the last 100 years, caused by Covid-19. The documentary shortfilm “From the Inside” records this dialogue and how the isolation and situation in Brazil impacted the daily lives of each one. The film is in the official selection of the Berlin Indie Film Festival 2022. "Best Short Documentary" |
Liminality Liminality is inspired by reimagining what Odette may have experienced upon plunging to her death in the lake from the classical ballet "Swan Lake". It is a moment of suspended reality and a story of disenchantment, self-discovery and transformation. In our modern world we know that “happily ever after” is a journey and we have the ability to exercise our own agency to create our experience. In our story, the heroine is exploring the space in between life and death. She is coming to terms with the end of her world as she knew it and finding the strength and courage to move into a new existence. We see this story as a metaphor for what many ballet dancers experience upon the imminent journey of their retirement from professional careers. On stage there is always a happy ending. For example, Seigfried in "Swan Lake" immediately realizes his mistake in being seduced by another woman, seeks forgiveness from Odette, and follows her off the cliff to his death so they can be reunited in the afterlife. But what is the reality for the dancers who play these characters? When the fairytale is over, what happens next? The dancer and choreographer of Liminality, Annali Rose, is searching to answer that question for herself. She is using her heart as a guide to follow what brings her joy. As someone who is new to choreography, she wanted to begin this journey in the only place she had felt inspired to play with choreography in her past—underwater. The water is symbolic of the feeling of drowning and the death of her identity as a professional dancer. But it also envelops her, providing safety, support, and the spark of joy that is the magical seed of regeneration. The cinematography was captured by artist and digital choreographer, Jennifer Akalina Petuch, at the Madison Blue Spring State Park in Lee County Florida during January 2020. Having a sharp eye for 2-D composition in Dance and a steady hand, Petuch used her skills of swimming, experience as a professional dancer, and a simple GoPro to film and then create the underwater work. "Best Dance Video" |
Salvation Rock & Roll "Grindhouse" Music Video "Best Music Video" |
Erraiak (Bowels). The echo of the ancestors ERRAIAK The scream that comes from the caves. He who listens, feels and sings. A language without words. The one that comes out from the bowels. The echo of our ancestors.But since when is the irrintzi among us? Does it still exist in the 21st century? These and many other questions are what the documentary Erraiak tries to clarify. Exploring various corners of Euskal Herria we have tried to clarify the origin and expansion of irrintzi. What influence does the irrintzi have on the activity of sailors? "Best Short Documentary" |
Murder on Cairo The story follows Charles O’Bannon, a gambler and common con-man who seeks to atone for his crimes. Picked up by Lt. Davis, he has to go undercover to seek out the crime boss Richmond and his associates. But that’s not all that lies with Charlie, his sister Camille is in on the action and helps him fend for himself with small-time loans to bustler his gambling addiction. Losing the money he raised, Charles is forced to partner with a rival crime boss, Ortega, and repay the loans he took. Climaxing in the final scene, Charlie pays the ultimate price for his sins. "Best Feature Screenplay" "Best Original Screenplay" |
The Stars My Destination A retired Russian-Japanese soldier Eiji Onodera (Keishi Suenaga) was going to his hometown in Japan. But on his way, he was caught and given a new mission by his ex-colleague Captain Vadim Dadikov (Gohnosuke Tokuda). Onodera and his father would never be free unless he completes the secret mission. He and the Master Sergeant Zinaida Zasyekina (Satoko Enmei) go to Hokkaido to monitor an ex-officer of Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, Toshio Honda (Taiyo Sawa). Honda has killed 27 people including his colleagues, and is hiding in a mountain with a mysterious beauty, Risa (Riho Yoshioka)… "Best Action Movie" "Best Makeup" "Best Costume Design" |
Fix It in Post A group of college filmmakers are trying to compete a classmate's short...with little luck... "Best Web Series" |
The Sea of Hope This is my first animation film. A Middle eastern refugee father and son dangerous sea journey trying to escape the war-torn country. The film will try to highlight the fears and the peril and the risks the refugees take just to have a chance of a semi normal life. The film is made in traditional hand drawn animation. I come from the city of Tripoli Lebanon, so I felt it was my duty to make this film. Self financed with no budget it took me 5 years to make learning animation from scratch. The film was made in 3D by myself then hand rotoscoped frame by Frame by the Italian artist Cristiana Messina. https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/23/one-child-dies-but-more-than-40-people-are-saved-after-boat-sinks-off-tripoli "Best Animation" |
If The Shoe Fits Whilst taking a shortcut home, an ordinary guy from the 21st century bumps into Cinderella and points out the plot hole. "Best Actress" "Best Comedy' "Best Fantasy" |
Caperucita Azul (Little Blue Riding Hood) Everything that is written remains forever and it is powerfull. Over centuries, books have filled millions and millions of shelves and have left their mark on many hearts and minds. There are those who have been afraid of them, for not being able to have control over what it was written in them and wanting to avoid those "ideas that shook the foundations of coexistence." For this reason, many books have been burned, destroyed and persecuted, but thanks to the people who fought for them, they have survived to this day as faithful witnesses of history, so that we do not make the same mistakes as our ancestors. --- Todo lo que queda escrito, permanece para siempre y tiene poder. Durante siglos, los libros han llenado millones y millones de estanterías y han dejado huella en muchos corazones y mentes. Hay quién les ha tenido miedo, por no poder tener control sobre lo que se escribía y querer evitar aquellas “ideas que tambaleaban los cimientos de la convivencia”. Por eso, muchos libros han sido quemados, destruidos y perseguidos, pero gracias a personas que lucharon por ellos, han llegado a nuestros días como testigos fieles de la historia para que no cometamos los mismos errores que nuestros antepasados. "Best Dance Video" "Best Composer" "Best Costume Design" |
THE RIVER OF SEVEN NAMES Traveling with a river is like traveling with life. For nine months, photographer and mountain guide Sergi Ricart followed alone the Mekong river from the Tibetan plateaus, where he explored and climbed several virgin mountains, to the Delta in Vietnam, after cycling about 3000 km, living along the way the awesome metamorphosis of its nature and humanity. But he missed one chapter in that journey: reaching the sources. So, one year later, and this time with some friends, he went back to Tibet to try to close the circle. "Best Feature Documentary" "Best Director Debut" "Best Sport Film" |
On the track of Robert van Gulik Robert van Gulik (1910-1967) is one of the world’s most popular Dutch writers, but relatively unrecognized in his own country. A diplomat, Chinese specialist and scholar, he became famous with his detective series about Judge Tie, which in many ways, are projections of his own life: a permanent duality between his real life and the hero in his books. "Best Feature Documentary" |
ROTOR A masseur arrives at his client’s place. It’s been a complicated day, and he is struggling not to spin out of control… "Best Mobile Film" "Best Actor" |
Los Aspirantes -The Applicants- It is a hilarious comedy set in an office called Holliwood where everything turns into a desaster. Every single person in the office is tempted into getting a better job and they compete with the applicants for that purpose. Most of the situations a really surrealistic and funny so you never know what is going to happen.The more jobs offered, more situations to laugh at. Who needs the job?. "Best Web Series" |
JAKOB & MARIA Jakob & Maria is a film by Christian Schiesser, partly shot on Super-8 analog film. The film is meant to animate people to think big, to dream big, to have big visions - but also to realize them. We follow the story of Jakob, a perpetual student, who wanders dreamily through life until one day, with the help of his Super-8 camera, he gets a different view of the world. In a museum, a mysterious woman suddenly speaks to him while he is filming with his Super-8 camera... Who is this woman? Jakob sets out to find her. Her message won't let Jacob go...." Think big, dream big...." Inspired by many great films, and equally inspired by Arnold Schwarzenegger's "Rule of Success" speech, Christian Schiesser's screenplay has expressed his appreciation to the great cinematic works - and if you listen closely, you can also discover some film quotes. "Best Short Film" "Best Director Debut" "Best Actor" - David Ketter "Best Sound Design" "Best Editing" "Best Closing Credits" |
The Dark Action A micro short film by Dustin James Leighton. It's the Greed-Is-Good 1980s and a wrongful death case looks like murder. When the police discover a federal bank examiner dead on a deserted city street on Christmas Eve 1983, there’s no evidence, no leads and no suspects. To find answers, street-smart lawyer Connor J. Devlin, enlists the help of Sloane Monae, a former college volleyball player and an ex-cop turned private detective. As the new duo start pulling the threads of the case, they find themselves equally intrigued with each other. "Best Cinematography" |
Until the End In Switzerland, more and more people would prefer to die in their own bed. The film portrays relatives who accompanied a person at home until the end of life. It shows which communal forms of support exist for the well-being of relatives and how communities can strengthen competences in dealing with the end of life. "Best Short Documentary" |
The Little Prince with A Mask The Little Prince with A Mask is a short educational comedy. The film was shot entirely on a cell phone. The filming team consisted of one drama teacher and eight middle school students. The filming took place in a real drama classroom during their real drama class time. The film is about something that happened in a drama classroom during the COVID-19 pandemic, when schools were reopened in the US in September 2020. At a public school in the South of the United States, where the teacher teaches students drama in Chinese language, the drama teacher used a cellphone and a tripod to record her teaching and her students' production, The Little Prince. The short film, the Little Prince with A Mask, shows how the students adapted The Little Prince into a short film production step by step. "Best Short Documentary" "Best COVID-19 Film" "Best Mobile Film" |
REQUIEM Requiem is set in 1605, against the backdrop of the witch trials. It's a coming of age story, following Evelyn as she engages in a game of cat and mouse against her father, Minister Gilbert, in order to be with Mary, the woman she loves. "Best Short Film" "Best Director" - Emma Gilbertson |
Deaf Reach: Hope for Pakistan In Pakistan, an American expatriot and his Filipina wife have led the development of education opportunities for deaf children and young adults for over 20 years. They began with nothing more than a dream and now have educated more than 5,000 deaf students; established Deaf Reach schools in 8 different cities; and have current enrollment over 1,200. “Deaf Reach: Hope for Pakistan,” a documentary short film, tells their story and highlights some of their students, parents, graduates, and staff. The film also spotlights recent achievements in international collaboration and higher education. "Best Educational Film" |
Finding the Line - An Exploration of Structural Integration Boulder Colorado and Esalen Institute USA 1960's & 1970’s: Resulting from her studies Dr. Ida Rolf developed a program of postural re-patterning using fascial manipulation and movement education which she called Structural Integration and which is nowadays known in the public at large as ‘rolfing’. Milano, Prague, Warszaw 2018 - 2022 This movie tells the story of an adventure - an adventure that will take the viewer into Ida Rolf's world of Structural Integration. At the heart of the movie are 8 students and their quest to understand Ida Rolf's philosophy during their 3 year Basic Trainings in Milano, Prague and Warsaw. The movie also explains the basic ideas behind Structural Integration and discusses the most recent research into fascia. "Best Feature Documentary" "Best Educational Film" |
The Muse Once successful novelist Mark is fighting for his sanity struggling to finish his book. Mark explores his difficult relations with his father and the sense of fear as an enemy of creativity. Will Mark sacrifice himself to finish his book on time? "Best Feature Film" "Best Director" - Max Karpylev "Best Director Debut" "Best Producer" - Ivan Zabolotsky "Best Cinematography" "Best Drama" "Best Actor" - Vladimir Kurtseba "Best Supporting Actor" - Sergey Novikov "Best Original Score" "Best Color Editing" "Best Editing" "Best Sound Design" |
Swallow and Magpie Yanzi, a lonely exchange student from Shanghai comes across a strange girl named Maggie who appears to be filming something in the park. A curious Yanzi tries to befriend Maggie to help with her filming. The strange girl wants nothing to do with the exchange student but Yanzi does not give up. "Best Student Film" |
RACE From Aug 25, 2017, almost 1 million Rohingya people were forced away from their homeland Myanmar and formed the "world largest refugee camp" next to the border in Bangladesh. Tens of thousands of children and women who failed to escape were killed, abused and raped. Although such ultra-violent act --- described as Genocide: "Ethnic Cleansing" by the UN, was executed, the official records deny such facts and what actually happened was veiled in mystery. Such occurred, because of media manipulation, cover-ups, and most significantly the particular way how "Race" matters for the Myanmar people. Succeeded to film and collect scenes from the restricted homelands and refugee camps, the documentary shows what actually did happen, is happening, and worsening, inside the darkest shadows of Asia. "Best Historical Film" |
TAGBANUA What happens when an already very unknown indigenous people is threatened with extinction and with them their traditions and culture? The future of the Tagbanua is uncertain. They can still make a living from their traditional fishing, agriculture and harvesting edible bird nests. But the question is; for how long? Their way of life no longer fits into the modern world and is increasingly endangered by immigration, discrimination, climate change and destruction of their natural resources. Despite the odds the Tagbanua try to bring their culture unscathed into the future and find a balance between retaining their traditions and adaptation to new challenges. We only hope that in this process not too much of their traditional way of life is lost. Over a period of 10 years, the film team follows one of the oldest tribes in the Philippines and documents their traditional way of life. The film shows in a personal perspective how the Tagbanua deal with the challenges of modern times and fight for recognition of their rights. It is a contemporary document which captures the traditional Tagbanua way of life and simultaneously serves as an homage to this admirable indigenous tribe. "Best Feature Documentary" "Best ECO Work" |
Oliver and the Pool Oliver –a 13 years old single son from a fractured family—arrives home from the crematory and sits in the chaise long next to the pool, holding his father ashes. In that chaise long Oliver will learn to forgive himself and other, recover his will for pursuing happiness and maybe even fall in love. "Best Feature Film" "Best Director" - Arcadi Palerm Artis "Best Drama" "Best Young Actor" - Alejandro Arean |
My little big secrets Film “My little big secrets” is a story about a woman who is cheated on by her partner with a younger girl. She is coming back to her childhood home to there find a lost piece of herself that she’s been looking for her whole adult life. "Best Short Film" "Best Director Debut" "Best Actress" - Paulina Gawrońska "Best Color Editing" "Best Original Score" |
OLD BOYS Following the funeral of their friend Dédé, two seventy-year-olds, Mister Paul and Bobby, find themselves in a neighborhood bistro where they remember the blessed era of their footballistic glory and their romantic adventures, especially with Lola, the owner of the establishment. Around them, a young waitress, Bibi, who looks furiously like this Lola, apparently absent: is the young woman the daughter of their ex-mistress and if so, could one of them not be her father? All this under the amused gaze of the deceased who comments on their improbable encounter, first from his coffin, then from Heaven ! "Best Feature Film" |
Uncle Marx / Marx Amca 9-year-old boy, named Oğuz, is entrusted to his great-uncle Kemal. In a sudden, the portrait of Karl Marx on the wall, draws Oğuz’s attention. The question,"Who is this?" creates developments that will reveal dreams and also, disappointments. "Best Short Film" |
AROUND THE BEND A visual project for the single "Around The Bend" off of the album "T.S.I.R "(The Struggle Is Real) from the hip-hop artist NRBARZ hailing from the Caribbean the project captures the scenes from NRBARZ's homeland the Bahamas while delivering a timeless message of encouragement about defeating the odds and overcoming the darkness. "Best Original Song" |
So Far From Hell A biographical journey, between past and present, between lives with such different fates. Crystèle Renaudin, whose grandmother returned from the death camp, punctuates the film with music, her unwavering passion, while Pierre Zani testifies about his mother for the first time in front of a camera. A journey built over three years, where smiles and lightness rub shoulders with terror and dread, where life comes up against the inconceivable. A journey where ghosts of the past arise, voices urging us to live. "Best Original Soundtrack" |
© All Rights Reserved. GLIFF Inc.
gliffestival@gmail.com
