Moravská Hellas

Karel Vachek’s graduate film offers us a documentary essay which is both a light-hearted and aggressive little piece and also a parody of investigative film journalism. The Strážnice folk festival, backed by the cultural Party apparatus of the time, for years had little to commend itself to authentic folklore. In the film the event assumes the form of a bizarre stage spectacle with almost surrealistic elements that Vachek reinforces with unconventional approaches (commentary appearing as titles on screen, singing, declamations into the camera, feature etudes, the fusion of news coverage and fiction). The result is a stirring film collage depicting various characters, from crowd-pleasers, Easter egg decorators, kitsch artists and peddlers, to museologists and local residents, all of whom come up against the eccentric "identical” twin reporters Karel and Jan Saudek and a bored actress who appears as an extra. Using their special blend of irony and wit, they present us with the sad truth.

Playing Through

Late in her career, Ann Gregory finds the courage to be the first woman of color to enter the USGA Women's Amateur. She collides with Babs Whatling, a privileged white woman from the south who is searching for her own identity.

Իմ Առաջին Հեռախոսը

Eight-year-old Sargis' father returns home and gives a present to Sargis his dream phone. On the same day, Sargis learns that his father has returned to break up with his mother.

Bibek

Fedja is haunted by his conscience in the form of Bibek.

A Spot for Frog

Locked out of the school art room, a creative non-binary teen named Frog grapples with anxiety as they seek a new place to eat lunch. Imagination blurs with reality in this hybrid work of live action and animation about finding a place to belong.

Sacando Sonrisas

The daily life of the volunteers of the Compañeros de Batalla foundation, dedicated to providing support and hope to the children fighting cancer at the Pediatric Specialties Hospital in Maracaibo.

Bata, Batak Ka Pa

A young boy's innocence is slowly deprived by digital overstimulation and the War on Drugs. Surrounded by a world of vices, his future becomes uncertain when he learns the truth about the people around him.

Dear June

After June and Charlie break up, Theo finds a scrapbook containing their fondest memories together, and he becomes obsessed with their relationship. He convinces June to try and win Charlie back by recreating moments from the book. Dear June follows the intricacies of a relationship going downhill and explores how straight men view and tokenize sapphic relationships.

Code_Switch

After tragedy strikes, a meek Ruby Oliver enters a broken VR game for a last chance to see the dead. Little does she know that this game treats all girls as a virus as she fights to save herself.

Vinland

Like many others, Daniil has decided to leave his native Georgia and move to Prague in search of better pay. Originally a teacher, he finds a job with Ukrainian laborers controlled by a Russian boss called Sergei and thus becomes a cog in the machinery that takes advantage of the work of illegal immigrants… Vinland looks at the lives of people who exist all around us but about whom we know so little because their identities disappear the moment they relinquish their passports to the mafia who are interested only in profit.

El Viaje

Amator

Filip buys an 8mm movie camera when his first child is born. Because it's the first camera in town, he's named official photographer by the local Party boss. His horizons widen when he is sent to regional film festivals with his first works but his focus on movie making also leads to domestic strife and philosophical dilemmas.

Dedication

"Dedication" is the story of a maid working in a hotel who uses a black magic spell in the hopes of harnessing the talent of one of the hotel's frequent guests - an eccentric writer - and passing it on to her unborn son.

James

Young James struggles as an outsider at his school. His teacher, Mr. Sutherland, is the only person he feels he can connect with. When James finally puts a voice to his feelings, Mr. Sutherland's response isn't what James had hoped for.

Artist Unknown

A short documentary on how people view art and its value in today's society.

The Cube

An insecure but curious gay guy tries to change the outcome of his date by manipulating time with his Rubik’s Cube, despite not acknowledging the consequences that this time warp might bring to his date.

FOR THEE

Jeremiah Cardinal, the Prime Minister of Canada is faced with American invasion. Having been evacuated to a secret bunker, he wants to do more than sit around. Knowing it may give away his location and cost him his life, he must convince the Governor General to help him broadcast one last message to the people to inspire resistance or the invasion will continue uninterrupted.

خارج المدينة

"A young filmmaker studying at the Alexandria Higher Institute of Cinema (AHIC) struggles with an internal conflict; torn between his deep loyalty to his hometown of Alexandria and his burning desire to immerse himself in the vibrant film scene of Cairo, the bustling capital. He discusses the matter with a fellow AHIC student, where they share their thoughts and questions about the meaning of success and their personal aspirations. This shared exploration becomes a search for a guiding light, a clue that reveals whether their chosen paths will lead them to their desired futures.

Najkrajší kút v šírom svete

A reporter for a fictional television station, originally from Ukraine, travels around Slovakia and asks people at memorable places questions about the nature of fascism and the soul of the Slovak nation. The documentary essay seeks to capture the shape of a society on the fringes of the political spectrum through the words spoken and the images of crowd scenes.

Sunnyside

Lola's dream of escaping her father's Sunnyside motel seems closer to reality when a young stranger checks in.