South Korea / USA Director: Kangmin Kim
The connection between a father and son is explored in this gorgeous paper-based stop motion animation set in a steam-filled old public bathhouse.Part of: Shorts 2: Blurring the Lines
No Dialogue, 8 min
New Zealand Director: Campbell Hooper
When statistician John Wilkins is sucked out of a plane at 43,000 feet, he calculates that he has exactly 3 minutes and 48 seconds before he hits the ground in this clever little film about falling.Part of: Shorts 7: Chaos Theory
English, 9 min
USA Director: Benjamin Kegan
Cole is home for the holidays … and now they’re over. A humorous look at a young man’s relationship with his parents and the trials and tribulations of returning to the family home.Part of: Shorts 1: City & State
English, 11 min
USA Director: Landon Zakheim
A wolf in sheep’s clothing thinks he is a sheep … True character is revealed in this truthful portrait of the fading echoes of a relationship.Part of: Shorts 7: Chaos Theory
English, 13 min
Sweden Director: Fijona Jonuzi
Feisty 11 year old Astrid rebels against her mother and spends the afternoon in town with her friends. But when evening comes she has a little problem she needs to deal with.Part of: Shorts 7: Chaos Theory
Swedish with subtitles, 15 min
USA Director:
A woman suffering from an unexplained stomach pain believes her doctor has the answer, while her husband is more interested in snake hunting in this quirky experimental animated film.Part of: Shorts 2: Blurring the Lines
English, 10 min
Estonia Director: Ülo Pikkov
String puppets twist and turn and struggle to break free from the mysterious prison in which they are confined in in this enigmatic animated parable.Part of: Shorts 2: Blurring the Lines
No Dialogue, 9 min
USA Director: Jonah D. Ansell
A corpse wakes up to say a last goodbye to his wife, but discovers a truth in death he didn't know in life. A bittersweet love story featuring the voice talents of Christopher Lloyd, Tavi Gevinson and Academy Award® winner Kathy Bates.Part of: Shorts 1: City & State
English, 8 min
Egypt Director: Ritesh Batra
After two years together, the first big crisis in Alaa and Mai’s relationship is captured in this charming encounter in a Cairo café.Part of: Shorts 5: Spotlight Middle East
Arabic with subtitles, 12 min
USA Director: Seth Keal
Mr Lee, an adopted stray cat, routinely disappeared from his South Carolina home for days on end. Intrigued by his whereabouts, his owner Juergen creates a special camera to put around his neck, and CatCam is born!Part of: Shorts 6: Truth Be Told
English, 16 min
USA Director: Grainger David
The mysterious story of an outbreak of poisonous mold in a small town, and one boy's attempt to understand his mother's death, his grandmother's obsession with their discarded recliner, and the roots of this short-lived, strange, and inexplicable plague.Part of: Shorts 3: Midnight Mayhem
Croatia Director: Hana Jušić
A girl visits her ex-boyfriend in search of their lost intimacy in this candid exploration of the ways in which sex can both bring us closer together and drive us further apart.Part of: Shorts 4: Not OK, Cupid!
Croatian with subtitles, 11 min
Iceland Director: Börkur Sigthorsson
In the concrete landscape of contemporary Reykjavik, Stefán’s life is slipping into turmoil. When he senses an intruder in his home, panic quickly turns to grim determination in this masterfully paced thriller.Part of: Shorts 3: Midnight Mayhem
Icelandic with subtitles, 18 min
Canada / France Directors: Tibor Bánóczki and Sarolta Szabó
A man and woman are carried by stormy seas onto a strange, inhospitable shore. There they embark on an epic adventure, attempting to survive in their new world in a stunning animated collage.Part of: Shorts 2: Blurring the Lines
No Dialogue, 12 min
Greece Director: Rinio Dragasaki
1980’s Athens, Greece is brought to life in this colorful, captivating story of a nine year old girl who believes that both Vladimir Lenin and Freddy Krueger are out to get her dad.Part of: Shorts 7: Chaos Theory
Greek with English subtitles, 20 min
Czech Republic Directors: Zack Bornstein and David Shuck and Eric Binswanger
Little Milos worships his family tradition of hunting but takes matters into his own hands when he's told he is too young to go. But what is the real reason he is forbidden to tag along?Part of: Shorts 4: Not OK, Cupid!
Czech with English subtitles, 9 min
Brazil Director: Rafael Urban
An idiosyncratic portrait of an eccentric widow who looks after an impressive collection of fossils and documents, and her unexpected penchant for photoshop.Part of: Shorts 6: Truth Be Told
Portuguese with English subtitles, 12 min
Canada / France Director: Franck Dion
When Edmond's co-workers give him a new set of ears, his life begins to change in this haunting, melancholy animation.Part of: Shorts 2: Blurring the Lines
English, 14 min
New Zealand Director: Michelle Savill
In this bittersweet story, Ellen is leaving to travel the world. She just has one more thing to take care of before she leaves: finding a new girl for her boyfriend.Part of: Shorts 4: Not OK, Cupid!
English, 15 min
Jordan Director: Said Najmi
In the deserts of Petra, Jordan, Mfadi struggles to decide whether to stay in his humble home or move his family to the city in a carefully observed study of a people and their changing way of life.Part of: Shorts 5: Spotlight Middle East
Arabic with subtitles, 16 min
UK Director: Chris Foggin
Judy Dench is as charming as ever in this short comedic look at the mature generation dating in our modern, social networking-obsessed world.Part of: Shorts 4: Not OK, Cupid!
English, 12 min
USA Director: Chris Mars
This eerie black and white animation depicts a little-known environmental catastrophe.Part of: Shorts 3: Midnight Mayhem
English, 5 min
Belgium / Iraq Director: Sahim Omar Kalifa
Iraq,1988. In a land devastated by war, Dileer and his sister just want to watch cartoons on television, but that seems to be more difficult than expected in this multi-award winning short.Part of: Shorts 5: Spotlight Middle East
Arabic/ Kurdish with subtitles, 19 min
Ecuador / USA Director: Sandy Patch
Baltazar has made a living harvesting glacial ice from the tallest mountain in Ecuador for fifty years in this sensitive, beautifully lensed snapshot of one man struggling to adjust to his changing community.Part of: Shorts 6: Truth Be Told
Spanish/ Quichua with English subtitles, 15 min
Australia Director: Nick King
Marla and Sam meet and flirt in the restroom of a bar, but this isn’t just a story of boy meets girl. Hands down, this just may be the strangest, and most inventive, love story you've ever seen.Part of: Shorts 4: Not OK, Cupid!
USA Director: Nick Palmer
An offbeat, touching documentary portrait of Bruce Metz reveals how he became Mr. Christmas, a man whose astonishing holiday light displays have earned him fame in his community.Part of: Shorts 6: Truth Be Told
Switzerland Director: Lynn Devillaz & Antonio Veiras
In this darkly comedic animated tale, a serial killer is prowling in a small town. But who can really be trusted?Part of: Shorts 3: Midnight Mayhem
French with English subtitles, 9 min
Italy Director: Enrico Maria Artale
A girl attunes her breathing to the movements of her bow, but her talent for archery hides violent instincts in this visceral, powerfully immediate piece of filmmaking.Part of: Shorts 3: Midnight Mayhem
Italian with English subtitles, 11 min
Sweden Director: Sascha Fülscher
What starts off as a practical joke turns into a crucial turning point in Lilja’s life in this animated short film about playing with identity.Part of: Shorts 2: Blurring the Lines
Belgium / France Directors: Emma de Swaef and Marc James Roels
In this spellbinding stop-motion animation, fifty-something Willy returns to the naturist community where he has spent his youth to visit his dying mother. When she dies shortly after he arrives, Willy is confronted with the choices he has made in his life.Part of: Shorts 2: Blurring the Lines
No Dialogue, 16 min
USA Director: Leah Shore
For more than 20 years Charles Manson has refused to communicate with the outside world. Until now. Actual never- before- heard phone conversations between Canadian author Marlin Marynick and Charles Manson are brought to life through animation.Part of: Shorts 2: Blurring the Lines
English, 7 min
USA Director: Nadav Kurtz
Three Mexican immigrants risk their lives washing windows on some of the tallest skyscrapers in Chicago. This thoughtful portrayal of their everyday lives reveals their thoughts about working, mortality, and the people they observe inside the high-rises they clean.Part of: Shorts 1: City & State
English and Spanish subtitles, 10 min
Israel Director: Adam Bizanski
Still in the aftermath of a tough break up, Paul's life is slowly deteriorating. A mindless burglary of his rented apartment forces him to push through the underworld of Tel Aviv to investigate.Part of: Shorts 3: Midnight Mayhem
Hebrew with English subtitles, 26 min
UK Director: Tali Yankelevich
The delicacy and perfection of ballet dancers is juxtaposed cleverly with the gruff, masculine men who spend their lives making their shoes. Yet both processes are equally painstaking.Part of: Shorts 6: Truth Be Told
UK Director: John Maclean
Michael Fassbender stars in this dark, suspenseful tale of a professional safe cracker who encounters a hitch while on the job.Part of: Shorts 7: Chaos Theory
UK Director: Joseph Pierce
Lines blur between patron and bartender as intoxication takes hold in this visually striking animation.Part of: Shorts 2: Blurring the Lines
USA Directors: Fawzia Mirza and Ryan Logan
As a young girl, Fawzia Mirza fell under the spell of Bollywood heroines and their promise of love and feminine perfection. As an adult, she re-imagines it in a queer light.Part of: Shorts 1: City & State
English, 3 min
Israel Director: Shay Levi
After a psychotic breakdown, Shay must readjust to life with his family. A moving, profound study of a troubled young man attempting to rebuild his life.Part of: Shorts 5: Spotlight Middle East
Hebrew with subtitles, 19 min
Switzerland Director: Claude Barras
On a road in an arid desert, a car pulls into the parking lot of a motel. A man holding a cardboard box comes out of it and rushes into the room number 69 … but what is inside the box?Part of: Shorts 4: Not OK, Cupid!
Montenegro / Serbia / USA Director: Ana Lazarevic
In the lush, weedy Serbian countryside, a first time human trafficker becomes stranded with the Roma boy he is to deliver in this compelling short drama.Part of: Shorts 1: City & State
English, 18 min
Director: various
Our exciting annual showcase of the best new shorts by talented local filmmakers includes narrative, documentary, and animated works. Three Chicago window cleaners wax lyrical as they work on a high rise in PARADISE. A corpse wakes up to say a last goodbye to his wife in CADAVER, featuring the voice talents of Christopher Lloyd and Kathy Bates. An epic romance is reimagined in a queer light in THE QUEEN OF MY DREAMS. Brad spends his final night in the suburbs alongside his older brother in WHERE THE BUFFALO ROAM. A human trafficker becomes stranded In the lush Serbian countryside in THE RUNNER. Cole is home for the holidays… and now they’re over in AFTER CHRISTMAS.
80 min
A gorgeous array of animation styles and techniques are put to work illustrating these strikingly original tales from around the world. A birthmark forms a bond between father and son in an old public bathhouse in 38 - 39 Cº (USA/South Korea). Life is a constant struggle for a quirky married couple in BITE OF THE TAIL (USA). A man and woman are carried to strange, inhospitable shores in THE CONQUERORS (Canada/France). Charles Manson communicates with the outside world for the first time in 20 years in OLD MAN (USA). When Edmond’s co-workers give him a new set of ears, his life begins to change in EDMOND WAS A DONKEY (Canada/France). Willy is forced to return to his naturist roots in OH WILLY… (Belgium/France). BODY MEMORY (Estonia) explores how far back in our ancestry it is possible to go. Lines blur between patron and bartender in the visually striking THE PUB (UK). A prank takes an unexpected turn in NEXT DOOR LETTERS (Sweden).
98 min
Director:
A late night helping of thrillers and chillers, from the supernatural to the bloody to the downright bizarre. IN HANFORD (USA) is an animated depiction of a little-known environmental catastrophe. A young girl who lives in a remote wrecking yard takes on the local bullies using special powers in YARDBIRD (Australia). A serial killer is prowling in a small town in MURDERER ALIAS X (Switzerland). THE CHAIR (USA) is the story of one boy’s reaction to a mysterious outbreak of poisonous mold in his small rural town. PAUL (Israel) is still in the aftermath of a tough break-up when a mindless burglary forces him to push through the underworld of Tel Aviv. A girl’s talent for archery hides violent instincts in MY BOW BREATHING (Italy). When Stefan senses an intruder in his home, panic quickly turns to grim determination in COME TO HARM (Iceland).
96 min
A stimulating program that encompasses sweet, saucy, sad, and subversive elements of our romantic and sexual relationships. Caution advised for those on first dates! A man with a cardboard box pulls into a motel and rushes into ROOM 69 (Switzerland). A girl visits her ex-boyfriend in search of their lost intimacy in CHILL (Croatia). Delightful comedy FRIEND REQUEST PENDING (UK), featuring Judi Dench, observes the mature generation dating in our modern social networking world. MARLA (Australia) may just be the strangest love story you’ve ever seen. Milos worships his family tradition of hunting and takes matters into his own hands when he is told he is too young to tag along in DEAR HUNTERS (Czech Republic). On the eve of departing overseas, Ellen gives her boyfriend a questionable gift in ELLEN IS LEAVING (New Zealand).
66 min
A gorgeous and compelling selection of narrative, documentary and experimental shorts from across the Middle East. TSTL/ KING LOST HIS TOOTH (Lebanon) is an experimental diptych that plays with haphazard assemblage of words and phrases cut from a given paragraph. In a café in Cairo, a relationship goes through its first big test in CAFÉ REGULAR, CAIRO (Egypt). Two young filmmakers struggle to raise the budget for their next film in WAITING FOR P.O. BOX (Syria). A soldiers’ tale begins when a female garment appears in the barracks in UNDER THE COLORS (Iran). A couple are on a mission to send the perfect photograph to their son in THIS IS LONDON (Bahrain/UAE). A father struggles to decide whether to stay in his humble home in the deserts of Petra or move to the city in FACES (Jordan). After a psychotic breakdown, Shay must readjust to life with his family in RETURN (Israel). Set in 1988, the conflict between Iraq and Iran is reaching its final stage in LAND OF THE HEROES (Belgium/Iraq).
126 min
These absorbing documentary character studies lovingly explore a handful of unique characters and their relationships with the objects and the places that define them. Stunningly artistic photos are captured on a tiny camera worn by Mr. Lee, a roving feline in CATCAM (USA). Burly men take pride in their work creating ballet shoes in THE PERFECT FIT (UK). WRITTEN IN INK (Poland) is the compelling story of a man trying to get back in touch with his sister after 14 years. An offbeat, touching portrait of Bruce Metz reveals how he became MR. CHRISTMAS (USA). DINOSAUR EGGS IN THE LIVING ROOM (Brazil) creates an idiosyncratic portrait of an eccentric widow who looks after an impressive collection of fossils and documents. THE LAST ICE MERCHANT (Ecuador) has made a living harvesting glacial ice from the tallest mountain in Ecuador for fifty years, but now change has come to his community.
78 min
In life, things aren’t always what they seem, which can be good, bad, or disastrous in this fascinating selection of shorts in which the outcome is never quite what we expected. ASTRID (Sweden) follows an 11-year old rebelling against her mother and getting an unexpected problem to solve. With 43,000 FEET (New Zealand) to fall, John calculates he has exactly 3 minutes and 48 seconds before he hits the ground. In a factory farm, a chicken has a vision in TASTES LIKE CHICKEN? (Brazil). Set in 1980’s Athens, a young girl loses touch with her workaholic communist father in DAD, LENIN AND FREDDY (Greece). In the fading echoes of a relationship, character is revealed in ANOTHER BULLET DODGED (USA). Confused about the story he is telling, a French narrator jumps from story to story in VOICE OVER (Spain). Michael Fassbender stars as a professional safe cracker who encounters a hitch in PITCH BLACK HEIST (UK).
95 min
Brazil Director: Quico Meirelles
A witty, thought provoking experimental short following a factory farm chicken who has a vision: she becomes aware of the wheels that rule her life and her ultimate destiny.Part of: Shorts 7: Chaos Theory
Bahrain / UAE Director: Mohammed Rashed BuAli
A rodent gets in the way of a couple's mission to send the perfect photograph to their son in London in this entertaining comedy.Part of: Shorts 5: Spotlight Middle East
Arabic with English subtitles, 17 min
Lebanon Director: Gheith Al-Amine
An experimental diptych which pays subversive homage to the 'cut-up' method - consisting of haphazard assemblage of words and phrases cut from a given paragraph. New meanings emerge through random or intentional syntax formations.Part of: Shorts 5: Spotlight Middle East
Iran Director: Esmaeel Monsef
When a mysterious female garment is found in a soldier’s garrison, dealing with the situation proves trickier than expected. A meaningful social commentary cloaked in a deceptively simple story.Part of: Shorts 5: Spotlight Middle East
Persian with English subtitles, 20 min
Spain Director: Martin Rosete
A confused narrator jumps between three extreme situations ... but are they actually all the same? A brilliantly constructed short with a perfect payoff.Part of: Shorts 7: Chaos Theory
French with English subtitles, 10 min
Syria Director: Bassam Chekhes
Two young filmmakers, Mustafa and Ayoub, are about to make their new film. On the night before their meeting with potential funders, they have some very interesting dreams. The story of an orange that grew … without a tree.Part of: Shorts 5: Spotlight Middle East
Arabic with subtitles, 15 min
USA Director: Brad Bischoff
Wandering amongst the plotted rows of houses within the motherly arms of the suburbs, two brothers sip liquid courage in this honest, atmospheric film about the fear of change and leaving home behind.Part of: Shorts 1: City & State
English, 19 min
Poland Director: Martin Rath
The compelling story of a man trying to get back in touch with his sister after fourteen years that asks if one can change what has already been Written in Ink?Part of: Shorts 6: Truth Be Told
Polish with subtitles, 12 min
Australia Director: Michael Spiccia
A young girl who lives in a remote wrecking yard is forced to take on the town bullies when they travel out to torment her father in this beautifully shot tale set in the desolate Australian countryside.Part of: Shorts 3: Midnight Mayhem
English, 13
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