Quarter-Finalists

Autumn 2024 Period

BFFR
The story unfolds as Angelica and Patricia navigate a night of wine, food, and conversation. Patricia's detached and cold approach to the interaction becomes evident, but Angelica, desperate for connection, overlooks her flaws.
  • Best Cinematography
Directed by: Erika Apelgren
  • Best Director
  • Best Short Film
  • Best Actress - Sharon Gardner
  • Best Editing
  • Best Director Debut
Just bad luck



With the mysterious death of his father, two paths cross without their knowledge
  • Best Short Film
Directed by: Riccardo Pittaluga
Ogigia

Iris, a young musician forced to move to a small and isolated village away from the busy streets of Turin, meets by chance the introvert Andrea, who instead always lived in the countryside.
The girl, marked by her sarcasm, manages to convince him to show her the place that's going to be her new home. It will be for Andrea a way to relive distant moments, both happy and sad, and for Iris an opportunity to reassess the province and no longer consider it a prison, but a place where she can be free.
Directed by: Lorenzo Atzei
  • Best Short Film
  • Best Student Film
  • Best Director Debut
The Days of Knight



A highly trained operative, belonging to a clandestine ancient group of expert mercenaries, is given a mission to recover a valuable item for one of the 13 most influential families on Earth. As war breaks out and alliances formed centuries ago crumble, survival becomes the top priority for everyone involved.
  • Best Short Film
Directed by: John P Martinez
REFLEXIV

„REFLEXIVE” is the story of Anastasia, who wants to become an actress but she is a very shy and insecure person and can barley find the courage to speak. At the acting school she meets the expansive Victoria and they become best friends until one day when something is changed.
Directed by: Paul Sichigea
  • Best Short Film
Summer Games



After carrying a heavy burden throughout his life, Bruno, who is now elderly, recounts an incident from his adolescence in 1942, when an innocent game between boys turned into a great tragedy.
  • Best Short Film
Directed by: Maurizio Barbarossa
  • Best Director Debut
  • Best Cinematography
KAOS

A woman’s dissociative episode triggers a chain of events, leading to a deadly secret.
Directed by: Gary F. Saul
  • Best Short Film
  • Best Director
  • Best Actress
  • Best Director Debut
My Own Silence




A young woman spends the day struggling with anxiety and depression, and a need for self-harm.
  • Best Short Film
Directed by: Matthew Eberle
  • Best Actress - Kelley Mack
The Pencil

In the trials held after the 1980 coup, the death penalty was given and the pencil was broken, a ritual that is unique to the Turkish judiciary system in the world. The bailiff father collected the broken pencils and made a pencil for his child.
Directed by: Ahmet Serhat ak
  • Best Short Film
  • Best Composer
  • Best Director Debut
  • Best Cinematography
YOU ARE SPECIAL



A little boy, fascinated by the legend that the white keys on the old Steinway piano, which "lives" in his parents' house, are made of elephant tusks, dreams every night of meeting the gray giants one day and never being separated from them…This desire grows from day to day along with the lullaby that his mother sings to him, because there are words in it: "You are special!"
The fate of the hero of the film turned out to be such that his life turned out to be full of hopes and disappointments…
He is not old yet, but the meaning of life gradually fades into the distance and loneliness becomes a sad reality…
The only "friend" who never cheated on him, an ancient instrument – the keeper of the white keys, and the memory of the "gray giants", still lives in his house…
Who will Steinway get to when he is gone?
And one day everything changes: the hero accidentally enters a small bar to drink the usual glass of absinthe, and pays attention to the lack of music. He offers the bartender an adventurous venture, he agrees, and the very next day the antique instrument moves to the bar.
Now every evening our hero plays for visitors trying to fill his life with meaning and desires again. One evening, he remembers his mother, her lullaby, and his fingers begin to play familiar chords themselves…
Suddenly, a young woman appears from the semi–darkness of the hall, sits down next to him and ... his mother's song with the words "You are special" bursts into his tired heart, bringing with it both pain and comfort…
Life is slowly fading away, but now he knows exactly to whom he leaves "his elephants" and his Steinway…
  • Best Short Film
Directed by: Ilya Noyabrev
  • Best Director
  • Best Actor - Oleksiy Zubkov
Thoughts Of Life

Thoughts Of Life is a feeling and emotionally-driven film about a 13-year-old girl diagnosed with Common Variable Immune Deficiency (CVID) who is consumed by the fear of death and the uncertainty of the afterlife. Her mother(played by Bussakorn Wongpuapan), desperate to ease her daughter’s anxieties, tries to provide reassurance and comfort, even while grappling with her fears. The film explores their everyday relationship, revealing the fragility of life and strength in love.
Directed by: Kunnatam Wongpuapan
  • Best Short Film
  • Best Director Debut
The Silver Lining




When a tech journalist uncovers the deadly truth behind a revolutionary smartphone, she must confront the powerful heiress behind the company while navigating the perilous consequences of her actions, ultimately leading to a shocking revelation that changes the course of both their lives.
  • Best Short Film
Directed by: Mikey Altoft
  • Best Actress - Bibi Lucille
  • Best Director
  • Best Editing
Baron Munchausen (Karl)

Eternal love or eternal life? This difficult choice is facing a brilliant actor. His life in the gray real world and the life of the world of fantasies are so closely intertwined that bright pictures of visions in his imagination layered on each other, mixing and breaking into small fragments fold again into the incredible patterns of a magic kaleidoscope ...
Directed by: Ilya Noyabrev
  • Best Short Film
  • Best Director
  • Best Cinematography
  • Best Actor - Olexandr Yatsko
  • Best Original Score
NO WAY HOME




Ryan doesn’t remember his dad but still dreams of him returning one day. So, when he discovers a man hiding out in the wasteland near his house, it’s a dream come true. Or is it?
  • Best Director
Directed by: Yousaf Ali Khan
  • Best Actor - Mitchell Norman
  • Best Cinematography
  • Best Feature Film
The Wanker

From the land down under to the streets of Los Angeles, Grundy is a wild beer-drinking, weed-smoking Australian Hitman who doesn't want to grow up. The death of his Boss forces him to take charge and be the leader he was meant to be.
Directed by: Guy Grundy
  • Best Feature Film
IRISO




A woman from African country of Rwanda started an IT company in IRISO, Japan. While she experiences lots of difficulties such as sabotage from rival company, incompetence of employees as well as racial discrimination and she is always haunted by the memory of the genocide in 1994 in which her parents were killed, she manages to overcome those problems and strongly lives in IRISO.
  • Best Director
Directed by: Mitsuo Kurihara
  • Best Actress - Marrista K. Stubbs
  • Best Feature Film
Closed Gates

"Closed Gates" is a touching film that follows Raju, a young autistic boy in India, and his mother, Sana, as they strive for acceptance and inclusive education amidst societal biases. The film highlights their struggles against bullying and discrimination, showcasing themes of resilience and the necessity for inclusivity.
Sana advocates for Raju’s right to learn alongside peers, despite facing challenges from other parents and school administration. A pivotal moment occurs when she discovers Raju's talent for athletics and encourages him to participate in sports day. With her support, Raju faces skepticism but ultimately finds unexpected kindness from a fellow athlete during the race.
The film emphasizes the importance of empathy and challenges viewers to reconsider their biases regarding diversity and inclusion. "Closed Gates" serves as a hopeful reminder of the power of compassion in creating a more inclusive society through Raju and Sana's journey.
Directed by: Naresh Kumar Rajendran
  • Best Feature Film
The Jazz Photographer




“The Jazz Photographer” is a mini-documentary that delves into the world of Bobby Roebuck, exploring how he captures the essence of jazz through his lens. Through his photography, Roebuck tells a compelling story of the genre's evolution and the artists who bring it to life.
Directed by: Cedric D Ingram
  • Best Short Documentary Film
Chained Silence Speaks Chapter 1

In the stirring documentary Chained Silence Speaks, we delve into the harrowing world of human trafficking, with a piercing focus on the heartrending tale of a child sold into this shadowy industry by his own parents. This film masterfully interweaves the potent dramatization of a stolen childhood with the raw, authentic narratives of individuals who have endured and survived the trafficking nightmare.
Each frame of Chained Silence Speaks is meticulously crafted to not only educate but also to evoke a profound emotional response, compelling viewers to look beyond the surface of what they believe they know. The survivor interviews are a testament to the indomitable human spirit, serving as both a somber reminder and an inspiring beacon of hope.
Directed by: Edwin Leon Rose
  • Best Short Documentary Film
  • Best Director Debut
The Closing of a Refinery




A soul-searching conversation with ChatGPT about sustainability, the green energy transition, and the future of humankind, following the decommission of the largest oil refinery in Northern Portugal.
Directed by: Vasco Monteiro
  • Best Short Documentary Film
Palmento

The short film Palmento offers an intimate look into the winemaking traditions of Sicily’s Mount Etna region, focusing on the ancient practice of using palmenti—stone wine presses carved into volcanic rock. These structures, dating back centuries, are a testament to the island's deep-rooted viticultural heritage. The film explores how these traditional presses, once widespread across the slopes of Etna, were integral to the local wine production process, allowing generations of winemakers to ferment and press grapes in harmony with nature.
In modern times, the traditional use of Palmenti has been outlawed by governmental agencies and today a group of winemakers are fighting to protect an important winemaking heritage. The spectacular images of volcanic eruptions are all filmed by cinematographer and Etna local Giuseppe Distefano.

Directed by: Christopher L Barnes
  • Best Short Documentary Film
LA BALZANA




In the early 50s, in the township of Santa Maria La Fossa – district of Caserta – forty families were working and living in a farming complex called “La Balzana”, raising cattle to produce milk.
The farm was shut down in the 90s and later purchased by the infamous criminal organization known as Camorra.
More than twenty years later the Italian government managed to seize and confiscate the entire compound, to return it to the local communities. Their aim was to give it a second life as a cultural and working space.
Directed by: Luca Marconato
  • Best Feature Documentary Film
Another Human Being

Justyna is 36 years old and suffers from obesity. Yes, she suffers, because obesity is a disease. She has tried many ways to lose weight, but all of them disrupted her body to the point that she gained weight while barely eating at all. At one point, the scale showed the equivalent of an "another human being”. She decided to undergo bariatric surgery, specifically a sleeve gastrectomy.
To commemorate accepting her body, she decided to have a photo session before going to the hospital. The first days after the surgery were a learning process for new habits: regular hydration, eating small portions, and taking supplements.
Justyna returned to work just a month after the surgery. She professionally hosts podcasts, including one of the most popular true crime podcasts in Poland, and in 2022 she was also in the top 100 globally on Spotify.
The film shows pivotal moments such as dropping below 80 kg, trying on smaller-sized pants, transitioning from obesity to being overweight, as well as author meetings, industry events, contracting COVID-19 and the subsequent quarantine, more photo sessions, and family gatherings.
The weight loss journey is accompanied by anxiety about her health, as her test results are poor. She is diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease. The question arises whether, if this diagnosis had been made earlier, the surgery (which is irreversible) would have been necessary. There is no answer to this question, and there never will be. However, the struggle for health seems to have a positive outcome, as Justyna becomes pregnant—here the titular „another human being" appears again, but in a completely different sense.
The film is very intimate because it is made by Justyna's husband. Frequent interactions and voice-overs give a sense of participation in these events, but also sometimes lighten the atmosphere.

Directed by: Christopher L Barnes
  • Best Feature Documentary Film
  • Best Director Debut
  • Best Editing
Ambassador of Remembrance




In September 1943, 17-year-old Stanisław Zalewski was arrested in Warsaw as a member of a Polish resistance group and taken to the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp for labour service. From there, he was sent to Mauthausen and finally to the Gusen camp, where the prisoners were forced to work for the German armaments industry under inhumane conditions. For a long time, Stanisław Zalewski, like many other victims of Nazi terror, remained silent about his painful experiences. It was only after forty years that he began to talk about it, at events, memorial services, and in schools, and he continues to do so to this day, even at the age of 99. Now, for the first time, he tells his stirring life story in a film as a deeply impressive ‘ambassador of remembrance’.
Directed by: Magdalena Zelasko
  • Best Feature Documentary Film
Chanting of the Dunes

Chanting of the Dunes is an 86 minutes award-winning film about Wahbi Al-Hariri-Rifai who was an accomplished international artist, architect, archeologist, and author.
Chanting of the Dunes takes viewers on a dazzling journey through multiple countries and during momentous world changes that extend from the Levant in the 1920s to the U.S. and China in the 1990s. The film is beautifully illustrated through hundreds of meticulously restored black/white and color archival photographs and original footage.
Chanting of the Dunes recounts Wahbi’s life through the mixed perspective of his wife, Widad Marachi, who married him at the age of 15. The fascinating storyline is full of unexpected turns and is accompanied by a superb soundtrack.
According to festival managers, the film exceeds all expectations and represents a new artistic genre. Many have called it “extraordinary, moving, mesmerizing, full of messages...”

Directed by: Mokhless Al-Hariri
  • Best Feature Documentary Film
TELL ME IGGY




Documentary 52 ' with IGGY POP
Intimate portrait of a punk rocker like no other. Filmed in Miami, New York, Berlin, Athens, Paris, Iggy pop talks about his past, his present, his concerts and his projects...
With his friends and partners: Johnny Depp, John Waters, Debbie Harry (Blondie), Nick Kent, Béatrice Dalle
Directed by: BLONDY Sophie
  • Best Feature Documentary Film
Sergio Dondoli’s Happy Life

The boundless joy and unabashed passion of master gelato-maker Sergio Dondoli take center stage in this exuberant tribute to the delights of food, creativity, and a life lived with the lightest of touches yet the deepest of care.

As playful as its subject, Happy Life looks at the rise of Dondoli and his world-famed Tuscan gelateria, where thousands stand in line daily anxiously waiting for a taste. What emerges is a portrait of a man who started from the humblest beginnings yet found a way to make cultivating sweetness in all its forms his life’s work. For it is Dondoli’s insistence on prioritizing happiness in every aspect of his craft—from nurturing ethically-raised cows to cherishing his never-ending customers—that lies behind the man who has been crowned the World Gelato Champion.

Directed by: Jay Arnold
  • Best Feature Documentary Film
Fedelta: Soldiers. Prisoners.




Fedeltà: Soldiers. Prisoners. is an international documentary, filmed in multiple countries, which chronicles the story of a group of Italian Prisoners of War. The Italian soldiers, captured in North Africa and Sicily, endured some of the worst fighting of the Second World War. After their surrender, they were sent to various camps all over the world. This documentary tells the story of a particular group who were kept at Letterkenny Army Depot outside of Chambersburg PA. Beginning with the trials and tribulations of the soldiers, the documentary takes you on a journey which ends with a light of hope that still shines to this day.
Directed by: Stephen Mancini
  • Best Feature Documentary Film
The Blanket

After a loss, grief feels like a heavy black blanket. The protagonist feels weighed down by their pain. But then, their grief transforms. It doesn’t vanish - but it allows life to be lived again.

Directed by: Susanna Donau
  • Best Micro Short Film
Bubbling Synapses




An idea... needs space, time & love to grow...
But, at what cost? Your friends ? Your wife ? Your kids ?
Of course not, it needs to be set aside, in a bubble, waiting for the right moment...
The wait is long, too long… This must emerge from its bubble, it must come to life, now !
Directed by: William Eguienta
  • Best Animation
Small Things

A regular day turns into a nightmare for 25-year-old struggling artist Sarah, who can't sleep because her mind is full of thoughts, worries, and ideas. Every sound seems louder, and strange noises fill her home. As her anxiety grows, she becomes both scared and curious, eventually noticing something unexpected outside her door. This mystery pushes her to face the unknown in the night, leading to one unwavering surprise.

Directed by: Angela Andronache
  • Best Sound Design
  • Best Experimental Film
Return To Planet Underground (Part1)




A former underground techno dj working at a big famous law firm spirals down to dark sides of society where the war already started and finds himself in moral grayareas. With one eye on the past and one eye on the future he stirs among the ashes of the real underground.
Directed by: Gideon Homes
  • Best Experimental Film
Broken


1 in 3 women are victims of violence during their lifetime, or 1 billion women across the world. Their names are Myriam, Adèle, Clémence, Aya… They are 20, 35, 48, 62 years old or more… They are victims but do not always have the words to talk about it and find help…Since January 1, 2024, 121 women died killed by their spouse or ex-spouse. Broken is a dance fiction produced by Olivia N'GANGA and Mikaël DINIC

Directed by: Angela Andronache
  • Best Experimental Film
Earth Day




We are excited to present a short film produced by Trizz, in celebration of Earth Day 2024—albeit a few weeks belatedly. This film is a introspection on the essence of human existence in our era, juxtaposing the relentless stimuli of our daily lives with the enduring beauty of a world on the brink of transformation.
It captures the sublime moments our planet might still offer in that dystopic moment in time, highlighting the uniquely human capacity to perceive beauty, no matter the circumstances. This ability fundamentally influences our relationship with Earth, a crucial trait to remember during the complex times in which we live.
Yet, in the face of this foreboding horizon, we seize the narrative to reaffirm the brightest facets of human nature: our indomitable spirit, our profound capacity for kindness, and our unwavering devotion to preserving this beautiful planet.
Together, let us embrace these virtues, forging ahead with resilience, humanity, and love, as we dare to envision and shape a future where hope outshines fear.
We hope you find it as moving and meaningful as we do.
This short created fully with CG animation and render, no AI here

Directed by: Oriol Puig
  • Best Experimental Film
Clarity


Clarity is a short film that combines the art of dance with the exploration of personal growth and the complexity of relationships. In a one-take performance, we follow the journey of a young woman as she delves into her past to find the ability to make crucial decisions in the present.
The film opens with our protagonist, standing alone in a single spot on a rain-soaked stage, just found out that she is pregnant, surrounded by lights and enveloped in a mystical fog. Through her emotive dance, she embarks on a reverse chronological journey, experiencing various pivotal moments from her relationship with her boyfriend.
As the dance unfolds, we witness snippets of their story: the exhilarating highs of new love, the tender moments of togetherness, and the heartbreaking lows of conflict and separation. Each scene captures the essence of their relationship, revealing the beauty, vulnerability, and complexity that lie within human connections.
Her movements seamlessly transition from one phase of the relationship to another, choreographed to mirror the ebb and flow of emotions experienced in her past. The rain, symbolizing both cleansing and renewal, pours “up” on her as she navigates through memories, seeking understanding and clarity.
With each passing moment, the dance becomes a powerful act of self-reflection, prompting her to confront her own growth and transformation.
The film's onetaker format played back in reverse intensifies the emotional impact, immersing the audience in her inner world. The flashing lights and fog further enhance the dreamlike atmosphere, blurring the boundaries between reality and memory.
Clarity is a poetic exploration of the human experience, capturing the essence of love, loss, and the search for personal clarity.

Directed by: Marcus Witte, Nupelda Ciftci
  • Best Experimental Film
The flame




During the grandmother's wake, a daughter confronts her father to discover the secret he wanted to hide when he abandoned her years before.

Written by: Michael Agazzi
  • Best Short Screenplay
Christmas Cards


​Coping with life as a widow, Greta Strobel moves into a retirement community with encouragement from her granddaughter Annie Chambers, who has recently become single herself. When they meet Frank Palumbo and his grandson Michael Palumbo during the Christmas season, the women discover that it's never too late for a second chance at love.

Written by: Joseph Anthony Francis
  • Best Feature Screenplay
Prattlebots




Summer's new job at River Software is soon to be merely a smokescreen for her exhilarating dalliances with chatbots. Among them is Bigpants, the seductive Prattlebot who becomes her confidant.
Dubbed 'the loneliest girl in the universe,' Summer is torn between spending time with her only human friend, local barista Maddy, and the chatbot which develops a knack for making unsettling suggestions, including murder.
About to be fired, everything changes with the sudden death of the CEO. Thrust into an unexpected position of power, Summer stumbles upon a secret artificial intelligence project and code the ruthless Chairperson will stop at nothing to control.
As employees start to vanish without a trace, and the Chairperson hot on her trail, Summer is plunged into a high-stakes game of survival. Will she unlock the dark truth or disappear into the digital abyss?

Written by: David Hearne
  • Best Feature Screenplay
The Evolution of Low Joe


Joe "Low Joe" Jackson wasn't born with a silver spoon, but a chipped, rusty one. He'd clawed his way out of the concrete jungle, his rhymes spitting fire and his stage presence electrifying. But the streets had a way of clinging to you, even when you thought you'd escaped. Fame, like a double-edged sword, brought him riches and recognition, but also a whirlwind of temptations and betrayals.
Alma Reyes, a lawyer with a heart of gold and a spine of steel, saw through the bravado and the swagger. She saw the scared kid trapped inside the hardened rapper, the one who yearned for something more than the fleeting glory of the spotlight. She took on his case, not just as a legal battle, but as a personal crusade.
Their journey was a messy, beautiful dance. Alma, with her unwavering faith in Joe's potential, pushed him to confront his demons, to face the ghosts of his past. Joe, in turn, found solace in her unwavering support, a safe haven in the storm of his life. They navigated the treacherous waters of fame, the treacherous currents of betrayal, and the relentless pull of the past.
"The Evolution of Low Joe" wasn't just a story of redemption, it was a testament to the human spirit's resilience. It was about the power of second chances, the strength found in vulnerability, and the transformative power of love. It was a story of two souls, flawed and broken, finding solace and strength in each other, proving that even in the darkest corners of the thug life, hope could bloom.

Written by: Diane Thomassin
  • Best Original Screenplay
Le strade bianche





Two police officers, two friends but now leading different and distant lives, are called back to duty in Tuscany to try to solve an old, unsolved case that had cost them both their careers. At the bottom of an artificial lake, six bodies were discovered—individuals who had disappeared without a trace years earlier, and about whom no one knew anything anymore.

Written by: Michele Iovine
  • Best Original Screenplay
The reasons of time (Ita V.)


REASONS OF TIME
SUBJECT
Is one lifetime sufficient to fulfill one's destiny?
DEMONTE 1253
In a universe hostile to women, where free spirits and
special people were destined to be burned at the stake, Corinna fights her battle for survival, fingered as a witch.
DEMONTE 2024
The life of Catherine, a rebellious girl in the grip of emotions
typical of a difficult adolescence, is turned upside down by her
move to a pesino lost in the mountains.
She misses her Milan, her artistic prospects are shattered
because of the peremptory decisions of those parents whom she now sees as those who stole her life.
Despite herself, she tries to integrate, but her sufferings are
amplified, intersecting with those of a raw and dark past,
when she begins to sense a soul far away in time--that of
Corinna!
Two spirits crossing paths or the same soul finding itself?
Thanks to the mysterious figure of her uncle, the relationship of hate and love with her parents, an unexpected relationship and a fragile friend to rescue, she realizes that time, perhaps, does not exist and that what 800 years earlier had not allowed her to be fully herself, must be looked at today with different eyes.
She understands that even if time cannot be governed, it must still be understood.

Written by: Monica Carpanese, Pierpaolo Federico Rospo
  • Best Unproduced Screenplay
GHOST TOWN, NM




An obstinate father insists his daughter marry a rich but foolish young man. She loves another. Our lovers escape to the ghost town where the young man was raised. For the pursuers, the town proves a place where illusion and reality, past and present, serious, and absurd all mix.
GHOST TOWN, NM (New Mexico) is a cocktail mix of Shakespeare’s plays, ghosts (real and imaginary), language and images from Dungeons and Dragons, “Painted Ladies” in the Sassy Ladies Cat House, serial killers, gunslingers, a team of totally incompetent private investigators, and much more! Throughout this comedy, characters explore what is real, what imaginary.

Written by: Lynn H. Elliott
  • Best Unproduced Screenplay
UNRIPE FRUIT

A prominent novelist ponders on his formative years, when he was an aspiring writer wooed by a flamboyant playwright whose unconventional seduction methods defied a mother-in-law also infatuated by a young man who challenges her traditional values.

Written by: Julian Robles, Enrique Serna
  • Best Unproduced Screenplay
Farmer Joe




As a group travels through corn country toward a social media influencers conference, they stop for a quick bathroom break. One of the five disappears in a cornfield, and the others set out to find her. During their search they find evidence that she was taken by a mysterious man. The group locates an old farmhouse and barn where they discover their friend is being held hostage by a 6’8” mute farmer, Farmer Joe, with an appetite for kidnapping beautiful women and holding them hostage.

While rescuing their friend, the group discovers she is not the only one the farmer is keeping captive. While a few member of the group struggle to release all the other captives, Farmer Joe kills a suspicious sheriff and one of the men in the group. He then takes on the remaining members in the group until only two Final Girls remain. These two strong girls kill Farmer Joe, but must then deal with his equally threatening and unpleasant wife. Once she is killed the Final Girls set off down the driveway to freedom and away from the horror they have endured. However, in a final twist, Farmer Joe and his wife (who, by the way, is also his sister) leave behind a teenage daughter who has an odd set of skills, setting up the sequel.

Written by: Simon King
  • Best Unproduced Screenplay
Crossed

Inspired from a true story about Jordan, a well-liked finance professional, orphaned as child is now dedicated to helping orphans in Tijuana. Jordan is approached by James, an FBI agent to help the FBI identify the entourage of a Cartel Leader, named Oscar. Jordan hides this from his fiancé, Kate a restaurateur.
Jordan takes this covert operation a step further and builds a pseudo relationship with Oscar and Oscar eventually becomes the benefactor for the orphanage. But make no mistake about it, Oscar is dangerous.
When Jordan witnesses a brutal murder, he exits the FBI program.
On a routine border crossing, Jordan is sent to secondary inspection where the agents discover a massive amount of pure fentanyl placed in the panels of his vehicle along with 2 tracking devices including an unidentified air-tag.
With the help of a smart attorney, Jordan discovers that Oscar, James, and Mark his best friend, college roommate and also an attorney, are all using Jordan as a drug mule when Jordan swaps out his nice vehicle for a junker he keeps in Tijuana. This is the lead up to the climax when Jordan and the DEA takes them down.
Fast forward 5 years, Jordan is dropping off their daughter Sena at school and Sena shows Jordan the air-tag that mommy sewed into her jacket and backpack.
It takes Jordan a moment to register, then hits him like a brick, as Jordan recalls that unidentified air-tag pursuant to his arrest.
The audience is left wondering what involvement Kate had, if any.

Written by: Peter Herlan
  • Best Unproduced Screenplay
Trust Me




A Hulder, a mystical human-like creature with a cow’s tail, famous from Scandinavian folklore, has to go to Earth on a dangerous mission to con an orphan teenage boy in order to save her young brother from dying.

Written by: AEG Guaaker
  • Best Unproduced Screenplay
ONE MORE FOR THE ROAD

It's Christmas eve and a hellraising actor at the end of his life, reconciles with his estranged daughter during a road trip, which leads to one unforgettable journey.

Written by: Anthony Ford
  • Best Unproduced Screenplay
Don't Forget Me




The film Don’t Forget Me chronicles the struggles of a small-town woman grappling with her child's organ failure, exhausting all efforts to fight for her child's survival. Concurrently, a young delinquent, confronted with the profound questions of existence after his mother's brain death, resolves to honor the meaning of life by donating her organs.
The film explores themes of survival and death, as well as each individual's journey of personal evolution amidst life's complexities: the path of reconciliation with one's inner darkness and demons.
Our protagonist’s battle to prolong her child’s life showcases women's innate spirit of resilience.
Confronted by the relentless gears of destiny in a harsh world, the selfless struggles of ordinary individuals are both heroic and deeply moving. We all endure hardships, facing them, accepting them, growing accustomed to them — perhaps only then can we truly overcome them.

Directed by: Gao Qi Sheng
  • Best Actress - Zhang Xin Yu
Abortion Hypocrite

Abortion is one of the most controversial and divisive themes raging across the social and political spectrum of the US and Europe - making this new, compelling psychological drama perfectly timed. Would the most confident among pro-life and pro-choice rethink their arguments if confronted head-on with certain circumstances or opportunities? Who or what would any one be unwilling to lose for the sake of one's pro life/choice argument?
Without taking sides, each character leaves you guessing his or her true motives. "Abortion Hypocrite" depicts real-life situations that are relatable on all levels, shows the psychological processes of pro-life and pro-choice decisions, and addresses the hot points head-on.

Directed by: Josué Mastroianni
  • Best Actress - Marta Moss
She Came From Outer Space!




When Angela goes for a run with her friends, she has no idea she is about to become the host for an alien invasion.

Directed by: Simon King
  • Best Producer
  • Best Editing
Bjorno

Iker and Nils are hanging out in their usual spot, when the subject of emotions comes up and Nils pushes Iker away because it's a "girly" topic. They are men, they shouldn't talk about their emotions. But Iker pushes him to open up and to let all his suppressed feelings out.

Directed by: Julia Hultberg
  • Best Student Film
Rick Thistle - BXLP




A bear with a human smell, a hunter with a violent reflex, both living in compressed spaces of a car, among clocks that make fun of time, rifle whose explosions light up the night and digital maps that takes away from reality. In a video story in which violence, love, confusion, obsessions, screams and silences find reflections space in wrong turns gaps.

Directed by: MAI VES
  • Best Music Video
The Girl Who Faded Away

The search for love happens in a place where angels fear to tread.
A man is walking on the edge of deep woods, holding an old wooden case. A white owl in the trees takes notice of him and swoops down. In a puff of smoke the owl transforms and becomes a beautiful female apparition. The “Girl” warns him against going further in these woods. The man stops and he sets his wood case on a fallen tree trunk. He opens it. Inside is an old fashioned turntable, a wind-up phonograph he cranks before carefully placing the needle on an old, black vinyl record.
The music crackles and plays and a story unfolds. He experiences a vision: he is approaching an exotic country estate with its entranceway resembling an exotic, metal bird cage. He’s there and he steps in and sees the Girl waiting for him. He pursues her, but she is always one step ahead, able to disappear by magic, or secretly walking behind him, uncatchable. Finally, the man is able to engage her in just one loving dance with the song that is still playing. But the beautiful apparition suddenly pulls away, fading away into thin air. And just as the music fades she deserts him.

The vision gone, there at the edge of the woods, the man, abandoned by love, begins his long trek into his lonely future, literally, into his sunset with many miles ahead of him. As he departs into the stormy dark cloud fields, the owl screeches from her nest above the man. Abandoned by the man, the owl transforms one last time to the Girl Who Faded Away. She stands where the man stood, looking at him as he journeys forever away, a tear on her cheek, and mourning forever his departure.

Directed by: Brent Heise
  • Best Music Video
You, Me and The Night




Music video about an intergalactic fling

Directed by: Coco Bigles
  • Best Music Video
Born
Created by: Edoardo Vivenzio
  • Best Music Video
  • Best Composer - Edoardo Vivenzio
Liberi Respiri (and the silence in between)



An important experience unites two old friends who, in the loss of a loved one, rediscover the profound meaning of their dialogue far from the things of the world and from the now intrinsic inability of the same to tell and tell us for what we are. It is from these assumptions that Lory Muratti starts to build a new visual work as a commentary on the second single from Stefano Attuario's album. Muratti, already directing the previous video clip, therefore returns to the project to consolidate, with this new episode, the partnership between his visionary and out-of-the-box approach as a director and the profound themes addressed by Attuario in his musical project. Actuary moves within the video together with the international guest Ray Haffernan and the actress Miriam Vangelista, once again chosen to play the role of "presence", of "angel and demon" and of "intermediary" in the dialogue that the two protagonists they establish by trying to actually speak with those who are no longer among them.
“With this video clip I wanted to reconstruct the disarming sensation of peace that can be felt by those who find themselves observing life from the windows of an English “winter garden” where time has stopped in the heart of an in-between season, in the midst of spring. Privileged moment to think about those who have left us while observing life as it begins to move again and looking with new eyes at the world that is reborn from the land we thought was dead.”
The video was entirely shot at “Opificio – Novara”

Directed by: Lory Muratti Lory Muratti
  • Best Music Video
Frankenstein

A movie musical, based on Mary Shelley's novel, about the human need for love and companionship.
Having lost his mother at a young age, Victor Frankenstein seeks to end human mortality and arrogantly enters territory beyond his control. While he enjoys unconditional love from Elizabeth, he grants none to his creation.

Directed by: Joe LoBianco
  • Best Composer - Eric Sirota
  • Best Original Score
TOTEM



Ama is a determined young swimmer who, alongside her best friend Thijs, works tirelessly to prepare for their upcoming championships. Despite being raised by Senegalese parents in the Netherlands, Ama identifies as Dutch and doesn’t think much about her heritage. However, when her family is suddenly faced with deportation, Ama finds comfort in the fantastical stories her mother tells her about their homeland, and the magical porcupine that serves as her family’s totem animal. Join Ama on a journey of self-discovery as she learns to embrace her heritage and finds the strength to stand up for her family and culture.

Directed by: Sander Burger
  • Best Composer - Amaury Laurent Bernier
  • Best Original Score
Day after Day

What is life?
It is a question that each of us sooner or later asks himself. Day after day is the short film that through a (imagined) story of a child will try to give us an answer.
This is the story of Mauro Ottaviano, born in 1940 on the slopes of the Tuscan Apennines of Pratomagno.
Born and raised in the beautiful Tuscan countryside, he will tell us about his walks, his friends, his family and the most important episodes of his long life.
A short journey through the artistic beauties of the Tuscan places he lived in and the natural ones of the Valdarno area.
We will relive an extraordinary story that will remind us how unique life is and worth living, respecting, facing in all its facets.
It is a true praise that the authors and directors Luca Liotti and Raffaele Musumeci pose.

Directed by: Luca Liotti, Raffaele Musumeci
  • Best Composer
A Normal Life



A NORMAL LIFE shows the personal everyday life of four Bosnian women who were forced to flee their home country due to the consequences of the Yugoslav Wars and have been working as cleaning women in Vienna ever since.
We get personal insights into their lives, their work, their urge to build a new life and their personal way of overcoming trauma. Through the individual stories of the women, we find out more about the historical and political background of the war in its entirety and can draw parallels to the current situation, which is characterised by unemployment and uncertainty, but despite everything also by hope.

Directed by: Inès Khannoussi
  • Best Director Debut
  • Best Cinematography
ELLI AND HER MONSTER TEAM


All Elli wanted was a family to love. But finding one turned out to be a ghostly affair.

When a homeless little ghost knocks on the door to the eccentric residents of a Ghost Train on the lookout for a place to belong, she accidentally attracts the attention from the “outsideworld” and must team up with the motley crew of monsters on a crazy quest to save not only the future of the Ghost Train but also her only chance to finally have a family of her own.

Directed by: Jesper Moeller, Piet De Rycker
  • Best Original Score
Nereid



A mysterious woman escapes from an abusive relationship with earth shattering results.

Directed by: Lori Zozzolotto
  • Best Cinematography
CROMAESCOPE - Web series - Episodes 2, 5 & 6


CROMAESCOPE is a comedy series made up of 8 episodes. Each one is inspired by different B-series science fiction films from the 1950s, imitating their aesthetics and themes in a comic tone, with fast-paced dialogues and funny situations. The clumsy practical effects, combined with an obvious use of 'chroma' technology and the sober creation of backgrounds using AI, reinforce the idea that it is a production made in a more modest time.

Directed by: Álvaro Beltrán Janés
  • Best Web-Series
Holestepper



Angel (Oswaldo Salas), an enthusiastic high school teacher, discovers a website where his students make fun of him and his disability through some strange videos. Mixing the reality and the digital universe adolescent, Angel will be involved in a world hitherto unknown.

Directed by: Sergio Fernández Muñoz
  • Best Actor - Oswaldo Salas
Ice Breath


Between 2015 and 2024, Leonard Alecu filmed the melting icebergs off Greenland's East coast. Sailing dangerously close to icebergs, Alecu handled his camera to record the ice masses yielding to the ruthless ocean. Filmed in black and white, Ice Breath is a cinematic poem whose only elusive actor is the filmmaker's gaze. In 43 minutes, a sequence of flat pictures turn into dynamic tableaux, an existential journey from genesis to extinction. The hypnotic feature of the film is enhanced by the soundtrack Become Ocean, a haunting composition by John Luther Adams suggestive of a relentless tidal surge, of melting polar ice and rising sea levels. Become Ocean received critical acclaim, earning the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Music and the 2015 Grammy for Best Classical Contemporary Composition. More than an environmental documentary, Ice Breath and Become Ocean is an experimental fusion exploring the vast, inscrutable meanings of climate change.
Directed by: Leonard Alecu
  • Best Experimental Film
  • Best Director Debut
  • Best Cinematography
Oz Doesn’t Exist



The film the governments don't want you to see, especially Australia. The biggest conspiracy the world has ever known. Mikee goes walkabout to break free from the safety of a lie and reveal the truth, that Australia is in fact, a fabrication.

Directed by: Mikel Capriano
  • Best Short Documentary Film
  • Best Student Film
Hearts and Mimes


In a world where words can be so hurtful, Belle and Leo are both committed to letting their actions speak louder than their words, but their first meeting is far from love at first sight. But after being set up by their mutual friends, they learn that they are really meant to be together after all.
Written by: Peter Herlan & Stephen Kriter
  • Best Short Screenplay
Bucket of Cheese



A weekly children's story time reader is revisited by a haunting familiar taunt that brings back a crippling stutter she has long overcome.

Written by: Brian Schroeder
  • Best Unproduced Screenplay
ALISON


Alison is the story of a woman under house arrest, forced to live under the surveillance of the security forces to convey the desired information to them. However, with Alison's resistance, all the plans of the security forces are thwarted.
Directed by: Nader Bagherpoor
  • Best Feature Film
  • Best Actress - Sara Masinaei
  • Best Cinematography
  • Director - Nader Bagherpoor
Last round



Pippo, a former boxer afflicted with Alzheimer's disease, is celebrating his 80th birthday today surrounded by loved ones. Unable to interact with the world around him, trapped in his own body, the elderly boxer will engage in the fiercest internal battle of his career in an attempt to break free from his lethargy and reunite with his family.

Directed by: Vincenzo Aiello
  • Best Short Film
  • Best Director - Vincenzo Aiello
  • Best Actor - Mucaria Rosario
  • Best Producer - Thierry Pradervand
  • Best Original Score
Numbered Lives


After finding himself on the wrong side of the law, a young man, Noah, awakes in a mysterious facility. As a medical researcher draws closer to the truth, everyone involved must question the consequences of choices made.
Directed by: James Clarke
  • Best Feature Film
  • Best Director - James Clarke
  • Best Director Debut - James Clarke
HALFTURN Trailer



Torn between good and evil, a young lost soul is forced to decide which way to turn.

Directed by: Brian Gregory
  • Best Actor - Jake Cockburn
  • Best Trailer
115


In the '80s, alien Emily crash-lands near the quaint town of Stony Plain, desperate to find the enigmatic fuel "115." Stuck in a reverse time loop, she relives her mission daily, struggling to blend in while searching for the elusive substance. Every morning, kindhearted JT offers Emily a ride, and she glimpses something special in him that others overlook. As her encounters with the townsfolk spark hilarious misadventures, she unexpectedly finds love with JT, navigating the complexities of human behavior and dodging jealous Catherine's advances. Faced with the reality that her salvation lies not in "115," but in the bonds she's formed, Emily must choose between her mission and the romantic connection that could break the cycle. A heartwarming, retro sci-fi rom-com that explores love's power to transcend time and space, and why it takes more than a day to truly fall in love.
Directed by: Dave Huynh Macon
  • Best Actor - Barret Coates
  • Best Producer - Dave Huynh Macon
  • Best Director Debut - Dave Huynh Macon