INTERNATIONAL NARRATIVE SHORTS IN COMPETITION

Fourteen narrative short films from across the world – Canada, China, Denmark, Iran, Italy, France, Nepal, Spain, UK and USA – are nominated for the Best International Narrative Short Award worth Rs.25,000 supported by GagaOOLala.

These films are also eligible for Best Performance in a Lead Role worth Rs.25,000 and Best Screenplay worth Rs.25,000 instituted in the memory of Dr. Arvind Vaman Kulkarni by his son & actor Abhay Kulkarni.

International Narrative Shorts Competition 1

ALIKIJA
(Original Title: علیکیجا)
Director: Hamid Vatanparast
15 min | 2024 | Islamic Republic of Iran | Persian

After the sudden disappearance of “Alikija”, (a boy addressed as a female), his brother approaches the local authorities. When everyone is speculating what must have happened to him, his uncle reveals that he has killed Ali and buried his body in a sacred site to safeguard the family’s dignity.

ALL THE WORDS BUT THE ONE Director: Nava Mau 18 min | 2024 | USA | English Maya and Santiago haven’t seen each other since their explosive relationship ended years ago, so neither is expecting to be across from each other at a professional dinner with their new partners. As both couples contend with their realities, the past and present collide and Maya faces Santiago at last.

BREAKING THROUGH
(Original Title: L’échappée)
Director: Siham Bel
29 min | 2023 | France | Arabic, French

Every summer, Safia returns to Corsica to visit her dad. Ever since she left the island years before, she has kept her distance. On the surface, she seems close to her family, but a secret is stopping them from connecting. This summer, an announcement is going to shake up the family and take Safia on an unexpected journey of self-discovery on the winding and rocky roads of the Mediterranean island.

SANAI Director: Akanchha Karki 15 min | 2023 | Nepal | Nepali Two teenage girls separated by caste system fight against their society to play their favorite instrument SANAI forbidden to play by women while also keeping their friendship alive.

SKIN Director: Leo Behrens 7 min | 2023| USA | No Dialogues Skin is a poetic exploration of identity and self-discovery, using visual symbolism to depict a woman’s transformation into a man. With the help of their inner manifestation, the ice man, they sheds their old skin and embraces their true identity.

MAKING UP Dir: Ryan Paige 15 min / 2023 / UK / English Ted, diagnosed with a hereditary illness, must therefore reconcile with estranged daughter, Cassandra. However, being a celebrated drag queen, paired with the bitter feelings Cassandra harbours over their past, presents a larger obstacle for Ted to overcome.

International Narrative Shorts Competition 2

NOTHING SPECIAL Director: Mikko Makela 14 min | 2023 | UK | English A filmmaker’s and a moviegoer’s ideas of cinematic romance are put to the test during a one-night stand that turns emotional.

FISH BOY Director: Christopher Yip 11 min | 2023 | Canada | English, Yue Chinese (Cantonese) Fish Boy is a lyrical meditation on faith, love, and polyamory through the eyes of an Asian American teenager. When 16-year-old Patrick questions his love for God, his self-discovery manifests in his skin.

MANTING Director: Shuyao Chen 15 min | 2023 | China, USA | Chinese Manting, a Chinese woman in her early 60s, reconnects with the lesbian lover from her adolescence when one of her old classmates passes away. After classmates’ reunion event in a karaoke bar, they end up spending a night together roaming in the city.

THE ELLIPSIS FIGURE Director: Saeed Heshmati 15 min | 2024| Islamic Republic of Iran | Persian A religious woman shelters a young girl in her house based on the request of one of her friends. But in reality, the young girl is a boy who has undergone hormone therapy and wants to perform the sex change operation, and due to this reason, her family has threatened to kill her. The religious woman is in an unwanted situation after learning about the truth about the girl.

THE ODDITY IN THE BLUE CRAYFISH
(Original Title: Il Difetto Dell’astice Blu)
Director: Simone Marino
16 min | 2023| Italy | Italian

Edo is an 18 years old boy with fast-progressing alopecia, which he wants to cure before his boyfriend returns from his year abroad. The drops he takes begin to transform something in his body. However, also his boyfriend seems to have undergone a change.

THE WAKE Director: Peter Ahlén 30 min | 2023| Denmark | Danish Gerda (73) has just lost her husband. She has lived the perfect life, where appearances have been the most important thing to her. Now being alone she finds safety in perfection. This suddenly changes when she finds some letters in the basement from a male lover of her late husband.

TOMÀS Director: Ferran Navarro-Beltrán 18 min | 2024| Spain | Catalan, Spanish Thomas moves to a nursing home after becoming a widower. He wants to integrate well into the group and the assistant Alba helps him to introduce himself just the way he is.