Films for 2014
When eight-year-old Pearl has to complete a family tree assignment for school, she tries to find out more about her father, who she’s never met, from her single mother, and then sets out to find him herself.
A documentary about children growing up with same sex parents.
When Helga Landowsky discovers a broken jug in an antiques store near the German/Polish border, she wants it at any cost, but the shopkeeper inexplicably refuses to sell it to her even as she offers 10,000 euros for it. But she can have it for free … if she’ll tell him a good story. Won…
The courtly life at Versailles falls into chaos when an observer’s notes are carried by the wind into the hands of the ones being observed. Won the Jury Prize at the 2013 Sequence Court Festival in Toulouse, France.
A young man hires a dating service that employs a cute dog named Adonis as a chick magnet. Although he attracts beautiful women at every turn, Adonis must reach deep into his bag of tricks to find the right match. Won Best Short Film at the 2013 Riverside International Film Festival among other awards. Director’s…
As a young married couple, Alfred and Anna move to a new town and open the Alfred Music School, producing a string of winners of the Young Music Talent Contest. Decades later, the town’s factory closes, many families move away, and Alfred is left with no children to teach. When a new student arrives one…
Wildlife filmmaker Andrew Manske has been in pursuit of wild wolves for two decades. With five internationally broadcast wolf documentaries under his belt, he isn’t stopping yet! This talk covers Andrew’s incredible experiences filming wolves in some of the most remote regions in North America from coast to coast to coast, and highlights several projects…
New Zealand photographer Anthony Powell spent a decade documenting his experience at the bottom of the world – from the awe-inspiring auroras and animal ecosystems to the freezing and terrifying ice storms. But most importantly, he pointed his camera at the people – not just the scientists, but the everyday workers who live on base…
In a war-torn fishing village in Somalia, a young boy must help support his family by becoming a pirate like the older boys in his village or by becoming a fisherman despite his bad luck at fishing. Nominated for an Oscar in 2013 for Best Live Action Short.
Two Israeli teens on a school trip to Poland to visit death camps and memorials are torn between the remote events of the Holocaust and a more immediate biological attraction. Won Best Short Film Award at the 2013 Jerusalem Jewish Film Festival.
Eight-year-old Annabelle is a child beauty queen whose mother’s ambitions for her daughter’s beauty pageant success dominate their relationship. When Annabelle sees no way out, she takes drastic action to reclaim her childhood.
In Iraq, ten-year-old Hamoudi is obsessed with football. Like many fans around the world, he and his friends are eagerly looking forward to the 2009 Championship League finale between Barcelona and England’s Manchester United, the long-awaited clash between Messi and Ronaldo. But then Hamoudi’s television breaks down and getting it fixed in time for the…
Because Max loves Lucille, and Lucille toys with Gabriel, and Gabriel gets in the way of Fred, and Fred has a grudge against Sylvester, and Sylvester’s been sleeping with Lucille, their lives intersect on a pitch-black night, a combination that leads to just one thing – death.
In the summer of 1943, German attempts to conquer the strategic location of Leningrad have failed miserably. As a last resort, Hitler decides to send in his best men – the Spanish soldiers of Blue Division. Won Best Comedy at the 2013 Tolfa International Film Festival in Italy among many awards.
Pregnancy and birth through the viewpoint of three young Dutch men about to become fathers. Won Best Short Film at the 2013 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival.
Every Sunday morning, men and women held hostage by rebel guerrilla groups deep in the Colombian jungle listen to messages from their families on The Voices of Kidnapping radio show. The harrowing personal accounts of police major Guillermo Solórzano and the parents of Juan Camilo Mora represent thousands of people who rely on the show…
A highly entertaining, rapid-fire illustration of how the food chain works.
In 1980, 14-year-old Romanian gymnast Ana trains hard with her coach Teodor in the run-up to the Moscow Games. They want to win and the government has a plan that will give them an edge, but at what price?
Concerned friends set out to protect Matt from the clear and present danger of catching cooties from his friendly but infected female lab partner.
A young man confronts Northern Ireland’s legacy of violence when he breaks into a home to avenge his father’s death and meets the boy who will be left fatherless as a result.
Simoné Botha was born completely deaf in both ears and was the youngest recipient of cochlear implant surgery in Africa at the age of 22 months. Against enormous odds, she has succeeded in becoming a professional ballet dancer.
Eugene is a 14-year-old ballroom dancer frequently bullied in school for his love of dance. When a counsellor suggests a course of action for him to try, he doesn’t know whether the idea will work or make the bullying much worse.
When a family oversleeps, it’s up to the mother to get them to a wedding on time because nobody else seems to be doing anything right. Who has made a mess of her husband’s shirt and hidden the girls’ dresses as well as the gift? Nominated for an Oscar in 2014 for Best Live Action…
Six friends get together for their monthly “games night” and accidentally unleash a demonic force that might tear them – and their friendships – to pieces.
Dotty, a stubborn nursing home resident struggling to send a text message to her daughter, ultimately ropes the woman who brings her morning tea into her seemingly endless fight with her cell phone. Won Best Short Film 2013 Nantucket Film Festival among others. Winner of the Best Live Action Short Award.
Two old men share a hospital room. There is only one window that gives the nearest patient a view of the outside world, while the other fellow, confined to his bed, can only stare at the walls and his more fortunate roommate until a fateful choice presents itself. Won Best Animated Short Film at the…
A day in the life of a devoted father and RAF drone pilot – juggling the normality of his domestic life with the reality of firing Hellfire missiles 4,000 miles away in Afghanistan … until one fateful decision shatters his resolve. Won the Grand Prize for Best Short at the 2013 Rhode Island International Film…
A model becomes consumed by the demands of her profession. Winner of Best Short Film at the Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival in South Korea among other awards.
When Ethan, an Emo kid who hates almost everything, falls in love with Trinity, a good Christian girl with a passion for life and her Lord Jesus Christ, they dare not let their friends find out because she belongs to a group of Christian musicians and Ethan belongs to a group of Emos, and both…
When a former neo-Nazi skinhead and the gay victim of his hate crime meet by chance 25 years later at the Museum of Tolerance, they embark on a journey of forgiveness that challenges both to grapple with their beliefs and fears, eventually leading to an improbable collaboration … and friendship. Nominated for an Oscar in…
A wild boy is found in the woods by a hunter and brought back to civilization. Bewildered by a strange new environment, the boy tries to adapt by using the same strategies that kept him safe in the forest. Nominated for an Oscar in 2014 for Best Animated Short.
A 4th grade class pulls an April Fool’s prank on their teacher with catastrophic results. Panicked and convinced that they will all go to jail, they set out to cover up the accident before their D.A.R.E. officer arrives for his weekly lesson. Winner of the 2014 Audience Choice Award. Director’s Statement In the words of…
The films created during the Frantic 48 weekend of May 2-4.
Elisabet comes home from a disappointing online date to find Adam, her teenage son’s friend, playing video games while her son has gone to a party. Letting her hair and her guard down, she enjoys Adam’s playful company until neither is sure if they are still playing.
This homage to the first animated shorts featuring Mickey Mouse pairs new black-and-white, hand-drawn animation with full-color, 3D, CG filmmaking in the same frame. Mickey gets separated from Minnie when Peg-Leg Pete tries to run them off the road while they’re enjoying a musical hay wagon ride, and he must find a way to get…
A touching documentary about the special relationship between a boy and his grandfather as they make a trip to the woods on a final adventure. Won Best Documentary at 2013 Aspen ShortsFest. Winner of the Best Documentary Short Award.
In 1942, Nazi Germany occupies all of Yugoslavia. Nikola Radosevic is sent for desperately needed ammunition by a group of Partisans involved in the resistance movement, but instead he brings back a weapon he believes to be more powerful than guns. Despite their scorn, he risks his life to use it in this World War…
At Clara’s piano recital, her father’s drinking problem and bullish personality become a source of embarrassment for her in this heartfelt portrait of a child torn between love and shame for her imperfect but devoted father. Won Best Short Film at the 2013 Max Ophüls Festival.
Harald is a champion wrestler with a monster mother for a coach. She cares only about winning while he just wants to grow flowers. When she threatens to harm one of his beloved plants to keep him fighting, he finds another way to fight back. Won Best Student Animation at the 2013 Palm Springs International…
Ten-year-old Tristan’s parents are deaf, but he and his sister can hear just fine. Even though Tristan’s father plays for the Dutch national football team for the deaf and he has offered to coach Tristan’s football team, the club won’t allow it because communication may be too difficult. Tristan sets out to prove that his…
A young dying boy is helped by the hospital’s eccentric janitor who tells him stories about Helium, the magical world the boy will live in after death. Won the Oscar in 2014 for Best Live Action Short.
An elderly gentleman wants to impress his new lady friend by baking a cake, but he knows he has to get past a neighbourhood gang of feral girls first. Screened with the kind permission of Network Ireland Television and Park Films.
For the Guest Service Manager at a posh boutique hotel in Beijing, China, service is the top priority. When a mysterious American guest wreaks havoc, she risks her life to maintain that ideal. Won Best Short (Action-Adventure/Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Horror) at the 2014 Asians On Film Festival.
In this animated documentary, a Dutch hooligan loves his football team above all else and gives up any chance of happiness at home because of it.
Jack’s favourite babysitter introduces him to the art of pumpkin carving on Halloween night, but that turns out to be a really bad idea. Won the Audience Award for Best Short at the 2013 Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal.
A young boy finds a hermit crab on the beach and brings it home. He’s thrilled to have a pet until he realizes that the crab belongs to a neighbourhood girl.
When filmmaker Andrew Moir was three years old, his father was diagnosed with ALS, a fatal and incurable illness. Seventeen years later, Andrew meets Brad who has ALS and three young children just like Andrew’s dad had when he was diagnosed. Each father must make a heartbreaking choice that will affect their children’s lives forever.…
A woman takes her children to her workplace and asks to be paid immediately because she’s going away. Tension escalates when her husband shows up looking for her. Nominated for an Oscar in 2014 for Best Live Action Short.
Joey is a clumsy bird who lives in the jungle and can’t fly because of his small wings. When he finds the love of his life at the top of a tree, he has to be inventive.
When a woman turns out the lights, she sees a figure in the shadows, but when she turns them back on, there is nothing. Is she alone in her apartment and just seeing things? Or is there something sinister waiting for her in the darkness? Won Best Director, 2013 Bloody Cuts Horror Challenge. Voted as…
When a ten-year-old arsonist is court-ordered to attend a counselling session, she meets ex-arsonist George which sparks a battle of wills and an unusual friendship. Screened with the kind permission of Network Ireland Television and Swing & Shift Films.
Based on the true story of the first woman to build and design an airplane, this animated musical takes place in 1909 when Miss Todd dreams of becoming one of the brave pioneers of flight, but as a woman, she’s got more than gravity holding her down. Won the Gold Medal in the Foreign Film…
In this gripping drama, a young couple wanders the city in the middle of the night in hopes of finding a hospital to treat the girl. Desperation grows as the hope of getting much needed aid and compassion begins to fade. Won Grand Jury Prize for Best World Cinema Short at the 2013 Indianapolis International…
Steve and his wife are on their way to a family dinner in New York City on Christmas Eve when their car breaks down. Luckily, the lights are on at a mechanic shop so Steve knocks on the door not realizing that there’s a crime scene inside and the murderers are expecting the notorious cleaner,…
Suffering from OCD and withdrawn from the world, Mr. Hublot’s life is satisfyingly predictable … until he witnesses what appears to be the tragic end of a robot puppy whom he rushes into the street to save. But can his small home survive the addition of a mutt who just keeps growing? Won the Oscar…
An old man seems invisible to the world around him. With only a cat for company, is he just a sad stereotype? Won the Audience Choice Award at the 2014 Aspen Shortsfest. Voted as one of the Best of the Fest.
Two shepherds go to increasingly extreme lengths to keep their flocks separated. Symbolic of the efforts that governments use to delineate their territory and control their citizens, the most effective method of separation leads to the most destructive consequences. Won the Audience Award at the 2013 Monstra Festival in Lisbon among other awards. Winner of…
After a big fight with her mom over her texting habit, 14-year-old Kaylee runs away to her grandma’s house where she is free to text as much as she wants … until her cell phone battery dies and she can’t find her recharger. While helping her grandma search through grandpa’s old things for a replacement,…
An ordinary summer day in suburbia turns darkly weird when horror legend Michael Berryman (AKA The Ice Cream Man) comes to town. Nominated for the Grand Jury Prize for Best Narrative Short at the 2014 Slamdance Film Festival.
Deep in the mountains on a stormy night in the 18th century, a man who has lost his way takes shelter in a small shrine but the abandoned objects he finds there and the room itself prevent his escape until he finds a strategy to appease their bitterness. Nominated for an Oscar in 2014 for…
Ravi is a 10-year-old boy from Sri Lanka whose family is seeking asylum in Australia. They just moved into Sydney’s Villawood detention centre and school is the only time that Ravi is allowed outside its fences. On his first day of school, he is befriended by Jane, but can their friendship withstand circumstances that are…
Bruno roams the streets of Berlin, gazing behind the many facades and surfaces as he seeks the soul of the city. Unexpectedly, he meets an ally in his quest and immediately falls in love, but she’s only in the city for one more week and he must find the right way to say goodbye. Won…
A prisoner discovers a magical box and can’t resist the temptation to use it. Won the 2014 BAFTA Award for Best British Short Film.
A story about a kind witch who invites a surprising collection of animals to join her on her broom much to the frustration of her cat. Based on the picture book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler, this magical tale about friendship and family is produced by Magic Light Pictures who made…
As her classmates prepare for their First Holy Communion, Rúbai announces that she is an atheist and refuses to participate. Screened with the kind permission of Network Ireland Television and Maga Media Teo. Voted as one of the Best of the Fest.
A young boy is too embarrassed to wear his glasses in front of his cute classmate, but he must wear them to read the questions on his exam. Won Best Short at the 2013 San Diego International Kids Film Festival among other awards.
This stop-motion animation about a man who creates a character in his own image for a stop-motion animation is an allegory on the concept of free will. Won Best Animation at the 2013 New York City Short Film Festival among other awards.
Depressed and frustrated with his life, Dr. John Kitchin leaves his career as a neurologist and moves to Pacific Beach where he undergoes a radical transformation into a rollerblading legend known as SLOMO. Won Audience Award for Best Short Documentary at the 2013 Ashland Independent Film Festival among many other awards.
Lola works for a financial institution. From her tiny cubicle, she spends the day phoning people who are late on their payments. It’s a job she does without giving it a lot of thought, but that’s about to change.
Margarethe and her husband run the only restaurant on an island that tourists visit by the busload. One day a young couple opens a sushi bar next door. While her husband easily makes friends with the newcomers, Margarethe devises a plan to encourage them to back to where they came from.
A couple’s kitchen becomes a live sporting event when their argument is broadcast on Domestic Fight TV complete with a referee and sportscaster Rod Black calling the play-by-play. The gloves come off and low blows fly as the combatants strive to win at any cost. Won Best Short Film at the 2014 Reel Islington Film…
A man reluctantly agrees to go skydiving with his soon-to-be brother-in-law only to discover mid-air that his tandem instructor is suicidal and refuses to pull the cord. Won Best Comedy at the 2012 Malibu International Film Festival. Screened with the kind permission of Network Ireland Television and Mathew Helfgott.
At a border crossing point in Africa, two aid workers are captured by the child soldiers they had wanted to help. Nominated for an Oscar in 2014 for Best Live Action Short.
Amidst the rain in a city, a blue umbrella falls in love with a red one.
In a faraway forest, the graceful Centipede is admired by all the other creatures except for an old jealous Toad who devises a plan that will stop the Centipede in its tracks. Won the Adult Jury Prize for Best Animated Short Film at the 2013 Chicago International Children’s Film Festival among other awards.
A chef seeks revenge against the critic who savagely reviewed his cooking.
Sixteen-year-old Tino has to host a date for Diablo, the family’s stud cat. While he pours tea for the middle-aged woman and her daughter after they arrive with their cat, he must try to make polite conversation over the distracting sounds coming from the next room. Won the Short Film Jury Award for International Fiction…
When Charlotte Rampling watches a rerun on TV of a 1985 film that she starred in, she discovers that she has been replaced by a young actress whom the media is calling the “new Charlotte Rampling.”
Desperate to solve the seemingly irreconcilable problems in his marriage, a man goes to a mysterious fixer for help. There is a catch – the process is irreversible and he’ll have to live with the consequences forever. Won Audience Choice Award at the 2013 International Black Film Festival of Nashville.
Sacha is a 12-year-old solo figure skater trained by his father to become a champion, but Sacha wants to be Rebecca’s ice dancing partner despite her doubts and his father’s disapproval.
On his first day of work, a young mortician is told the story of Harald Kramer, a man who suffered a head injury and appeared to be dead, but wasn’t. Harald could hear though and, due to the excellent chili his wife had served him the night before his apparent death, be heard, but still…
A woman who lives alone begins to feel uneasy about the gas man making repairs in her home and asks him to leave. Screened with the kind permission of Network Ireland Television and Rankin Film Productions/Wellington Films.
35-minute presentation by Horacio Galanti and 15-minute Q&A Horacio set out on his Grand Slam of Mountaineering goal twelve years ago and has summited the biggest five of the Seven Summits (Everest, McKinley, Aconcagua, Elbrus, and Kilimanjaro) and recently ran a full marathon at the North Pole. He will share photos of his summits and…
Stressed businessman Bob heads to a remote island to get away from it all, but the island isn’t quite as deserted as he thought it would be and crazy scientist Lizzie is the least of his worries.
Sam is a six-year-old orphan with a pet ferret named Booger. When prospective parents come to visit his orphanage, Sam decides to impress them with a few magic tricks with Booger as his assistant. When their most amazing trick flops, Sam and Booger must conjure up a different kind of magic. Won Best Short Film…
SKAnon (Serial Killers Anonymous) members offer support to each other during a meeting, but when a newcomer joins, tension escalates to the breaking point.
This black comedy narrated by George Takei appears to be a children’s story as a squirrel meets various forest animals and helps them with their fears of the unknown, failure, rejection, and death. Won Best Animation at the 2013 LA Shorts Fest among other awards.
According to Inuit oral history, long ago animals had the power of speech, could shift their appearances, and could even assume human form. In this tale, a neglected orphan is adopted by a polar bear elder. Under the bear’s guidance, the little orphan learns the skills he will need to survive and provide for himself.
When Lili starts losing her hair one morning as a result of cancer treatments, the hospital-provided wig only increases her anguish. Her friend Laura decides a radical makeover is called for.
Heather (Golden Globe winner Sally Hawkins), a shy Crisis Centre worker, takes a call from a suicidal man (Oscar winner Jim Broadbent) and tries to change his mind. Screened with the kind permission of Network Ireland Television and RSA Films. Won the Oscar in 2015 for Best Live Action Short.
When Laura’s daughter Eva chooses her German émigré grandfather as the subject of a portraiture assignment in the final year of her art degree, Laura is forced to revisit family secrets about her father’s wartime past that she’d been trying to forget. Should she tell her daughter what her mother had told her about his…
As Canadian adventurer Bruce Kirkby crosses the Georgia Strait from Vancouver to Victoria on a stand-up paddleboard in the spring of 2013, he ponders the true meaning of adventure.
A young couple escapes the Ukraine and settles in Australia during World War II. When their bodies are discovered on the beach, a detective notices discrepancies in their apparent suicides. Won Golden Reel Award at the 2012 Nevada International Film Festival among other awards.
On a tabletop mountain, a mahout and his strange herd make a surprising and never-ending journey. Won Honorable Mention at the 2013 Curtinhas Competition Vila do Conde.
A noise wakens a young woman in the middle of the night. As she walks through the house looking for the cause, she realizes that she’s not alone. Devon Burbank in attendance.
A psychiatrist must decide on the sanity of Mr. Voorman, a maximum security prisoner who believes he is a god: is he a faker or a lunatic? Nominated for an Oscar in 2014 for Best Live Action Short.
When a young boy sees from his window that a girl his age is being bullied, he realizes that he’s not at all like the hero of his book.
Minnie and Maude struggle to keep Minnie’s Euthanasia Center afloat, but competition and government bureaucracy threaten to end it all … until the two come up with a plan to find people who really want to die, but just don’t know it yet. Sometimes people just need a helping push. Director’s Statement I have always…
When eight-year-old Antti’s parents tell him that it’s time for his old dog to go to the vet to be put down, the boy begins to think about death and wonder what it means. Won the Youth Jury Prize for Finnish Short Film Under 30 minutes at the 2013 Tampere International Short Film Festival.
Being a teenager isn’t easy, especially for Nayla, a Muslim American girl who wants to join her new high school’s cheerleading squad.
Peter Davenport runs the National UFO Reporting Center, a one-man operation fielding phone calls and collecting data from UFO sightings around the U.S. Prank calls, hoaxes, and misguided interpretations mix in with legitimately breathless reports of the extraordinary. As a quiet bachelor in solitary scientific pursuit, Peter remains something of an enigma in the small…
The underground parkade is deserted at 3 in the morning except for a pair of clandestine lovers who hide when a car arrives carrying three hooded guys and a victim in the trunk. Horrified, they watch as the victim is killed and then try to agree on what they should do so they won’t be…
Sky Burial, a private ritual that involves offering the bodies of Tibetan dead to wild griffon vultures, has become a tourist attraction. Burial sites are now highlighted on tourist maps and local officials charge admission to visitors who take photos and video, often posting them online against the wishes of affected families. This documentary exposes…
In this inspiring story about the struggle for marriage equality, Photographer Curtis Brown takes up his camera to fight a proposed amendment to North Carolina’s Constitution. Won Student Academy Award for Best Documentary.
A table read of the winning script from the Youth Screenwriter Mentorship Project and Screenplay Competition.