2024 AWARD NOMINEES

THE DELAY /  [d][w] Mattia NAPOLI / Italy, France / 2022 / Fiction / 15:00 // For Arturo, the feeling of being out-of-sync with the rest of the world is no mere sensation. – Awards/Screenings: Best Short Film & Best Leading Actor – Cortinametraggio (Italy) // Best Short Film – Visioni Corte International Short Film Festival (Italy) [e] festivals@originefilms.fr

THE KEY / [d] Rakan Mayasi / [w] Rakan Mayasi (Based on a story by Anwar Hamed) / Palestine, Belgium, Qatar, France / 2023 / Fiction / 18:30 // A family’s equilibrium gradually disintegrates as the mysterious sound of a key is heard every evening in their apartment door.

– [e] andy@rainafilms.com [ig] @rainafilmfestivaldistribution

TOMORROW (Mañana) / [d][w] Ingrid Pérez López / Colombia / 2023 / Fiction / 14:30// On the eve of her First Communion, Rocío faces heartbreak, but believes life must go on. – [e] bogoshortsfilmagency@gmail.com

MFW NATIONAL COMPETITION AWARD 2024

BALEK KE JAMBI (To Face My Father in Jambi) / [d] Anggun Pradesha / Indonesia / 2023 / Documentary / 24:58 // After 8 years away, Anggun, a trans woman, returns home to seek her father’s acceptance in Jambi, her hometown. – [e] balekkejambi@gmail.com

EPHEMERA / [d] Virya Hendriyah / [w] Virya Hendriyah, Evangeline Chezia Hausjah / Indonesia / 2023 / Fiction / 16:34 // Time is finite for everyone, but what one does in that limited period are what is called as “living”. – [e] helies.pictures@gmail.com [ig] @heliespictures @vihendri_

KELOMPOK PENERBANG ROH (Arabic Mantra) / [d][w] Tunggul Banjaransari / Indonesia / 2023 / Fiction / 21:59 // A mother who left her new family in arabia to return to Gunungkidul, unable to take her biological son who died by hanging himself to heaven. – [e] hailfilmcube@gmail.com [ig] @hailthecube

LAUT MASIH MEMAKAN DARATAN (The Swallowing Sea) / [d] Afif Fahmi / [w] Della Kartika / Kabupaten Demak, Indonesia / 2023 / Fiction / 13:45 // Arga, a documentary filmmaker, visited the place of residence in his childhood that was affected by Rob. – Awards/Screenings: Jury Award di CCCL Film Festival Thailand [e] contact.studiomurup@gmail.com [ig] @studiomurup

PURUSA: WEDDING SACRED / [d][w] I Made Suniartika / Indonesia / 2024 / Fiction / 14:59 // Pregnant Kadek Shanti failed to get married because her boyfriend’s parents canceled. Kadek was married off with a sacred object. – [e] suniartikaimade@gmail.com [ig] @madesuniartika @lokapurvafilms @ylilaaar

RUANG TUNGGU : ANI (Waiting Room : Ani) / [d][w] Vonny Rasida / Jakarta, Indonesia / 2023 / Fiction / 07:51 // Ani waited in the counseling waiting room while taking care of her mothers suffering from dementia. – [e] vonny.rasida@gmail.com [ig] @series.ruang.tunggu

SAMU THE TERRIBLE AND HIS SIN / [d][w] Dhiwangkara Seta / Indonesia / 2023 / Fiction / 18:00 // A lonesome marine student receives strength from the freshwater realm to seek revenge against his rivals. – [e] elizaacheisa@gmail.com [ig] @qunfilms @dhiwankokoro @elizacheisa @giovannirahmadeva

SHALLOT SALAD / [d][w] BW Purbanegara / Indonesia / 2023 / Fiction / 13:37 // A depressed cop looks at a tragedy that killed 135 people in Indonesia. – Awards/Screenings: Asian Perspective Shorts JAFF 2023 [e] kolaborasibagus@gmail.com [ig] @bewe_bw @suitrawan

SULI STORYBOARD / [d][w] Anggun Priambodo / Indonesia / 2023 / Experimental / 15:26 // When Suli’s day starts with an eyeball in her beverage, it’s only the beginning of a series of rather absurd events. – Awards/Screenings: Jogja-Netpac Asian Film Festival 2023 // International Film Festival Rotterdam 2024 [e] journaljejalan@gmail.com [ig] @anggunpriambodo @suryowiyogo @gandrvngfilms

ESTE ES EL DIARIO NO TAN SECRETO DE RAQUEL (This Is Raquel’s Not-so-secret Diary) / [d][w] Raquel Agea / Spain / 2023 / Documentary / 17:58 // I kept 3 diaries between the time I was a preteen until adulthood. I read them and realized a problem, that they dealt with boys. – Awards/Screenings: ZagrebDox // Kurzfilm Festival Hamburg [e] raquelagea@yahoo.es [ig] @monna_pomona

JOIE DE VIVRE / [d][w] DADA / Canada / 2023 / Fiction / 11:38 // On a bright winter morning, a couple share breakfast. A simple, ‘You good?’ is about to disrupt the balance of their relationship. – [e] distribution@wlcmaboard.com [ig] @wlcmaboard

SOUTHERN AFTERNOON (南方午后) / [d][w] Tian LAN / China / 2022 / Fiction / 15:47 // A father tries to solve his doubt on a possible love letter of his daughter in a unfamiliar language. – Awards/Screenings: Best Asian Short Film – Busan IFF 2022 [e] shylightfilmsteam@gmail.com

SUPER / [d][w] Nikolas Kouloglou / Greece / 2023 / Fiction / 20:00 // On their way to the supermarket, Penny and James meet again for the first time. – Awards/Screenings: Brussels Short Film Festival 2023, Belgium, World Premiere // Busan International Short Film Festival 2023, South Korea [e] kouloglou.n@gmail.com [ig] @nikolas.kouloglou

IN THE SHADOW OF THE CYPRESS (Dar Saaye Sarv) / [d][w] Hossein Molayemi, Shirin Sohani / Iran / 2023 / Animation / 19:33 // A captain suffering from PTSD, lives with his daughter & struggle with a harsh life. One day something unexpected happens. – Awards/Screenings: Venice International Film Festival // Annecy International Animation Festival [e] shirinsohani@gmail.com [ig] @Hossein_molayemi @shirinsohani

SWEET LIKE LEMONS / [d][w] Jenny Jokela / UK, Finland / 2023 / Animation / 05:31 // A visual reflection on getting out of a harmful relationship and moving on. – [e] vanja@bonobostudio.hr [ig] @jokelajenny @bonobostudio_zagreb

WILD TALE (Conte sauvage) / [d] Aline Quertain / Belgium, France / 2023 / Animation / 15:52 // In the middle of a boreal forest, a lonely feline meets a small bird. – Awards/Screenings: In Competition at IndieLisboa, Portugal 2024 // Best film Award of Wallonia-Brussels Federation at Festival Anima, Belgium, 2023 [e] diffusion@zorobabel.be [ig] @atelier_zorobabel

DUCK / [d][w] Rachel Maclean / United Kingdom / 2023 / Experimental / 16:30 // Relax… none of this is real. – [e] mail@rachelmaclean.com [ig] @rachela_maclean

THIRTEENTH NIGHT / [d][w] Rachel Song / China / 2023 / Fiction / 15:00 // After receiving a call from her late fiancé, an unknown force starts to disturb Xiaoxue’s normal life. – Awards/Screenings: Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival // FIRST International Film Festival [e] short@parallaxchina.com [ig] @rachelwenwenwen @parallax_china

WHY ARE YOU IMAGE PLUS? / [d] Diogo Baldaia / Portugal / 2023 / Experimental / 08:44 // In a small and poor village, a local Saint controls the realm of the abyss. – [e] pf@portugalfilm.org

FERARRI (Mein Papa fährt Ferarri) / [d][w] Philip Ivancsics / Austria / 2024 / Fiction / 07:35 // A 12-year-old’s struggle to prevent his 70-year-old dad from attending his classmate’s party leads to a tricky situation. – Awards/Screenings: Goldener Spatz 2024 (Germany, 2024) // ShorTS International Film Festival Trieste (Italy 2024) [e] philip.ivancsics@students.mdw.ac.at

HAPPY NEW YEAR (干支新年会) / [d][w] Saki Muramoto / Japan / 2023 / Animation / 03:21 // The twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac are celebrating and welcoming the Year of the Rabbit. But Someone’s missing. – [e] sakimrmt@gmail.com [ig] @saki_muramoto_sketch

SOMNI / [d][w] Sonja Rohleder / Germany / 2023 / Animation / 03:15 // The sun sets and the eyes are closing. The little monkey glides gently to sleep. Suddenly the world gets darker and wild. – Awards/Screenings: Berlinale Generation, LIAF London International Animation Festival [e] film@sonjarohleder.de

HEY LITTLE ONE (Salut bébé) / [d][w] Sarah L’Hérault / Canada / 2024 / Animation / 06:22 // Hey Little One explores the intensity of the bond of attachment between a hospitalized baby and a pair of friends of her parents. – [e] projets@spira.quebec

HISTORY IS WRITTEN AT NIGHT (La historia se escribe de noche) / [d][w] Alejandro Alonso / Cuba, France / 2024 / Documentary / 19:57 // Taking refuge inside our house during a blackout, my mother tells me about a vision that has been tormenting her for years. – Awards/Screenings: IFFR Rotterdam 2024 // Documenta Madrid 2024 [e] bprieto@vegaaltafilms.com [ig] @ocnicapax @estudiost.habana @vegaaltafilms

PERFECTED GRAMMAR / [d][w] Andrea Suwito / Belgium, Portugal, Hungary, Indonesia / 2023 / Documentary / 10:52 // A Daughter learns her Mother’s Indonesian roots through a language lesson, unraveling the Mother’s painful longing for home. – Awards/Screenings: World premiere: Sheffield Doc/Fest 2024 [e] andreasuwito@outlook.com [ig] @watermelon.rabbit

PALESTINE 87 / [d][w] Bilal Alkhatib / Palestine / 2022 / Fiction / 12:40 // A man fleeing the Israeli army during the First Palestinian Intifada is sheltered by two strangers who prevent his capture. – [e] matarbilal45@gmail.com

SUKOUN (Amplified) / [d][w] Dina Naser / Jordan, Egypt, Palestine / 2023 / Fiction / 18:45 // After a violating incident at the Karate center, a young hearing-impaired Karate athlete must find a new way to reclaim her power. – Awards/Screenings: berlinale_Generation Kplus 2024 (special mention award) // Athens International Film + Video Fest (Black Bear award for sound design) [e] dina.naser@gmail.com [ig] @dina_naser9

THE BODY IS GETTING COLD (Stygnie Ciało) / [d][w] Przemysław Kopacz / Poland / 2023 / Fiction / 22:23 // The father sets off on a journey with his sick son, the journey is a chance for him to redeem his faults. – [e] nihilnovifilm@gmail.com [ig] @jackson__polack

A FERMENTING WOMAN / [d] Priscilla Galvez / [w] Maisie Jacobson / Canada / 2024 / Fiction / 23:58 // On the brink of getting fired, visionary chef Marielle Lau discovers a bewitching ingredient she’s convinced will save her career. – [e] priscilla@silenttower.media [ig] @afermentingwoman

EN ATTENDANT LOLO (WAITING FOR LOLO) / [d][w] Jules Ronfard / Canada / 2022 / Fiction / 08:14 // On a country road, a couple gone for a ride on a scooter find themselves immobilized after running out of gas. – Awards/Screenings: FESTIVAL REGARD, Canada (2022) // RENDEZ-VOUS QUÉBEC CINÉMA, Canada (2023) [e] ronfardj@gmail.com [ig] @julesronfard

SINCOPAT / [d] Pol Diggler / [w] Pol Diggler and Ramon Lázaro / Spain / 2023 / Fiction / 13:35 // Ona, an executive of a large company, is about to launch the latest technological revolution into the market. – Awards/Screenings: European Méliès d’Argent Award 2024 // Official Selection at Festival de Málaga [e] poldiggler@gmail.com [ig] @pol_diggler @filmsorient @nuria.florensa

IN LOVING MEMORY / [d][w] William K / Tangerang / 2024 / Fiction / 04:38 // Gigi tries to grant the last request from his sister, Cley, who is seriously ill. [e] sukhadharmi05@gmail.com [ig] @bloompictures_

THE CITY IS CALLING / [d] Syakir Mardhatillah / [w] Bintang Panglima dan Amar Haikal / Cibubur dan Bogor / 2024 / Fiction / 05:16 // A man fled to nature, but there were voices of the city that haunted him. [e] angelapurbs17@gmail.com [ig] @podium.pictures

KIWO TENGEN / [d][w] Rizqullah Panggabean (Alias: Rizzcool) / Surakarta / 2024 / Fiction / 06:00 // Kiwo and Tengen, a pair of separated sandals in the middle of the crowd of the Sheikh Zayed Solo Mosque. [e] manantas@gmail.com [ig] @acahacahfilms

PLOP / [d] Germiet / [w] Eunike Diva Yusuf / Tasikmalaya / 2024 / Fiction / 03:21 // Once upon a time, Wayan experienced a strange event where all the sounds were too late. [e] eunike.divayusuf@gmail.com [ig] @theseguysfilm

BOLOUR ( بلور) / [d][w] Helia Behrooz / IRAN / 2024 / Fiction / 16:12 // In the wake of the Taliban’s return to power, 19-year-old Bolour flees Afghanistan, clutching her family’s ancestral Robab. – [e] BolourMovie@gmail.com [ig] @heleeyah

DURIAN TREES / [d][w] Cheun Shi Chin / Taiwan, Malaysia / 2023 / 25:00 // An old farmer engaged in a relentless battle against the Malaysian government to protect his cherished durian orchard. – [ig] @shichin99

LAUT MASIH MEMAKAN DARATAN (The Swallowing Sea) / [d] Afif Fahmi / [w] Della Kartika / Kabupaten Demak, Indonesia / 2023 / Fiction / 13:45 // Arga, filmmaker dokumenter mengunjungi tempat tinggal masa kecilnya yang terkena rob. Arga, a documentary filmmaker, visited the place of residence in his childhood that was affected by Rob. – Awards/Screenings: Jury Award di CCCL Film Festival Thailand [e] contact.studiomurup@gmail.com [ig] @studiomurup