A young Navy pilot’s life is shattered after being shot down by a UFO in World War II. Consumed by obsessive fear and hatred, he sets out on a quest to find and kill the creature that put him burning into the sea.
2021
Official Selection
Narrative Short
France
Runtime:
30 minutes
Director:
Keyvan Sheikhalishahi
Jonas Olsen, a chess player haunted by a tragic past, is given an opportunity to participate in a mysterious game, Divertimento.
Official Selection
Animation
United States
Runtime:
12 minutes
30 seconds
Director:
Randall Dottin, Luisa Dantas
MINE is an animated web-series that poignantly explores the timely theme of community versus individual survival, through the eyes of a teenager. Set in the near-future, this powerful series transports us to BEAU VODA, a hard-fought utopian world where every aspect of life is powered by a miraculous healing water source. In the pilot episode, teenager BLAZE reluctantly steps into the esteemed role of Water Bearer with the help of their precocious sister MIA. But when the magical water is tampered with, they discover that their idealistic community may not be as magnanimous as they think.
Official Selection
Narrative Short
Iran
Runtime:
8 minutes
19 seconds
Director:
Yavar Darehzami
The short man, under the influence of the media, makes an artificial limb for himself, grows tall, comes out of his house, we see that everyone is short.
Official Selection
Animation
Iran
Runtime:
7 minutes
Director:
Hazhir As'adi
There is a war between two tribes on claiming the sun in the sky. As a result to that war, sun annihilates and the volcano erupts. Those two tribes now are dead and a new sun is made, both by that lava. Several century will pass and the humans are still in a war to claim the sun in the sky.
Official Selection
Documentary Feature
United States
Runtime:
1 hour(s)
57 minutes
55 seconds
Director:
Chris Gero
Music is the sound of truth, the sound of hope. It is the sound of unity and courage. During this critical time in history, the profound truth remains that music is the great, universal language. "The Sound of Us" chronicles a series of wide-ranging, diverse stories that exemplify the power of music and the triumph of the human spirit.
Best Narrative Feature, Best of the Fest
Narrative Feature
Germany
Runtime:
1 hour(s)
20 minutes
56 seconds
Director:
Katharina Ludwig
Actress Charlotte is struggling with her craft and even more with herself. She has messed up yet another audition and even her self-written apple tree monologue seems to be working against her. Frustrated by the realities of an artistic career and her fear of failing, Charlotte escapes on a camping trip to sunny Croatia with her boyfriend Georg. But the trip’s dynamic changes when their plans of a fun-filled couples vacation misfire: While Georg spends his time at a music festival in the hope of scoring a DJ gig, Charlotte is left stranded in the middle of nowhere. She embarks on a journey of her own, encountering happy campers Benno, a self-proclaimed shaman, and mysterious dropout Tami, to whom Charlotte feels an attraction. Both of them quickly become close companions on Charlotte's journey of self-discovery.
Official Selection
Documentary Short
United States
Runtime:
44 minutes
55 seconds
Director:
BiLan Liao
It’s the true story of an immigrant artist and her family living through the dark and terrifying days in communist China to overcome separation, discrimination, starvation, forced marriage and death. Decades later, her memories still haunt her as she paints away her deepest feelings and nightmares on the canvas. It’s the journey about a mother’s love for her daughter, and the courage to find the truth, and freedom to share through her artwork. “Never give up your dream!"
Official Selection
Narrative Short
Israel
Runtime:
18 minutes
51 seconds
Director:
Eyal Tzadik, Yotam Kislev
This is a tale of two beggars.
A friendship that could end miserably. Sasha prepares Simon for a meeting with the woman who ran him over with her limousine. A ridiculous heir. If they succeed, Simon could live a better life, and Sasha will stay alone in the streets.
Official Selection
Documentary Feature
United States
Runtime:
54 minutes
Director:
Paul Zehrer
Parents and teachers around the world struggle with their kids’ dependence on devices today. As Covid has forced our kids to rely on technology more than ever, “#KidsOnTech” looks at the impact on children’s developing bodies and brains, and asks: “How might we better prepare our kids for this digital world?” Voices from India to the U.S., France to China, Mexico to Japan explore what children need to truly excel in a future dominated by tech, including a Google designer, a German brain scientist, and New York Times journalist, Matt Richtel, whose story on a Silicon Valley school created an international media frenzy.