Student Film Selection 2020

The Winter

Australia, 2020, 5’, paint-on-glass

director Xin Li

scriptwriter Xin Li

music Miguel Otero

Walking in a snowy forest, a peasant sees an unusual deer and goes to follow it. The deer allures him and the peasant even wants to catch it.

War Machine

Bulgaria, 2019, 6’31”, 2D

director Iva Dimanova

scriptwriter Vladislav Budinov

music Iavor Pachovski

“War Machine” deals with one of the oldest problems of humanity – war. Painting a world not based on any particular conflict, but rather an amalgamation of several conflicts. Observing a world with no good and evil, in which war and it’s consumption of life has become a well oiled machine, allows me to explore the true nature of war – the act of killing. The act of mass produced killing. The act of stripping humanity away from the people until they are nothing more than war machines.

Soul Ltd.

Bulgaria, 2020, 4’26”, 2D

director Ivaylo Delchev

scriptwriter Ivaylo Delchev

music Daniel Moseley

“Soul Ltd.” is a short film about the inner workings of an evil company. Day after day the devoted workers are manipulated and brainwashed. Meanwhile, hiding in the shadows is their conniving boss waiting for the right time to make his move.

BOLT

Bulgaria, 2020, 7’40”, 3D

director Iliya Shekerdzhiev

scriptwriter Ivan Vesselinov

music Ani Svinarova

A post-technological parable about the aggression as a destructive and deadly instinct embedded in an individual or society.

Scrambled Eggs

Bulgaria, 2020, 2’06”, 2D

director Simeon Georgiev

scriptwriter Simeon Georgiev

music Boyan Hristov

A mysterious hand breaks three eggs in a bowl and stirs them. When the hand pours the eggs in a pan, they start illustrating the bittersweet life of a man, right up until his death. A short tale about life told through the unusual medium of a simple breakfast recipe.

8,848

Bulgaria, 2020, 4’20”, cutout

director Stefan Voivodov

scriptwriter Stefan Voivodov

music Stefan Voivodov

The law of the peak, filled with raw beauty.

Diego in my Mind

Bulgaria, 2019, 5’21”, mixed media

director Elisabeth Vladimirova

scriptwriter Elisabeth Vladimirova

music Yoan Stamatov

The text in the film is based on the biography of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. An interpretation of the symbols in one of her self-portraits such as monkey, cat, hummingbird or a prickly necklace, with the help of which the story itself is told. 

How Penguins Lost Their Home

Bulgaria, 2019, 2’, mixed media

director Olesya Poznyakova

scriptwriter Olesya Poznyakova

music freesound.com

The film tells the love story of two penguins who had to leave their home because of people who destroy nature.

Skyless

Bulgaria, 2019, 5’25”, drawings on paper

director Magdalena Stoilova

scriptwriter Magdalena Stoilova

“I’m left with a piece of the horizon that the city tries to crush to hurt me” – JLUCH

“Skyless” is a film about looking to the past and tripping over the present. About someone who doesn’t know where to go when the world turns against them. And about finding hope when you bother to look up.

Cockpera

Croatia, 2020, 4’34”, 2D

director Kata Gugić

scriptwriter Kata Gugić

music Vjeran Šalamon

A short opera inspired by Aesop’s fable The Fighting Cocks and the Eagle.

Noctuelle

Czech Republic, 2019, 10’12”, stop motion

director Martin A. Petrlíček

scriptwriter Martin A. Petrlíček

music Petr Viba

The Story begins, where each dream has its shade.

Way of Sylvie

Czech Republic, 2020, 12’23”, 2D

director Verica Pospíšilová Kordić

scriptwriter Verica Pospíšilová Kordić

music Filip Nebřenský

They say that women are great multitaskers and Sylvie definitely is. How does she do it? And does she really manage to do it?

Leaf

Czech Republic, 2020, 5’40”, 2D

director Aliona Baranova

scriptwriter Aliona Baranova

music Petr Mazoch

Huge sailor gets an autumn leaf from a small girl. It reminds him of his home. How long has he not been there? He runs to meet his old parents. What will he find there?

Room with a Sea View

Estonia, 2020, 11’55”, 2D

director Leonid Shmelkov

scriptwriter Leonid Shmelkov

music Alexey Prosvirnin

Herbert arrives in the seaside city on a long working trip. Accidentally he falls in love with a very strange beautiful saleswoman in a flower shop. He suffers from insomnia, which he treats by watching billiards on TV. But now it doesn’t help anymore. His obsessive passion keeps him awake.

A lantern in the night

France, 2019, 5’49”, 3D

director Fantine Chareyre, Victorien De Cozar, Clara Gacoin, Laura Javel, Emma Malric, Déborah Morali, Maxime Ponsart.

scriptwriter École Supérieure des Métiers Artistiques

music Romain Paillot

Emiko, a young japanese girl, discovers the secret behind the most respected tradition of her village.

The back of the spoon

France, 2019, 5’30”, 3D

Laurent Wassouf, Clément Crosnier, Edgard Cros, Theoline Chapas, Nolwenn Pétereau, Nedellec Anouk, Lucas Ancel

scriptwriter École Supérieure des Métiers Artistiques

music Cristophe Héral, Patrice Héral

A young woman finds herself alone in the kitchen washing up, submerged in the dishes. However she begins to hear exotic sounds coming from the sink allowing her to escape the boredom of the task at hand.

Eye for an eye

France, 2019, 5’28”, 3D

director Thomas Boileau, Alan Guimont, Robin Courtoise, Mathieu Lecroq, Malcom Hunt, François Briantais

scriptwriter École Supérieure des Métiers Artistiques

music Jeffrey Brice

A one sighted pirate captain keeps going on a journey to get a treasure, every time with a new crew of pirates as one sighted as he is.

To the dusty sea

France, 2020, 12’23”, stop motion

director Héloïse Ferlay

scriptwriter Héloïse Ferlay

music Antonin Tardy

Left alone in the deepest of the summer, Malo and Zoe are trying their best to catch their mother’s elusive eye.

Home Away 3000

France, 2018, 11’17”, stop motion

director Héloïse Pétel, Philippe Baranzini

scriptwriter Héloïse Pétel, Philippe Baranzini

music Ludovic Maudet

After crashing on an unknown planet, a space traveller begins repairing his spaceship. Little does he know he is before a special and surprising encounter.

Family Bonds

Hungary, 2019, 6’34”, 2D

director Maria Schmidt

scriptwriter Maria Schmidt

music Klara Finck

The little fox Hugo has a happy family, but it’s a bit unusual – his parents are geese. They live an harmonic life until one day Hugo discovers a grown fox attacking another goose. This results into the most challenging and difficult situation our little patchwork-family has to overcome before Hugo ultimately finds out who he really is and that family is a feeling and not a matter of heritage.

Bardo

Hungary, 2019, 5’, 2D

director Fiorella Spitzer

scriptwriter László Kolozsi

music András Pongor

An old Fisherman lives alone with his Dog in a fishing village. One day, they find a rope tied to a waif anchor along the shore, which invites the fisherman closer and closer to the water. His curiosity draws him into the sea until he is swallowed by the huge waves that sweep him far away from his home. His loyal friend follows him but at first he can only look after his owner from afar. The Fisherman, following a mysterious fish, is faced with his dreamlike visions of his home, his fond memories. He would almost back away at this point, but the special creature would bait him into an abyss to his final journey, into an unknown from which there might be no return.

Naked

Russian Federation, 2019, 14’40”, 3D

director Kirill Khachaturov

scriptwriter Kirill Khachaturov, Nina Volova

music Kirill Khachaturov, Konstantin Novikov

Somewhere in Eastern Europe due to an accident in a laboratory, the hero gains superpowers that he does not want. The hero does not want to be a superhero, to save the world from villains, he wants to live as before without changing anything. The situation is complicated by the fact that while he gains the awareness of his power, it causes problems in his everyday life. While he is stuck in the elevator, he meets a girl who likes him and wants to help him.

A Warm Salty Wind

Russian Federation, 2020, 2’03”, 2D

director Maria Korzhova, Maria Laricheva, Sofia Petrova

scriptwriter Maria Korzhova, Maria Laricheva, Sofia Petrova

music Sashа Chirkova

An atmospheric film about one day on the Black Sea coast. Portraying the taste of summer, the picture dips us into the mood of leisure, where one day is like one life.

The Edge

Switzerland, 2020, 7’23”, 2D

director Zaide Kutay, Géraldine Cammisar

scriptwriter Géraldine Cammisar

music Mirjam Schnedl

A withdrawn truck driver collides with his parallelism and the world goes off the rails.

Life is One of the Simplest

Switzerland, 2019, 7’30”, drawings on paper

director Marion Nyffenegger

scriptwriter Marion Nyffenegger

music Joachim Flüler

A collage of five people from different cultures living in Switzerland. They reflect life by looking at their origins. The liveliness and diversity of life can be divine.

Going On Stage

Taiwan, 2019, 6’02”, 2D

director Liou, Dai-Yan

scriptwriter Liou, Dai-Yan

music WinSound Studio

Betel nut beauties are definitely one of the traditions in Taiwan. They impress most people by wearing less clothes so as to make more money. We use the inner sound of a betel nut beauty’s child as the main storyline. The superhero symbolizes hope. Combining the cartoon of western superheroes and special tradition in Taiwan, the film tells a story about family relationships.

Pile

United Kingdom, 2019, 3’23”, mixed media

director Toby Auberg

scriptwriter Toby Auberg

music Ben Goodall

Water then food. Agriculture then industry. Old then new. Critical then extra. Simple to complex. Concrete to abstract. Dirt to clouds. Real to unreal.

Where am I?

United Kingdom, 2020, 4’, mixed media

director Cheng Qiu

scriptwriter Cheng Qiu

music Cheng Qiu, Ruanth Chrisley Thyssen

What do you see inside the mist?