Princess Principal Crown Handler: Chapter 1 – Busy Easy Money(2021)

Crowned Species(ru)

A journalistic investigation, built not on rumors and assumptions, but on direct evidence, revealing the true mechanisms of podium coronations. Hidden camera footage of negotiations with the owners of the largest national beauty contests and an attempt to answer the question of why these people are not yet in prison. Famous people on the jury are not a guarantee of fair judging. Irrefutable evidence of the corruption of the so-called “stars” who elect the next Miss and Mrs. The collection and subsequent theft of funds for charity is a side business of the owners of fraudulent shows. What actually awaits the titled Misses after purchasing the prize? And what do children's beauty pageants turn out to be like for young participants?

Sonic 30th Anniversary Symphony(en)

30 years ago, on June 23rd, 1991, Sonic the Hedgehog was released on the SEGA Genesis, beginning a new era of gaming. Since then, Sonic has been running through countless zones, beating badniks, and saving the world with the help of his friends. This performance is to thank you, all of you, for being there every step of the way, and to remind us all of the amazing journey we've been on. Happy 30th Anniversary, Sonic!

Shangku Shelter(en)

Zanskar is a remote kingdom in the northwest Indian Himalaya, where local people are snow-bound for six months of the year. About 10,000 Zanskaris live in the isolated valley. In winter, mountain passes are blocked, the summer Jeep road closes and buses stop. Two decades ago, three friends founded a ski school - to enable winter travel in the valley, improve quality of life, and to encourage young people to stay in Zanskar by helping establish a culture of mountain sports. The film tells the story of this friendship, the ski school and the development of skiing in the area. Along the way a bigger question is raised. Most recently, the federal government announced a major road building project that will provide year round access to Zanskar. How can Zanskar's wilderness be preserved? It is only a matter of time before the winter road is completed, and the "Big India" rushes in.

Bad(en)

Hazel runs a beauty salon out of her house, but makes extra money by providing ruthless women the oppurtunity to perform hit jobs. L.T. is a parasite, and contacts Hazel looking for work after he runs out of money. She is reluctant to use him for a hit, since she prefers using women, but decides to try him on a trial basis. Meanwhile, the cop she pays off wants an arrest to make it look like he's doing his job, but Hazel doesn't want to sacrifice any of her "associates". The sleazy side of life is explored in this delightfully dark and deadpan film.

Destruction Inc.(en)

Superman has to thwart wartime saboteurs tampering with things at the Metropolis Munitions Plant...who have captured Lois Lane and loaded her into a torpedo!

Afrikaans Is Groot 2018(af)

The Seventh "Afrikaans is Groot" concert. It is an annual concert where some of the biggest Afrikaans artist perform

The Way to the Heart(en)

Ava, an award-winning chef at a big-city restaurant, has lost her spark. Her boss sends her out to find herself to save her menu and her job. She returns home and finds little to inspire her, but when she reunites with her childhood friend Logan, Ava has to get her head out of the clouds and her foot out of her mouth to rediscover her passion for food.

War(en)

In the gray dawn of an October day, as the inhabitants of a village street in Tripoli are engaged in the enjoyment of their several pursuits of life, an Arab rushes upon the peaceful scene, announcing that Italy has declared war against Turkey and that the Italian warships are now in the harbor, shelling the city.

Cuatro paredes(es)

Six Weeks to Twelve Years(en)

After the death of their abusive father, two estranged twin brothers must reunite and sell off his property.

Vicious Kiss(en)

A struggling artist is stalked and pursued by an emotionally unstable widow, who sets about tearing apart his marriage and claiming him as her own.

Happy Birthday!(en)

An unlucky Birthday boy must fight for his life against a masked psychopath.

Love Manoeuvres(pl)

Lieutenant Niko’s family insists he marry a chosen fiancée, but he falls for a beautiful baroness and travels to meet “his betrothed” disguised as his orderly, who impersonates him, only to discover that the baroness is in fact the intended bride. Meanwhile, the baroness and her maid swap identities in turn, leading to a cascade of mistaken identities and a lighthearted resolution when true matches are revealed.

Palkó Csinom(en)

The musical adventure film goes back to the early eighteenth century, the times of the battles between the Hungarian insurrectionists and the pro-Austrians. Palkó and Jankó are about to join the insurrectionist army when they clash with a pro-Austrian troop. Jankó is captured and put in Count Koháry's prison.

The Death of Mr. Fawkes(en)

A young woman, after her fiancée’s death, cannot understand her feelings about the socially-motivated engagement’s end. Parents apathetic, cousin overwhelmingly sympathetic, only a reemerging suitor’s advances allow her to understand— what she feels is grief.

Bikini Party Massacre(en)

6 teenagers go traveling in the woods, to have a crazy private party. They don't know they are followed by a psychopath. Slowly the party is turning in to a blood bath, when the killer slaughters them all one by one.

Breakfast(fr)

Relentlessly reworking ‘real’ images, using techniques borrowed from painting and animated film, Patrick Bokanowski is an author of stature, capable of creating an insane and cataclysmic universe of unquestionable beauty.

Annie: Origins(en)

Hopscotch(en)

When CIA operative Miles Kendig deliberately lets KGB agent Yaskov get away, his boss threatens to retire him. Kendig beats him to it, however, destroying his own records and traveling to Austria where he begins work on a memoir that will expose all his former agency's covert practices. The CIA catches wind of the book and sends other agents after him, initiating a frenetic game of cat and mouse that spans the globe.

AFTERWORLD(en)

In a dystopian future where human genetics have evolved, a new breed of individuals—Variants—possess extraordinary abilities. However, the world’s leaders deem them a threat, unleashing an elite militia known as the Dark Hunters to hunt them down. Amidst this chaos, two sisters, Eve and Mia Levison, find themselves at the center of a brutal war for survival. Captured by the ruthless Grand Huntress, Eve is held prisoner while Mia, a powerful Variant, launches a daring assault to rescue her. As Mia fights her way through the heavily fortified Sector Thirteen, Eve struggles against her captors, discovering the deep-seated hatred fueling Cleo’s crusade.

The Black Windmill(en)

A British agent's son is kidnapped and held for a ransom of diamonds. The agent finds out that he can't even count on the people he thought were on his side to help him, so he decides to track down the kidnappers himself.

Vincent(en)

Young Vincent Malloy dreams of being just like Vincent Price and loses himself in macabre daydreams that annoy his mother.

Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom(en)

Professor Owl gives a lecture on the evolution of Western musical instruments, starting with the advent of rudimentary brass, woodwind, string and percussion instruments by ancient cave dwellers at the dawn of history.

Flares(en)

After a near-death experience, a person floats in a mysterious space, gradually being reborn by reconnecting with the sensations of their body.

Rita and Crocodile(da)

Rita is a small and very determined girl who has a very hungry friend, Crocodile, who lives in the bathtub. Most probably, Crocodile only exists in Rita's imagination, but this is Rita's world and Crocodile is a real part of it.

Singular(en)

In an America where everyone has superpowers, Andy, the only kid who doesn't have one, struggles to escape a group of bullies led by Sofia, who just wants to make Andy's life more miserable than it already is. But what begins as an ordinary 'everyday' beating ends up spiraling out of control, putting our hero in a life-or-death situation where courage, leadership and sacrifice will guide Andy -- and Sofia -- to discover the true meaning of "being special."

Sakuhin(xx)

Yumi Shima's animated short film is an experiment with geometric objects.

On the Beautiful Blue Danube(pl)

Animation with coloured salt by Aleksandra Korejwo. Music by Johann Strauss performed by the Strauss Festival Orchestra.

The Charm of the Wheels(pl)

A swarm of locusts teases a herd of horses. A four-wheeled vehicle drives into the herd. It pulls behind its riders, the horses, and the insects. The gallop is more and more dynamic, gravediggers prepare coffins for crazy drivers.

The Adventurer(en)

The daring convict no. 23, known as The Eel, escapes from prison and, after mocking his inept persecutors, saves the lives of three people in peril: a beautiful girl, her mother and an annoying suitor, only to get exhausted and almost drowned. Once he regains his strength at Judge Brown's home, he participates on an upper-class social party where he competes with the suitor for the favors of the charming Miss Brown. But prison guards are still after him…

Demi-Goddesses(xx)

The second essay about still dominant dark aspects of our modern society. It is conceived as a surreal anti-patriarchal thought experiment and raises important questions about gender, power, and social change, prompting us to reflect on how historical patterns of discrimination and oppression might be either repeated or overcome in a reversed gendered world. It challenges the viewer to confront their own assumptions and biases, and to consider the possibilities of a more equitable society.

Chromophobia(fr)

This animated coming-of-age story explores the familial, societal, and religious challenges a boy faces because of his sexual orientation.

Exsultate Jubilate Alleluja(pl)

A film miniature to classical music inspired by the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Praise for the joy of life, synchronously set to the vocalization of Mozart's piece.

Downhill(pl)

Penis-shaped men make a joint attempt to push an old carriage down the hill. They manage to remove all the wheels of the carriage, one by one. Then, collectively, they lift the wheelless vehicle and carry it down. The year of the film's production – 1979 suggests that the director wanted to mock the decline of real socialism. The system was weakened by the political and economic crisis. The collective effort of the men was a reference to the growing opposition.

Slaughterbots(en)

A UC Berkeley computer science professor helped to create a video that imagined a world where nuclear weapons were replaced by swarms of autonomous tiny drones that could kill half a city and are virtually unstoppable. Stuart Russell, the professor, said these drones are already a reality.

Minuet(en)

An essay in colour harmonics and visual overtones. Conceived and produced as part of the Images Film Festival's Minute Movies.

Cameras Take Five(en)

The enduring romance of the lines. A visual exploration of Dave Brubeck's jazz classic "Take Five".