In this quiet, naturalistic dramatic short, six-year old Sarah grapples with understanding mortality after the sudden death of her older brother, David. With the help of her family, she gradually learns how to process his passing and cope with her grief. Written, produced, and directed by Jackie Rivet-River, this short film for Encyclopaedia Britannica Films was awarded the Silver Hugo prize at the Chicago International Film Festival, as well as 12 additional awards internationally.
Sarah
David
Father
Mother
Amanda
Cookie Lady
Child on Slide
The death of Roberto, the canary, forces a family to come to terms with their own grief.
Amy, the young, friendless daughter of Oliver and Alice Reed, befriends her father's late first wife and an aging, reclusive actress.
The Boyajian family learned of 18-year-old John's death in the Persian Gulf War on Christmas Eve eleven years earlier and have not celebrated Christmas since. They have been so consumed by his death that they have forgotten the joys of the holidays, until a mysterious visitor enters their lives and rekindles the spirit of the season.
Brothers is inspired by a true story of loss. It follows a mother and her two sons as they come to terms with the untimely death of their father. It examines what we remember about people we have lost and how we take their 'essence' with us as we move forward in life without them.
Delphyne (meaning ‘womb’) discusses the stigma around menstruation. Addressing shame and acceptance, taboos around menstrual blood are told through a fabric-themed metaphor, and the conflict between a mother-daughter relationship; to find a shared unity and language to beat the conflict which projects itself in the shame metaphor that they’ve unwound and removed from their life. The historical connotations of staining, feminine purity and the divide between private and public space as well as ownership of the body come into play. The coming of age theme is reflected in reference to her struggle with the self (alter-ego), struggle with the ‘other’ (male influence) and struggle with the home (her Mother).
Two stories showcasing the problems children face while growing up.
A 10-year-old boy starts to die of neglect when his widowed father spends too much time forsaking his parental duties in favour of playboy activities and a jet-set life-style.
When Ana's childhood friend dies she attempts to skip the five stages of grief with the help of her best friends, ex-boyfriends and naked Twister.
A dying man in his forties recalls his childhood, his mother, the war and personal moments that tell of and juxtapose pivotal moments in Soviet history with daily life.
After the Creed family's cat is accidentally killed, a friendly neighbor advises its burial in a mysterious nearby cemetery.
Many years after a deadly terrorist siege in a Moscow theatre, survivor Natalya returns to the crime scene to hold a memorial evening, finally able to confront her survivor's guilt and her estranged daughter and husband.
Martha is unhappy with her life as it is at the moment, and among other issues, she has decided to give up her writing career. Along with that decision comes a need to get away from her husband and from her psychiatrist, with whom she has had more than just a doctor-patient relationship. As Martha travels through a deserted city landscape in a storm, the external world reflects something of her inner turmoil. Flashbacks are interspersed throughout the film to enhance the suspense of Martha's inner and outer journey.
A weak-willed Italian man becomes a fascist flunky who goes abroad to arrange the assassination of his old teacher, now a political dissident.
In the aftermath of a devastating loss, Jose grapples with overwhelming loneliness and grief. A Place to Fall Down is a poignant short film that delves into the life of Jose, an elite mechanic struggling to cope with the overwhelming grief he feels after losing his beloved wife. The film unfolds in the span of a single day, capturing Jose’s emotional journey as he grapples with balancing his daunting real-life workload with the profound sense of loss. Through an extraordinary performance from Clifton Collins Jr. and a gripping sound design that acts as a character in the film, "A Place to Fall Down" explores themes of grief, empathy, healing and the power of love. It’s in the darkest moments that the resilience of the human spirit and the profound impact of unconditional shine the brightest.
Alex agrees to help his friend Greg - but when he arrives late, Alex turns him down because his schedule has been thrown off, and Greg races to complete his task all alone. When Greg dies in an accident caused by his haste, Alex is plagued by guilt and grief, and talks through his childhood and outlook on life with a therapist.
Reporter John Klein is plunged into a world of impossible terror and unthinkable chaos when fate draws him to a sleepy West Virginia town whose residents are being visited by a great winged shape that sows hideous nightmares and fevered visions.
Set in the pastoral mountains of northern Iran, eight-year-old Sahand has been rendered mute by the loss of his mother during the war. He is taken care of by his older sister as he struggles to process his trauma.