Locked In

Tambylles(cs)

An eighteen-year-old delinquent was recently released from a juvenile detention center. He returns to his parent's old home with a clean criminal record and a new identity. However, local villagers sense an injustice in this lack of punishment; they remember what happened there just a few years earlier. Also an ambitious filmmaker has decided to follow and document this delinquent's return to a 'normal' life. With the backdrop of contemporary society, where "everything is meaningless and nothing is real", this story of maturity and guilt unfolds.

Kwentong Barbero(tl)

Dado is loving and responsible husband. He also told stories to his loyal customers, Alas and Pablo the secret of his strong relationship with Isay and how to treat women correctly. Eventually, the origin of the saying "Kwentong Barbero" will unfold as Dado shares his love conquest tales.

Natural History(en)

Charlie and Rachel, two high school sweethearts, reconnect at a natural history museum, all while a narrator watches carefully.

100 Days(cs)

Life is going on, people work and have children, out of love or out of lack of other motivation in life. As there is no God, the only certitude is 24 hours open Tesco hypermarket. 40 years ago, Apollo 11 landed on the the surface of the Moon. Next destination is Mars. No human project can go on without a hope of being completed in a reasonable time-limit. Maximal reasonable time-limit is the duration of a human life. What does fit into it? Béla, a retired Hungarian bio-molecular scientist is waiting for death. In the meantime, he has some things to say.

Dawn(zh)

On an unremarkable weekday afternoon, the film follows eight-year-old Dawn as she spends her birthday planning the perfect surprise, only to be surprised herself.

8 Ball(en)

Vini is a university student who is in a tough spot in his life. He lacks companionship, is severely introverted and anxiety-ridden. When the state of his well-being is far from healthy he meets Emma, a bubbly, extroverted blind girl who he initially wants nothing to do with. A couple of coincidental meetings later, Vini’s quietness starts to crack, and he learns to get out of his shell and begins to find happiness. Vini’s problems seem to be a thing of the past but soon enough his journey to find himself reveals the truths he may not want to know.

I Love Your Knife!(en)

A masked killer encounters his next victim. She’s not what he’s expecting. Bloodlust becomes blood-romance. They’re meant to be.

Genre Hopper(fi)

A young filmmaker accidentally claps her idol’s mystical clapperboard, throwing the two on a frantic journey through film genres and beyond.

Ecstasy Behind the Forgotten(en)

Toxic masculinity has come to a head and this story explores the consequences not just for women, but for men. The phrase "toxic masculinity" is thrown around flippantly, and its potential root causes are very rarely explored. When a person is plagued with jealousy, they are willing to do almost anything in order to acquire what they desire. Our protagonist, August, internalizes the relationship that his best friend Wren shares with his girlfriend Julia as a direct, personal attack on him and his identity. Due to the fact August is not getting the same amount of attention and affection that he is used to from Wren, he goes behind Wren's back to manipulate Julia. August's internalized turmoil triggers an out-of-body experience that then drives him to make intimidating, coerced advances toward the people he loves.

Mahanakhon Son Rak(th)

Amor(es)

Based on the story "The monster in my room" by Miguel Angel López, a girl recounts living with her mother and a monster that stalks her at night.

Playing Through(en)

Late in her career, Ann Gregory finds the courage to be the first woman of color to enter the USGA Women's Amateur. She collides with Babs Whatling, a privileged white woman from the south who is searching for her own identity.

A Paw Over Dark(en)

A washed up actor performs night after night in a grimy theater to a nearly empty audience. However, everything changes when a clueless dog jumps on stage.

The Orange(en)

The Orange is a drama about a lonely man reliving the night he met his soulmate.

Frantic Attempts(nl)

Matthias is going on a weekend course of self-discovery called “My Value on Earth,” which was an expensive gift from his girlfriend. The course is supposed to help him deal with his chronic inability to finish things that he’s started. But before Matthias leaves, his girlfriend springs a surprise on him: he’s going to be a father. And so he hopes to use the weekend, which he has no real desire to go on, to answer new and pressing questions. The “alternative” therapist, however, doesn’t inspire much trust. The tragicomedy Frantic Attempts takes aim at the field of personal development, in particular, dubious therapists who offer quick fixes. After all, what if we should answer our existential questions ourselves instead of trying to find answers from others?

Stuck Together(cs)

Another dreary day in a small town. Viki, Sára, and Kiki, three inseparable friends since childhood, are planning to spend their free afternoon the same way they always do: vodka, cigarettes, talking about everything and nothing. But their group dynamic is different today, more explosive: one of them has reached the second round in a casting call for a modeling job, thus raising her chances of leaving this place of dashed hopes and dreams. Her friends might be willing to support her, if only their anger, sadness, and envy weren’t so powerful… A relentless but non-judgmental look at growing up without any prospects of a brighter future.

Voodoo(en)

A little girl uses a voodoo doll to get rid of her mother's date.

Nobody(en)

A young woman suspects a strange entity is after her.

Never Me(en)

“Never Me” is a student film about Serafina, a 16-year-old girl who endures the tribulations of attempting to receive an abortion in her home state of Texas after the overturn of Roe v. Wade. The story explores the importance of friendship and family as they journey through love and loss. Serafina treks a narrow path, but in the end became closer to those who matter most and gained a newfound respect for adulthood.

Twenty-Seven(en)

Twenty-seven year old musician Jane's phone won't stop ringing on the eve of her birthday. Uninterested in distractions from the world around her, Jane pores over books and analyzes notes in a frantic search for her way out of the curse she believes herself to be under: an untimely death at twenty-seven years old just like many of her artistic idols. Jane ignores repeated phone calls and angrily throws her phone away, working into the night and passing out from exhaustion. After waking up alive, Jane begins cleaning up her apartment and repairing her phone, ready to live without fear of her inevitable mortality and to appreciate life while it's happening. Screened at the Toronto Short Film Festival 2023. Nominated for best actress (Stephanie Cowan as Jane) at the Toronto Alternative Film Festival 2022 and the Couch Film Festival 2022.