Islands in the City

The Influenced(hi)

Sahil, bored with his monotonous life, decides to call an old friend.

Bohemia(en)

When Melbourne’s cultural hub is left devastated post-pandemic, the creative industry, like many others, is ravaged. Set amongst the ashes of the cities arts scene, BOHEMIA is a hybrid of documentary, music video, and next generation concert film that powerfully recounts the story of this fallen angel of Australian culture and asks the looming question: “what now?”. Shadowy underground musician VANTA and debutant director Madeline Royce team up with a decorated collective of young creatives to contend that art in the pandemic need not be a compromise, but an evolution.

Solitaire Dance(fi)

Three perspectives on loneliness, how it feels and how it can be survived: “If I could just dance with somebody once more.”

Castaway on the Moon(ko)

Mr. Kim is jobless, lost in debt and has been dumped by his girlfriend. He decides to end it all by jumping into the Han River - only to find himself washed up on a small, mid-river island. He soon abandons thoughts of suicide or rescue and begins a new life as a castaway. His antics catch the attention of a young woman whose apartment overlooks the river. Her discovery changes both their lives.

The Cry of the Owl(en)

Fleeing New York City, a failed marriage and a fragile mental history, artist Robert Forrester moves to small-town Pennsylvania. There he becomes fascinated with the simple domesticity of a beautiful neighbor, watching her through the windows of her home --- until she invites him in for coffee. He is drawn into a relationship with the young woman whose boyfriend goes missing; Robert becomes a murder suspect, gradually sensing he is the target of a larger plot.

Lily: A Transgender Story(en)

Filmed over five years, we follow Lily Jones, 20, as she transitions from male to female, leaves her seaside home for the city, undergoes gender reassignment surgery and finds love.

Comic Book Junkies(en)

A comedy focusing on a series of fans and cosplayers who are thrown into a spin when the Coronavirus hits and San Diego Comic Con 2020 is cancelled. Adding to this: the earth is thrown into a black hole by an unknown supervillain. Now, these people who are used to dressing up must all become the one thing they have all aspired to be: Heroes.

Félix and the Fish(es)

Félix finds a young man lying unconscious on the beach and realizes he has scales on his back. Félix takes him home and takes care of him.

Going Overboard(en)

A struggling young comedian takes a menial job on a cruise ship where he hopes for his big chance to make it in the world of cruise ship comedy.

Bancando a Wendy(pt)

...Maybe This Time(en)

Fran, the assistant to university professor Paddy, is about to turn 30. She is having an affair with a married minister's aide, Stephen. She returns home to the country town she grew up in and has a fling with an old flame, Alan. She also begins sleeping with Paddy.

A Place of Our Own(it)

Days(sh)

A married woman is living an unexcited life, until she meets a man who is able to put a smile on her face again, at least for a couple of days.

Netīrā zona(lv)

A look into how it is to work in the Covid-19 area at a Latvian hospital. Created by a team of journalists of Latvian Television: Aija Kinca, Ivans Milovs, Dace Kokle, and Edmunds Rimšāns.

Repulsion(en)

Beautiful young manicurist Carole suffers from androphobia (the pathological fear of interaction with men). When her sister and roommate, Helen, leaves their London flat to go on an Italian holiday with her married boyfriend, Carole withdraws into her apartment. She begins to experience frightful hallucinations, her fear gradually mutating into madness.

Il Mare(ko)

In the year 1999, a young woman leaves her quaint seaside house and returns to the city, leaving in the mailbox a card for the next owner, with instructions to forward any mail of hers to the new address. In the year 1997, a jaded young architect moves into the same house and finds the letter. His reply, which he slips into the mailbox, finds its way to her, beginning a parallel-time love story separated by a span of two years.

Como a China encobriu a pandemia de COVID-19(pt)

Screwed in Tallinn: A Small Film About Loneliness(sv)

Percy Nilegaard collects Swedish single men and embarks on a bus trip to Tallinn with a so-called "highly-experienced driver".

Republic of Evil Ants(pt)

One of the greatest pests on the planet, the evil ants destroy the forest to protect their family. Memories of the covid-19 pandemic, eroded by ignorance and negationism. What's left in this great country of worms and viruses?

Elsa & Fred(en)

After his daughter persuades him to move into a new apartment, aged widower Fred strikes up a friendship with his eccentric 74-year-old neighbour Elsa, who convinces him it's never too late to keep enjoying life. Although he seemed resigned to a miserable bedridden existence, Fred embraces Elsa's youthful enthusiasm as she introduces him to the path of life and entertains him with outlandish stories about her past life. But when he discovers Elsa's terminally ill, Fred decides to accompany her on the trip of her dreams to the eternal city of Rome to help her fulfil a lifelong ambition.