Shorts

Four kids from the refugee camp in Bethlehem decide to visit the sea for the first time in their life. Ibrahim Handal is a cinematographer and filmmaker living in Bethlehem, who graduated in Cinematography in 2019 from Dar Al-Kalima University. His previous short film Bethlehem 2001 was also selected by the Clermont-Ferrand International Film Festival. Yet again, Ibrahim offers a sensitive, eye-opening glimpse into Palestinian daily life, this time through the prism of an incredibly (…)

One night, while guarding his aunt’s house in a remote Lebanese village, Anis is forced to pretend he is a burglar to save his life during a break-in. An amusing short with a likeable cast. Very impressive debut short by Lebanese (now) filmmaker Dwan Kaoukji! Canary in a Coal Mine was in the international competition of the Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival 2024. Where did the idea come to you, given it’s based on a true story? I came across the idea from a friend of mine who told me a (…)

Eissa, a 17-year-old African migrant in Egypt, races to beat the clock and save his loved ones after a violent incident, no matter what it takes. Morad Mostafa has a real knack for telling complex, intimate and three-dimensional stories from the perspective of marginalised people. A young girl and her mother in Henet Ward, a teenage boy here, all members of Egypt’s African migrant community. It’s a beautiful film, in which the play with light and shadows transforms this initially mundane (…)

A woman struggles with the pressures of motherhood and uses a childish game at a local baby group to vent her fury, sparking an unexpected chain reaction. The chaos, misery, elation, isolation and general upheaval - positive or negative - generally associated with early motherhood is such fertile ground for visual story-telling that I’m surprised it’s not the focus of many short films. In If You’re Happy, director Phoebe Arnstein utilises the format in the best possible way, taking us (…)

A single piece of jewellery holds the story of generations. Director Ruth and her mother go back to Ethiopia and explore her mother’s story as a survivor of the Red Terror genocide. A remarkable and ambitious documentary by Ruth Hunduma. By revisiting her own family’s trajectory and a dark chapter in Ethiopia’s history, the film serves as a powerful act of remembrance and the need to transmit this knowledge and acknowledgement to future generations. The short will also be part of the (…)

A coming of age drama about the cracks that form in childhood friendships, the vulnerability of youth and the frailty of parental figures. Avoiding didacticism and cliches, Beth Rowland shares a thoughtful, nuanced and well-told story depicting how far-right thoughts and ideals can take root in specific contexts. An impressive early short carried by a solid cast. The film will be shown at the International Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival 2024. What gave you the impetus to tell (…)

In Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, a woman walks into a chadari store in Kabul to buy her first full-body veil and face an uncertain future. OSCAR-shortlisted and BAFTA-longlisted film "Yellow" is a beautiful, sensitive and intimate glimpse into one Afghan woman’s experience of navigating rules that have such wide-ranging repercussions for her bodily autonomy. Elham Ehsas, an actor born in Kabul but living in London since the age of 10, has a real eye for aesthetics, and demonstrates an (…)

“Straight Girl” is a short documentary which focuses on Remy Enceladus, their acceptance of their own identity and discovery of sexuality and gender presented in stage persona and music. This film delves deep into a multitude of emotive topics and it feels as though Remy is learning this along with us. There is a sense of humour throughout the film that surrounds the deeper content, and a sincerity and honesty about how it is to live with the fragility of someone who, on the face of things, (…)

Rosie, a Congolese teenager, who’s recently arrived in London, discovers the unwelcoming side of life in Britain when a misunderstanding with two window cleaners escalates into conflict. Lions is having quite the successful festival run. Well deserved, for this prescient and rousing short by London-based Beru. The short will be screened as part of a special programme of Clermont highlights in London at the Garden Cinema, in partnership with the festival team and Mydylarama! The Brasserie (…)

A l’occasion de l’édition 2023 du Festival de Clermont-Ferrand, nous avons discuté avec la réalisatrice Laura Goncalves dont le court La Quadrature du Cercle avait fait partie de la sélection de 2015 pour en savoir un peu plus sur son parcours depuis et ce que lui a apporté cette présence au festival. Parlez-nous de votre premier court-métrage sélectionné à Clermont-Ferrand. Quel était le sujet ? Le court-métrage La Quadrature du Cercle a été sélectionné pour la 37ème édition du Festival (…)