Shorts

Joel repairs engines, but now his own is overheating because of his side job as a gangster’s henchman. He must take a decision. A breathless ride through Mexico City begins. Estaban Azuela’s "Aferrado" is an ingenious and breathless animated short that encapsulates so many complex stories about and layers to Mexico City. Where did the idea come from? I made this film trying to understand the origins of violence in my Mexican reality and the growing glorification of criminal figures (…)

A boy learns from his grandfather how rituals in the rainforest are important to maintain the balance between humans and nature. Absolutely mesmerising and compelling film driving home the importance and urgency of the essential work carried out by indigenous communities protecting the environment. Where did the idea for the film come from? The idea for the film began when, together with the NGO Conservation International, we discussed making a movie in the Colombian Amazon about (…)

Pedro is a teenager who sells drinks in the traffic jam on an expressway that takes thousands of people to the coast during summer. Driven by curiosity and desire, Pedro embarks on an adventure that transforms him profoundly. Victor Quintanilha’s short is a transportative journey into the lives of our protagonists that’s full of heart. Where did the idea for the film come from? The idea for the film Jacaré came to me on my way back from visiting some relatives. The route back to my (…)

Maria Salafranca’s film (titled Obituary Service For You in English) offers a tour of the funeral home in a small Cuban town led by Maurilio and Fidela, driver and assistant on duty, who have been preparing corpses for 17 years in the same space where they live their lives and their love. A humorous and endearing portrait of a couple undertaking a skilful yet peculiar job. Where did the idea for the film come from? I originally wanted to make a film about Fidela’s job. She was a woman (…)

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 (…)