"A Bright Sunny Day", dir. He Yupeng. USA, 2023, 20 min.
"The Tree Without Leaves", dir. Roma Belov. Russia, 2023, 24 min.
"Human Nature", dir. Mónica Lima. Portugal, Germany, 2023, 25 min.
"Kids of July", dir. Maria Chukalskaia. Russia, 2023, 20 min.
"Ivory Tower", dir. Camille Dumortier. France, 2023, 27 min.
Q&A with director Roma Belov.
Q&A with director Maria Chukalskaia.
Q&A with director Camille Dumortier, online.
Synopsis:
Two teenage girls who have come to a Christian community for the holidays form a painful alliance.
About the director:
Maria Chukalskaia. Director, actress. Born in St. Petersburg, she graduated from the State Russian Museum Grammar School (2018) and the St. Petersburg School of New Cinema (2021). “Kids of July” is her graduation project. She is currently working on a feature film.
Synopsis:
Zélie, 9, admires her big brother Basile who accumulates images like a collector. In the absence of their mother, he involves her in the shooting of his film. But Zélie has to deal with her director’s changing moods.
About the director:
Camille Dumortier. Director, screenwriter. She studied cinema on her own. In 2019, she made her first short film, “Les pieds sur terre”. Currently working on the short feature film “Assis, pas bouger!” and a full-length debut.
Synopsis:
A few days in the life of a small-town boy. After graduating from college, he receives a conscription notice. We live his last days together with him.
About the director:
Roma Belov. Filmmaker. Born in Tula. Graduated from the Moscow Aviation Institute, specializing in environmental engineering. Studied film independently. In 2021 he made his first short film “Walking along the Sidewalk”. “The Tree without Leaves” is his second directorial work.
Synopsis:
The appearance of a girl on a bright sunny day gently changes the life of a young man.
About the director:
He Yupeng. Film director. He was born in Guangzhou, China in 1995. He graduated with a BA in University of California, Irvine. Then he entered to the Columbia University School of the Arts. In 2021, he started directing his first short film “Love Me Tender”, the film has been invited to exhibit at various film festivals, including Durban and Canton. “A Bright Sunny Day” is his second directorial work.
Synopsis:
In an apartment in a city under curfew, a day expands from early Spring to late Summer. A couple experiences a disconnect. While Alba searches for a feeling of optimism in the interior of the house, Xavier escapes out into the garden, where he dedicates himself to cultivating a vegetable garden. There, he befriends a child. These dreamlike encounters awaken hope in him, but also the biggest fears.
About the director:
Mónica Lima. Director, scriptwriter. She was born in Lisbon. She studied Visual Arts in Lisbon, and Writing and Directing in Prague (FAMU) and Berlin (DFFB). Her short films “The Silence Between Two Songs”, “Viktoria and Summer Saturn” have been shown in various international film festivals (Angers Premiers Plans, Leuven, Dresden, Vila do Conde, i.a.) and won various awards and mentions. Professionally has been working as a scriptwriter and script advisor, as well as an assistant director and lecturer of directing and screenwriting classes. She is currently developing her first feature-length original screenplay.
