MOSCOW SHORTS – AUGUST 2019 AWARDS

BEST FILM

TALK (2019)

Director: Boulanger Romuald

Country: France

Duration: 24:50 Synopsis: In a Los Angeles radio station. The host of an emblematic night talk show (William Baldwin) gives advice to live callers. One call will destroy his career, his family, his life …

BEST DIRECTOR

The Act is the Enemy of the Thought (2019)

Director: Moritz Draheim

Country: Germany

Duration: 27:56 Synopsis: “Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.” C G Jung “The Act is the Enemy of the Thought” explores the concept of memory, recollection and past and how they influence what we are. A phone call brings his own family history back into Paul’s life. As he visits his father on his deathbed, his sister tells him to process the settlement of the family estate “since our father is now in this state”. The trip to the place of his childhood turns into a trip into his and the family’s past. We accompany Paul on his journey between the past and the present, between reality, dream and recollection. The family estate develops its own persona, holding all the blueprints of involuntary and explicit family memory. Torn between his own identity, ego and superego there seems to be only one way forward for Paul.

BEST SCREENPLAY

TALK (2019)

Director: Boulanger Romuald

Country: France

Duration: 24:50

Synopsis: In a Los Angeles radio station. The host of an emblematic night talk show (William Baldwin) gives advice to live callers. One call will destroy his career, his family, his life …

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Blooming (2018)

Director: Dora Šustić

Country: Czech Republic

Duration: 13:37 Synopsis: Two sisters, Alma (11) and Lila (6), enjoy their playful time together, having a bath. One evening, faced with a strange sensation, Alma experiences the beginning of a transformation from a child to a girl: she gets her first period. At first ignoring it, Alma deals with blood during the night, but is discovered by Lila. In panic, she asks Lila to keep a secret, but little Lila misunderstands it for sickness, thinking her sister is dying. She protects Alma from their mother’s attempts of sending her to school and spills the secret. Miljana, their mom, allows Alma to stay at home and deal with her problem on her own, giving her a space to bloom. She comforts Alma and helps her to overcome the shame. All three girls are united in the end, playing in the bath.

BEST NARRATIVE SHORT FILM

THE AQUARIUM (2017)

Director: Peter Ahlén

Country: Denmark

Duration: 29:25

Synopsis: In a dystopian world underneath the ground, a mysterious boss dictates the rules of the young people living and working here. They each work in a club, taking care of dedicated club members day after day. Carla is responsible for the Aquarium Club where her only friends are the fishes. One day things changes, when Carla suspects there is more to this world than living alone in isolation. When she meet the boy Zac, who is in charge of the Motor Club a whole new world opens; a fascinating world which introduce friendship and love. But Carlas discovery comes with consequences, which may be fatal.

BEST STUDENT SHORT FILM

HIGHLAND (2019)

Director: Sif Lina Lambæk

Country: Denmark

Duration: 22:31 Synopsis: Only women with sons live in Higland. The grey concrete world is being ruled by a dictator, the Allmother. In the Highland there is one special rule: When boys turn fifteen, they must spend the rest of their lives in a work camp and serve the Highlands forever. Lea is the mother of fifteen-year-old Eddie and all his life they have been trying to get enough school points, so he could become a night man – the only profession in the camp that allows the boys to come in to the Highlands to work. In that way, the mothers can still be able to catch a glimpse of their sons, even though it’s from distance. One day a mysterious stranger offers Lea to help Eddie out of the eternal life in the camp, Lea is put in a dilemma: Should she keep him in the Highland or should she defy the system and let go of her son forever?

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM

God has already gone ahead (Gott ist schon weg) (2018)

Director: PETER BÖVING

Country: Germany

Duration: 10:00 Synopsis: The Egyptian geese marches through the ages: From the bird´s perspective, a centuries-long settlement history is told. While the water level in the pond continues to fall, the inhabitants have the water up the neck. In the end, nothing stays as it was, only the goose suspects nothing bad.

BEST ANIMATION SHORT FILM

The Beauty (2019)

Director: Pascal Schelbli

Country: Germany

Duration: 04:14 Synopsis: What if plastic could be integrated into sea life? Take a deep breath and dive into a world, where feelings of guilt dissolve amongst the mysterious depths of the ocean. A world where we encounter bizarre creatures and discover eerily beautiful landscapes. Unfortunately, our air doesn’t last forever and we have to realize that nature alone can’t solve this issue.

BEST EXPERIMENTAL SHORT FILM

Upcycle (2019)

Director: Evgenia Zaitseva, Stanislav Phalkov

Country: Russian Federation

Duration: 17:07 Synopsis: The upcycle project is part of a huge collaboration with stylists, musicians and models. An experiment with a form in which you can come up with amazing results. The objectives of recycling are to draw public attention to environmental issues, reduce waste and foster a culture of responsible consumption.