MOSCOW SHORTS – OCTOBER 2020 AWARDS

BEST FILM

Bumper (2018)

Director: Ralantoaritsimba Nirina

Country: France

Duration: 18:00

Synopsis: For many years, Max, a young man full of ambition, has been dreaming of being accepted in a prestigious school of political sciences. The day before the interview, he plans to spend the night at his grandmother’s house which is near where the oral exam will be taking place the next morning, thus hoping to be in the best mindset to succeed. But once he gets there, Max finds out his Grandma has decided to take her driver’s license again…

BEST DIRECTOR

Cuckoo! (2019)

Director: Jörgen Scholtens

Country: Netherlands

Duration: 07:00

Synopsis: Absurd comedy about a lonely man (Frank Lammers) who lives inside a cuckoo clock. Every hour he straps himself into his ejection seat and shoots through the doors of the clock. “Cuckoo!” He yells, “Cuckoo!” His work is of vital importance. The old lady who sits under the clock needs to take her medication exactly at the top of every hour. One day the man has the opportunity to win a substantial sum of money in a radio quiz. He loves gadgets and wants to buy a new computer. The only problem is that he can only dial in at the exact time he’s supposed to sit in his seat.

BEST SCREENPLAY

Quarantine (2020)

Director: Aleksandr Khant

Country: Russian Federation

Duration: 14:20

Synopsis: Irina works as an accountant. In the middle of a coronavirus pandemic she decides to go to the office to transfer salaries to the company’s employees. However, her plan falls apart when she meets Boris, the paranoid security guard who protects the office not only from robbers but also from the virus itself.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Cuckoo! (2019)

Cinematographer: Richard Spierings

Director: Jörgen Scholtens

Country: Netherlands

Duration: 07:00

Synopsis: Absurd comedy about a lonely man (Frank Lammers) who lives inside a cuckoo clock. Every hour he straps himself into his ejection seat and shoots through the doors of the clock. “Cuckoo!” He yells, “Cuckoo!” His work is of vital importance. The old lady who sits under the clock needs to take her medication exactly at the top of every hour. One day the man has the opportunity to win a substantial sum of money in a radio quiz. He loves gadgets and wants to buy a new computer. The only problem is that he can only dial in at the exact time he’s supposed to sit in his seat.

BEST NARRATIVE SHORT FILM

Happy Birthday (2020)

Director: Boris Dobrovolskiy

Country: Russian Federation

Duration: 07:00

Synopsis: She invited guests to her birthday party, but nobody came…

BEST STUDENT SHORT FILM

Outsiders (2020)

Director: Gleb Osatinski

Country: United States

Duration: 11:52

Synopsis: Dmitry and Zhenya are Russians living in New York on expired visas, with their 7-month old daughter Dasha. Dasha was born in the US and is a citizen. When the baby has an accident one night, Zhenya wants to take her to the hospital, but Dmitry is reluctant, fearing they will be separated from her and deported.

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM

Year of the robot (2019)

Director: Yves Gellie

Country: France

Duration: 30:00

Synopsis: At the intersection of art and science, L’année du robot (Year of the robot) depicts the human being and the robot as its artificial counterpart. As a series of archival documents detailing the first contacts and dialogue between a robot gifted with an artificially created autonomy and human beings, it studies cognitive dissonance, a minute, mysterious relational space sitting between the two actors. It involves elderly people sometimes afflicted with Alzheimer’s or dementia, or young adults with autism or neurological problems. Once past the surprise phase and aware of the artificial nature of the robot’s functioning, the residents try, despite everything, to forge bonds with it.

BEST ANIMATION SHORT FILM

Opinci (2019)

Director: Anton Groves, Damian Groves

Country: Romania

Duration: 17:53

Synopsis: A film based on a true story about a record breaking globetrotter and widowed father, who uses his extraordinary past to teach his young daughter lessons about life.

BEST EXPERIMENTAL SHORT FILM

DREAM/LIFE (2019)

Director: DAVID AUFDEMBRINKE

Country: Germany

Duration: 22:00

Synopsis: A young man escapes his routine to find out what he truly wants in life. His friends refuse to participate in his endeavor, so he goes alone and arrives further than he ever would have dared to dream.