Charades, 18:00
Gestures usually reveal more than anything said. Our body movements are driven by some internal mechanism that cannot be fooled, and any attempt at deliberate maneuvering is as clear as the elephant in the room. So what do we express with our body, and what are we really trying to convey? It is easier to hide thoughts than expressions. In the documentary film Light Years, Vitali, a peculiar seminarian, hidden in the safety of the cramped space of a roommate’s apartment reveals that his essence is broader than the given boundaries of life and faith.
The experience of foreign bodies and spaces terrifies an introverted girl in kindergarten in the animated film Silent Type. Embarrassed by his extra weight and his own mother’s unsightly appearance, the hero of the movie Fruits and Vegetables will do everything to correct the figures that are bothering him. Ultimately, the protagonist of the animated movie Slouch finds himself in the loop of the music star’s tried-and-true moves. Can some other, more sincere gestures achieve his success?
Light Years
Monika Proba, documentary, 28’, Poland, 2021
Vitali has always wanted to be a priest. There is only one thing left to do – according to the rules of the Eastern Orthodox Church, he needs to find a wife. Waiting for the change to come, he rents a flat with a friend from the seminary. They turn the two tiny rooms filled with books and icons into their own world, living beyond time and mundane rules. Years go by and Vitali’s family is still waiting for the return of the priest.
Producer: Ewa Jastrzębska, Jerzy Kapuściński
Distribution: Munk Studio – Polish Filmmakers Association
The Silent Type
Avital Kronfeld, Shahar Korren, animation, 7’, Israel, 2021
A girl with social anxiety arrives at kindergarten. Everything and everyone feels threatening. She encloses herself in a safe space drawn with a piece of charcoal but then tries to go out and play.
Producer: Bezalel Academy of Arts Design
Distribution: Bezalel Academy of Art and Design
Fruits and Vegetables
Maciej Jankowski, fiction, 26’, Poland, 2021
Obese boy Wojtek is not only lacking self-confidence, but is also ashamed of his mother Dorothy, who is in charge of a run-down grocery store. One day, in order to make her change, Wojtek rebels against his mom.
Producer: The Polish National Film, Television and Theatre School in Lodz
Distribution: INDEKS Film Studio
Slouch
Michael Bohnenstingl, animation, 18′, Germany, 2022
Wannabe musical legend Slouch is pushed by his song-writing-demon Nuffti to deep dive into his darkest emotions, while his girlfriend Lisa is pregnant and wants him to transition into a harmonic family life.
Producer: Filmakademie Baden – Württemberg
Distribution: AG Animationsfilm
Catch and Toss, 20:00
Maintaining a dialogue with the opposite side is a specific skill. An argument is like a ball that we can serve so powerful, leaving the interlocutor without the opportunity to block it. However, it can be lightly served so that our attitude does not even touch him or moderately, in a passing game that is fun but also viable for both parties. The young feminist in the documentary, Esther, is searching for that balance after returning to the countryside to her traditional Catholic family.
The fear of the unknown lead the community to reject the skills of a village midwife in the suspenseful medieval drama Midwife. How far we are allowed to invade the intimacy of people close to us asks the playful animation of Curiosa, and should we at all maintain old friendships and irreconcilable differences is revealed by the domestic fiction film Our First Hit.
Esther
Ana Scheu Amigo, documentary, 19’, Switzerland, 2021
Esther grew up on a remote farm in the mountains. Since her move to the city, many things have fundamentally changed for her.
The place of her childhood, however, has remained the same. How can she stand by her values without distancing herself from her parents?
A story about growing up, where feminism collides with Catholicism.
Producer: Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts
Distribution: Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts
The Midwife
Anne-Sophie Bailly, fiction, 28’, France, 2021
In the French Jura mountains, at the end of fictitious Middle Ages, Else is an herbalist and a midwife. With Nicole, her young apprentice, they are disturbed during their daily practice: a stranger riding a horse demands to gather all the women of the village in its small church.
Producer: La Fémis
Distribution: La Fémis
Curiosa
Tessa Moult-Milewska, animation, 9’, United Kingdom, 2022
Curiosa tells the story of overly curious Mary, who visits her boyfriend’s flat for the first time, just to discover it’s been stripped bare of all personal belongings. After being denied an explanation, she climbs into his head.
Producer: National Film and Television School
Distribution: National Film and Television School
Our First Hit
Sara Grgurić, fiction, 14’, Croatia, 2021
Three best friends have a plan. It’s their first attempt at achieving a shared goal and the last chance to save their friendship.
Producer: Academy of Dramatic Art (Zagreb)
Distribution: Academy of Dramatic Art (Zagreb)
