Cannes- Season 4 , 2nd Showcase

30 May

Cannes Trailer

Congratulations to Our Selected Filmmakers!

We are thrilled to extend our heartfelt congratulations to the exceptionally talented filmmakers who have been selected to showcase their work at our event. Your creativity and dedication have truly set a high standard, and we are eagerly looking forward to presenting your masterpieces to our audience.

Berlin awaits with open arms, and we are hopeful for the opportunity to welcome some of you in person. This gathering promises to be a celebration of cinematic brilliance, and your contributions are the highlight.

Pisho

Director: Aun Ul Haider

Country: Pakistan

Journey of a seven-year-old girl, Ruqayya, on a mission to find her lost kitten. Suspecting her mother and neighbors, she embarks on a whimsical search. During her quest, Ruqayya stumbles upon a protest against a recent terrorist attack. Inspired by the demonstrators' placards, she creates her own sign seeking help to find her missing kitten.

Used Furniture

Director: Conor Forrest

Country: Canada

Making a splash on the LGBTQ short film scene is Used Furniture. On an idyllic afternoon at the beach Philly faces his unrequited love for his roommate Jamie while trying to distance himself from their trio friendship.

Beautiful Things

Director: Maya Zupano

Country: United Kingdom

Two beauty queens. Decades of pageants. One victory that changed everything. And Nostalg.AI, a new technology that can take them back to it.

Beautiful Things follows Daphne as she goes back through her memories to declare her love for her best friend, Bambi, so that they can live out their final days together. But things take a dark turn when Bambi sees the opportunity to reclaim her past and seize her future.

Beautiful Things is about society’s obsession with nostalgia, and how the past is not always as beautiful as we remember.

REFUGIO

Director: Oscar Adan Flores

Country: United States

After being chased by mysterious entities on her way to the Mexican and US border, Refugio encounters a border patrol officer who will question her journey’s purpose and offer her to stay in America if she wins her favorite childhood game.

CIN-E-RAMA

Director: Misrah Fatima Nizami

Country: Pakistan

A film critic is tasked with documenting an old cinema in Karachi, called CINERAMA, and witness its final screening before permanent closure. Realizing he has no choice but to review this nostalgic venue in order to save his job, he agrees. Will his outlook clash with the enchanting stories that unfold, forcing him to confront his own biases and rediscover the magic of cinema?

Dark Dreamer

Director: Max Ponischowski

Country: Germany

In Absentia

Director: Rory

Country: United Kingdom

When a forgetful mother tells her daughter and son-in-law about a chance encounter with a mysterious schoolgirl, she questions her own desire to become a grandmother.

Still Here / Immerdar

Director: John Graham

Country: Canada

A musician receives news that his estranged mother is dying. Once released into his care, they both discover that dying can be beautiful in Berlin's Tiergarten Park.

Chairs

Director: James Hughes

Country: United Kingdom

A man regales his peculiar obsession with chairs to his new psychiatrist.

BAFTA Winners
Georgina Campbell (Barbarian)
Akemnji Ndifornyen (The Queen's Gambit)

The first short film to star two BAFTA winning leads.

Escapism

Director: Deniz Cengiz

Country: Turkey

Two childhood friends, who have drifted towards opposite worldviews, reunite after a long time. One has become a mother, while the other has advanced in her career. Through the characters, a perspective is offered on individuals caught in the deadlock of intertwined gender roles and societal expectations.

I'll Be With You In The Dark

Director: Conor Forrest

Country: Canada

Melanie, a willful caring woman goes to any length to a loved one. As the life of her ex Andrew is threatened due to a virus he has contaminated during a pandemic. Melanie has to decide if she is to take care of him his way or her way.

EVIL SMIRKS

Director: Abe Smyth

Country: Ireland

After playing with a ouija board on Halloween night a couple must try to reverse the spell and send back what they unleashed.

Make Me A King

Director: Sofia Olins

Country: United Kingdom

Ari performs as a Jewish Drag King, much to the confusion of their family. After years of ostracisation from Ari’s beloved father, their mother acts for a dramatic reconciliation between them. Ari’s father had inspired them when Ari was a child, now the tables have turned.

The Honoree

Director: Ansem Keim

Country: United Kingdom

An author receives a prestigious honor and reflects on his journey during the press conference: After long creative struggles, he finally is about to finish his great novel while spending sun-filled days with his girlfriend in France. But on the last evening of their holiday, a secret comes to light that threatens to destroy his private life and shut down his creative voice forever.