April 4th 2025

Compulsory Conscription

• Director: Abbas Tahaie
• Country: Iran
• A group of children, mandatorily enlisted for soldiering under the command of an Old Man, find themselves on a roof. After enduring the abuses and harshness that the man imposes upon them, they manage to escape. A decade later, the man is alone. The children return, attempting to transform the roof into a pleasant place, but without any obligation

Deaf Orphans of Streamcast

• Director: Zazie Kanwar-Torge
• Country: US
• A neo-surrealist micro-film captures a disorienting journey through America, blending the Madonna Inn’s kitschy interiors with the expansive stretches of Highway 64. The film juxtaposes garish, colour-soaked rooms against the stark, open road, and fast-paced maximalism. 

Deep Space Laika

• Director: Rodrigo Alonso Reyes Fabre
• Country: Mexico
• During the cold war, Laika is sent to space as part of an experiment.  She travels through deep space without knowing the dark and catastrophic consequences that this will have.

Dream Code

• Director: Narottama Panitz
• Country: US
• Dream Code" is a pixel art autobiography that delves deep into the life and inspirations of filmmaker Narottama Panitz. This featurette merges the aesthetic and narrative depth of classic adventure games with contemporary storytelling, exploring the blurred lines between reality and simulation. As viewers traverse through the visual and thematic layers of "Dream Code," they encounter a narrative that sets the stage for Panitz's larger project, "The Entropy Code." The piece not only reflects on personal history but also engages with broader existential themes, inviting audiences to ponder their own realities as they witness the unfolding of a simulated universe.

Principito

• Director: Yann  Gil
• Country: Spain
• In a small stone house lives Max, a little kid who adores playing with his toys, painting over his tales and spending time with his inseparable best friend, a teddy bunny called Pepito. His routine drastically changes when his mom starts to throw his most precious toys down a magic dark hole, which has the mysterious power of transforming Max’s toys into adult objects. His friend is at risk.

Snakes & Ladders

• Director & producer: Mostafa Rostampour/Atefeh rezayan 
• Country: Iran
• A child becomes a victim of a game of Snakes and Ladders as events unfold.

Vasomotor Rhinitis

• Director: Mikheil Gabaidze
• Country: Georgia
• A short film was based on Anton Chekhov's "Death of a Civil Servant" story. The film's main character, a man, sneezes in a concert hall and puts a high-ranking official in an embarrassing situation. Despite apologising, the main character feels a slavish fear that ultimately proves fatal to the man's life.

Yesterday I found...

• Director: Kinga Klajbor
• Country: Poland
• Surreal animated short about things from near daily life. Transition through collections of objects.  Focusing on them and grounding them for a moment. To find something completely new in them. Inspired by the first sentence from the book "Pustostany" by Dorota Kotas.