RIVOLTA E MALINCONIA (ITALY) BY MATTIA BIONDI

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Synopsis: On the beach where ancient poetry was saved with all its creatures, a romantic artist tries to convince the bourgeois audience of the timelessness of the past. Running time: 00:05:10.

Selections/awards: Brussels Independent FF, Laceno d'oro.

About the director: Mattia Biondi is an italian independent filmmaker who works at the end of the images. His research is based on the use of minimal and essential technical instruments and it is oriented at the development of creative processes concerning the fusion of archival material and autobiographical elements. He is one of the curators of the Laterale Film Festival, the founder of the film distribution company Piccolo Cinema Ovale and the director of artistic laboratory Segmenta Infiniti.

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THE DEVIL'S CYCLE (AUSTRALIA) BY GIOVANNI ALEXANDER

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Synopsis: A first-hand look into the brutally honest landscape of living in and amongst poverty. Running time: 00:06:25.

Selections/awards: Sydney Film School Festival. 

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SCARS (CANADA) BY ALEX ANNA

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Trailer

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Synopsis: Alex Anna’s body is a canvas : her scars come to life to tell a new story of self-harming. Live action and animation intertwine in this short and poetic documentary, both intimate and universal. Running time: 00:10:00.

Selections/awards: Brussels Independent FF.

About the director: Alex Anna is a director and script supervisor in love with cinematographic language and words in all their beauty. As a queer and feminist filmmaker, she signed her first short film “The Fruit of Our Womb” in 2017 (as Laurie Mannessier), and uses art as a way to fight for a better world.

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THIS BOND I AND BONDI (AUSTRALIA) BY CAROLYN SAUL

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Trailer

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Synopsis: When the once familiar streets and buildings of the place you grew up in become something else, how do you reconcile your relationship with that place? What happens to your sense of ‘home’? "this bond i and Bondi" is a rumination on memories, change and a very special place. Running time: 00:10:00.

Selections/awards: Newcastle International Short FF (Best Australian Short Documentary), Vienna International Film Awards, Short+Sweet FF Illawarra, Toronto International Women FF.

About the director: Carolyn Saul grew up in Bondi, Sydney, Australia. She still lives here. "this bond i & Bondi" is the 4th short documentary film that she has produced and directed. Carolyn has worked on many Australian independent TV documentaries, either as an associate producer, researcher or archive producer. A healthy curiosity about the human condition, together with a passion for social history and culture, continue to inspire Carolyn. She is constantly developing project ideas, and as a filmmaker, wants to tell more stories and explore creative approaches in the expression of ideas.

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UNEMPLOYMENT HOTLINE (USA) BY NIKOS CAMPBELL

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Synopsis: Unemployment Hotline Is a deeply personal look into people’s experience with unemployment and isolation during this global pandemic. With busy phone lines and rising unemployment numbers, millions of Americans were unheard in this crisis. In an effort to change that, this film set up an unemployment hotline where people could call in and leave their story. The whole film is narrated by immensely intimate and honest voicemails sent in from all across the U.S. Running time: 00:10:28.

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PANDEMANIA (AUSTRALIA) BY SOPHY CRANE

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Synopsis: Trashion designer Marina Debris showcases her new design, named 'Pandemania'. She uses over 900 face masks collected from local Sydney beaches to create the dress, a commentary on the wider problems associated with COVID-19 - breeding of designer dogs, and single-use plastic use. Running time: 00:03:00.

About the director: Sophy is based in Sydney, Australia. Originally from rural Devon in England, she moved to Australia to pursue conservation and natural history documentary. Her passion remains in these subjects, and she finds telling these stories through people the most rewarding.

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POLE BOY (U.K.) BY KUSH GUPTA

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Synopsis: This documentary tells the story of an amputee pole dancer and athlete. Andrew, the protagonist of this documentary, shares the story of his amputation and his discovery of the world of pole. Andrew has won awards and medals in pole competitions, he has also set a world record and is very passionate about pole. We take a look at his experience entering a pole competition against able-bodied pole dancers for the first time. He only had this one chance to do this performance and tell his story through pole as it's based on such a personal life experience for him. Running time: 00:13:28.

Selections/awards: Super Shorts London FF.

About the director: Kush was born in India, at the age of 7 moved to Ireland where he grew up in a small town called Cashel. He has a BSC in Digital Media Design and a Masters in Creative Advertising. He grew curious about the behind the scenes process of how ads were made. After moving down to London, he applied for a one-year filmmaking course at Metfilm School.

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SEARCHING FOR A FRIEND (AUSTRALIA) BY GUILLYM DAVENPORT

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Synopsis: When the memory of a lost friend is brought into focus for the filmmaker, they set out to try and find them again. What unfolds is a coming of age story about memory and the things we leave behind for the important people in our lives. Running time: 00:09:45.

About the director: Guillym Davenport is a Melbourne based artist and filmmaker who endeavors to create exciting and innovative new work. At the moment he is particularly interested in the 'grey area' of performance/reality and experimenting within the 'hybrid documentary' genre. He is currently completing a Masters of Film & Television at VCA.

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SPONTANEOUS (U.S.) BY LORI FELKER

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Synopsis: You never know when someone is miscarrying; it could be happening right next to you. Running time: 00:14:00.

Selections/awards: 2020 Slamdance FF, Boston Short FF, Hong Kong Arthouse FF, Sydney World FF, Super Shorts London FF, and more.

About the director: Lori Felker is a Chicago-based filmmaker/artist, teacher, programmer, and performer. Her films and videos attempt to study the ineloquent, oppositional, delusional, frustrating, and chaotic qualities of human interaction. She loves every facet of filmmaking and has worked as a cinematographer, editor, and actor for artists and directors such as Jerzy Rose, Melika Bass, Jesse McLean, and Geof Oppenheimer. Lori works in a variety of mediums and has shown her work internationally at festivals and spaces including the Rotterdam IFF, Slamdance FF, Ann Arbor FF, LA Filmforum.

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SAMS PARTY (AUSTRALIA) BY ISAAC ELLIOTT

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Synopsis: It was November 2005 in Alice Springs when Sam hosted a party after a year 10 school dance. According to Sam it was the 'Sickest party of the year'. Running time: 00:06:43.

About the director: Growing up in Alice Springs, Isaac Elliott first started making films after a motorcycle accident left him confines to a wheelchair in 2007. His filmmaking career began by filming motorcycle races and editing short event documentaries, then filming the national racing series in 2009. Isaac then moved to Melbourne full time to study film in 2011.  In 2013 his graduating short film, A Silent Waltz, went on to win awards both locally and internationally.  He followed this up in 2016 with his Honours level film, A Static Wind, which awarded Best Tertiary Short Fiction at the 2016 ATOM awards, and a finalist position in the 2017 lexus Australia Short film fellowship. Isaac has recently produced the feature documentary Finke:There and Back, distributed by Madman Entertainment. In 2019 he directed Burlesque Blokes, a documentary for VICE exploring life as a male stripper in Australia and The Legend of Burnout Barry, a short film children’s film for television. Isaac seeks to explore unique and interesting characters, peering into worlds that little is known about through a compassionate thoughtful lens.

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DANCING WITH ROSA (SPAIN) BY ROBERT MUÑOZ RUPÉREZ

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Synopsis: At 84 years of age, Rosa realises that she no longer has the strength to take care of her daughter Eva who has Down syndrome, and she struggles to decide whether or not to put her into a care home. In this intimate portrait, we follow Rosa’s pain of indecision and her unique way of coping. Running time: 00:26:00.

Selections/awards: DocsBarcelona, Festival de Cine sobre la discapacidad "Ànec" (Best Documentary Short), Festival de curtas metragens de direitos humanos de São Paulo- Entretodos (Best Short Film), Anchorage IFF, IFF Prvi kadar (First Frame Award), Something Wicked FF, and more.

About the director: Robert Muñoz Rupérez studied Multimedia Engineering at La Salle Bonanova University in Barcelona, Spain. In 2008 he founded an interactive advertising agency called Pulpolab and, in 2012, he co-founded a technology company called Typeform. In what many would define as an authentic "middle-age crisis", Robert decides to embark on a completely different venture and take on a year studying Documentary Film Direction at La Casa Del Cine (Barcelona, Spain). Dancing with Rosa is his first movie.

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