UNDER THE SKIN (GERMANY) BY LEVE KÜHL

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Synopsis: Taale, in a hybrid of staged and documentary, recalls an encounter of sexual assault, the immediate hours after the act, and how the incident has changed her. Running time: 00:03:00.

About the director: Leve Kühl machte sich nach der Schule auf den Weg nach Südamerika, bis er für ein Projekt nach San Francisco kam und dort als Editor arbeitete. Nach drei Jahren Auslandsaufenthalt kam er nach Deutschland zurück und studiert heute an der Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg.

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I WON’T REMAIN ALONE (IRAN) BY YASER TALEBI

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Synopsis: An old disabled couple living in a small village in the northern part of Iran, face an unfathomable tragedy when their youngest son falls into a coma after an accident. Defying the Islamic traditions of burial, overcoming problems of red tape, and turning devastation into hope, the parents agree to donate their son’s organs. Five years after their brave decision, a film crew visits them and records their slow path of reconciliation with death – or rather, their acquaintance with eternal life. Running time: 00:15:00.

Selections/awards: Tehran Int Short FF, Mammoth Lakes FF, Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, and more.

About the director: Yaser Talebi (1982, Northern Iran) is a film director, producer, screenwriter, and editor who has also made his name as a creative director. Yaser is a member of the Iranian Documentary Filmmakers Association (IRDFA), and his films have been screened at festivals worldwide and won numerous awards.

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HEAVEN IS ON MY SIDE (PORTUGAL) BY MARCO ESPIRITO SANTO

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Synopsis: A short film on gratitude and big-wave surfing featuring João “Massas” de Macedo, “Heaven Is On My Side” is simultaneously a documentary and a meditation on environmental consciousness through Macedo's experience at the world’s biggest wave in Nazaré, Portugal. Running time: 00:03:37.

Selections/awards: Portuguese Surf FF, Oahu Surf FF (Outstanding Visuals Award), Paris Surf & Skateboard FF, Byron Bay IFF.

About the director: Marco is a writer/director making films for both branded and entertainment purposes. Born in London, where he attended the London Film School, he currently lives in his hometown, Lisbon. His short films have been shown and awarded at festivals like Clermont-Ferrand, Tampere, London Short FF, and International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), and recognised by MTV, NOWNESS, BoooooooomTV! and Vimeo Staff Picks.

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MEANDER (BELGIUM) BY LANDER HAVERALS, SAM GEYSKENS, VINCENT EVERAERTS

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Synopsis: Heavily addicted to medication for several years, Valerie has tried to take her own life again. Caught between a disturbing past and a slightly hopeful future, mother and son meet again. Her son Charly is left with little expectations, but will he dare to forgive and hope for a better future nonetheless? Running time: 00:15:10.

Selections/awards: Venice Film Week, Ghent Viewpoint Doc FF, International Short FF Leuven.

About the directors: Lander Haveral's work mostly deals with a well-known but much under- discussed social problem: psychological suffering. His documentary shorts, features and series ("Minds on Mute", "Strokes of madness", "Gek en geniaal", "Mental Cases", "Quatre- mains") have gone on to be selected at numerous festivals and have won several awards. Vincent Everaerts graduated with a Master in Documentary. The film for his thesis "The Time We Have Left" had its world premiere at Visions du Réel. Sam Geyskens first graduated in Political Science, after which he took up Documentary. His graduation short film "Little Bucharest" was selected at various national and international film festivals. His second short film "Guhunga" was awarded best documentary at the L.A. Documentary Festival.

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I NEVER HAD DREAMS OF MY SON (UKRAINE) BY JASON BLEVINS

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Synopsis: After five years of war, a Ukrainian father finds proof his missing son may still be alive in captivity. Running time: 00:16:16.

About the director: Jason Blevins is a documentary cinematographer based in Washington, D.C. His work has been featured internationally on Netflix, National Graphic and Discovery, as well as the award-winning films "Duchamp: The Art of the Possible" (2020) and "Invisible Hand" (2021).

UNKNOWN HAND (UK) BY SAUL PANKHURST

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Synopsis: An individual reflects on the inevitability of change, how we know ourselves and how we wish to be known. This film discusses the impact of degenerative illness on one's sense of Identity and Authenticity, asserting an individual's right to approach a major change in their health in a way that remains true to them. Running time: 00:03:19.

Selections/awards: Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival, Doc.Boston, Venice Film Week.

About the director: Saul Pankhurst is a cinematographer, film editor and animator currently based in Glasgow.

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HEIMAT (ITALY) BY GIOVANNI MONTAGNANA

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Synopsis: A soldier surrounded by the Enemy and ultimately trapped in the City writes his last letter home. Running time: 00:20:00.

Selections/awards: Winner of the 2021-21 edition of the Zavattini Award and the “Ansano Giannarelli” Special Mention for Peace and Experimentation, Archivio Aperto XV Edizione, Unarchive Found Footage Fest, River FF Padova, Bridge FF Verona, Analogica 12, and more.

About the director: Filmmaker and Visual Designer, born in Grosseto but has always lived in Verona. He graduated in Cinema at Dams in Bologna and divides his time between commercial video and personal film projects.

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THE MECHANICS OF FLUIDS (FRANCE) BY GALA HERNÁNDEZ LÓPEZ

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Synopsis: In 2018, an incel called Anathematic Anarchist posted a suicide letter on Reddit entitled "America is responsible for my death". The Mechanics of Fluids is an attempt to find answers to his words. A virtual drift through the internet in search of his digital traces that ends up being an inner journey between our connected solitudes. Running time: 00:35:00.

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Selections/awards: DOK Leipzig, FIFIB Bordeaux Contrebande (Grand Prix Contrebande and more), Seminci Valladolid Documentary (Best Documentary Short), Kasseler Dokfest, Festival de Cine de Alcalá de Henares, Beijing International Short FF, D'A FF Barcelona.

About the director: Gala is an artist, filmmaker and researcher based in Paris and Berlin. Her research-creation project reflects on the screen recording as a media in the post-internet era. Her work combines interdisciplinary research with the production of audiovisual artistic forms about the processes of individuation and the new modes of subjectivation produced specifically by computational digital capitalism. Particularly interested in approaching from a feminist, poetic and critical prism the discourses and imaginaries that circulate in eminently masculine online communities, her mid-length film La Mécanique des fluides is the first of a series of experimental audiovisual essays that will be followed by Cashflow Quadrant, both proposing a reflection on the politics of the representation of contemporary masculinity on the internet in its articulation to algorithms and digital flows of data, signs and capital.

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