FOREVER (AUSTRIA) BY MERSOLIS SCHÖNE

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Synopsis: As an archive in constant change, walls surround us. As on skin, traces of urban life are shown on them. Out of the corners of our eyes, scratches, nicks, shapes, letters and words are absorbed by us in passing moments. They reveal our longing for continuity, visibility and the expression of becoming. Today’s manifestations of eternity will be nothing more than tomorrow’s background for future messages: constant change and eternity at the same time - being preserved in change. (The shooting was made in 2019 in Thanjavur, a city in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.) Running time: 00:00:25.

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Selections/awards: Austrian FF, Miami Independent FF, Imaginary Mind Film Contest, FilmÓptico - International Art Visual and Film Fest, Berlin Flash FF, Short Shot FF.

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About the director: Mersolis Schöne is a multidisciplinary film artist, visual artist, and researcher based in Vienna, Austria. He works with methods of film-based research as well as on the communication of science and philosophy, combining these topics with experimental, poetic, and other artistic forms. In 2017 he founded “Moving Thought – Film+Philosophy” (www.movingthought.org) to implement projects focusing on this purpose.

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SCARS (CANADA) BY ALEX ANNA

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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, Amsterdam Independent FF (Best Documentary Short), Hong Kong Arthouse FF, Toronto Arthouse FF (Best Documentary Short), Ghent Viewpoint Documentary FF, Super Shorts FF, and more.

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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IN LIGHT (ITALY) BY ALICE FASSI

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Synopsis: In Light lives in a liminal space between documentary and visual tale. Alternating archival film material with new footage, the short film grants a unique insight into the peaceful and sublime ways of the Universal White Brotherhood. Born in Bulgaria at the beginning of the 20th century, the movement professes the High Ideal passed on by its founder and spiritual guide Master Beinsa Duno: “A heart as pure as a crystal, a mind as radiant as the sun, a soul as vast as the universe, a spirit as powerful as God and one with God.” With In Light, Director Alice Fassi and photographer Marco Gehlhar welcome us into the life of a community of brothers and sisters whose philosophy lies in opening their hearts to the light and the greater good. Swinging between the past and present, In Light is a visual poem illustrating an alternative way of living whose foundations lie in welcoming all and having faith in the goodness of people. Running time: 00:07:36.

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About the director: Alice Fassi is a film director based in Milan. She won prizes at several international film festivals such as A Shaded View on Fashion Film, Ciclope and Epica Awards. Her imprints are narratives and visual aesthetics based on surreal atmospheres and deconstruction of cinema’s classical codes. She likes to blend different genres and add a comic twist to her stories. Her deep curiosity in life is reflected by a special interest in everyday nonsense.

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BERLIN BYTCH LOVE (GERMANY) BY HEIKO AUFDERMAUER, JOHANNES GIRKE

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Trailer

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Synopsis: Sophie (15) and Dominik (17) ran away from home to live their love on the streets of Berlin for a summer. Now Sophie is pregnant, winter is coming and the police are looking for the two. A documentary snapshot of growing up - told like a feature film. Running time: 01:26:00.

About the directors: In summer 2018, filmmakers Heiko Aufdermauer (HFF Potsdam) and Johannes Girke (UDK Berlin) met again by chance in Albania 17 years after their first encounter. BERLIN BYTCH LOVE is their first joint project. Both have almost 20 years of professional experience in a wide variety of cinematic fields - from award-winning feature films (Zeit der Fische) to music videos for Universal Music and numerous works for arte and other public broadcasters. They are planning a series of documentary and essayistic films that approach our society from the margins.

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