INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION 2
77 min
CINEMA: THU 6.3., 19:00 / METRO Kino
SAT 8.3., 16:30 / METRO Kino
ONLINE: THU 6.3., 19:00 / online available for 48 hours
Undercurrents
Mistrust and loneliness are not easily discarded. They slip into our unconscious, settling in our lives like swallows on a cold day. Yet within them lingers a quiet longing for connection and security, for the chance to care and be cared for. These films – encounters with ghosts and abysses, fading relationships, forbidden desires, nightmares and lingering daydreams – peer into what wants to be pushed aside, seeking to find closeness, touch, and understanding.
MATTA AND MATTO *
Bianca Caderas, Kerstin Zemp, 2023, CH, 10 minutes
In a dystopian world, physical contact between those living there is forbidden. To those who feel lonely and isolated, Matta and Matto offer a place of refuge. In the rooms of their hotel, the deepest longings for touch are fulfilled – at quite a price.
**contains explicit depictions of self-harm
COCOON
Yiwei Chen, 2024, CN and UK, 5 minutes A girl wakes up alone in the dark and surreal night. Moths move through the lights and shadows of the room. Their eggs are already scattered around the flat. When gently touching their soft membranes the desire to care for and be taken care of awakens.
BUNNYHOOD **
Mansi Maheshwari, 2024, UK, 9 minutes
Mum would never lie to me... would she? Innocent Bobby faces this unsettling question during an unexpected, last-minute trip to the hospital. A frenzied journey exploring the deep fears of dependency and the fragile trust we place in those we rely on most.
**contains depictions of blood, wounds and panic
SUBOTOPIC
Nikki Schuster, 2023, AT, 7 minutes
Reality and utopia merge as we dive down into a mystical underwater world. Passing surreal plants and creatures, we descend into lightless depths, discovering parallel worlds. Here the boundaries blur between above and below, inside and outside.
IT SHOULDN'T RAIN TOMORROW | AMANHÃ NÃO DÃO CHUVA
Maria Trigo Teixeira, 2024, DE and PT, 12 minutes
Sensing that her mother may no longer be able to live independently, a woman returns to her childhood home as her mother slowly drifts away. The shifts in her mother’s life gradually intertwine with her own, reshaping the self-perception of the protagonist.
THE WILD-TEMPERED CLAVIER
Anna Samo, 2024, DE, 7 minutes “Play” is both a verb and a noun. Amid a raging war, an artist insists on both. Playfully painted on toilet paper, the images confront the entanglements between art and violence while simultaneously honoring the tradition of camera-less animation.
I DIED IN IRPIN
Anastasiia Falileieva, 2024, CZ, 11 minutes
On February 24, 2022 Anastasia and her boyfriend fled from Kyiv to Irpin. Together with his parents they spend 10 days in the blockaded and war-ridden city, where Anastasia’s need for safety is suppressed by the individual fears of those around her.
SWIFTS | PIIRITAJAD
Ada Napiórkowski, 2024, EE, 5 minutes Like every year, the swifts are coming back to their homes in the sleeping districts. This time they don't find any humans. But the deserted space is not defined by emptiness – it is filled with spirits of a somewhat human nature. Like memories…
THE CAR THAT CAME BACK FROM THE SEA
Jadwiga Kowalska, 2023, CH, 11 minutes In 1981, six friends drove to the Polish Baltic coast and back in a small, dented car - full of exuberance and frivolousness. As they get further, their car and their country increasingly fall apart. Nevertheless, life goes on.