Synopsis

From unforgettable chance encounters to complex lifelong relationships, these powerful films from visionary auteurs explore the depth of human connections, the transcendent nature of shared language, and the ways life’s twists and turns can strengthen — or challenge — those bonds. Featuring works by Adebukola Bodunrin, Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan, Tara Shehata, Rúnar Rúnarsson, and Alkis Papastathopoulos.

In We Are Not Alone (Canada, United States), a young Nigerian immigrant enlists the help of a stranger to communicate with an extraterrestrial vessel approaching Earth that promises to take her away from a lonely world. A man who lives in the forest may be the cause of a series of disasters plaguing a small village in Vox Humana (Philippines, United States, Singapore). Alone with You (Lewahdena) (Egypt) explores the weight of cultural expectations on an Egyptian couple in their thirties. A lonely man struggles to hide his alcohol addiction during an important reunion with an estranged loved one in O (Iceland, Sweden). And in Honeymoon (Greece, France, Cyprus), a road trip is troubled by transphobic violence against two best friends, and the fluctuating emotions between them.

Synopsis

A lonely man struggles to hide his alcohol addiction during an important reunion with an estranged loved one. A naturalistic and unflinching glimpse into one man’s inner turmoil, this stark and intimate portrait is told with profound humanity.

This film screens as part of the Dramatic Shorts: Talk To Me program.

Synopsis

Spanning one sunset to another, When the Light Breaks is a whisper-quiet rumination on love, beauty, and human perseverance in the face of disaster. Two lovers, Una and Diddi, look toward the horizon at the end of a long Icelandic summer day. Una, a passionate performance art student, dreams of the future, which begins with the two lovers announcing their well-kept secret relationship to their friends. Then a sudden, devastating tragedy befalls Reykjavík, and Una and her friends are forced to reckon with a broken new reality. Visionary director Rúnar Rúnarsson (Sparrows, 2015) deploys a haunting score while training his expressive, incisive camera on a talented young cast to create an intimate, hushed examination of loss and grief.