Third Eurochannel Short Films Tour

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Third Eurochannel Short Films Tour
Europe

Presentation:

The Eurochannel Short Films Tour offers an authentic trip around Europe through exceptional programming.

It is a look at European cinema through the eyes of 54 innovative directors, known for their talent, originality and independence. With this selection of the best creations from all European countries, Eurochannel invites fans of cinema and European culture to discover the newest faces and perspectives of the European film scene. Regularly awarded at short film festivals and often being shown for the first time outside of their country, all the shorts presented have a strong identity taken from a particular region of Europe. They all reflect unknown dimensions of European reality.

The Eurochannel Short Films Tour has a strong regional footprint, revealing the creative genius of how cinema can be very diverse and surprising. Shaped by geographical and cultural features, those shorts films are as much charming as a work of one director’s passion.

Stories of love or friendship in an adult’s brutal world, paintings of childhood feelings, stories of war or poverty, and comedies with unpredictable humor, Eurochannel brings you the complexity of humanity as the European artists of the new generation sees it.

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Program 1 - When Love Begins

Director: Jeff Desom

Synopsis:

In a time when every continent that can be discovered has been discovered, Paul works as a cartographer who dreams of distant places. That is until he crosses Ana who folds maps for the same company. During a secret meeting he eventually discovers his own private America that cannot be found on any map of the world.

Director: João Viana

Synopsis:

A and B get on the train, full of excitement. Love and jealousy / Ashes and fire / Pain and sin. Just before it leaves, C boards too. All this exists / All this is sad / All this is fado.

In Competition at the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival 2011.

Biography João Viana

Director: Eléa Gobbé-Mévellec

Synopsis:

The crews of Terre - Neuvot sailors' have come to the end of the fishing season. He is back on land and makes a stopover in a port, for an opportunity to forget the difficulty of their work and to find bodily pleasures. The prostitutes from the coffee shop in the Port welcome them with open arms. The party is in full swing. He stays alone, peaceful: it is then that he meets her.

Biography Eléa Gobbé-Mévellec

Director: Michael Havenith

Synopsis:

Serge is a security guard and "his" superstore is the most reassuring place ever. As long as there are clients, Serge is sure of his own existence. Everything is perfect until the day his routine is interrupted by a power cut. Things go back to normal once it is over. But maybe someone should have stopped and thought things through.

Theatrical Life (Teatral Heyat, 2009)
Azerbaijan

Director: Ilqar Najaf

Synopsis:

A repressed actor who talks to himself ends up confusing virtual life and reality. Things can't go on like this – he must make a choice.

Signs of Light (Gaismas Zimes, 2010)
Latvia

Director: Ilze Kunga

Synopsis:

Ingus is a man around forty, happy with his bachelor life until one day Zanete moves in next door, upsetting the usual course of things. He might ignore her, but some overwhelming force makes him act differently.

Biography Ilze Kunga

Scribbling & Tingling (Kritzeln & Kribbeln, 2009)
German Switzerland

Director: Amaury Berger

Synopsis:

Shy salesgirl Anna passes the crêperie each day on the way to work. One day, Michi, the attractive crêpemaker, turns up in Anna's store.

Program 2 - Sinless Love

Director: Rachel Tillotson

Synopsis:

Lola, 14, romanticizes the intimate memories of two teenagers (Zaina, 15 and Kad, 17) she once hung out with. Now at war with her critical mother, Lola is adamant she knows what love is and her mother never will. Lola is now visiting the teenagers' newborn baby, to see how the child's deceased parents had something beautifully unique.

Worstward Ho (Rumbo a Peor, 2009)
Spain - Catalonia

Director: Alex Brendemühl

Synopsis:

Two men, dressed in soccer jerseys, wander aimlessly through the woods. Going further astray, they meet a woman on the road. Overwhelmed by her beauty, they insist on her joining them.

Biography Alex Brendemühl

A Cheeky 20 (2010)
Scotland

Director: Chris Fallen

Synopsis:

A sneaky postman gets exactly what he bargains for.

Director: Marco F. Zimprich

Synopsis:

Sebastian's world revolves around old vinyl, his home, and a pretty counter girl working in a vintage record store. As days go by, their worlds will never be the same again.

Director: Justyna Nowak

Synopsis:

Love stories intertwine in two places: the local church and the house of a rich man. This is a story about love in a small town.

Director: Ivana Lalovic

Synopsis:

Seventeen year old Lejla works with her friend Anci (25), in a noble hotel restaurant on the top of Sarajevo. One day Lejla meets Milos (43), a businessman who spent his student years in Sarajevo, before moving to Switzerland. Afterward, a drunken Anci locks the door and Lejla and Milos are forced to spend the night in the hotel restaurant together. As they get closer to each other, without knowing, what they will discover the next morning.

Biography Ivana Lalovic

The Other Half (L'Altra Metá, 2010)
Italy - Apulia

Director: Pippo Mezzapesa

Synopsis:

70-year-old Gina sets out on her own for her granddaughter's wedding, wishing she were not supposed to attend because of her precarious health and ends up in the wrong church. Then, she meets Giacomo, an older man with frisky eyes who helps her search for the wedding reception.

Biography Pippo Mezzapesa

Program 3 - Love at Stake

Director: Nicolas Slomka, Matthieu Rumani

Synopsis:

Georges, a man whose lack of imagination equals his lack of ambition, is arguing with his wife. Fighting against both his despair and mid life crisis, he wanders around Paris when a curious vintage car runs his dog over. The driver, a strange unsympathetic old man, suggests he go to old Said's minimarket to get that tragedy fixed.

Biography Nicolas Slomka - Matthieu Rumani

Director: Sandro Japaridze

Synopsis:

A young couple is discussing their future. The girl is pregnant, which makes the loving couple at once happy and surprised. From time to time, their dialogue is interrupted by a homeless child attracting attention with his behavior.

Director: Veronika Obertová

Synopsis:

This is the story of Viliam, a man who lives his own animated life within the real world. Childish fun turns into a problem, the problem becomes a solution. No solution is perfect though.

Director: Michael Lockshin

Synopsis:

An elderly man comes home from work as usual at night to his comfortable home with his little dog and his wife, only to encounter a distressing, violent scene by the elevator. The only solution according to his moral code is to heroically act, as useless as this may seem.

Biography Michael Lockshin

Director: Robert Budina

Synopsis:

A man and a woman, both 50 years old, live in Tirana. She's very sick and could be saved in a hospital abroad. They just need a visa but in Tirana, things are not that simple: sometimes, time is not only money, but life is not.

Director: Jozefien Scheepers

Synopsis:

A woman is trying to find her way back after a bad break up. When her ex boyfriend comes to get his stuff from their apartment, she realizes that their relationship is over. She starts wandering around in the city, to find out that what she's really searching for can only be found by herself.

Director: Fernando Tiberini

Synopsis:

A family is falling apart in a small village in the Alps. Flavia and Marcello play out their parents' silent interactions with dolls. But are appearances deceptive?

Biography Fernando Tiberini

Program 4 - Strange Love

Director: Esteban Crespo Garcia

Synopsis:

Jesus returns home intending to surprise to his family but he is the one who is taken by surprise. His obsessions trigger events with unpredictable consequences.

Director: Blerta Zeqiri

Synopsis:

It was a usual dinner between the East and the West, where three young Albanian couples were having rice with bread, cold red wine and ketchup. While men lead the conversation, the women serve the food and time after time complain about their rights.

Biography Blerta Zeqiri

Director: Nova van Dijk

Synopsis:

Jonas makes a living by kidnapping cats and returning them for the reward money.

Biography Nova van Dijk

Director: Josef Tuka

Synopsis:

Vaclav and Anna have been married for 25 years. They decide to celebrate their anniversary at the place they first met.

Director: Sara Hribar

Synopsis:

A taxi driver prefers staying in his cab then going back home. During the night he meets some weird people.

Director: John Butler

Synopsis:

A love-duel between aging singer Slim Mannion (Mark Doherty), reborn rockabilly sensation Kid Kanturk (Mikel Murfi) and Mona (Eileen Walsh), the seductive rockabilly vamp caught between them.

Program 5  - Love of Life

From the 41st Minute (Dal Quarantunesimo, 2010)
Italy

Director: Matteo Pellegrini

Synopsis:

A football match is on TV with the Italian team playing when suddenly the antenna breaks. While Antonio is trying to fix the problem on the roof, he sees people stealing cookies and water from the kitchen.

Director: Laszlo Nemes

Synopsis:

An office clerk is seen during her daily routine, all the little vibrations of her face visible. There is a man, impatiently waiting for her, beyond the windows.

Director: Peter Gornstein

Synopsis:

In the near future, in a world where capitalism has run its course, Daniel, a young Peaceforce officer meets Jesper a prominent local citizen. Jesper claims that an elephant is running amok in the city, killing people.

Award:

Clermont Ferrand 2011: Canal + award of Best short film

Director: Goran Stanković

Synopsis:

In a Serbian village on the slopes of Stara Planina live 15 households. The youngest man in the village is 70 years old. The film gathers the intimate thoughts of the inhabitants of this village, whose wait for death is marked not by loneliness but by a common bond.

2010 Film Festival of Ethno Film Kučevo, Serbia – Grand Prix -Best Film, Award for Best Directing & Award for Best Camera
2010 Film Festival Velika Plana, Serbia – Award for Best Script & Audience Award for Best Film

Director: David Serge

Synopsis:

Parachuting behind enemy lines into Nazi occupied Sicily, a British paratrooper finds himself pinned down in a shootout with a German soldier and out of ammunition. Then he remembers he has one more bullet.

Director: Paz Piñar

Synopsis:

The arrival of an illegal immigrant who does not speak and only moans before an inexplicable and incomprehensible pain unleashes the most unexpected reactions in a family of lower-middle class and their environment. The different ways to communicate with the woman and to try to calm her suffering causes a succession of events in which fantasies, realities, humor and irony are mixed up.

Awards:

Festival Internacional Jóvenes Realizadores de Granada - Spain (2007) Best regional short
Festival Corto de Ciudad Real - Spain (2007) Best Original Idea
Festival Internacional de Cine Hecho por Mujeres (Spain) (2008) Best Short

Director: Erol Mintas

Synopsis:

Snow tells the story of a mother, her son and grandchild. We observe pain of a mother who lost his son, and her only wish before death is a handful of snow.

Awards:

Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival (2010), Best Short
Boston Turkish Film Festival Short Film Competition (2010), Special Mention
Istanbul Sinepark Film Festival (2010), Best Editing (Alexandru Radu)
Izmir Short Film Festival (2010), Special Jury Award
!f Istanbul Independent Film Festival (2011), Audience Award

Program 6  - Family Love

 Skimming Pebbles (2009)
Wales

Director: Tariq Ali

Synopsis:

Seventeen year old Ed is asked to look after his grandfather, Lorwerth, who's been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Lorwerth is desperate for one last road trip to his childhood home, but refuses to tell Ed why until they arrive.

Director: Adrian Sitaru

Synopsis:

A sick dove brought home by Mihaes's little boy rises new conflicts between father and son but also a possible "reconciliation" that Mr. Mihaes does not want to lose. In the end, the dove dies but the father and son relationship is saved.

Director: Andro Martinovic

Synopsis:

From a carnival celebration to a funeral procession of one disguised and, even so, revealed person... Our face is our first mask but is it the last one?

Berlin (The Short Film World Cup, III Prize, 2010)

Director: Philip Koch

synopsis:

"Lumen" tells the story of Franka, a young woman who struggles with a severe allergy towards light, which forces her to lead a life in a completely darkened house – a high psychological strain not only for herself, but for her caring sister Marie. When Franka is confronted with Marie's plan to leave her and move together with her boyfriend Ludwig, she tries everything not to lose her – including accepting dire sacrifices.

Director: Levan Akin

Synopsis:

In an instant, everything changes and life as you know it will never be the same again. Everyone keeps telling little Hugo how it is but Hugo is certain that things are not as they seem. He knows that he can't move with his mother and baby sister and leave everything behind, especially not his older brother and best friend Simon.

Awards:

Stockholm International Film Festival (2008) Jury's Honorable Mention
Hamburg International Short Film Festival (2008) Mo Award

Director: Andrius Paskevicius

Synopsis:

A young 23 years old student living and studying in the city comes to visit his grandfather after a long time. Once he arrives at his grandfather's house and starts doing every day work, mysterious things start happening – oranges appear out of nowhere. Eventually the young man realizes that it is some kind of a riddle. Will he find the answer in his childhood?

Program 7 - Last Words of Love

Glow (2010)
Macedonia

Director: Tamislav Aleksov

Synopsis:

He is not Romeo and she is not Juliet. But they are two children in love and they will stop at nothing to stay together.

Biography Tamislav Aleksov

Director: Marina Rosset

Synopsis:

A man decides to build a house for the woman he's just fallen in love with. She follows him.

Biography Marina Rosset

Director: Nick Kapros

Synopsis:

A friendship that began in the '70s was torn apart during the events in Cyprus in 1974. Thirty years later, the protagonist is faced with a conflict he himself doesn't understand nor is committed to anymore.

Biography Nick Kapros

Director: Bohdana Smymova

Synopsis:

Vira, a 40-year-old Ukrainian immigrant in New York, is preparing for her sister's funeral. Amongst all her responsibilities, Vira suddenly finds herself falling in love.

Biography Bohdana Smyrmova

Director: Ryan Tohill

Synopsis:

After the loss of his wife, Michael struggles to pick up the pieces. His emotions get the better of him and he vents his grief in ways that are both confusing and frightening for his son David. David is determined to remind his father that only together can they take the first step towards moving on.

Director: Davið Óskar Ólafsson

Synopsis:

Julia and Patrick decide to take a road trip to the countryside to visit Patrick's family and some friends at a summerhouse. However, the trip has bigger consequences than they expected.

Original title: Director: Torfinn Iversen

Synopsis:

On the national day of Norway, seven-year old Tim wants to bring his drunken mother to the parade. Through his meeting with the Balloonman he learns that both balloons and thoughts can fly. This is a short film about the amazing fantasy to be found in a child's mind.

Director: Igor Cobileanski

Synopsis:

Working during the winter has never been easy in Moldova. Luckily for Sasa, Grisa and Ion, friendship is the best way to overcome the snow.

Program 8 - The Borders of Europe

 Duck Crossing (Ahate Pasa, 2009)
Spain Basque Country

Director: Koldo Almandoz

Synopsis:

Suddenly, ducks cross the screen.

Director: Alex Voitekhvich 

Synopsis:

The endless repetition of life is shown using example of believers (Catholics) of different ages in the Belarussian provinces.

Biography Alex Voitekhvich

Director: Renaud Armanet

Synopsis:

A man wants to go and breathe the air on Ararat Mountain.

Director: Neda Morfova

Synopsis:

A woman breaks her heel. The cobbler can't fix her shoe at the moment, and she is late, so she convinces him to give her a pair of shoes from the shelf. He warns her that someone else's shoes might take her to someone else's path.

Biography Neda Morfova

Director: Theo Papadoulakis

Synopsis:

A peculiar shepherd living in a village at the mountains of Crete hopes that one day he will become a true samurai. Samoure is a story of being different in a small community and the conflicts this causes.

Director: Elise Pietarila

Synopsis:

Pasi, a small town boy in the seventh grade, collects and respects the rules made by adults. One rule is that if you wear corduroys at middle school, you will be teased. Luckily, the rules also include finding one's best friend.

Program 8 - The Borders of Europe

Champion (2005)
Estonia

Director: Kaupo Kruusiauk

Synopsis:

Two former athletes haven't played sports in a long time. Now, the two friends decide to return to their athleticism.

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