SHORT FILMS 1 (Subtitles or No Dialogue) 7 films
The doors are closed. There are no more screenings of this film.
Synopsis: 1. The Statue / Mohsen Salehi Fard / Iran / Animation / 10 min.
2. Women on FEBA (Forward Edge of Battle Area) / Zivar Hojati / Iran / Drama / 22 min.
3 Ice Cream. Sladoled / Steve Spremo / USA / Made in Illinois / 13 min.
4. Cracked / Mahmut Tas / Turkey / Drama / 5 min.
5. Almost a Masterpiece / Robert Belinoff / USA / Experimental / 9 min.
6. Artistic Character / Vasily Chuprina / Netherlands / Foreign Language / 15 min.
7. World Cup / Maryam Khodabakhsh / Iran / Drama / 18 min.
Language
Run Time
Director's Statement
1. The Statue / “When the sculptural clay is satisfied with its form, it is the time when it loses its freedom.”
2. Women on FEBA / “The subject of the film is universal and with a coherent and fascinating narrative about the harm that women and children experience in war.”
3. Ice Cream. Sladoled / “Ice Cream. Sladoled is a story about an immigrant. It’s also about misunderstandings, confusion, and everything that a nonstop barrage of obstacles brings. Often, this adversity can be mundane. Which is why the story is told through a progression of absurd situations. While the two characters in the story are Serbian and Argentinian, it could have been a host of other ethnic groups. The story isn’t about where someone came from. It’s a satirical look at the mounting hardships encountered by a new immigrant. Where the outcome of his journey for a better life is far different from the plan.”
4. Cracked / “One of the biggest problems of our age is climate change and drought. And it’s getting worse day by day. According to scientists, future generations will experience much worse days than today. But it’s still not too late. We can do something right now and leave a beautiful world for future generations.
With these thoughts in mind, I wrote my story in the movie “Cracked”. My aim is to explain that everything is not over in the world that is getting worse and we have to struggle, and I tried to raise awareness.
Through the eyes of a little girl, I tried to remind her of hope, of struggle, of doing our best.
I hope we can raise awareness in people and save our world before it is destroyed.”
5. Almost a Masterpiece / “I make all of my films solo. My crew is a tripod. I keep things simple and try to avoid overly polished work. I like it rough, I like the edges to show. This piece is about aging and art. What is the purpose of life’s last act, the years after age 75? I find it unseemly that an elder would continue to pursue the same goals and ambitions that he or she sought as a younger person. The later years offer up new horizons and new territory to explore and reflect on. I believe the idea of play is key. In fact, maybe the last quarter of life is a bit like the first; You are simply plopped down, given some parameters and left to figure it out. When you were younger you backed into your future blindly or played at what you had a knack for, until a path opened up. Same for the later years. Play is the operative word here.”
6. Artistic Character / “One of the key themes of Artistic Character is aggression and violence, how a humiliated frightened person becomes a murderer. However this is shown in a comic satyric form. Laugh liberates us of anxiety and hatred, so we can live in peace and mutual respect.”
7. World Cup / “This film is about process of loosing hope and regaining it.
The World Cup film is a story about the life of a couple who want to immigrate to another country as refugees, and on the day of their emigration, a secret is revealed between them and makes them hesitate to leave. My film refers to the recent painful events that have happened to Iranians and shows the loss and regain of hope in Iran. The focus of the film is the dissatisfaction of the Iranian people with the current social situation and the issue of immigration, and in the story of the film, children are the first victims of this world.”