Encounters 25 · Bristol
559 films from 68 countries are recorded in the archive for this edition, with 9 award winners.
The programme featured Jonathan Hodgson's Roughhouse and Regina Pessoa's Uncle Thomas, Accounting for the Days alongside emerging voices from across the globe. A Polish strand brought work from Karolina Specht, Agata Baumgart, and Marta Szymańska, while a Norwegian selection included Nina Knag's The First Days and Rebecca Figenschau's The Tent. The competition included Michael Frei's KIDS, Anna Mantzaris' Good Intentions, and Ismaël Joffroy Chandoutis' Swatted. Saim Sadiq's Nice Talking To You — an early short from the director of BAFTA-nominated Joyland — appeared in the live action programme. Philip Barantini's Boiling Point screened in the Best of British programme — the short that launched a feature film and ultimately led to his 2025 Netflix hit Adolescence. Mark Jenkin's Hard, Cracked The Wind previewed his distinctive celluloid approach before Bait brought him to wider attention.
A dysfunctional family is struggling to put up a complicated tent. The tension is forcing an underlying conflict to the surface.
The film shows a small but memorable moment from childhood, juxtaposed with the theme of old age and the difference in perception of time at the end and the beginning of life.
A hook-up between two young men - they make a connection, but it quickly becomes apparent they're looking for different things.
When an imaginative little girl discovers that her older brother might have superpowers, she sets out on a quest to make sure everyone else sees him as she does.
Summer. 1991. Kat must stave off a pressing responsibility as she escapes her family for a night of freedom and fun.
A single-take snapshot of the immense stress and skills of a talented head chef reveals that things are about to burst behind his restaurant's facade.
In an ordinary Chinese winter, a small city junior high student, YU, tries to quit her school aerobic dancing team.
In performative, poetic tapestry, a Latinx community in New York responds to racial profiling, ICE surveillance, constrictions of the "immigrant" label, and documentary complicity.
Jerry and Liz are in for a big shock when they go to their friend Diane's for dinner and meet her new boyfriend Christopher.
A man lives alone in a dark house between millions of eggs; he wants to call someone but he does not succeed until the phone rings...
19-year old Samira redefines what it means to be a woman in modern day Britain in this visual exploration of youth, identity and womanhood.
Natig, a 16 year-old teenager, joins the military tryouts in an attempt to break away from his life in a small village.
Communication can be difficult when cultural and historical backgrounds are so distanced. A Korean grandmother and her German granddaughter try to work it out.
Whenever Mogu is cooking, Perol just pops up and eats the yummy meal. One day Perol finds a very tasty looking Brrrr-berry that Mogu was about to pick. Perol doesn't wait for a second to taste it but...
One room, two half bodies, a silent relationship.
A relationship between three celestial bodies; a romance between Earth, Moon, and Sun.
An old reformed criminal is stranded after his release from prison and is forced to take public transport to a halfway house. His abrupt return to society instantly exposes him to old temptations, bringing suppressed memories to the surface that challenge his righteous, new-found path.
It's all about the title.
A fake exorcist visits the home of a man who thinks his wife is possessed by a Djinn, only to find out that things are not as they seem.
The film shows a small but memorable moment from childhood, juxtaposed with the theme of old age and the difference in perception of time at the end and the beginning of life.
With real testimony from a Korean prostitute, this beautiful painted animation explores what it is like to be the subject of other people's pleasure.
A single mother's most important roles in life will collide over the phone, during a long take shot in the centre of Athens.
Exploring how teenage girls use social media to create and construct their identity and how this impacts them. Reflecting on the relationship between identity and the internet.
As part of an artistic collaboration with Mirwaïs, this apocalyptic and hypnotic road movie materializes and represents the ensemble of digital streams we constantly deal with.
Two girls enter an underground world of strange forfeits and grisly demands when they are caught stealing lipstick testers.
A short film about a boy whose father takes him out on a seemingly innocent pheasant shoot, only to be dumbfounded by what happens next.
A giant girl (Charlyne Yi) feels out of scale in her colorful little town, only to realize she takes up just the right amount of space.
A search for those left behind, forgotten by society or simply who have forgotten society themselves. The homeless, the invisibles.
"I Want" wants loud colors, rainbow music and a cheeky poem. You can't always get what you want, but this film can.
Chin Up is a MOFILM 'Many Voices – Year of the Women' winning animated documentary about self-acceptance produced by LoveLove Films which follows animator JoAnne Salmon's story from being 1 in 50,000 babies born with Treacher Collins Syndrome to currently living her dreams as an animator.
A film in three parts, reflecting on how a setting is shaped and influenced by time and the people that come with it.
'Hold Tight' explores the importance of Carnival across the UK and how its celebrations provide an important lifeline to heritage and identity for younger generations of the Black Caribbean diaspora in Britain.
If man divides invisible, time-grown connections in nature, this has uncontrollable consequences. The collapse leads to a reorganization.
In the world where deer are the dominant species, one alpha male goes for an evening car ride and has an unfortunate car accident.
A film which explores what different people think about in the moment before falling asleep, an intimate moment experienced alone.
Two strangers are trapped in an elevator. One is slowly dying; the other is dying to escape.
An aging fisherman goes out to sea one day and returns with a talking fish. Set in Ghana West Africa, this quirky comedy explores our need to stay relevant against the backdrop of a developing nation.
Banana Bread is a 360 video installation by Julian Gallese. It is a hand drawn animation developed at TAIS's artist residency programme in Toronto, Canada.
Contrasting artistic visions, misplaced confidence and blatant ignorance collide on backdrop of an increasingly fragile and divided world.
A teenage girl has to decide if to pursue her own path on Earth or to follow her parents into a higher existence on Jupiter.
Look within. Then dance it out. A man reflects on formative conflicts from his past with optimism, gratitude, and a little music.
The girl spins her cotton on a hill every day, one day the wind blows and causes an apple fall from the tree. The girl takes the apple and bites it. She finds a worm inside it and feels pity for it and puts it on a spinning wheel to keep it safe. The worm starts to spin the cotton with a magic dance..
Alarmed by the detrimental effect smartphones are having on those around them, three friends launch a rogue initiative intended to force people to be more present.
Three friends embark on a new adventure in a strange town, but when a manipulative new member joins their gang, their loyalty is torn apart with terrifying consequences.
Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis sucks! One man's journey with the disease echoes—'I'm still here.' Kenny kindly shares a bit of his journey with SPMS.
With the doubt "Where I came from and how far I will go", I created "Tops of Memory".
Utilizing fragments of early educational films and animation, the piece develops a science fiction counter-narrative of subjugation and annihilation told from a non-human perspective.
Nature and domesticity collide and animal instincts rise to the surface, in a dark tale of love and loss. This film's soundtrack features audio from interviews collected around the UK, creating a story that is constructed from fragments of real-life broken hearts.
A boy is pressured to lose his virginity, and now his childhood trauma will no longer be ignored.
Revolutionary ideas, once dismissed as a utopian fantasy, became reality through people believing there was a better way – but what if our progress is hindered by our own view of human nature?
Societies' violence and judgements against women are a heavy burden that Melissa must lift everyday. But when she gets on the ring, she's the one answering back.
An intimate insight into how virtual reality is affecting peoples social lives for the better. The film is shot within VRChat, a VR social platform.
Amy and her little brother are taken on an impromptu camping trip for her 15th birthday by her Dad.
When an imaginative little girl discovers that her older brother might have superpowers, she sets out on a quest to make sure everyone else sees him as she does.
Barry a mild-mannered dimwit from the North of England, tries to enlist the help of his former lover, Linda, after murdering his Grandmother with a hammer.
A chance encounter with her father's old love confronts Dunya with the unknowable mystery of who her father used to be.
My grandad was a romantic. He once saw a picture of my granny and realised that she was the love of his life. One day he decided to go meet her.
A single-take snapshot of the immense stress and skills of a talented head chef reveals that things are about to burst behind his restaurant's facade.
When a mother reads her teenage son's texts it triggers an awkward conversation which is way too much information. A comedy about the landmine of modern parenting.
Elinborg accidentally runs into her friend Marita at the grocery store. The conversation is civil yet slightly awkward, as Elinborg has forgotten Marita's birthday.
A strong willed woman in her 60s has to face running her dairy farm on her own.
A housewife loses her mind when shopping, degenerates into an animal.
Nigel and Debra, an ordinary 1960's British couple are experiencing some marital problems. However, their way to deal with those problems is far from ordinary.
It's been one year since prince Diong has mysteriously vanished. As a revolt is rumbling, his sister Pauline receives a message from him to meet.
Jarressey's got a new job today and he just needs to eat some food before he goes to the pub. But now all of this is happening to him!
When a caricaturist draws the most dangerous drawing in the world, seemingly strange things happen in his surroundings. He gets lost in his fear and becomes a danger to himself and others.
A classroom erupts into a war of words as students grapple with a seemingly simple prompt: what is the opposite of a gun?
After leaving a dinner party with his friends, a single man has an encounter with a mystery woman that changes his view of love forever.
Jed lives in the house that he and his wife never finished restoring. Now a single parent, he struggles to get through the routine of rural life with two young children.
Here is the world's first animation made to be watched by chimpanzees. Just for this once, we will show it to you humans.
Two friends can't afford their rent and decide to take criminal actions, as they document the act through an app.
"Strong independent space" is a fictional story about a husband and wife separated by huge distance, space and time. While living on two different surfaces they have to confront the reality surrounding them trying to find the meaning of the vague situation they have been thrown into.
Two cats are living comfortly in a house. They eat breakfast together and do the laundry. But one night one cat decides to leave.
A night. A car. A woman in trouble. A call.
A film crew for an upcoming feature film pushes the boundaries of consent during a courtesy rehearsal for its female lead.
A child learns sign language in hopes of making a new friend.
Separate projections combine, unifying, becoming whole.
There is a door in New York City that leads directly to the surface of the moon.
It's time for the villagers to start their journey. They cross the perilous water in nutshells, with their loved ones to their final destination… where the blue sky and the blue ocean meet up.
In the 70's, a science team has created a robot named Pathfinder. Its mission is to calculate the distance between the Earth and the end of the Universe.
A man must decide whether to intervene and stop a casual commuting rule breaker, or live with a lifetime of regret.
A short poetic film following Carlito, a young man living in an indigenous village at the heart of the Amazonian jungle, who decided to leave and change his life forever.
Tony, a convict and drug addict, desperate for a new relationship with his daughter and former partner, must overcome his past temptations and prove that he's finally changed his ways.
Ripple Home explores the modern dilemma of trying to define what love means while being physically apart.
In the beginning was the Stain. A paintbrush reveals a being of gouache, opens him, transforms him, twists him, completes him. From this accelerated evolution arises a conquering being…
Barbara and Pol spend a few days on holiday with a group of friends in a house surrounded by nature. They want to have a good time and find a peaceful space where they can enjoy their intimacy.With the support of Pol, in the midst of nature, between tears and laughter, Barbara will heal old wounds and redefine her sexuality.
On a train journey, some peculiar passengers find their worlds turned upside down, forcing them to look at themselves, each other, from a new perspective.
Two knights on the battlefield find themselves cut in two, after fighting the men are stuck to each other. They now need to find a way to separate…
Shortly after her honeymoon Alicia contracts an inexplicable illness, while her husband Jordan bears witness seemingly indifferent. Something hidden is driving her insane. The disease makes the young woman mix reality with gruesome hallucinations.
From Regina's personal and visual memories, a tribute to her uncle Thomas, a humble man with a simple and anonymous life.
On a street corner a mysterious conversation among three young men at a street stalls. Meanwhile a traffic accident on a motorbike. The night brings together sketch a multicolor frame of reality.
Alberto (40) lives with his mother in an apartment complex where he also works. When the Love Circus settles near by, disrupting his everyday life.
The two best rescue workers of the region are ready for their new mission. Despite their professionalism and their determination, it will not go as planned...
While on a romantic getaway, Alan and Beverly cause a fatal accident. This crime won't remain unpunished...
In a near future, a lonely man is addicted to a product called «Best Friend» which offers him perfect virtual friends.
In a kitchen, a mother and a child struggle to establish dialogue.
Diane can't ignore anymore the leak coming from the ceiling above the family dinner…
The wild transformation of nine people stuck in a metro.
Two strangers form a silent bond in the world's loudest city.
Sporadic gunshots echo among the ruins of a village which, though abandoned, is an objective of great import for the Romanian government. This forces two young men to lead a hard negotiation, both for the fate of the settlement and for their own future.
In an atmosphere grown suddenly impossible to breathe, a diver and a woman appear to be the only survivors. As their reserves of air run out, will they make love or war?
In a Montreal park, a couple are about to immortalize what should have been one of the happiest memories of their life, their wedding.
Set in rural Hawaii, a Native Hawaiian girl must confront her father after he enters her beloved pet in a dogfight. The film explores the cultural and socio-economic strife that burdens many communities in Hawaii, but at its heart, it is a coming-of-age tale of a young woman who must make the difficult realization that to save her family, she must stand on her own.
Juli and Reka have decided to take their relationship to the next level. They are waiting for Juli's mother for dinner so they can tell her the news.This is not gonna be easy as Mari has always been critical towards her daughter.
Just like a young man starting to love, a river has to find its way through the mountains.
When he manages to destroy the town's beloved Virgin Mary statue, Charlie O'Connor does the only thing he can do; he frames his older brother.
Trucker Stancu has given his nephew Dragan a second driver card, that enables him to stretch his legal driving time. But when Dragan almost causes an accident due to microsleep at the wheel, Stancu suddenly feels responsible.
A mother struggles with her daughter's violent sleeping disorder.
Rena is on the threshold of adulthood. For her and her mother, the Internet is a form of escape from their humdrum everyday lives.
Animation depicts waiting for the mysterious newcomer and the people who keep on guessing who he might be.
At first glance, it seems that SQUARE lives among chaos and endless changes. Once, a new element sneaks into the pattern.
Tango is so much more than just desire – it can reveal our most intimate stories, innermost longings and needs, our secrets. Is it possible to find satisfaction and relief in this dance of constant longing?
The camera follows a man, step by step, and takes part in the exploration of the spaces never seen before, which more and more fiercely resist the delicate human matter.
In the age of omnipresent technology, where the virtual sinks into reality, a young girl observes the world via social media platform.
Tom is in for a surprise when he meets his grandfather's carers. They appear to be at war and when he discovers a mysterious object things take a dark turn.
A girl and her online search for love in times of social media, speed dating, cyberlove, hipster culture and post-net attitudes.
After a disastrous referendum on capital punishment, four junior civil servants have to bring back hanging.
After the starter doesn't go according to plan at a dinner party, one guest steps up to the plate, literally.
Ted is just trying to pay for his shopping, but the shoddy self-service till and eerily elusive shop workers have other, more sinister ideas.
Nomvula follows the story of a young girl and her relationship with a mysterious creature that lives in the dark corners of an abandoned warehouse.
Where people meet, brave ones discover that with enough confidence pupils turn into doorknobs, opening up worlds, where horizons dissolve into nothing – the movie tells eight short, interlaced stories about friendship.
When her husband and son forget her birthday, Ruth channels her frustration into the family business until she's finally forced to confront her own unhappiness.
Animated silk, cotton and lace bring the story of a knicker factory to life, as the history of British garment making is recounted.
When a rare chance for a meeting with her estranged daughter presents itself, Rachel grabs it with both hands.
Mercurio is a kid who loves cycling. One day he is stopped by the Fascist regime and incarcerated in a transit camp, ready to be sent to a concentration camp.
Jonathas has been adopted, but it doesn't take long until he is returned because he is "different" from the other kids. Inspired by true events.
While she claims to be an expert in sex and love on YouTube, Ada can barely speak to her gym trainer, with whom she's madly in love with. When she sets her sights on him, everything changes.
A young, male screenwriter's coveted meeting with an experienced, female producer takes an unexpected turn.
When relying on social scripts to survive the social world, it's not easy to go off-script. Especially if you're obsessed with German dive bombers and just want to date a girl.
A big sinkhole emerges in a small town ahead of the local election. Masoud, a local politician in the midst of his election campaign, picks up his brother from a mental health clinic.
Two middleaged women on a tennis court. One hour match. One wants desperately to win, and the other is afraid of competing.
Kalervo has felt powerless all his life, unable to fight back, until Annukka-a woman who loves him-gives Kalervo a life altering gift. Like with many of director Nikki's works, All Inclusive can be interpreted in many ways, but at the core it's a film about power, love and change. If you could right the wrongs in your life, would you, and would you stop there?
In a conformist Goan neighbourhood, Ketan, a Maharashtrian migrant finds himself in cold sweat one fateful night.
A naive but determined internet dweller goes to some seedy lengths to fit in at school, but it still doesn't go quite to plan.
Through disarmingly honest testimonies left on an answer phone machine, this abstract meditation explores the silent loneliness epidemic in the UK.
Kim travels to her best friend's funeral and awkwardly meets his family and friends for the first time. Their friendship had been exclusively online
11-year-old Joanna tries to understand grief for the first time when she witnesses her mother's manic reaction to the death of Princess Diana.
A satellite technician's inability to cope with his solitude causes a chain reaction in space and in his own mind.
This 360° audio-visual experience tells of four interwoven stories playing out simultaneously, inviting the viewer to decide where to look.
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A stop-motion documentary that asks men one of the crucial questions of our era: "What compels you to send pictures of your penis to non-consenting others?"
A Kurdish woman is sentenced to house arrest. Her older is torn between obedience and rebellion. How far is he ready to go?
An essay short film about my very own Internet, a parallel world where memory loss, errors, surveillance and addiction smear everything and everyone.
'It starts with' is a 2D animation short on love and tiny tea cups.
The Circle is a bold and lyrical portrayal of two brothers, David and Sanchez, living on a Hackney council estate, in East London. The film gives a compelling insight into their family and friendships, the stigmas they face daily, their mental health and how they process their emotions.
A young woman takes a pregnancy test in some apparently empty toilets. What happens next was definitely not part of her plan.
When Jeff and Emelia are gifted a virtual reality set that shows one's "ideal self" for their twentieth wedding anniversary, they discover a secret that could shift their relationship indelibly.
In this comedy about misunderstandings, Ben tells a deaf couple a joke about a deaf man's house burning down. Will they see the funny side or not?
Jamie has Down syndrome and is close to nonverbal. The rest of the family speculate about what life must be like for him.
The basic idea is to combine entertainment cinema and avantgardefilm. With single frame editing the hyperrealistic film transforms into fantastic, surreal, structural and even abstract film.
Three young women learn about loss over the course of one Bonfire Night that takes them on surreal journey into the depths of the English countryside.
Have you ever had the impression that if you play the right song while a person is, for instance, frantically moving their arms trying to get rid of a bee, it may seem like they're dancing instead? "No, I Don't Want to Dance" is a stop motion animated short film which aims to raise awareness of how deadly dangerous dance can be.
15-year-old trans activist Jo is discovered by Astrid, a commercial photographer. At a photo shoot they both cross a line, longing to be visible.
"Embraces & the Touch of Skin" is an animated poem about the vital need for embraces and contact with other beings.
A lonely teenager fakes her first menstruation to fit in with her same-age peers in a secluded women-only community.
A couple embark on a journey in the midst of a family crisis.
In a street in Brussels, day laborers are looking for a job for one day. In small groups they wait for hours until a van picks them up. Immobile images from Google Streetview are mixed with the voices of the clandestine workers, questioning their current situation and their dreams for the future.
In an ordinary Chinese winter, a small city junior high student, YU, tries to quit her school aerobic dancing team.
A turbulent day, painted by air.
Secretly she is filming everything. In a surreal apartment a cougar, a guest, a child and promises of a dog if the child plays along.
An animated short exploring group dynamics. How do we define ourselves when we are all equal?
Online players describe their struggles with "swatting", a life-threatening cyber-harassment phenomenon that looms over them whenever they play.
After a young woman is responsible for a hit and run, strange and spooky things starts to happen. A small thriller about people that are not always the best at making decisions.
A journey that takes the user from an unfolding bedroom, to the edge of the known universe as a poem narrates your adventure.
A story about a little girl searching for her brother's heart inside the body of a stranger. A heart keeps you alive but it's love that makes you live.
A bullied teenage girl leads an a cappella club on a trail of destruction against her high school enemies.
Charting his course of growth and awareness around his identity, Mikael has created both an acknowledgement of the past and a documentation of the present.
Blue hot-pants, pink skin, and a lot of love. You're Fit explores what actually happens in the gym in a humorous and sexy way.
When Korean pop idol "N.D." tragically dies, a dysfunctional group of high school fan girls discover a hidden message in his music, which leads them on a quest to fulfill his final wish – to spread his ashes over the tallest tree in their hometown forest.
I was just trying to sign up for an account, not be confronted with the fact that our fear of technology is actually based on a reflection of our own cruel, morally compromised, and violent behavior.
In the midst of a searing heatwave, two little children find a way to cool everyone down!
A tribe of women await their men's return from war. Azaar, one of the last young girls in the village is intertwined between her mother, grandmother and the rest of the tribe, as she comes to learn the true cost of womanhood.
Hugo's biggest wish is to own a dog. Hugo has very poor eyesight. One day his wish comes true, when he finally meets Holger. Holger is in fact a baby elephant, but all Hugo sees is a big lovely puppy dog. It's all about the eyes that see! A lovely friendship – only being possible by the presence of vast amounts of empathy between the two. Together, that's how they meet the world.
Fully hand drawn and painted visualisation of the daily thoughts and worries on my mind as they interlink with the playful sounds of a record.
It grew during a moist summer night, this strange outgrowth in the middle of Nanni's face. Maybe the answer lies in the park with sweet flowers surrounding him? Or unless it's under the skirt of Alouette, which shudders with mystery... Between these two teenagers, the attraction begins.
A girl and father figure struggle to cope with the death of a central family member. They choose to express their grief in opposite ways.
In a room, there are four people.
ARIPI is an exciting adventure about an astronaut forgotten in orbit and his dream that unexpectedly came true.
In 90s Norfolk, teenage Branwen leads a dreary existence of caring for her mother and enduring the men in her life. It's only when she makes a strange friend one dark night that she realises that everything can change.
A young dancer struggles with her bi-cultural identity when she meets a confident young Deaf drummer who stirs up old conflicted feelings about growing up hearing in a Deaf family.
'Segregated By Design' examines the forgotten history of how America's federal, state and local governments unconstitutionally segregated every major metropolitan area through law and policy.
One might assume new emoji are handed down from atop a mountain. The truth is more surprising: Anyone can propose an emoji. Yes, even you.
In performative, poetic tapestry, a Latinx community in New York responds to racial profiling, ICE surveillance, constrictions of the "immigrant" label, and documentary complicity.
On the 20th of December, 1989, a few days after Ceausescu's bloody repression in Timisoara, a father's quiet evening turns to sheer ordeal as he finds out that his little son has mailed a wish letter to Santa. As the kid understood, his father's desire was to see Ceausescu dead.
After the death of Alban's brothers in the fire that burnt down their home, the entire family suffers from a shock, mental disorder and extreme poverty.
A one word journey through an unsuspecting freshman's sexual trials, tribulations, and revelations during her first semester of college.
A babysitter takes over for the night. There are some unexpected consequences.
30 years after leaving, Marieta returns to the village she was born in, Volta Seca. Traversing through familiar landscapes, she dives headfirst into retrieving memories of her youth, seeking for the true spirit of this journey.
Larger than life, dressed in suit and tie, dad appears at the window one evening, with a gift for his son.
A recently deceased middle-aged woman wakes up in a waiting room version of the afterlife.
A dysfunctional family is struggling to put up a complicated tent. The tension is forcing an underlying conflict to the surface.
Hope is a care-free, fun-loving Deaf teenager. But a fatal cancer diagnosis is about to turn her life upside down.
After a sleepless night, a woman leaves her house determined to put an end to her tormented relationship. But some memories are not so easy to leave behind. An intimate portrait of a soul suspended between the cathartic power of a new chance and the nostalgia of an unretrievable past.
It's halloween. A ghost, a goth girl and a call centre worker are just trying to get through the day. Oh and it's the apocalypse.
The person and the project get mixed up in this short experimental celebration. Feeling frenetic, frustrated, ecstatic, distracted, it's all part of getting started.
A visual-comic portrait of a Cornish fishing village – a French holidaymaker pays a visit there in search of the best ice-cream in town.
Sui Generis is a series of vignettes set in an art gallery, painting the relationships visitors have with the space, the artwork and each other.
Isle of the Dead is a timeless journey, starting from an everyday apartment towards our final destination, guided by Charon, ferryman of the Underworld.
Based on a true story. As EU regulations are slowly being implemented on the island of Malta, one farmer has discovered that by not registering his sheep, the sheep are now illegal.
Compelled to buy an old writing case a poet is driven to complete the poem within by the ghost of the last owner
How do you pass the time on a Thursday? Aged 90, Ron microwaves some soup. And waits for the bin men to come.
A young mother is taking a closer look on what home made food means to her and her family through the eyes of her little son.
Coming of age comedy about a germaphobic girl who wants to kiss a guy she likes but is afraid of germs in his mouth.
Mr. Chang arrives to his "Spiritual Temple," a place that represents one's destiny. To solve his marital crisis and financial problems, he summons his guardian – The Thunder God.
In this experimental animation Hong Kong's signature architecture of horizon-eclipsing housing estates is reimagined as parallel rows of film strips: Serial Parallels.
Human Again is a short documentary about modern day slavery in the UK, shot here in Bristol. Through a personal and brave interview with Tania we get a rare first hand account of how she arrived from Latvia to the UK and was forced into slavery.
It's one of life's greatest mysteries: what happens after we die? Everyone has their own answer, but no two are the same.
Humans are immigrants from another place, a planet square as a box. When a hostile creature threatens the planet, the residents have to evacuate.
Tanya has finally created the perfect partner, a beautiful giant slug.
Animation depicting events around the Rwandan genocide and its aftermath, imaginatively interpreting violent and tragic events – events where, as one character puts it, 'words would fail'.
An intimate insight into the relationship between a mother and her child, in the midst of the most dangerous journey of their lives.
It's 1983 and 12-year-old Rain wants sex, the only problem is she has no idea what that means.
An hour before a funfair is opened, a worker falls to his death down the big wheel, and the other workers are forced to keep silent and continue the opening ceremony.
Can you imagine living your whole life without any facial expression? Emma explores the challenges she has faced with rare medical condition, "moebius syndrome".
Laura wants to go out tonight, not clean blood off the sofa. A short film about sisters and psychopaths, starring Yasmin Paige and Grainne O'Mahony.
In a small hotel in France, there is a man who tries to stop his hunger for love by eating excessively. Unexpectedly, his left foot transforms into his lost lover, Susanne. Still, this is just the beginning of a surreal story, made of plasticine, about loneliness, jealousy and love.
Dumbass is an artistic short film exploring the history of the word dumb and how it has marginalised deaf people. Opening with a short history lesson to set the record straight, it then celebrates the talent of deaf artist SignKid, who raps to the camera with signsong.
Three couples head to a restaurant for what they don't realise will be their last date.
Narrated by Julian Barratt, this darkly comic Sci-fi follows a child's drawing as it becomes the blueprint for a twisted new version of humanity.
Should you hide your pain? Close yourself inside your inner world, full of longing for your father's love and its displays? Or should you understand and forgive before it is too late?
A mixed media film that combines animation, 3D, photography and film together into a portrayed vision of humanity from its inception to rebirth.
Ryan's story is one episode in a series of powerful animated short films exploring through personal testimony the experiences of teenagers dealing with mental health issues in secondary school.
Mikki dedicated his life to the service of humankind. Now that there are no more humans, he has no purpose. And his battery has just run out…
When the mayor of a little village decides to receive some forty refugees, a wave of dislike and hatred befalls him and his family.
256 hours of sound archives recorded during the Rivonia trial (9 months) were recently unearthed and digitised by the Institut National de l'Audiovisuel (INA). They bring back to life the political battle waged by Mandela and his 7 co-defendants. This film looks at one of them in particular: accused number 2, a lesser-known hero of the struggle against Apartheid, Mandela's mentor Walter Sisulu.
Unable to tell his family the truth about his sexuality, Rahmi leads a double life.
Summer. 1991. Kat must stave off a pressing responsibility as she escapes her family for a night of freedom and fun.
An angler meets a mysterious woman while he is fishing along the coast and the boundary between reality and the surreal becomes blurred by his desire.
14-year-old Crowley has gone through a lot in his young life. His older brother Yancie died in a car accident and his parents are now divorced. But Crowley isn't about to let life get the better of him—he's got a dream to make come true. He wants to be a good rodeo rider, just like Yancie.
SIGNS is a coming-of-age drama about a teenage carer (Rhianne Barreto) coming to terms with the responsibility of looking after her family after a distressing incident.
Spencer just wants to get through to his bank account... but the security questions have been updated.
A widow employs the dark arts to see her husband once more.
A teenage girl is confronted with her inner demon when forced to lose her virginity on school's sports day.
Pulsion (Drive) is a mysterious piece that explores the twisted story of a kid growing up in a dysfunctional family. This psychological thriller follows the character along a spiraling descent into madness, piecing together the portrait of a killer.
Faraz's quiet life working at an isolated petrol station is turned upside down when his ageing father Malik begins to speak in a long-forgotten language and insists on returning back home.
After months of fighting and no communication, two teenage twin brothers come together to spend a day in Canvey Island.
Immigrants Detention Centers (IDCs) are prisons for innocents, and that is why our governments hide them from us. Having been able to document thousands of drawings on the walls of one of these IDCs (in the Canary Islands), MAKUN narrates several stories about dreams (a better life) and nightmares (dangerous journeys and confinement in IDCs upon arrival in Europe), animating the drawings made by hundreds of anonymous hands and with the testimony of three immigrants and Human Rights activists.
A group of teenagers explore their battles with period poverty, cat-calling, body shaming and mental health issues, all whilst starring in their own musical.
An abstract metaphorical depiction of my perspective on the "black experience" that was inspired by high end fashion.
A smaller version of myself, inside my tubes, inside my veins, nestled in the marrow. Not poetry, not conversation, not a story. But all.
A collection of audio stories that attempt to challenge the social representation of Black Men, by painting a fuller picture of our emotional experience.
Exploring themes of visibility, identity and ontologies through the mediums of song, dance and storytelling, what happens behind the mask.
Scapelands is a short dance film that explores our primal connections with nature and the effect of urban living on the human mind.
Pedro has found a new job. A kind of strange one, but these days, he can't afford to be fussy. It's a real chance ! Anyway, he's never been the kind of getting cold feet...
Another touching film about bereavement and nostalgia.
Zenon begins his day as usual. Precise and meticulous, as every embalmer should be, he begins preparing a body. His methods are swift and orderly, but the job he serves for so many years has something in store for him today.
In this tragi-comedy a woman longs for her husband to return but his eventual arrival does not match her expectations.
How many ways are there to commit suicide? Can a suicide attempt be considered "successful"? Makis over-analyzes this subject, struggling to achieve the most ideal result.
The love story of Bruno and Tiziana is turned upside down by 59 seconds that wrote one of the most tragic pages of Italy's history - the earthquake that devastated Friuli in Mai 1976.
A young partisan is forced to choose between executing her Commander or her brother.
A lonely walk home is intertwined with an underwater fantasy world. The combination between reality and fantasy is portrayed in a love letter addressed to an imaginary "perfect" man. The film is made with a unique technique of screen-printed animation.
What is it that attracts certain bugs to lamps? Arseni takes a cheeky look at what happens when the lights come on.
Brest, 1950. The city is in midst of post-war re-construction. Workers are on strike calling in vain for higher wages.
Morrigun must return the sunstone to the yewtree godess or the darkness will last forever. A magical one-shot short film.
Strange lights over the quiet town of Mossingham herald the arrival of a mystery visitor from far across the galaxy… When the intergalactic visitor - an impish and adorable alien called LU-LA - crash-lands near Mossy Bottom Farm, Shaun soon sees an opportunity for alien-powered fun and adventure and sets off on a mission to shepherd LU-LA home. Her magical alien powers, irrepressible mischief and galactic sized burps soon have the flock enchanted. Shaun takes his new extra-terrestrial friend on the road to Mossingham Forest to find her lost spaceship, unaware that a sinister alien-hunting agency is on their trail. Can Shaun and the flock avert Farmageddon on Mossy Bottom Farm before it's too late? In cinemas nationwide from Friday 18th October.
A Soft Touch is a very simplistic, short and sweet journey into the mind and imagination of a blind child. We follow his interest in paper planes into his imagination, despite his mothers concern of wasted paper!
A short animation about the beauty of Valentine's Day
A music video for Kelvis Ochoa from a new young production studio in Holguin.
A seven year old girl travels trough a chaotic world, while dreaming of saving a friend and or perhaps the world
Haunted by the memories of his childhood in Baghdad, Abdullah retreats into his deep past. Leilah seeks one last moment of connection with her father before he no longer remembers who she is.
A girl falls in love with a boxer she can never hope to meet, but the letter-birds will change her destiny forever. Will the messages in the air make her dreams come true?
Bruce is a daredevil rooster determined prove wrong that stereotype that chickens cant fly by carrying himself high up beyond the clouds and diving straight back to earth without any protective gear. The odds do not go in his favor as he catches fire upon re-entry and bursting into a ball of flames, roasting himself into a nice Sunday grilled chicken on a silver platter.
Television violence leads to a cruel game inside "Dog's" house. Ironically, at the same time, "Dog" tries helplessly to cure his insomnia by watching religious TV programming.
Mary, a 30-year-old from Philippines,works in a village in Cyprus. She takes care of Mr. Michalis, an 85-year-old man, who suffers from arteriosclerosis.
Amanda (Morgan Saylor -The Sopranos/Homeland) - and Jake (American Honey's McCaul Lombardi) are in love and want to start a new life together in Los Angeles. Will they make the right decisions? Their first 24 hours in LA take them all around the city, bringing more surprises and frustrations than expected. "a refreshingly unsentimental valentine to youthful resilience" - The Hollywood Reporter. Directors Hanna Ladoul and Marco La Via are both in their 20s but were born continents apart. Hanna was born in Germany and grew up in both Paris and Normandy, whilst Marco was born in Santa Barbara, before moving to the south of France at the age of 6. After studying journalism, cinema and history in Europe, they now live and work in Los Angeles, which they've called their home for the past four years. In 2016, they directed their first narrative short film, titled Diane from the Moon and starring Spirit Award winner Mya Taylor (Tangerine). The film stood out in many festivals around the world including the 2016 edition of Encounters. Anywhere With You is their first narrative feature film and it premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival (under it's working title We The Coyotes). A Q&A with directors Hanna Ladoul and Marco La Via will follow the screening.
In an abandoned waterpark, a girl and a boy are hidden from the outside world. Between the graffited ruins of the old swimming pools and blunt slides, they find a shelter to grieve from their loss of hopes and dreams.
Do you know what it's like to question your own memory? Your every thought becoming uncertain.
Athens, today. Seventeen-year-old Aria, who is working at Jimmy's local kebab place is waiting for a driving lesson with her father. When he nally arrives, it is not to go for a drive; on the contrary, he con des in her the care of a young Chinese immigrant who speaks neither Greek nor English.
Ariol is a little donkey, just like you and I ... Ariol provides young viewers with a relaxing and intimate moment of comedy.
A story about the preservation of a man's dignity within the recent times of the Greek financial crisis, as well as his personal uprising against the severe austerity measures imposed on the common people.
The silent routine of 5 Nuns living in the West Bank wilderness is disturbed when an Israeli settler family breaks down right outside the convent just as the Sabbath comes into effect.
Rita masturbates thinking about her ex and then cries for half an hour. That is how the night starts for our heroin, a young woman in a cosmopolitan Berlin. With large doses of humour and sarcasm, we will see how difficult it can be for her to fit in a new place.
A boy loses someone he loves, he feels very lost, confused and heartbroken. But he is given the light to help him out of the darkness
Bintimaji is devasted by rate of pollution by the locals. She joins her new sea friends in a quest to save the once healthy ocean.
Tom spends every summer at his grandparents' farm, a place full of lightness. But this year is different; the two boys have to take on duties. And so Tom finds himself in an emotional contest. A story about love, appreciation and the journey of growing up.
Blink is Dystopian film about a boy who disrupts the system
A generative artwork that sequences vignettes of British life, captured by a collaboration of filmmakers, artists and musicians from across the UK, as we hurtle towards leaving the EU. Each ‘play’ is a unique experience – no two viewings will ever be the same.
A taxi service "for women by women" offers a small step towards gender equality in Delhi.
Building the bridges of broken relationships.
A presumably African village, inhabited by Germans. The film Burkina Brandenburg Komplex describes a geographical construction that makes use of 'our' medial and collective image of Africa and puts it to the test through inaccuracies. An archaeological find is made in a mine: a Ferrari. We tag along with Joachim on his everyday rounds. He has his heart set on realising a common energy project. The Museum of Prussian Cultural Heritage is run by a black woman. She presents artefacts from Western consumer culture with a special emphasis on German products. Joachim is involved in the ritualistic production of energy in the village, but gets excluded when the ceremony is nearing its finale, finally catapulting himself out of the 'story/history'.
A short animation the follows the life of a depressed middle-class Kenyan who is trying to balance work with his personal life.
A hazy awakening aboard an abandoned moon base leaves a young space explorer desperate for answers.
IVETTE & ZARDOYAS A lively mixed-media music video for the song Casanova, Cecilia Valdes and La Bella Durmiente of Cuban fusion music, interpreted by the duo Buena Fe and Frank Delgado.
Jiro, a little boy, feels sick. His father takes him to see the doctor. She diagnoses a harmless condition. But it shakes the boy's identity.
Chasing Borders follows the story of a young refugee fleeing a war zone, looking for safety. Having to leave his family and country, share the story of what it's like to be a young refugee trying to find a home…. Based on a true story, this documentary tells the heartbreaking story of one person walking to safety.
Claude is a small, plump dog who wears smart shoes, a dashing jumper and a rather nifty beret...
Maryna and Tava are working shifts on a milk farm in Eastern Germany. In the village, they are known as 'the two Poles'. They themselves ignore each other existence. When the farm manager goes on a business trip Tava does not show up at work and seems to have disappeared. The next night a disturbing encounter takes place. Maryna wakes up in her container realizing that she is not alone: Tava is lying next to her, fast asleep, firmly clinging to her. But during night shift Maryna withholds the news of her compatriot having returned. When she returns to her container Tava has disappeared again. Her tracks are losing themselves at some drinking session in the surrounding countryside.
In the beginning there existed nothing. The dot came along and everything else was born. It is the beginning and the end of everything visual , both existent and non existent.
IVETTE & ZARDOYAS A music video of the song The Crocodile, a traditional Cuban song, interpreted by Barbarito Torres portrayed in the role of Captain Hook.
A flutist out of darkness creates fragments that come out of his flute turning into living creations, earth and water, achieving an optimistic environment. The ending (remake) brings a peaceful message about the reunion of the divided country of Cyprus.
Through a metaphorical narrative about love, Dahlia explores the relationship between two people which is burdened by mental illness.Based on the ups and down of my parents' relationship, this illustrative and subtle narrative conveys a nuanced look into the experience of mental illness and how love, patience and commitment can overcome even the biggest obstacles.
A short experimental animation film which i made during the course 2D animation in Cyprus University of Technology
A more conventional animation and a more stereotypical view of Cuban culture in this music video for the great Cuban singer Juana la Cubana.
How do people become, who they really are?
The loss of youth, social and professional activity intensifies the sense of loneliness and the "dead end" in the common life of an elderly couple.
The research lab at Animationsinstitut of Filmakademie Baden-Wurttemberg brought Albert Einstein back to life.
The research lab at Animationsinstitut of Filmakademie Baden-Wurttemberg brought Albert Einstein back to life.
The research lab at Animationsinstitut of Filmakademie Baden-Wurttemberg brought Albert Einstein back to life.
A washed up roller disco champion, who vouched to never put his skates on again, must overcome his fear of the rink to go on a roller skating date with the new girl at work.
Dragon Recipes is a sweet story about friendship and acceptance.
Escape the Ordinary is the story of a young woman travelling through time and space to a new world.
Family Bonds tells the story of the little fox Hugo and his unconventional family to which love is more important than heritage.
Based on his own incredible autobiographical story, writer-director Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje's FARMING follows a young Nigerian boy as he is drawn into the warped world of a racist skinhead gang in 1980s England. Enitan (Amissah/Idris) is a young boy "farmed out" by his parents to a white British family in the hope of giving him a better future. Caught between two worlds and belonging to neither, Enitan's need for love and acceptance is exploited by the adults in his life, transforming a sweet boy into a teenage menace. Driven by themes of identity, power, love and betrayal, FARMING is rich with compelling characters: complex and dubious foster mother Ingrid (Beckinsale), Levi (Dagleish) the charismatic gang leader whom Enitan must overcome, and at its heart our flawed hero, Enitan, a lost soul desperately searching for a mother's love as he struggles to find himself in a brutal world. When all seems lost and Enitan spirals into self-destruction, a benevolent teacher (Mbatha-Raw) offers him one last chance at redemption. Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje's debut feature was developed from his short of the same name which played in competition at the 2004 Encounters festival.
A song about a girls memories of her father.
Gori, Republic of Georgia, 2016: on the 63rd anniversary of Stalin's death, his worshipers gather outside of his birthplace to demand his canonization as a saint when out of nowhere Stalin himself returns from the dead.
Ten minutes before a match, a teenage boxer with Down's syndrome fights for his right to get in the ring. An exploration of amateur boxing and freedom of choice.
Filfla' follows the story of a woman who goes to look for a boy on the mystical island of Filfla, where a terrifying creature is lurking in its midst.
On the last night in August, Nikos will make love for the first time. When September dawns, Maria will start her new life.
A two-screen video installation exploring parallels between representations of the urban fox and the ‘urban’ youth. Focusing on a lone 13-year-old as he travels through the night, the film asks questions about the presence of the young boy within his urban environment, who much like the urban fox is tolerated and often hidden from consciousness; viewed consistently as menacing, but also shrewd, fearless and adapted to their environment.
Frogeck is the story of a friendly green alien with a powerful gift who lands accidentally in an orphanage home in Ibadan. While trying to get home, he teams up with the kids to save their orphanage from a ruthless villain.
A video art about the abandoned Nicosia International Airport, based on the events of 1974 in Cyprus and their tragic aftermaths.
Fussel, the friendly monster, is going on an adventurous journey to find out what's at the end of the red string.
Beata's life is not a bed of roses. She's lonely, lives in a tiny, cluttered place in a block of flats, and on top of that, she's addicted to gambling. All of this, however, doesn't stop her from advising hundreds of other people on what to do. That's because she's a telephone fortune teller. Her life changes drastically, when one of her readings almost leads to a tragedy.
Roman lives a lonely life in a provincial city and works as a technician. For the first time since graduation, Liuda, his ex-classmate, comes back to town. Nobody has heard anything from her for twenty years, but Roman is set on not losing her again.
Some days are light and some days are heavy. On her search for something to grab on to, Rosa learns that gravity is stronger than everybody else.
Like the red blood, it's like tomato Juice. Sometimes I wish the whole world was a tomato.
Drake is getting ready for his Valentine's date. He prepares well and chooses the best red wine for the occasion. But what are these weird noises coming from the cellar?
The Bristol millennium dome's journey around the creative city of Bristol
What's that, Duggee? Duggee explains that it's a telescope, and he's looking at things far far away…in SPACE.
Dressing up as a Viking or racing through mud pools - the playing human, actually engages in one universal game.
A celluloid is projected on to a cinema screen it is then digitised, re - projected and then re-manipulated. The film plays with the application of digital and analog amalgamation, the fragility of image and sound within the digital era and nostalgic atmosphere of a dying format. What distinguishes the material from the sculpture, the canvas from the painting the sound from the symphony.
Raised on hip-hop and foster care, defiant city kid Ricky gets a fresh new start in the New Zealand countryside. He quickly finds himself at home with his new foster family: the Loving Aunt Bella, the cantankerous Uncle Hec and their dog Tupac. When a tragedy strikes that threatens to ship Ricky to another home, both he and Hec go on the run in the bush. As a national manhunt ensues, the newly branded outlaws must face their options: go out in a blaze of glory or overcome their differences and survive as a family. Did you know? Taika Waititi's short film Two Cars One Night screened at Encounters way back in the mid-00s, and was nominated for an Academy Award in 2005.
Immediately after a Palestinian man signs an online petition, he is thrown into a panic-inducing spiral of self-doubt. Over the course of a conversation with an understanding friend, he analyses, deconstructs and interprets the meaning of his choice to publicly support the cultural boycott of Israel.
From being swindled by a immigration officer to fighting with a hairdresser. I'm Living in Ghana Get Me Out OF HERE are short stories about the filmmakers experience migrating from London to Ghana.
Paul, an ambitious creative director, prides himself on having great insight into human behaviour and the world around him. After executing a business pitch victoriously, his associate, who's composed demeanour belies a fierce melancholy, reaches out to him for help.
This short film was inspired by a William Blake's poem called "The memorable fancy". As a human of the 21st century I usually find myself being ruled by stress and anxiety, thinking and thinking and overthinking. By entering into the world of William Blake, I realized that today we live too deep inside our big-little minds and our worlds, that we forgot to see the world around us.
Set in 1870s Ottoman ruled Cyprus, a time of intense religious and class disparity, a man mourning the tragic fate of his young daughter travels through the night in search for the person who he believes will be able to keep her alive.
Guilt-stricken after a job gone wrong, hitman Ray and his partner await orders from their ruthless boss in Bruges, Belgium, the last place in the world Ray wants to be. Did you know? Martin McDonagh's SIX SHOOTER played in competition at Encounters in 2005 and won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short.
Two months past my 20th birthday, I really did not expect to be in this place...
Santa is capitalist. He brings toys to the rich kids and sweatshirts to the poor ones. Nikos, 5 years old.
KNIVES AND SKIN follows the investigation of a young girl's disappearance in the rural Midwest, led by an inexperienced local sheriff. The ripple of fear and suspicion among the small-town residents destroys some relationships and strengthens others. This mystical teen noir presents coming of age as a life-long process and examines the profound impact of grief as the teenagers experience an accelerated loss of innocence while their parents are forced to confront adulthood failures. My favourite film at this year's FrightFest" - Anton Bitel, Sight and
A man has two chickens. When one chicken gets ill, the man kills the healthy one to make a soup for the poorly one. This is a story that inverts our perception about priorities and superiorities, and the thin line between love, life and nonsense.
Do you use a label to describe yourself and why?
A story of a girl who is trying to deal with illness inside her imagination. Imagining illness as Lion and herself as a Unicorn she goes through different stages of accepting illness.
QUESTION: Do you feel like your brain is different to other people's brains? ANSWER: Not really!
WATERSHED CINEMA 2 1 HOUR 30 MINS The programme is a selection of award winning Cypriot short films of up to 25 minutes of the last 8 editions of the International Short Film Festival of Cyprus (ISFFC) which began in 2011. The short films, which are predominantly narrative fiction, include independent productions, films supported by the Ministry of Education and Culture of Cyprus and student films. These films have received awards and special mentions in the National Competition of the ISFFC and many have been screened and awarded in numerous International festivals around the world.
Little Malabar and his friend the Frog are playing house when they meet bacteria that look like small algae plants.
A supermarket at the end of the day. While a few customers are finishing their groceries, a hooded intruder breaks into the store.
Lovemaker, the ultimate brain implant to ensure a husbands faithfulness. Find out what happens when a young, handsome man marries for money and agrees to get an implant the prevents him to lust after other women.
Mad Dogs is a film about power and inaction in a single 12 minute shot in rural Greece. How does a leader of a pack maintain his authority when he makes a mistake ?
Tom and Cindy have left the world of fairy tales for the real world, along with their parents; a carefree fairy, a repentant ogre and a terrifying witch-aunt who's anything but repentant.
Set in fifteenth-century West Africa, Malika: Warrior Queen follows the exploits of Queen and military commander, Malika, who struggles to keep the peace in her everexpanding empire.
13:00 - 14:30 WATERSHED CINEMA 2 1 HOUR 30 MINS Encounters is proud to be a nominating festival for the European Film Academy awards and to present this programme of nominated films as part of the European Film Academy's short film tour.
MEET THE IGWES An urban fiction series, with the integral themes of family values, class struggles and the need for acceptance.
Filmed during the battle of Kobani, this film reveals the women at the heart of the fight against IS. With stoical perseverance and the aid of American airstrikes, these women are leading the fight for freedom.
The life of forty-six-year-old Oksana changes when her husband Tolik turns into a seven-year-old boy. Doctors are powerless and nobody can take him back. Oksana clings to her old life, but the problem turns out to be more serious than she thought.
Samantha Morton is exceptional as the titular character who flees her small-town Scottish existence following her boyfriend's suicide. Adopting his unpublished manuscript as her own, she sells it to a publisher for an advance and sets out for southern Spain on a journey of discovery. The taciturn Callar barely says a word during the film, a state of near-silence that's effortlessly expressed by Morton and offset by a driving soundtrack of Krautrock and electronica. Lynne Ramsay's second feature, following Ratcatcher and before We Need to Talk About Kevin, is one of the most distinctive British films of recent times. Did you know? Lynne Ramsay's short films Gasman and Kill the Day both played in competition at Encounters in the early 2000s, and they both picked up prestigious awards around the world including the Jury Prize at Cannes.
From the time She knew of my existence, she turned her life around to make me happy. She sacrificed everything for me and I love her very much. A short poem to all mothers. They're a light in our lives.
A rhythmic compilation of traumatic, but amusing confessions of former music school students.
From the legendary Studio Ghibli, creators of Spirited Away and Ponyo, and Academy Award-winning director Hayao Miyazaki, comes a classic tale of magic and adventure for the whole family. When Satsuki and her sister Mei move with their father to a new home in the countryside, they find country life is not as simple as it seems. They soon discover that the house and nearby woods are full of strange and delightful creatures, including a gigantic but gentle forest spirit called Totoro, who can only be seen by children. Totoro and his friends introduce the girls to a series of adventures, including a ride aboard the extraordinary Cat Bus. Did you know? Hayao Miyazaki's Imaginary Flying Machines competed at the 2003 festival. Indisputably one of the world's greatest animated filmmakers, Miyazaki himself was a guest of the festival at a special screening of Howl's Moving Castle in 2005. We will be showing the English language dub.
Lilith recounts fragments of her life, that is governed by the expectations of others. Lilith confides for the first time that she didn't want it. That she couldn't love it. That she regrets not only its death but also its birth.
Mark is an ordinary dyslectic teenager. Frustrated with this condition, he decides to use black magic and summon Satan so he can sell his soul to him in exchange to cure him of his disability. Things do not go as planned as he accidentally summons Santa. 167
Every morning, Nate and Malika leave home 30 minutes early to go to school, and yet every morning they arrive late! That's because every morning, something AMAZING happens on the way.
In Southern Tunisia, near the Algerian border, two young brothers come across a donkey with headphones on his ears.
A professional cellist has an encounter with a stranger on the subway which has unexpected and far-reaching ramifications on his life.
Two men fighting over a parking spot. After a series of confrontations, the two neighbours are interrupted by greater forces.
'O Land of Wrath' is a mix of experimental visual poetry and documentary. The films narrative evolves around Maltese folk music, 'Għana', and musicians, 'Għanejja'
What is the right moment to die?
A man and a woman are doing up a boat in order to go on a cruise together. This common project brings them together. They are passionate, become very close. Their relationship is sensual and tender. Yet they grow weary after a long period of relentless work, and both their life and the boat go adrift.
'ONE' is based on a common saying in addiction recovery groups that 'you have less of a drinking problem and more of a thinking problem'.
Jolanda and Hendrik are a couple. They have very close relationship. Hendrik is her favorite coat to put on. We see a day in their life.
Holidays, heat, crickets… Think "sea, sex and sun". Except there is no sex for Victoire and Leo because Victoire can't make love. This is a couple on the brink of separation. But then, along come two sexed-up, happy lovebirds.
Orange City is a hilarious expression of the pop culture and lifestyle in Africa's most polarising city, Lagos. It takes the story from the perspective of young Afro beat artist WAHALA (meaning trouble) and his dysfunctional crew through their journey of stardom and celebrity as they discover the meaning the African dream.
In a small agricultural town in the Florida Everglades, hopes for the future are concentrated on the youth. Four teens face heartbreak and celebrate in the rituals of an extraordinary senior year. "Lively and rousing as a generational snapshot, buoyed by the lovable, resilient kids at its heart." - Guy Lodge, Variety "Pahokee is the best documentary I've seen this Sundance... Really good stuff." - Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter Ivete Lucas is a director, producer, and editor based in Austin, Texas. She was born in Brazil and grew up in Mexico. For the past 10 years, she has been making video art and co-directing observational documentaries with her partner Patrick Bresnan, a visual artist and filmmaker in his own right. Their latest short film SKIP DAY played in competition at the 2018 Encounters festival and won the Short Film Prize at the Directors Fortnight at Cannes. THE RABBIT HUNT, their previous film, won over 20 festival prizes and the Cinema Eye Honor.
A three-part humanistic art film portraying the intricate emotional process of loss after a son's death in a Nigerian family.
Faced with the injustices of this world, Margot has lost all hope in the future. Giving up on politics, she decides to entrust her fate to the Dardu, a legendary carp that supposedly predicts the future. But the lake's rules have changed: fishing is now forbidden.
On stage, disguised children dance and sing to the rhythm of a nursery rhyme - until an unforeseen causes brutally the end of the show.
Feeling guilty for hurting his sister, a boy's quest to redeem himself - by retrieving a rare fruit - means quite a distance to travel.
What it means to be a stranger in your own home and country? An intimate journey into the world and mind of a young transgender woman.
Greece - 2400 years ago. Spartan and Athenian warriors battle to the death, observed by a little girl.
Four flawed friends travel to tropics where things go wrong.
Grief and loneliness lead an old man to indulge in his love of dogs, leading him to an obsession that consumes him completely.
I seem to have an eye for detail. Other people seem to change, but I grow older without changing. My natural inclintaion is to be static.
Anouck is a resigned girl, torn between two loves, two violences : her man, an attractive watchdog ,and her little brother, a young mad pup. The night of the boy's 18th, this delicate triangle explodes, Anouck's revolt is on its way...
The year is 37,520 BC. Everyone seems to agree that you should roll with the times.
A drag performer has flashbacks of maternal memories and early gender transgressions.
Our favorite police officers Tamakloe and Appiah take on Dorkheads' first arch-villain, Kweku Cyborg in this super action packed episode of SCUM #ghanapolice.
After being kicked out of his rock band, Dewey Finn becomes a substitute teacher of an uptight elementary private school, only to try and turn them into a rock band. Did you know? Richard Linklater's short film Live from Shiva's Dancefloor played in competition at Encounters in 2004.
Animator Tom Yates explores the role of one his relatives Ann Bardsley in the Peterloo masacre of 1819.
Semele will do anything to spend time with her long absent father. A school note becomes the excuse for her to visit him at his workplace, where her presence highlights their fragile relationship.
A talented boxer, faced with the opposing priorities of winning his big fight on the same night as his girlfriend's operation, struggles to deal with both simultaneously.
The truth of the matter is that shamanic apprentices have no need to be jealous of sorcerers' apprentices.
Macho is a poor boy, who skips school to work on a construction site. The only ray of light for him is his girlfriend, Donna .Yet, she is ashamed of his mother, who works as janitor in their school. Macho has to chose between his mother and his love, and he finds his own way to deal with his emotions.
Short fuse is a short tempered bomb, his fuse ignites and he eventually explodes once it burns out. In life we go through many challenges but the ideal things is too always keep our cool and think things through instead of taking a brash decision that might backfire.
Dumbass is an artistic short film exploring the history of the word dumb and how it has marginalised deaf people. Opening with a short history lesson to set the record straight, it then celebrates the talent of deaf artist SignKid, who raps to the camera with signsong.
Every guitarists knows, if you drop a pick it dissapears without a trace. As if moving to another dimension.
A political refugee living in London tries to get back to his home in Palestine to see his dying son.
Alma travels from the Netherlands to Bosnia to visit the father she's never met. Teaming up with her indifferent cousin and his charming best friend, and high on the reckless energy of youth and the rush of adult discovery, the rebellious trio sets off on the adventure together, embarking on an increasingly unpredictable road trip through the scorching Bosnian hear tland. Over the course of the journey, Alma will learn to accept and understand herself, embracing all challenges that come her way. TAKE ME SOMEWHERE NICE tells the story of a teenage girl, struggling with her identity. She is neither from the East nor the West, being born to Yugoslavian parents and having grown up in a country very much opposite to the Balkans: The Netherlands. She is neither a girl nor a woman, having already discovered her sexuality but at the same time being naive and open to the world in a childish way. She finds herself constantly navigating between opposites: New or Old, Mother or Father, West or East, fast sex or everlasting love, Masculine or Feminine, Dutch Calvinism or Bosnian Islam, iPhone or wild nature, European passport or Yugoslavian soul. Ena Sendijarevic is an Amsterdam based filmmaker of Bosnian origins. She directed several successful short films including TRAVELERS INTO THE NIGHT which played in competition at Encounters in 2014. Her work has traveled to many international film festivals, including Cannes' Directors Fortnight, TIFF, IFFR, Palm Springs, taking home numerous a
Traveller Roger takes us on a journey from his time travelling in his 1962 Bristol Bus, from the 1980's Free Festivals with the 'Peace Convoy' to becoming a DJ at an Acid house club called Spectrum.
Three freaks in the middle of nowhere shoot a giant onion into space to steal gods tears.
Apata is a beautiful and peaceful kingdom but this ethereal set up is threatened by the circumstances of the birth of princess Tejumade-a gift to the royal family through the magical powers of the great Iroko tree and its emissary; Baba Ogbon. She must journey to the dreaded forest to obtain the last gold leaf from the great Iroko tree otherwise, Apata will be destroyed forever. Ika, the evil water spirit stands between her and the safety of her kingdom.
China, in the year 746, the Tang dynasty. It was the most prosperous period in the country's history. The emperor, Li, beholds a court of numerous concubines, the most precious is Yang. The emperor is preparing a grand banquet in her honour.
A song about a Cock and his coo
Sneak preview of the first feature film directed by an autistic film maker which builds on the developing collaboration between biggerhouse film maker Tom Stubbs and Michael Smith, who have been working together for over 10 years. The film is a comedy about autism, friendship and the film making process: combining documentary, fiction & fantasy
The Day Morning Never Came explores the reality of corruption and abuse of power in a local community, where the sun powering the land gets stolen alongside other precious riches of the entire land. In this short film, a little boy saves the day, defeating the villain in the most unexpected way.
However, she is love with her surgeon. He is her savior and comes to see her every evening. Each of his visits is a magical moment for Alice and helps her forget her unbearable situation. Alice escapes into her own dreamworld and makes her life over into a sweeter, love-filled one...
An experimental animation in which thousands of artefacts from the collections of small museums are brought to life in an animated history of human endeavour.
Fleeing the political unrest in his homeland and journeying through a broken Europe, a British man finds himself seeking asylum on the Turkish border. Desperate, and armed with only rudimentary language skills, he is intent on convincing the authorities to give him a chance at a new life.
Furry's friends are afraid to venture into the scary woods, but he's bored doing nothing but waiting.
The swashbuckling tale of a ravenous rat who craves buns, biscuits and all sweet things.
When young Johnny wakes up in the back of a car out in the countryside, he is concerned about how he got there. But his situation gets worse when a man approaches with a gun.
The film describes the life of Greek Cypriot immigrants in London following the fascist statement of the British Prime Minister according to which citizens across the globe are unaware of what citizenship means.
11 year Andre choreographs his story about the inspiration to pursue a ballet career in a one long take short film.
Thirty-five years after Bruce Lee's death, his soul reincarnates in a little doll. With self-confidence, the rubber-made toy sets off to discover the great-scaled world all around him.
A little girl lives with three buffalo. She feeds them and smothers them with kisses, she loves them so. At the onset of the night they would all rush home, making sure doors, windows and curtains are all shut tight. One night, though, they forgot to close the window…
In a time when Malta's political violence was at its peak, Carmelo, a single father and boxer from Valletta, is forced to join a corrupt underworld as he struggles to provide for his only son Giuseppi.
Many questions lead to one of me. If you can find me, you can solve me.
A young girl is desperate to discover the source of the mystery sound that is plaguing her mother.
An impressionistic film that portrait a day of Jay's life, a young citric farmer who decided to attend a clinical drug test in a city hospital.
The fate of the Khazar people, as it is told by their conquerors - loosely based on "Dictionary of the Khazars" by Milorad Pavic.
"A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral." A tale of artistic obsession.
Mr Otmar is sentenced to a psychiatric treatment with the aim of returning him to socially acceptable frameworks.
A teenage girl arrives at a travelling Circus, searching for a man from her past.
A woman gives voice to Annie Ernaux The years's text, a few collected fragments on the shores of a timeless Sardinia. Neither the words, nor the images, drawn from the family films, are expected to complete the narration of her story: places from her past. The mountains on the cost, a seascape, gardens, terraces, rooms of an apartment emerge like reflections of a fragmented and ever-changing memory, uncovered by a new light. The details in each gesture, in each face, of scenes of a life lived amongst family, reassembled and freed from their original context, become expressive elements of a confession that is both personal discovery and collective narration.
An intimate portrait of Hobbit and Jake, a couple who have decided to raise their one-year-old child Anoush gender neutrally.
In the south of Spain, a race of painted pigeons of all colours, will reward not the one who will go the fastest, but the one who will have known how to seduce a female pigeon, and to fly the most time at its sides.
Four Lebanese girls go on a Ferris wheel ride to make their friend feel better about her breakup. Their conversation drifts to a less fun place. Three Centimetres won the Chris Collins Best of British Award at the 2018 edition of Encounters Film Festival, and we are delighted to welcome director Lara Zeidan back to the festival this year as part of our Live Action Jury.
An experimental reinterpretation of an old family photo which explores what it was like to grow up as black immigrants in a rural area fifty years ago.
A hook-up between two young men - they make a connection, but it quickly becomes apparent they're looking for different things.
A day at the seaside takes a sudden turn for the worse. A metaphorical tale of personal freedom.
In a place where things, ironically, come to die, best friends become worst enemies. A poetical modern-day satire inspired by the spaghetti western.
In a town like Bristol, no one is innocent! Deep within the woods of the unconscious mind, beneath shadowy thickets of half-remembered dreams, within the rustle of branches lurk the ghosts of your darkest fears. The Autumn equinox has tipped the earth into shadow. The woodland holds a secret. The nights are drawing in and the owls are not what they seem… David Lynch's masterful 1992 film offers the perfect introduction to the iconic world of Twin Peaks. Driven by Sheryl Lee's heart-stopping performance as Laura Palmer, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me offers an achingly melancholic, nightmarish vision of an innocent torn apart by incomprehensible forces. Compass Presents and Encounters Film Festival join forces to bring you a delightfully dark evening of cinema. Join us for this outdoor expanded cinema screening. - Event Open 19.00. Film rolls 19.40. Event Close 22.00. - This is an outdoor event so bring warm clothes; the show will go on whatever the weather. - The screening is wheelchair accessible but the whole site is not. - Wear sensible shoes for safety on uneven terrain. WARNING: This film contains strobe lighting.
Alistair and Samir meet five different times, but it is only when they meet as old men that they can finally put their prejudices aside and meet as friends.
When Raul, the farmer's son, is asked to entertain the local landowner's son, a game of power and pride starts between the two boys. A game that Raul will never forget.
What should have been a simple pick-up on the beach at night whirlpools into an incredible world of black-ink tattoos, red fantasies, sex and mythology. A fable on desire, orgasm and abandon.
A curious son strives to understand the truth behind his Mother's death, but does the truth really lie beneath the water's surface?
Feel like life is going round in circles, I feell frustrated, but just keep going.
Have you ever thought about how you unique you are?
In a remote Norwegian village the weaving roads have become the subject of controversy. The documentary investigates the bewildering phenomena of car skid marks and their mysterious appearance.
My grandfather tells me a story that he invented, and asks me to make a film out of it. Because of pollution, pesticides, and other toxic substances, a bee decides to leave her hive, looking for a more comfortable place for her to live in.
Serge and his four colleagues are employees in a small c ompany, which has recently been bought out by a large group. As a welcome gift, they are invited by their new employer to a relaxing day in a spa.
Vitello doesn't play with girls, and the girl, Kamma, his new neighbour, is definitely a girl.
WHAT'S THE DAMAGE is a proposition and provocation, answering back to ongoing crises under white patriarchy, relaying and augmenting feelings and gestures of chronic unease, protest and dissent. Phillipson's summons and riposte storms in via menstrual blood, rising up against leadership circle-jerks, weeping vortexes, seared orang utans, animal-fat banknotes, and advancing supermoons, pizzas and drones.
Yearning for escape and adventure, a young boy named Max runs away from home and sails to an island filled with creatures that take him in as their king. Wild The Wild Things Are is a frequently beguiling, evocative adaptation of Maurice Sendak's 1963 children's book of the same name, directed with vision and heart by maverick Spike Jonze from a script co-written by acclaimed novelist Dave Eggers. Did you know? Spike Jonze has continued to work in short film throughout his career, most famously with music videos and adverts. Encounters have screened a number of his shorts over the years, including a specially selected retrospective programme in 2011.
A tale of a man, a woman and a rabbit in a triangle of trouble. It's a world where laughing can be dangerous, romance can be hilarious, and Toons and people live side by side. It's a wonderful place you'll want to visit again and again. The chemistry is magic. The effects are astonishing. And the film is unforgettable!
A touching film about bereavement and nostalgia.
Love / revenge comedy about a woman and robot
Documentary shot in Pakistan following a mentally ill man and the brother who cares for him.
A surreal, comic love story starring Julia Davies and Rich Fulcher.
Chronicalling the 12 hours of dayight on the vernal equinox in 3 minutes, 20 seconds as a single, time-lapse shot of the director on a rooftop.
Heartwarming documentary about a disable woman and her canine assistant.
A disturbing comic journey into the LA hills to meet some monks for a fish stew.
Edgar Wright's idiosyncratic straight 8 comedy featuring Nick Frost.
A suprising comedy about geriatric sexual exploits... and horses.
Anarchic comedy about a Hitler moustache with magical properties.
Near-fi time-travel thriller.
Immersive poetic film, confounding stereotypes of the working class and homosexuality.
Incredibly beautiful nature documentary by an artisan of the super 8 medium.
A simple story about a new look and fragile self-esteem.
A subtle comedy about agonisining over a trivial choice.
A slick film about a murder and burial in the California desert.
The escalation of a passionate and destructive, love triangle. Told through dance and... pigment.
A child recounting playground theories about the man who works at the local chippy.
A love story utilitising a simple in-camera effect as an allegory the for the feeling of falling in love.
A stop-frame masterpiece, shot in the Mexican desert.
WILL SKELTON & ARCHIE BLUE Beat poem parable to black youth.
An experimental animation this visuals and audio created using cardboard.
A sumptiously produced, and beautifully executed journey into a timeless and surreal knocking shop.
Yorkshire's gr8est hip-hop export lands in South London.
A woman sets out to kill anyone who shares her unusual name.
An experimental, psuedo-documentary chronicaling the life work of a fictional avant-guard filmmaker
An experimental film using mutiple, overlapping exposures something that's incredibly difficult to achieve on super 8 film.
A woman listens to the shipping forecast in the bath on a stormy day.
An existential conversation about life and walnuts, whilst eating walnuts.
An atmospheric and idiosyncratic film of a middle aged man in an empty home with an answerphone message from a young woman.
Catching a cab with a Ninja "ober" driver.
EMILIO MUNIZ MARTINEZ & NICK NASON The story of a lonely man who loses his best friend - a mouse.
Sinister promototional film for a hotel. With puppets.
A time-bending music video shot using long exposures at night.
A beautifully correographed drama, told in a single shot.