Director: Aaron Hopwood, Harry Pearson
Writer: Harry Pearson
Producer: Maddison Gould
Country: United Kingdom
Overview: A young concert pianist rehearsing for her next solo performance finds help in an unlikely place.
Director Statement: "Minuet" is our most ambitious project to date at Escape Studios. We wanted to realise a short film which doesn't just achieve technical excellence but also tells an emotional story that audiences can connect to.
Director/Writer: Kayleigh Gibbons
Producer: Richard Gordon
Lead Animator: Joao Carrilho
Lead Compositor: Scott Newton
Country: United Kingdom
Overview: A dark humoured and expressive character animation about a Father and Daughter coping with the loss of a central family member.Whilst grieving in a graveyard, the Daughter is disrupted by a blackbird defecating onto her Mother’s grave. A fire of rage lights up inside of her and she sets out to direct it in various violent ways, whilst the Father chooses to shut himself up in an agoraphobic state and ignore everything. Can they proceed as a new family, smaller yet stronger?
Director: Benjamin Sebire
Writer: Guillaume Remy, William Fontaine
Producer: Guillaume Remy, William Fontaine
Country: France
Overview: 4th of September 1889, 2 convicts escape from different prisons, they bump into each other and have no other choice then run away in the same direction, this is their story!
Director: Jen Emma Hertel
Writer: Dale Johnson
Producer: Brendan Cochrane
Country: United States
Overview: A mass murderer can get an AK-47 in a country grocery easier than a man can get his driver's license at the DMV.
Director/Writer: Cindy Gzaiel
Key Cast: Léo Dussollier, Alexander Poole, Oliver Hubband
Country: France
Overview: Joseph, a young rising movie star, understands that his in-depth vision of things can create a more intense and exciting reality. Face to the showbiz superficiality, this new reality becomes a shelter for him but also a slippery slope to isolation and madness.
Director: Chris Duplock
Producer: Ben Puskas
Sound Designer: Matt Wells
Director of Photography: Michael Humphreys
Key Cast: Tom Silverton, Ruby Eva
Country: United Kingdom
Overview: A science-fiction drama following an isolated astronaut who finds love amidst the void of space; however, his greatest fear may come between it all.
Director: Zhou Wang
Music: Mari Funbashi
Country: United Kingdom
Overview: A young person has written a poem about their experiences having a parent with alcohol issues. There are 700,000 children and young people aged between 10 and 17 living with parental addiction. No child should feel alone.
Director/Writer/Producer: Paul Hoehenberger
Country: Germany
Overview: Flights over castles, churches, ruins and beautiful places in Bavaria, Germany.
Director/Writer: Maciej Osuch
Producer: Miguel Teixera
Country: United Kingdom
Overview: Two unlikely heroes must retrieve "The Golden Acorn" to save their city.
Director Statement: The Golden Acorn is a teaser/trailer for a film currently in development. Two unlikely heroes must retrieve The Golden Acorn, which has been stolen by a Mafia crime boss who is causing havoc in Nut Town. Can they save their city from destruction? Will they go nuts?
Director/Writer: Peter Noel
Producers: Boglárka Csősz, Peter Noel, Tamás Kertész, Gábor Rajna
Country: Hungary
Overview: The story of '129' is divided into two action threads The first one is played somewhere in Europe, the other takes place in Budapest in 2063. In some further scenes, ten additional countries also appear. In the future we see flying cars and drones everywhere. Medrocorp British Research and Development Company is expanding its influence on the whole world, and they are observing people. They possess significant biological and technical developments, such as cloned arms, bones, organs, robots, flying cars and drones.
Director: Benjamin Sebire
Writer: Guillaume Remy, William Fontaine
Producer: Guillaume Remy, William Fontaine
Country: France
Overview: 4th of September 1889, 2 convicts escape from different prisons, they bump into each other and have no other choice then run away in the same direction, this is their story!
Director/Writer: Wayne Stephens, Deya Danielle Drake
Producers: Wayne Stephens, Deya Danielle Drake
Key Cast: Wayne Stephens, Deya Danielle Drake
Country: United States
Overview: What should be a standard evening in front of the television takes an unexpected turn for a married couple, when a conversation about what to watch reveals the possibility of an escape from monotony more tangible and titillating than staring at a screen. Shot entirely on an iPhone, and edited in iMovie.
Director: Lindsay Katt, Heather Matarazzo, Jeremiah Kipp, Carl Byrd
Writer: Lindsay Katt
Producer: Lindsay Katt, Daniel Madoff
Country: United States
Overview: Distinguishing itself through innovative format, and raw emotion, this "FilmTrack" to Lindsay Katt's new Musical Record "The Avant-Gardener" is tackling new ground on the frontier of artistic visual storytelling/Experimental Film. Captured through the lens of ten interlocking musical vignettes, (each produced in a different style of film making) we follow the story of a young Artist’s life, through the trials and challenges of self discovery. We experience this journey through time, space, and her subconscious mind, as we are invited to explore themes of connection, purpose, and the complexity of the human spirit.
Director/Writer/Producer: Kristin Broadwell
Writer/Producer: Brooke Broadwell
Country: United States
Overview: The Paper People Play cast perform in a play inspired by the Aesop's Fable play, The Ant and the Grasshopper. ANT (Page) teaches her friends, GRASSHOPPER BILL (Cowboy Mark) and COUPON (Trace E.) a valuable lesson about preparing for the future.
Director: Kristin Broadwell makes her directorial debut with “Paper People Play" to motivate play-based learning to enhance academic and developmental learning outcomes by encouraging children to create their own plays and stories while sharing moral lessons.
Director/Writer/Producer: Margaret McGoldrick
Producer: Aidan Largey, Leo McGuigan
Country: United Kingdom
Overview: A prisoner spends his final day with his hangman.
Director: Margaret McGoldrick is a Northern Irish based producer/director. A graduate of the Rotterdam Producer’s Lab and the UK Filmonomics course, she most recently wrote and directed children’s short, Finding Shakespeare, through the BFI/Northern Ireland Screen Access Shorts scheme.
Director/Writer: Jeremie Schellaert
Producer: Benjamin de Roubaix
Composer: Benjamin de Roubaix
Country: France
Overview: For his annual holidays, a car mechanic, passionate about westerns, goes on vacation in search of the Sergio Leone movies sets. From the center of France to the south of Spain, he tries to live the adventure like a cowboy. But on arrival the myth is confused between dream and reality...
Director Statement: I am constantly looking for new angles of view, an original point of view, a fresh look. Each project is unique and this one in particular. I wear it for a long time and wish to stage it brilliantly.
Director/Writer: Dale Johnson
Producer: Chris London
Producer: Alexandra Tebano
Country: United States
Overview: A younger adult sister may or may not be poisoning her brother to death because “Mom loved you more”.
Director: Feng Hui
Producer/Writer: Wu Sidi
Country: United Kingdom
Overview: The dream of a young woman who suffers from domestic violence, which combines her romantic memory and the dark reality.
Director Statement: A new director, a new team, seeking for experiences and opportunities.
Director/Writer: Mohammad Bakhshi
Producer: Nima Rabiei
Country: Islamic Republic of Iran
Overview: A group of Arabian spoken asylum seekers arrive to an English spoken country border and can't keep going. They conflict with border soldiers everyday till a deaf-mute baby becomes a catalyst for better communication between two groups.
Director Statement: The main concept of the film story starts from a game. I decided to direct the story to a point where the kid's game turned the border wires into volleyball net. I wanted to pitch an alternative idea of creating walls of peace and friendship, not a border of concrete.
Director/Writer: Saumitra Singh
Writer: Vinu Vinay
Producer: Madan Paliwal
Country: India
Overview: Ayushman, is a young regular working man living in Mumbai. He prefers to complete his work and head home, hence doesn’t socialize much. One day he deviates from his pattern, this happens when he finds an unattended wallet on the morning walk. Being a responsible citizen, he attempts to find the owner. But after deliberate efforts when he doesn’t find one, he opens the wallet. To his surprise there is no ID in the wallet, but he finds a letter. This letter was written by Aasma to Samar in 1991, when both were young and madly in love...
Director: Yuki Kitazumi, Aung Thu Rein
Writer: Yuko Hirata
Producer: Tomoya Shinmachi
Country: Myanmar
Overview: This film was produced by young Japanese and Myanmar creators in Yangon. They challenged the very new concept in Myanmar, comedy drama based on cooking battle. It is also a revenge story. Its important theme is Myanmar traditional catfish noodle “mohingar.” Young chef fights using his handmaid mohingar to revenge himself for his father’s death on big evil society which is ruling mohingar market in Myanmar by its automated technology.
Director: FABIO TERIACA, JUAN PABLO ETCHEVERRY
Producer: FABIO TERIACA
Composer: SERGIO CAMMARIERE
Country: Italy
Overview: The protagonist returns to the places of his childhood and approaching the tree given to him by his father relives his adolescence... and how in an instant he is hit by the memories that characterize his existence...
Director: Vlad-Alexandru Mihailescu
Camera: Amelia Cooper
Country: United Kingdom
Overview: Overview: Unable to see the world as most people do, Temy shows us how much we overlooked.
Director Statement: After we met Temy we felt that it was our duty to show to the world his vision about life and his powerful inner voice which resonates in his songs. We were lucky enough to be around him all that time and we were overwhelmed by his willingness to overcome any situation. He is the living proof that is not what we see that matters but what appears in our souls. The chance we've had in knowing Temy's story stirred up in us the desire to share this privilege with everyone.
Director/Writer/Producer: Silvia Venegas
Producer: Juan Antonio Moreno
Cinematography: Alberto González Casal
Country: Spain
Overview: More than a million children have sought refuge in Europe, many of them completely alone. A whole generation that has fled the war and now, instead of being children, have to face bureaucracy, distrust, waiting, frustration, incomprehension and fear. This documentary looks directly into their eyes and listens to their opinions, their feelings, their desires, their songs...
Director: Polla-Ilariya Kozino
Composer: Jonathan Galland
Country: United States
Overview: A young girl suddenly finds herself in a beautiful imaginary world. As she explores this enchanting place, the long ribbon of her dress gets caught, holding her back. As she pulls on the ribbon to break free, a completely unexpected journey begins.
Director Biography: Polla-Ilariya Kozino is an animation director and producer. She has also worked on many short films, including "Coyote's Place". Most recently Polla has worked on "Missing Link".
Director/Writer/Producer: Chris Brügge
Music: Alexander Müll
Director of Photography: Alexander Pauckner
Country: Germany
Overview: "WONDERS" celebrates the small wonders of life. We follow children, men and women through some specific and universal moments life has to offer. And in the end a panorama enfolds... of love and the circle of life.
Director Statement: WONDERS is a work of inspiration. We created a vision in a small team, without the big crew, without the big budget. The main idea was to ceate a film that can inspire across languages and cultures. And to show that wonders can be found everywhere, even in the small things...
Director/Writer/Producer: Arvind Sethuram
Writers: Rachika Acharjee, Kushi Sethuram
Country: United States
Overview: Depression, anxiety and fear are not just words but the reality of life which are usually ignored giving teh name of attention seeking. But is it just a cry of attention or the need of the hour to recognize it before its too late? Reach focuses on the life of an individual fighting the demons of anxiety and depression born from the bitterness of the past.
Director Statement: We are submitting our social, message based short film to bring on awareness about mental health. We are committed to spread awareness globally to the mental health issue as this is turning out to be an epidemic in itself. As we did research for this short, we were especially traumatized to see the lack of awarenss, denial, even lack of empathy for the topic of mental health. The day to day struggles of the person suffering from mental health issues can be mind boggling in itself. Our goal is to throw light and receive more acceptance for this issue.
Director: Christopher M Armstrong
Producer: Letizia Di Veroli
Writer: Danielle Wager
Country: United Kingdom
Overview: In a future where psychic abilities are outlawed, the Memory Man makes a living dealing with uncomfortable memories for other people. Until the arrival of a hostile new client, finally forces him to confront unfinished business of his own.
Director Statement: MEMORY MAN is a glimpse into our dark and dystopian future teetering on the brink of a catastrophic apocalypse. Written by exciting newcomer Danielle Wager, and brought to life by British Asian film and theatre actor Joplin Sibtain, the film’s stylized look is based on Christopher’s vision of how our future may one day look. Set only a few decades after the rise of populism, xenophobia and protectionism has lead to distrust between nations, as the world teeters on the brink of nuclear war. A return to patriarchal authoritarian rule has created a sense of fear and paranoia amongst citizens, whilst violent crime has become endemic. MEMORY MAN is a reminder of the dark side of humanity and our own possible future should we continue along our current destructive path.
Director: Simona Kubasova-Prakash
Producer: Serena Smith
Country: United States
Overview: Matt's family struggles daily to support their 32 year old son who lost most of his memory following a brain injury when he was 27 years-old. Now, he forgets everything within minutes, including the previous life that he lost in the wake of the accident and his goal of independence.
Director Statement: I feel that I am the best person to make this film for several reasons. First and foremost, the main character is close family friend. I know this story more thoroughly than anyone else could because Matt, his family have spent a lot of time together and they completely trust me. This story can bring me to tears, make me laugh, make me proud to see them living through each day finding positivity and patience. My personal hope for this story is for Matts family to come to conclusion and understanding that he may never get better. This film served as a great therapy session and made this family to look at this situation from completely different perspective.
Director/Producer: Mahesh Madhav
Producer: Sean Conley
Country: United States
Overview: Engineering meets art as we follow a designer in his efforts to bend industrial concrete into beautiful furniture. Underneath the documenting of the physical process of manifesting the sculpture, we also document the ethos and mental process of ideation, discovery, and presentation -- capturing what all content creators struggle with on every project.
Director Statement: I was drawn to this project through a strong camaraderie felt with the artist. As he began his journey to build his first console table, I started my own journey to produce my first documentary. We wanted to craft a story for artists in all domains; underneath documenting a physical process of manifestation, we have documented the ethos and mental process of ideation, discovery, and presentation - capturing what all content creators struggle with in their work....
Director/Writer/Producer: Sreehari Purimetla
Country: India
Overview: A young married mute girl who undergoes domestic violence by her husband and mother everyday, takes a crucial decision in her live to live with her loved ones.
Director/Writer/Producer: Patricia Steinger
Country: Switzerland
Overview: Ava, a teenager, is on a train with everything she could fit in a suitcase, eager to leave her life behind. But on this train ride she keeps being confronted by reminders of everything she is leaving behind, and suddenly her choice isn't all that clear anymore. In the blink of a moment, Ava has chose between the sweet freedom her train is racing towards or the unfinished business still tying her to her home.