Rivers Return
11:40 > Belgium > 2012
Director: Joe Vanhoutteghem
Synopsis: Some people are struggling to fit in, to go with the flow. Others are fighting to stand out.
Voice Over
10:00 > Spain > 2012
Director: Martin Rosete BEST OF FEST
Synopsis: I won't tell you whose voice over leads us through three extreme situations that are actually the same. Will you survive?
Crossing the Schoolyard [Dans la cour des grands]
16:00 > France > 2011 > N. America premiere
Directors: Annarita Zambrano
Synopsis: New in High school. The cell phone at reach. Love lays in bed. Looking for the right words. Scars on the skin. To fight for your own place, you have to cross the playground.
Brother [Broer]
10:00 > Netherlands > 2011 > NYC premiere
Director: Sacha Polak
Synopsis: 11 year-old Lauren adores her 16 year-old brother Wout. When she feels she's excluded from her older brother and sister's world, she decides to take a step for which she isn't ready.
Romance
7:20 > Canada/Switzerland > 2011 > NYC premiere
Director: Georges Schwizgebel BEST ANIMATION
Synopsis: Two strangers sit beside each other on an airplane. After takeoff, the plane goes through some turbulence—and, under the influence of an unknown force, the man’s spirit plunges into a different world.
The Banquet of the Concubine
[Le banquet de la concubine]
12:50 > Canada/France > 2012 > US premiere
Director: Hefang Wei
Synopsis: The emperor prepares a grand banquet in honor of his most precious concubine Yang.
Prora
23:00 > Switzerland > 2012
Director: Stéphane Riethauser BEST LGBTQ+
Synopsis: In this deserted former Nazi holiday camp and communist military complex, teenagers Jan and Matthieu embark on an adventure that confronts their identities and puts their friendship at risk.
Juan & La Borrega
10:00 > Mexico > 2011 > NYC premiere
Director: J. Xavier Velasco
Synopsis: Juan, who works in a uniform store, has taken refuge in a routine life without ambition. Until one day, La Borrega comes along.
The Missing Looks
[La Mirada Perdida]
11:00 > Argentina > 2012
Director: Damián Dionisio
Synopsis: Argentina, 1976. Claudio is forced to live with his family in hiding, due to his political ideals.
Pass the salt, please
13:00 > USA > 2011 > NYC premiere
Director: Tatjana Najdanovic
Synopsis: A couple's dinner repartee quickly morphs into a scene ripped straight from the script of an adult film. Who wins this battle of the sexes is anyone's guess.
Record/Play
9:50 > USA > 2012
Director: Jesse Atlas AUDIENCE CHOICE A
Synopsis: A malfunctioning cassette tape captures more than just audio in this sci-fi love story.
Loot
10:32 > South Africa > 2012 > World premiere
Director: Greg Rom AUDIENCE CHOICE C
Synopsis: On a day seemingly like any other, a stranger strolls into a bustling bank and armed with little more than a plan, seeks to get away with the contents of the vault.
2012 Official Selections
Friend Request Pending
12:00 > UK > 2011 > NYC premiere
Director: Chris Foggin BEST COMEDY
Synopsis: Mary and Linda spend an afternoon discussing the pitfalls, pleasures and problems with using social networking to try and woo the local choirmaster.
The Singer [La Cantante]
8:13 > Canada/USA > 2012 > US premiere
Director: Daniel Marrero Armas
Synopsis: A peek into the life of New York City subway singer Rosateresa Castro-Vargas.
Different [Andersartig]
4:30 > Germany > 2011
Director: Dennis Stein-Schomburg
Synopsis: One child is different from the others. Being different makes her more and more lonely. But in the end her loneliness keeps her alive.
Luminaris
6:20 > Argentina > 2012
Director: Juan Pablo Zaramella
Synopsis: In a world controlled and timed by light, an ordinary man has a plan that could change the natural order of things.
Teens Like Phil
20:00 > USA > 2012 > NYC premiere AUDIENCE CHOICE B
Director: Dominic Haxton & David Rosler
Synopsis: TEENS LIKE PHIL tells the story of a gay teen, Phil, and his former friend, Adam, who brutally bullies him.
Junior
11:00 > USA > 2012 > NYC premiere
Director: Jeffrey Elmont
Synopsis: A falsely convicted ex-con recently released from prison seeks revenge on the police officer responsible for the death of his son.
Such Eyes [Eynayim Kaele]
16:53 > Israel > 2011 > N. America premiere
Director: Rafael Balulu BEST STUDENT
Synopsis: 16 year old Gabi helps his father out in their local coffee shop. When his father hires 18 year old Shiran, Gabi attempts, in his hesitant way, to capture her heart.
Elliott Erwitt: 'I bark at dogs'
11:33 > USA > 2011 > NYC premiere
Director: Douglas Sloan BEST DOCUMENTARY
Synopsis: Erwitt has made some of the most memorable photographs of the twentieth century including astonishing scenes of everyday life, filled with poetry and special wit.
Crosshairs
11:44 > Australia > 2011
Director: Mike Hoath BEST DRAMA
Synopsis: Beau and Jamie, two brothers from a rural West Australian town, are caught poaching a lamb from a neighboring property. When Beau refuses to go quietly, Jamie becomes a pawn in a violent showdown.
YELP: With apologies to Allen Ginsberg's 'Howl'
2:50 > USA > 2011 > NYC premiere
Director: Tiffany Shlain
Synopsis: Technology can be addictive. In a tribute to Allen Ginsberg's classic 1956 poem, we created a short film lampooning the addictions of our generation.
20-21 Sep 2024
20th New York City Short Film Festival