Berlin Lift-Off Film Festival 2023 - Network Round Shorts

Wednesday 15th March - Wednesday 22nd March

1.

A Matter of Time
Dir. Yang Liu
USA
Logline: During the large-scale demolition and construction going on in a small town in China, an independent and empty-nest grandma YING(70s) who is in the early stage of Alzheimer’s confronts the pressure of moving into a local public nursing home persuaded by her daughter XIAO YU(30s) who works as a construction worker in a big city.

2.

Yearbook
Dir. David Cano
Denmark
Logline:The Danish yearbook, is a book full of memories, where all the students from each grade write small biographies, anecdotes, hook-ups, etc about eachother.

3.

MATKA / POLKA MOTHER / POLE
Dir. Joanna Suchomska
Poland
Logline: MATKA / POLKA [MOTHER / POLE] is a meditation on what it means to be a woman in today’s Polish society. As a collection of stories – all verbatim – from waiting rooms, gynaecology chairs, abortion clinics, and bedrooms, the documentary bears witness to everyday acts of patriarchy and systemic violence. Adopting a poetic visual language, MATKA / POLKA breaks the taboo around the experiences, emotions and identity of Polish women who have faced the country's strict reproductive policy and social prejudices to make decisions about their own life and body.

4.

LEER
Dir. Marios Glöckner
Austria
Logline: Tim the telephone booth tells about his life:

“LEER" describes not only the condition of TIM in the phone booth, but also his emotional state. Because of the loneliness and the feeling of not being needed, Tim is not only empty, but he also feels empty.

5.

Fragments
Dir. Aline-Sitoé N'DIAYE
Canada
Logline: Young Mery-Rose understands the meaning of grief and healing by letting herself get transported by her creative mind.

6.

Download My Heart In The Metaverse
Dir. Mo Rebec
USA
Logline: It is the world's first music film based on the first global song about the Metaverse. The film takes the audience on a grand musical tour of the Metaverse. It's apart of the "Download My Heart" Series by, Hashtag Queens

7.

KOZA
Dir. Leyla Giraud
Germany
Logline: Koza, a turkish woman, relocates to Berlin to start anew but finds herself stuck between two worlds. After landing a job opportunity, drinks with her new boss take an uncomfortable turn, leaving her feeling trapped with seemingly few good options. Seeking to blow off steam she retreats to her lover’s bar where she is forced to confront the Turkey she thought she left behind.

8.

Azar
Dir. Fabián Palacios V
Mexico
Logline: Julián, a Mexican is teenage boy torn between pursuing his frustrated passion for music and helping out his single mother. He is faced with a decision to steal the trumpet of an old street performer to prove himself a man in front of his friends.

9.

WAVES
Dir. Katharina Keil
Australia
Logline: Two friends Sam and Ethel play a fun game to reconnect at their local beach.

10.

The air you breathe
Dirs. Sara Lucia Birceño, Leonardo Jurado
Colombia
Logline: The air you breathe is inspired by those couple conversations in which there is nothing left but the breakup. Between disagreements, fights and wounds we try to rebuild memories that are no longer common between two people. It is a reflection on love that can no longer be decided by one party.

11.

One Last Wish
Dir. Galia Osmo
Israel
Logline: The Fisherman and the Fish folk tale comes to life, in a bitter-sweet animation. A lonely fisherman has a magical goldfish, who granted him three wishes. He already used two wishes to help others in need. Now he is facing a grave decision; after accidentally killing a stranger, he has to choose whether to keep his last wish and stay a murderer. Or to use it to save a stranger's life, but in doing so he will lose the only thing that truly matters, his friend.

12.

Copping Justice
Dir. Alexandra Dunlop
Canada
Logline: After being told by her assignment partner, Ben, to “think more like a man”, a flustered investigative journalism student, Maggie Thompson, imagines herself as the male protagonist of a 1970s cop show working on their project in real-time. While in her daydream, she encounters the off-hand sexism of the 70s and struggles to define how she wants to handle herself and the case under the pressure of these gender biases.

13.

PERFECTION
Dir. Robin Fraser
UK
Logline: Battling trauma from war and conflict at home, Alex turns to technology for salvation. But she's about to enter a world of trouble.

14.

L'amour en jachère
Dir. Tim Bouvette
Canada
Logline: The music video opens with a couple of women who wake up in a room that we discover gradually installed in the middle of the remains of an abandoned factory. The couple then carry out their daily activities, observed by the singer who tells their story through her performance. The actions take part in a series of exterior 'non-places', natural or dilapidated, where the rooms of a dwelling have been recreated by the dreamlike staging.

15.

I DREAMED OF
Dir. Piotr Tokarz
Poland
Logline: Since the dawn of time, dreams are an inspiration for reflections on the subconscious and work as a gateway to the world of abstract images created based on our thoughts, feelings and experiences. In 'I DREAMED OF' author decided to interpret the dreams of people dear to him and present them in the form of an animated short.

16.

A GIFT (A PAIR OF SHOES FOR OUR TEACHER)
Dir. Muhammad Suaib
Indonesia
Logline: A student named Febi and her friends were ordered by their teacher to collect donations for their grieving friend. When the condolence money was collected, one of Dita's friends reminded her that they intended to buy shoes for their teacher. They had to buy a pair of shoes that day because the teacher's birthday was the day after. Dita boldly suggested using the donation money to buy shoes. Febi was being hesitant to determine the decision.

17.

Sonate Tableaux: Mouvement 2
Dir. Carlos Ferrand
Canada
Logline: From the inspiration of a black and white music score entitled "Sonate Tableaux" by Montreal-born composer Alain Payette, this short film embraces the interaction of art forms as well as explores the theme of beauty, the dynamics of the female body and its movement quality, the empowerment of women, and their role in the arts world