Thank you to all the filmmakers who participated in the September edition of the First-Time Filmmaker Sessions!
The festival platformed hundreds of films, each project worthy of recognition and celebration. We want to extend a giant thank you to everyone who took part and a special congratulations to all the incredible talent that went into making these projects.
First-Time Filmmaker Sessions is designed to be the entry into the Lift-Off Global Network. A platform for the avant-garde, FT Sessions isn't about selecting the 'best' or most 'commercial' projects; it is about providing a screening opportunity for everyone, connecting these new and emerging voices with new audiences. An option we hope highlights and educates each month!
Jury's Overall Winner
A friend in the night
Director/Writer/Producer: Vinicius de Castro Gomes,
Director: Filipe Coelho
Country of Origin: Brazil
Genre: Short film
Synopsis: During a cold autumn night, a depressed lawyer finds a friendship that makes him review his life during his return home.
Season Award #15 Shortlist: Best First-Time Filmmaker
Audience Choice Winners
Moon Town
Director: Jess Boylan
Writers: Sophie Knight, Maureen V. Ward, Katelyn Doyle
Producer: Maureen V. Ward
Country of Origin: Ireland
Synopsis:
When a star in the sky wakes up in a teen boy's body, he must grapple with the tasks of every day life and find meaning within his vast universe
Coercion
Director: Ellen Coughlan
Writers: Kelly McMillan, Ava Lloyd, Katelyn Doyle
Producer: Maureen V. Ward
Country of Origin: Ireland
Synopsis:
When Cora's boyfriend begins pressuring her to take their relationship further, She is faced with the choice to do whatever it takes to keep him or stand by her own boundaries.
Bad Day
Director: Jess Boylan
Writers: Joshua Boland, Callum Smith, Katie Ann Kelly, Mihail Nesteruk,
Mia O'Rielly, Maureen V. Ward, Kate Doyle
Producer: Maureen V. Ward
Country of Origin: Ireland
Synopsis:
For teenager Billy, every day is a bad day as he is subject to severe bullying at school with no interference from teachers or parents.
The Mystery of Luesslingen
Director/Writer/Producer: Paul Kuehne, Hans U Gubler
Country of Origin: Switzerland
Synopsis:
Strange and mysterious things are happening in a small Swiss village. Residents are being frightened and hunted. The village priest disappears without a trace. Nobody knows the reason.....
Transformation
Director/Writer/Producer: Marcel Barsotti
Country of Origin: Germany
Synopsis:
Only humans still live on Earth. Dangerous genetic experiments have wiped out the entire food chain. The only food which is keeping the last humans alive is the yellow Nova. In the far future, the last Drakzuls, highly intelligent beings, had to flee from their homeland, their planet destroyed by their enemies. They are searching for a new world to survive. And they found it.
Dote on Blood
Director/Writer/Producer: Ege Kagan Safak
Country of Origin: Turkey
Synopsis:
Young man eats an unusual breakfast which seems usual.
Golden Child
Director/Writer/Producer: Charon Chong
Country of Origin: Singapore
Synopsis:
Kintaro, a prodigy, grows up around parents and teachers who expect the best out of him, and never fails to meet their expectations. However, when he becomes an adult, he crumbles at the smallest failure and struggles to find what he really wants in life. He falls into depression, realizes that his 'dream' of becoming a musician was fake the entire time, and eventually ends his own life.
Kin
Director/Writer: Helena Vujanić-McCondach
Writers: Mariah Reeder, Amélie Etchepare, Hsiao-Chien Wei, Kahn Rabbette
Producers: Mariah Reeder, Simon Heath, Arien Hielkema
Country of Origin: New Zealand
Synopsis:
In "Kin," Anna confronts the emotional task of sorting through her late father Murray's belongings and preparing his house for closure. Little does she know, Murray had formed a special bond with a stray cat he named Tuna, who eagerly awaited his return outside the house.
The Night Bus
Director: Ellen Tyrberg
Writer: Camilla Lundahl
Producer: Nicole Adelina Milivojevic Sandvik
Country of Origin: Sweden
Synopsis:
Amila searches in Sanna for signs of mutual love during an emotional night. Driven by both longing and pain, with the realisation that this is their last chance before they part ways. A depiction of teenage love.
The Phone Booth
Director: Mateusz Majewski
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
A Single Day
Director/Writer/Producer: Janne Willockx
Writer: Amber Deckers
Country of Origin: Belgium
Synopsis:
Grandpa loves order and rules. When his daily routine starts falling apart with every mistake he makes, his trusted house turns into a chaotic swirl of shapes and colors which he frantically tries to keep under control, until he can't anymore.
An Animator's Odyssey
Director/Writer/Producer: Tjeerd Boersma
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Synopsis:
The concept of An Animator's Odyssey is driven by childhood fears and the urge to create art that leaves a lasting impact. The fear of death emerged from an early age, leading to a quest to use time and creativity as a means to transcend mortality. An Animator's Odyssey unfolds as an exploration of letting go of control and embracing the joy of the creative process.
Last Dance
Director: Fatmi Mohamed Louay
Country of Origin: Tunisia
Synopsis:
When I uncovered the extinction story of the Kaua'i Bird, I felt an immediate connection, as if I were looking into a mirror reflecting my own fate. I imagined the bird's last moments — a profound loneliness, an echo of life fading away, where death arrives not once, but twice. first as the quiet, crushing weight of despair, and then as the final breath of existence.
Motherhood
Director: James J. Woodruff II
Country of Origin: United States
Synopsis:
A young woman with a special ability falls in love with a mysterious man in a dream and faces a shocking revelation finding out who he really is.
Time Between Us
Director/Writer: Isabella Campbell
Producer: Harry Pullenger
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Synopsis:
Time Between Us is an experimental short film exploring the themes of memory and nostalgia. The narrative unfolds within a liminal space filled with the character's fragmented childhood memories.
We, Women
Directors: Nacho V. Carrión, Isabel Vega Zarzuela
Writer: Nacho V. Carrión
Producer: IES Pedro Muñoz Seca
Country of Origin: Spain
Synopsis:
Silvia is a women enclosed in the narrowness of patriarchal canons. She´s just 55, but she thinks that her life lacks of value. However, she will discover soon that she´s wrong.
Lift-Off Season Awards #15
The Lift-Off Season Awards is an annual event that celebrates the very best of indie film. Following each Lift-Off film festival, films that have excelled in their respective category are short listed for a Season Awards Nomination. At the end of the year, once all the 12 city-based festival have taken place, the shortlisted nominated films are reviewed again by the jury and Official Nominations are designated. Click here for more information about the Lift-Off Season Awards.