New York Lift-Off Film Festival 2024
Network Round Shorts
Monday 29th July - Monday 5th August
1. There Is No Sushi Chef
Director/Writer/Producer:Vinícius de La Rocha
Country of Origin: Brazil
Synopsis: For a Brazilian chef specialist in Japanese food, there is no sushi chef. But the documentary goes far beyond the culinary to pursue the more human side of an obsessed and never-smiling man trying to cope with his deepest private demons in a violent city like Rio de Janeiro - an unlikely story in an unlikely film.
2. The Stars in New Mexico
Director: Kyle Rankin
Writer/Producer: Taylor Dupuis
Country of Origin: United States
Synopsis: Bonnie and Clyde are two strangers on the run from their past. Months in an old van with money running out, they rely on three rules: Always have fun, Never turn down a proposal, and NEVER bring up the past. They soon come to realize that even the bravest and freest of us all will always hold on to the one thing that makes us human.
3. Sofia
Director/Writer/Producer: Blayne Earnest Shamarin, Patrick Anthony McDermott, Kirby Thomas McDermott
Country of Origin: United States
Synopsis: A Portuguese acting student struggles to stay in America after her student visa expires.
4. Help me help you
Director/Writer: Stéphanie Sassen
Producer: The Arctic University of Norway
Country of Origin: Belgium
Synopsis: Help me help you is about young people motivated to help in Namibia’s Kalahari Desert, a place that has attracted much outsider help for many decades. Armed with cameras and participatory video training given by an overseas NGO, a group of young Ju/’hoansi become activists. “It’s not good to sit without doing something”. As they are making a film on the roots of educational marginalisation, the film they are in weaves together joint challenges and contrasts good intentions with power dynamics.
The youngsters turn the camera on school children. The filmmaker turns the camera on the youngsters. Through a microphone, they are opening up a space to speak across generations and continents in their quest to help. But what does help mean?
5. Gatsby
Director: Alec Seymour
Country of Origin: United States
Synopsis: A bactrian camel dreams of life outside of the well-walked paths of his herd, but the uncharted desert is a treacherous and empty place.
6. The Kiss
Director/Writer/Producer: Yazan AL Hajari
Country of Origin: Syrian Arab Republic
Synopsis: This music video is a creative blend of classical music and iconic visual art styles, from the classical depth of Rembrandt and the impressionist light of Monet, to the bold cubism of Picasso and the abstract expressionism of Jackson Pollock. all brought to life through AI and video editing. It encourages viewers to recognize and appreciate the combination of sounds and visuals, highlighting famous artworks in motion. Recorded in Moscow, this original piece features the Moscow Metropolitan Session Orchestra, presenting a harmonious tribute to The global visual artistic heritage.
7. Lillith & Bert Go Nowhere
Director: Rex Provost
Writer/Producer: Lillith Fallon, Bert James
Country of Origin: United States
Synopsis: Lillith and Bert packs the punch of a full sitcom in bite-sized, two minute vignettes. Each one offers viewers, a quick dose of off-best charm and laughter. It’s quirky, binge-ability at its finest, a fresh and innovative take on episodic storytelling. Let’s Go… Nowhere!
8. Guardians
Director/Producer: Julián Stubbs Generali
Producers: Manuel Izurieta, Aguilera Intervalo Media
Country of Origin: Mexico
Synopsis: Three remarkable environmentalists from ordinary origins give every waking moment to the same goal. They preserve life, in a dangerous world.
9. So Long
Director/Writer: Ka Wai Lee
Country of Origin: Hong Kong
Synopsis:
The thing about farewell - despite our endeavor to learn to deal with it, we still feel the massive sense of powerlessness when we actually have to face it. Hang-yi and Kei have been best friends since they were at school. Hang-yi loves performing, while Kei is an astronomy enthusiast. With the mass migration wave in Hong Kong, Hang-yi is departing today. Kei, though able to keep her cool and say goodbye, breaks down only after her best friend is gone.
10. NO FANTASY
Director/Writer: Pedro Murad, Daniel Herz
Producer: Jéssika Menkel
Country of Origin: Brazil
Synopsis: A large metropolis's old and decaying downtown area is set to be completely incinerated. As the local population gets ready to evacuate by government mandate, an aging prostitute decides to stay and vanish within the flames. She receives an unexpected visit from a former client.
11. Open House at Floralville's Orphanage
Director/Writer: Leah Liu
Producer: Miaomiao Liu, Jianda Ma
Country of Origin: China
Synopsis: May, an orphan living in Floralville, stumbles upon an unknown secret on the day of the orphanage's open house.
12. Silence
Director/Writer: Christian Borgkvist Hansen
Producer: Cecilie Kjær
Country of Origin: Denmark
Synopsis: While preparing for her first, big piano concert, Laura gets diagnosed with a serious inner ear disorder, that inhibits her ability to play properly. At home, things are falling apart, when Laura and her mom get into a big fight.
13. Book!
Director/Writer/Producer: Chris John Georgenes
Country of Origin: United States
Synopsis: The age-old question, "why did the chicken cross the road?", can finally be put to rest. The concept for this animated short started back in 2009 with the audio recording of my daughter who was only 6 years old at the time. The audio files sat in a folder on a hard drive in a desk drawer for the next 13 years before it was rediscovered in 2022. I promised myself I would finally finish what I started.
14. The Diary of Nightmares
Director. Elizaveta Manina
United States
Synopsis: The girl finds a horror book titled 'The Diary of Nightmares.' As she starts reading the book, she finds herself in a world of terrifying stories, where a horrifying creature chases her, intent on killing her. To save herself and return to the human world, she must share her nightmare with the book.
15. Fight Like a Tyson
Director: Hannah Tyson
United Kingdom
Synopsis: Filmed over five pivotal years; a thirteen-year-old girl from Liverpool fights for an MMA world title while battling neurodiversity and school life.
16. Driven Out
Director. Andy Currie
United States
Synopsis: A former high school bully is sent on a harrowing journey when an former classmate recommends a mysterious new ride share service
17. Silverfish
Director: Joseph J. Dudley
United States
Synopsis: A widower and his son reunite in the Catskill mountains, but are driven apart again by the patriarch’s allconsuming quest for the elusive Silverfish.
