Thank you to all the filmmakers who participated in the Lift-Off Sessions Volume 11!
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.
Lift-Off Sessions is designed to be the entry into the Lift-Off Global Network. A platform for the avant-garde, 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
Monotonous
Director/Writer/Producer: Argeu Gonçalves
Producers: Cauã Modesto dos Reis, Giovanna Souza Regis, Laís Barros Matos
Country of Origin: Uruguay
Synopsis:
A man with a monotonous life who lives his life through telemarketing work, when something different happens in his life, everything ends up going wrong.
Audience Choice Winners
DRAGKILLER
Director/Producer: Johnny Victor
Writer/Producer: Yago Navarro
Country of Origin: Brazil
Synopsis:
After a mysterious killer attacks drag queen Tita Tully, who disappears without a trace, has shaken the quiet town of Judge From Outside. With the police silent and the townspeople in shock, the story catches the attention of Dakota Moss, a determined reporter who sees the case as a chance to boost her career - but the more she investigates, the more she realizes that the truth may be as deadly as it is glamorous.
the 96'
Director/Writer/Producer: JOSHUA Corey TYREE
Country of Origin: United States
TUNNEL
Director/Producer: ÖNER KILIÇ
Writer: MUSTAFA YAHYA COŞKUN
Country of Origin: United States
Synopsis:
HE TUNNEL: “How Many People Can a Tunnel Connect to Life?” Despite all the destruction, Ottoman and Turkish traces are most clearly visible in Europe. As an example of perseverance and determination, he led the country during the period leading to Bosnia-Herzegovina's independence. The tunnel connecting it to the world was built. The Tunnel Changed the Course of the War and Brought Victory! In the war that lasted from 1991 to 1995, during which approximately 300,000 civilians were massacred, President Alija Izetbegović ordered the construction of a tunnel to break the Serbian siege around Sarajevo and bring humanitarian aid to the city. With the completion of the 800-meter-long, 1-meter-wide, 1.6-meter-high tunnel, which was lined with rails and carrying wagons in 1993, the course of the war began to change instantly.
Tata (Iqhinga Lokuzondla)
Director/Writer/Producer:Zuxole Lolo Ngetu
Country of Origin: South Africa
Synopsis:
In the heart of a gritty working-class community pulsing with rhythm and resilience, Lolo Vandal; a charismatic rapper with a mysterious past uses music as his lifeline and his weapon. Known for mentoring youth and fathering not just his own children but anyone drawn to the healing power of sound, Lolo becomes a beacon in a neighbourhood plagued by crime, poverty, and broken dreams.
Mushrooms
Director/Writer: Brenda Bonsignore
Country of Origin: Italy
Synopsis:
‘Funghi’ is a fantasy/horror set in the mid-seventeenth century and tells the story of Marianne, a brave young girl, and Dante, her contemporary and great love. Together, they set off on an adventure into the heart of a dense forest, in search of a rare mushroom known only to Dante. Along the journey, their feelings deepen and amidst the dangers of the journey a love is born that binds them ever more closely. But what seemed like an enchanting adventure will soon turn into an unknown, when an unexpected event upsets the course of their venture. Between secrets revealed and hidden truths, Marianne will discover a side of Dante she had never imagined.
Bad Apples
Director/Writer: Craig Montalbano, Sean Hall
Country of Origin: United States
Synopsis:
A masked man who goes around kidnapping. But who is this masked man and why is he doing this.
Love You
Director/Writer: Martha Nabila
Producer: Thomas Bergmann
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Synopsis:
It's moving day for Chioma and Sam, as they head to the new flat they now own together. But when they arrive, Chioma is confronted by a harrowing realisation.
Made with the support of the Roundhouse Film Fund and Wiggin Foundation
Fetch!
Director/Writer/Producer: Thomas West
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Synopsis:
In a quiet field, a young man's afternoon of fetch with his unusual companion spirals into a slapstick adventure where the stakes (and the sticks) keep getting higher.This short film was made as a final project during the attendance of Aardman Academy's Stop-motion 2 course.
Flashes of Loneliness
Director/Writer: Marcos Del Río Sánchez
Producer: Jesús Rey Sedano
Country of Origin: Spain
Synopsis:
Jose is an old man who waits every day for Margarita to play chess. One day this reality is broken and Jose is transported to a fantasy of his youth.
Losers
Director: Yoana Emil Pungerova
Writer: Maria Emil Pungerova
Country of Origin: Bulgaria
Synopsis:
"Losers" is a film that presents the relationship between two close friends.
Death is something that is seen as both frightening and sad. A person’s uncertainty about how to behave with friends is no less frightening and sad.
Knowing how to treat the people around you well means living a new, different life. Good relationships with others are achievable if we are able to look at life from the outside.
Crazy critters
Director/Writer/Producer: Juan Pablo Bornio
Country of Origin: Uruguay
Synopsis:
In an abandoned workshop, a group of creatures made from old objects come to life every day with a rather singular purpose, to rehearse Hamlet over and over again. But the phrase To be, or not to be will make them question their very existence.
The Measured Approach
Director/Writer/Producer: Giulia Heaton
Producer: Orlando Williams
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Synopsis:
A gripping and educational Verbatim Film in the style of docufiction. We follow the narrative of a young woman’s pregnancy, and accompany her through the journey of her momentous decision. The visuals depicted are supported by first-hand verbatim retellings - and our reenacted interviews offer authentic insight towards some of life's most exposing experiences: sex, childhood, pregnancy, and termination.
Lou
Director/Writer: Tabatha Erin Gell
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Synopsis:
Lou, a young woman, experiences the financial struggles of being an adult. This leads her to leave her passion for the arts for a mundane office job to keep her financially afloat. One day, whilst working at her desk that is overflowing with paper work, she feels overwhelmed by adult responsibilities and decides to leave the room to gather her thoughts. In Lou’s absence, her younger self (a stop motion puppet) comes to life as she jumps out of a photo of herself onto adult Lou’s desk. Young Lou curiously explores the desk space and smiles once she notices the art supplies. Young Lou (aged 7) grabs a pen and recreates the art piece that she appears to hold up proudly in the photo on the desk. When she finishes the drawing she quickly retreats back into the photograph before adult Lou returns back into the room. As adult Lou sits down at her desk she notices the drawing on the desk and picks it up. The drawing seems to appear aged, and stained as if it was drawn many years ago. Adult Lou picks it up and turns it over to reveal a message from her mum written in the bottom corner saying ‘To Lou, never stop doing what you love’. Adult Lou smiles as she picks up a pen and paper and begins to draw.
Lift-Off Season Awards #16
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.