Thank you to all the filmmakers who participated in the Lift-Off Sessions Volume 5!
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
Pulse
Director/Writer: Hache De Henry
Producer: Tay Reyes
Country of Origin: Ecuador
Synopsis:
When a civilization finds itself on the edge of the abyss, its interdimensional experimentation poses a decisive question.
Season Award #16 Shortlist
Audience Choice Winners
Phantom and Percepter
Director/Writer: AJ Bucci
Country of Origin: United States
Synopsis:
Percepter, super soldier from a dystopian future, travels back in time to save the last superhero, Phantom. But in doing so stumbles into the crosshairs of the evil Warbaron. Together Phantom and Percepter must prevent Warbaron from unravelling the time stream forever.
Midnight Cinema
Director/Writer/Producer: Mazen lotfy
Country of Origin: Egypt
Synopsis:
A filmmaker keeps on having repeated nightmares after midnight which make him notice details about them which made him eager to wait each night to watch the next nightmare like a new movie waiting to be released
Until Death Do us Part
Director/Producer: Riccardo Spiga
Writer: Edoardo Mazzette
Country of Origin: Italy
Synopsis:
A man discovers that he is terminally ill, terrified at the thought of dying alone, and tries to reconnect with his wife.
The One, The Many
Director/Writer/Producer: Nguyen Hoang Minh Khoi
Producer: Nguyen Trong Tin
Country of Origin: VietNam
Synopsis:
The One, The Many documentary follows Bu, an outsider artist. The film delves into his studio practice and life, eventually learning more about his philosophy and practice of connecting with everything and nothing.
But First Coffee
Director: El Tonno
Writer/Producer: Toni Beer
Country of Origin: Germany
Synopsis:
A dead-end office job. A clueless employee. A boss who breathes too loud. Welcome to the fluorescent purgatory of German corporate life.
Walou
Director/Writer/Producer: Kheireddine Malti
Country of Origin: Algeria
Synopsis:
Ahmed lives in a one-room studio apartment. Feeling increasingly encumbered, he feels the need to free himself from any hold, and decides to make everything disappear. As the silence settles in, a woman's voice, coming from elsewhere, begins to speak to him, criticizing his maneuver and trying to dissuade him from stopping.
Eureka!
Director/Writer/Producer: David Creighton
Country of Origin: Canada
Synopsis:
In this animated micro-short, a conspiracy nut finally grasps the truth.
100 Hundred
Director: Arome Alvin Adejo
Writer: Favour Chialuka Metu
Producer: Adeola Ahmed Lawal
Country of Origin: Nigeria
Synopsis:
In the hauntingly emotional short film 100 Hundred, we follow the unraveling life of a desperate young mother pushed to the brink by poverty and debt. Through a raw and unflinching series of vignettes, we witness her descent first as a struggling market vendor, then as an exhausted woman on the highway and finally into prostitution. With each scene, her spirit fades further, haunted by voices of ridicule and relentless demands for repayment.
My Little Sentry
Director/Writer/Producer: Lucas Marques
Producer:Reticências Filmes
Country of Origin: Brazil
Synopsis:
On a remote farm, Dalva lives among dry branches and silent afternoons, waiting for the return of Antônio, her only son, sent off to war. When the radio announces Hitler's death and the end of the conflict, the world seems to exhale — but instead of relief, Dalva plunges into a whirlwind of memories. The last words exchanged with her son, and the many left unsaid, echo in her mind like voices in an empty field. In a time where past and present blur together, Dalva keeps watch over the road with eyes full of hope and longing.
On This Land
Director/Producer: Salma AlaaEldeen Badra
Writer: Mahmoud Darwish
Country of Origin: United States
Synopsis:
It was a project for the Experimental Moving Image class. The assignment was to cut a page into four sections, rearrange them (4 with 1, 2 with 3), and generate new meanings. We were encouraged to use political speeches or repetitive poetry to create endlessly reinterpreted texts. As Tzara once said, “Poetry is for everyone.” The final goal was to create a 2–5 minute film inspired by this method.
Mediteranean Meal
Director/Writer/Producer: Emiliyan Aslanyan
Country of Origin: United States
Synopsis:
In this short video I present my three-course meal, which is inspired by the Mediterranean diet. In the short video I include a "native ingredient", which I incorporate into the meal.
Radio
Director/Writer/Producer: Salma AlaaEldeen Badra
Country of Origin: United States
Synopsis:
Radio is a film that explores the deep connection between a family and the radio, a constant presence in their lives, carrying memories of personal moments and historical events, capturing the the rhythm of everyday life in an Egyptian home, even after being forgotten for a while.
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.