Programme : short films © FDC
Short Films: the nine contenders for the 2017 Palme d’or
Who will follow on from Juanjo Giménez, winner of the Palme d’or in 2016 for Timecode? This year, nine contenders from eight different countries are in the running for the title of Best Short Film In Competition. Time for a brief look at our talented candidates.
Led by Romanian director Cristian Mungiu, the Jury – which includes Clotilde Hesme, Barry Jenkins, Eric Khoo and Athina Rachel Tsangari – must decide which of these nine films will be awarded the Short Film Palme d’or. The prize will be handed out during the Awards Ceremony on Sunday 28th May in the Grand Théâtre Lumière.
A Drowning Man by Mahdi Fleifel (Palestine) – 15 minutes
Alone and far from home, The Kid makes his way through a strange city looking for the means to get through his day. Surrounded by predators he is forced to make compromises merely to survive, his life of exile grows one day longer.
Across my Land by Fiona Godivier (France) – 15 minutes
Arizona 2016, the portrait of an American family at the Mexican border. One evening, as the mother is cosily watching TV with her daughter, the father and his son get their rifle prepared for a patrol tour along the border wall.
Damiana by Andrés Ramírez Pulido (Colombia) – 15 minutes
Deep inside the jungle, a group of teenage girls are being kept under supervision. Despite abandonment and hostility, Damiana hopes she can get in touch with her father.
Katto (The Ceiling) by Teppo Airaksinen (Finland) – 15 minutes
On the brink of divorce a middle aged man, Olavi, retreats to his cabin by the lake. After a few days he finds that the ceiling has come down making him unable to stand up straight. After a few days he finds that the ceiling has come down making him unable to stand up straight.
Koniec Widzenia (Time to Go) by Grzegorz Mołda (Poland) – 15 minutes
Marta works at her father’s automobile repair shop. After her boyfriend is arrested, Marta is faced with a difficult choice: to stay loyal to her father, or to do what it takes to get her boyfriend released.
Lunch Time by Alireza Ghasemi (Iran) – 15 minutes
A 16 year old girl has come to the hospital to identify the body of her mother. The people in charge at the hospital – due to her young age – won’t let her into the morgue and ask her to bring her guardian instead. However the girl insists that most of her family is in jail for criminal activities. Finally after her insistence they agree to let her into the morgue…
Pépé le Morse (Grandpa Walrus) by Lucrèce Andreae (France) – 14 minutes
On the windy and cloudy beach, Granny is praying, Mum is shouting, the sisters don’t care, Lucas is alone. Grandpa was a weird guy, now he’s dead.
Push It by Julia Thelin (Sweden) – 8 minutes
PUSH IT is a film about never being able to win, even though you’re the best. Hedda tries to approach Adam in every way she can, but everything she does turns out wrong. But Adam gets to break all the rules. PUSH IT explores structures, physicality, identity and emotions. With the gym hall as its arena.
Xiao Cheng Er Yue (A Gentle Night) by Qiu Yang (China) – 15 minutes
In a nameless small Chinese city, a regular mother tries to find her missing daughter, in this gentle night.
