Independent Shorts Awards

A male corpse lies still in the entryway of a home. We jump back in time to show the man in his bed, deathly ill. Allison, wearing protective clothing, cares for the man.
After another flashback to the two discussing a dangerous virus, we return to the bedroom as Allison covers the man’s motionless body with plastic sheets. Allison then hastily packs a bag to leave as the sick/dead man stirs. He is alive.
Allison discovers her reanimated partner and flees in terror. The man pursues Allison through the house but is distracted by metallic voices and flashlights coming through the front door. As the man moves to open the front door, Allison makes her escape through a side exit. She stops to listen and hears multiple gunshots and the same metallic voices. Allison rests, knowing that the man has been euthanized.
Directed by Nick Trost (USA)

“Beyond Darkness” is a psychopath thriller about an emotionally disengaged widower and his struggles with his own demon within, about an old man pain that turns him to a psycho killer, but what if his evil whispers call his own daughter name?
Directed by Mishaal Almanaa (Kuwait)

“Karma” is a short film about some cycles. A story about a hunter who comes out from the waving waters of the sea at the dawn and and arrives to a strange and paradisal lagoon. This lagoon has an old watchtower. The hunter that thinks he has the right for hunting, puts some traps in forbidden areas. He finds some tools, maybe belongs to someone that once hunted in that place and now he’s gone. While the hunter was daydreaming, some creature attacks him and take him back to the waters, to the cycle. The movie emphasizes the nature’s cycle and transformation of elements and four nature’s basic elements.
Directed by Arshia Zeinali (Iran)

“Iyakkunar (Episode of a Director)” is about a harsh conversation between a director and a reporter, who fails to understand his duty of taking things professionally, ending with a pleasant surprise.
Directed by Harish (India)

Clara is a well-kept woman and is married to Mason Pierce, one of the top executives at a firm. When a secret amongst friends leads to a love affair, Clara will learn the true meaning of “Appreciate what you have before it becomes what you had”.
Written by Kathryn L Scurry (USA)

A camper named Jack meets his new roommate, Ron, for the first time. After going to sleep, Jack wakes up to something knocking on the bathroom mirror and enters the bathroom. He then notices Ron enter and realizes that Ron is not who he said he was.
Directed by Grey Smoley (USA)

An emotionally driven story on domestic violence. Sonia struggles to live with her abusive fiancee who is jobless, insecure and does not appreciate her existence. She is faced with the decision of moving on or being blindfolded by the tales of love and keeping up with the consistent battering.
Directed by Allen Obisesan (Nigeria)

A child befriends a homeless guy outside his neighborhood corner store and without realizing it he brings things into perspective for the down and out gentleman.
Directed by Andrew Stennett (Australia)

“Something About Henry” is about a tortured soul named Ladybird, who has a unique affliction and as her story unfolds and climaxes to the WHY of her condition… it’s another social commentary of why one shouldn’t ever sit in judgment of what society refers to as the “less fortunate”. While there is some humor attached, its message is loud and clear!
Directed by John Borowski (USA)

A young cowboy escapes his legacy, but for a short time. Jim manages to keep his identity a secret from his wife and his mentor until an accident reveals a shady family past.
Written by Lea Ann Vandygriff (USA)

To tell a history through architecture and music, the film matches the styles of Moscow’s XXth and XXIst centuries buildings with electronic variations of the Soviet and Russian national anthem. The juxtaposition captures an aesthetic evolution driven by the evolution of ideology.
Directed by Dimitri Venkov (Russia)

Directed by Sofia Kalogianni (Greece)

“New Caledonia: Mother of the Coral Sea” features the incredible diversity of the Coral Sea in New Caledonia and how it provides for the people of New Caledonia — where nature and people are inextricably linked. The film features the different sides of New Caledonia — from Noumea, its capital city, to the magnificent Ouvea, referred to as “the closest island from Paradise”, and the bountiful life — turtles, sharks, manta rays, and large schools of fish — that blossoms in these waters, and are respected as culturally-significant totems. Local community members,  Marie-Lucette Taoupoulou, Pierre Kaouma, Marjorie Tiaou, and Marino Tiaou take us through their world and their way of life. They share their bond with  nature and their aspirations of preserving this bond for generations to come.  Conservation International and the Manta Initiative are working with partners to conserve the Coral Sea and its diversity — before it becomes endangered.
Directed by Shawn Heinrichs (New Caledonia)