Independent Shorts Awards

A young Welsh busker tries to make it big in Berlin.
Directed by Robb Montgomery (Germany)

A woman who just got back home from her business trip believes that her boyfriend’s ex has been stalking her. She ends up in a threatening situation she did not expect.
Directed by Enzo Hui (USA)

Fed up with her ‘lame duck’ status, The Upstart decides to face The Patriarch in a 1940’s feminist throw-down.
Directed by Kate Felix (Canada)

“The Four Loves” is a musical and visual tribute to love. Inspired by the famous book by CS Lewis, the internationally acclaimed Italian sculptor Lorenzo Quinn made one of his most successful works of art based on the four types of human love: Agape, Eros, Philia and Storge. With the musical translation by the Belgian composer/pianist Stefan Meylaers, the story of “The Four Loves” seems to be completed. This artistic documentary, accompanied by the integral performance of the four-part piano composition by the composer himself, gives a moving insight into how both artists have been able to shape our reason of existence: Love!
Directed by Stefan Meylaers (Belgium)

“Qui e Ora” is a documentary that portrays the end of life experience of terminally ill patients in an Italian hospice. It challenges the social stigma of pain and death in a society that is scared to address such natural parts of life. It is an exploration of what it really means to live the last days of life.
Directed by Virginia Banci (UK)

Milwaukee’s Daniel Hoan Memorial Bridge is the crown over Summerfest and has become one of the city’s most recognizable landmarks. But it’s also a popular site for suicides. This animated documentary explores the issues of the bridge and suicide through three intimate interviews.
Directed by Aaron Johnson (USA)

One harassed and distressed comes to Mumbai with his wife from a far-flung native place of Bihar in search of a livelihood and comfortable life. Dazzling, bewildering, confounding and magnificent buildings and overcrowded and baffling traffic of the metro thrill him. He is amazed and excited in the new atmosphere. From day one he starts to look out for a job what so ever to support his basic needs but a considerable time elapsed, he could not succeed. As dictated by the destiny he chances to come through a red light area. In spite of a rebelling conscience, he gets attracted to the working environment of the place, finds a clue for some earnings there and becomes a broker. However, instead of saying the truth, he conveys his wife about securing a job of a security guard. Now, his wife remains happy but he remains always aggrieved with biting conscience – one for being false and unfaithful to his wife and the other for being helpless to do an utterly undignified job. Days were passing smoothly but one day his wife comes to know the truth of his job. Out of deep compunction, he could not help facing his wife and remains standstill with downcast eyes.
Directed by Ashutosh Jha (India)

“A Bitter Pill” is voluptuous staring of eyes, pretending attempts of negotiating physiques, undignified and annoying gestures and postures, obscene, vulgar and irresponsible remarks, and sometimes trying to share uncalled for company and even molest – all these causing immense emotional harassment and torture which an innocent, noble, modern, well educated, open-minded liberal professional working girl who faces and consumes off and on in an awfully overcrowded traffics of contemporary metro cities inflicted up on by some uncultured and uncivilized men of low order mentality. The short film depicts physical, mental and emotional condition of such girl who has undergone such sufferings. She is deeply disturbed and perturbed and has become mentally so unbalanced that she is unable to keep a normal behavior even with her boyfriend who is always loving and most caring towards her. Unaware of happenings, which she has met with, her boyfriend is upset and disappointed to see her unusually unresponsive and abnormal. But when he comes to know about the context he cajoles and extends loving sympathy and consoles to make her normal.
Directed by Ashutosh Jha (India)

An average employee burdened by depression and loneliness, caused by the job demands of his boss and the eternal routine in which his life is imprisoned. Desperate, he allows himself to dream with an iota of freedom. Trapped to break with oppression and, with it, his existential emptiness.
Written by Roberto I. Ercolalo (Argentina)

Having come to Germany as an Au pair from Zimbabwe six years ago, the documentary is about me and my two friends who also came as Au Pairs. I am now a Master student and working part-time for the University, Audrey is working as a Research Associate in a stem cell research facility and Millicent is training to be a geriatric nurse. Hence the film gives a glimpse into the whole process of coming to Europe from Africa and the reality of the day to day life as an immigrant in Germany.
Directed by Claudine Ndlovu (Germany)

John Doe is a disenchanted young urban professional who is off on his lunch break during another mundane workday. While back at his apartment consuming a makeshift meal of cereal and milk, John Doe thinks back to when he was a kid and be happily watching his favorite Saturday-morning cartoons. However, John Doe quickly snaps back to his present situation where he’s grimly reminded of his dissatisfaction as an adult. Realizing his lunch break is nearly over and that he must return to work, John Doe is taken aback when he is confronted by the very same Saturday-morning cartoon characters he watched as a kid proceed to help him rekindle his childlike sense of wonder.
Directed by Friedrich Reimer (USA)