Block 2. Transformations


Set of films
dir. Hao Zhou ("Wouldn't Make It Any Other Way"); Michał Edelman, Tomasz Pawlik ("Freshman"); Ivan Grgur ("Espi"); Anders Hammer ("The Takeover"); Clément Pérot ("A Storm Inside") / USA/2024 ("Wouldn't Make It Any Other Way"); Poland/2024 ("Freshman"); Croatia/2023 ("Espi"); Afganistan/2023 ("The Takeover"); France/2023 ("A Storm Inside") / 108 min
BEST SHORT FILM AWARD: ,,Freshman’’ dir. Michał Edelman, Tomasz Pawlik
Change is the only certain thing in life. It is the people that change, the countries that change. We are becoming more aware of who we really are and how we want to live. The films in this block talk about transformations of all sorts.
Wouldn't Make It Any Other Way
duration: 21 min
country/year: USA/2024
director: Hao Zhou
cinematography: Hao Zhou
editor: Hao Zhou
producer: Tyler Hill, Caitlin Mae Burke
selected festivals and awards: 2024 – SXSW Austin, 2023 – Hot Docs Toronto
Having built a colorful life in Iowa, a costume designer returns to their island hometown, Guam, to make costumes for a children's theater show and reconnect with distanced parents.

Having built a colorful life in Iowa, a costume designer returns to their island hometown, Guam, to make costumes for a children's theater show and reconnect with distanced parents.

Freshman
duration: 25 min
country/year: Poland/2024
director: Tomasz Pawlik, Michał Edelman
cinematography: Tomasz Pawlik
editor: Przemek Krężel, Julia Polkowska
producer: Ewa Jastrzębska, Jerzy Kapuściński / Studio Munka
selected festivals and awards: 2024 – Millennium Docs Against Gravity Film Festival: World Premiere
"Freshman" is a two-year observation of fifteen-year-old Jędrek. Cut off from his family and loved ones, the boy gets locked up in a juvenile prison.

"Freshman" is a two-year observation of fifteen-year-old Jędrek. Cut off from his family and loved ones, the boy gets locked up in a juvenile prison. Now he has to adapt to a new, harsh environment. At first, he is scared and lonely, but later, he meets a friend –Wojtek. The juvy slowly becomes their new home.

Espi
duration: 6 min
country/year: Croatia/2023
director: Ivan Grgur
cinematography: Ante Cvitanović
editor: Tomislav Stojanović
producer: Tina Tišljar, Rea Rajčić / ECLECTICA
selected festivals and awards: Motovun FF
Gender transition has its ups and downs, scary, funny, and strange moments. This short film visually explores these moments through the eyes of Espi – a 24-year-old protagonist.

Gender transition is no different than any other human change. It has its ups and downs, scary, funny, strange, surprising, and frustrating little moments that are rarely talked about. This short film visually explores these moments through the eyes of Espi – a 24-year-old protagonist that just went through the transition.

The Takeover
duration: 33 min
country/year: Afghanistan/2023
director: Anders Hammer
cinematography: Anders Hammer
editor: Anders Hammer
producer: Anders Hammer / Field of Vision
selected festivals and awards: 2023 – Sheffield DocFest: International Short Film Competition Winner, 2023 – DOC NYC
Filmed over a year as the Taliban retakes control of Afghanistan, “The Takeover” documents the country’s rapid transformation and the women who refuse to lose their rights.

Filmed over a year as the Taliban retakes control of Afghanistan, “The Takeover” documents the country’s rapid transformation and the women who refuse to lose their rights. Starting as the US leaves Afghanistan, this film shows the women's experience, protests, and daily life in the cities and countryside. We see how restrictions on women’s basic freedoms are enforced by the Taliban. Academy Award-nominated director Anders Hammer returns to his former home of Afghanistan to capture the development. “The Takeover” is the second part of Hammer’s trilogy on modern conflict.

A Storm Inside
duration: 24 min
country/year: France/2023
director: Clément Pérot
cinematography: Juliette Barrat
editor: Charles Claudon, Félix Rehm
producer: Elsa Klughertz / Jonas Films
selected festivals and awards: 2023 – Cannes IFF: Directors' Fortnight, 2024 – Clermont-Ferrand IFF
An afternoon at the end of summer in a Calais suburb, in the northernmost part of France. Children and teenagers kill time at the foot of towerblocks.

An afternoon at the end of summer in a Calais suburb, in the northernmost part of France. Children and teenagers kill time at the foot of towerblocks. Their faces are often silent, already sometimes drawn or worried. Around them, large areas of sky and wild grass.

Wouldn't Make It Any Other Way
Wouldn't Make It Any Other Way
dir. Hao Zhou, USA 2024, 21 min
Freshman
Freshman
dir. Tomasz Pawlik, Michał Edelman, Poland 2024, 25 min
Espi
Espi
dir. Ivan Grgur, Croatia 2023, 6 min
The Takeover
The Takeover
dir. Anders Hammer, Afghanistan 2023, 33 min
A Storm Inside
A Storm Inside
dir. Clément Pérot, France 2023, 24 min

Other films from this section Short films

Other movies with this tag LGBTQ+

Other films in the competition Best Short Film Award