Best of International Shorts 2017

Screening of International Shorts 2017 official selections will be held on December 14 at the Landmark Theaters in Bethesda and January 18 & January 25 in Washington DC.

Tickets for January 18, 2018 Show can be registered here

Tickets for January 25, 2018 Show can be registered here

#SELFIE (GERMANY)

Directed by: David M. Lorenz

Synopsis: A couple on holiday in Berlin. Everything is perfect, but then he wants to take a selfie...The ending of a relationship as seen through a mobile phone

A Whole World for a Little World (FRANCE)

Directed by: Fabrice Bracq

Synopsis: A woman tells a great story to her baby. In the manner of a tale with princes and princesses, she remains into his memories to pass on his daughter.

JARS (POLAND)

Directed by: Bogna Okupska

Synopsis: In fake world everything is imposed, so are feelings. Couples are matched by a specific department. Is a real relation between man and woman even possible in this reality?

VALENTIN (GERMANY)

Directed by: Ingrid Hübscher

Synopsis: A drama-comedy about love, loneliness and jumping into conclusions. VALENTIN tells the story of photographer Claudia who has lost faith in love. Claudia focuses on building up her photo studio together with her clumsy assistant Kaspar. Around Valentine's Day there is no escape from the seasonal misery for singles: endless love songs play on the radio and comfort eating heart-shaped biscuits offers Claudia no comfort. When the handsome Valentin visits the photo studio, Claudia's week takes an unexpected turn. Will Claudia get a chance to love and be loved again?!

HATCAT (FRANCE)

Directed by: Tom Gargonne

Synopsis: Gaspard does everything lightly until he finds a wacky project that motivates him. But his enthusiasm will be broken by feedbacks of his relatives. At the Italian organic caterer where he's working, he meets Nina, a full of life young woman who is going to give him courage to take the plunge.

SHELTER (GERMANY)

Directed by: Ysabel Fantou

Synopsis: "The Shelter" is a German-Arabic culture-clash comedy, based on true events: Erwin and Hildegard get lost whilst on a hiking holiday in Bavaria. They end up in a strange guest house, not knowing that it's long closed and now a refugee shelter. Only when demanding the bill for the delicious meal, the truth unravels.

BRAINSTORM (FRANCE)

Directed by: Christophe Clin

Synopsis: What happens in our heads when we are about to meet someone on the street? Anguish, prejudice, expectation, surprise, disappointment … These few very brief moments are the nest of a real brainstorm!

THE STATE OF EMERGENCY (FRANCE)

Directed by: Tarek Roehlinger

Synopsis: A movie about a society in fear. It is the story of two soldiers in the everyday life of Paris guarding an official building. An abandoned bag, curious passants and a crazy tramp move the situation into its climax. The lines between normality and real danger disappears.

STROKE (CHINA)

Directed by: Jiani Zhao

Synopsis: The movie 'Stroke' was inspired by Dr Jill Bolte Taylor's talk on her experience of having a stroke. What drew our attention to the story was how a stroke, commonly regarded as a negative experience, could be so positive and revealing for someone

MY GRANDFATHER WAS A CHERRY TREE (RUSSIA)

Directed by: Olga and Tatiana Poliektova

Synopsis: This is a movie-memory, narrated by a young boy about his views on life and death. It's also a story about an unusual grandfather, who could listen to the trees breathing and believed that "Person can't die if someone still loves him

MY BAKERY BLOSSOM (GERMANY)

Directed by: Michel Vrinten

Synopsis: An extremely shy young man is in love with the girl at his local bakery, but he doesn't have the courage to tell her how he feels. On the morning of her last day at work, he realizes it's now or never. A tragicomedy based on the German tweets of @Naum_Burger.

MY BALD FUTURE (FRANCE)

Directed by: Paul Cabon

Synopsis: Being a bald man sucks. Knowing you'll become one is worse.

BEAUTY BUILDING (FRANCE)

Directed by: Benoit Bargeton

Synopsis: Lise is a young graphic designer employed in a photomontage agency. She does not get a lot of job satisfaction and meanwhile, her boss is giving her a new task,- to reshape her own body on the updated agency contacts page.

I'LL QUIT TOMORROW (FRANCE)

Directed by: Jean-Pierre Michaël

Synopsis: Nicolas is worried to see his colleague François not at his best. The latter confesses to him that his wife exhausts him and ends up by telling the incredible story of his wedding anniversary a week before..

IT´S TOUGH TO BE... GORKA OTXOA (SPAIN)

Directed by: Teresa Bellón

Synopsis: Gorka Otxoa visits the home of a terminally ill patient. The man is a big fan of the actor, but also a despicable person.

EXPRESS CHECKOUT (SPAIN)

Directed by: Ivan Sánchez Pangrazio

Synopsis: Juan tries to impress the cashier at the express checkout lane of the supermarket one night, but he must first face his own twisted imagination..