Shorts Live-Action Competition 1

Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2023
Programme
Shorts Live-Action Competition

The 2023 International Live Action Competition rages in the light of an unjust world. It abhors cruelty, rallies against war and suffering and screams long into the night about the broken systems and rampant prejudice that seem to be part and parcel of a modern world. Yet it also speaks of love and the promise it can hold for a better future. That there can be safety found in friendship and family. That we can transcend hate. That hope always exists for us to be better than we are.
Some of the films here dwell in the realms of the serene, offering careful examinations of the human condition. Others come straight for us, a riotous mix of sound, colour and fury making us look at the world anew.
There’s tremendous diversity, a myriad of styles, techniques and stories all making us look at the world in different ways. In a world that is often typified by chaos and the unknown, all these shorts help make us understand the world just a little better as they titillate our senses and excite our minds.

Screenings

4th Lux Hall Apollo Kino Coca-Cola Plaza
Screening050402 / Shorts lühifilmi võistlusprogramm 1
Q&A duration
Screening duration
Trailer

Films

Baltic premiere

Don't Leave Home

Local title
Ära lahku kodust
Original title
Don't Leave Home!
Director
David Japaridze
Country
Georgia
Year
2023
Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2023
Programme
Shorts Live-Action Competition

In 2012, 82-year-old Data woke up one morning, expecting a visit from his granddaughter, daughter, and son-in-law. However, he noticed something unusual outside his house, marking the beginning of a tragic ordeal that separated him from his loved ones and home country. This is the true story of Data's initial moments in a cruel new reality.

Director
David Japaridze
Runtime
Language
Georgian, Russian
Subtitles
English

Baltic premiere

A Short Film About Kids

Local title
Lühifilm lastest
Original title
A Short Film About Kids
Director
Ibrahim Handal
Country
State of Palestine
Year
2023
Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2023
Programme
Shorts Live-Action Competition

Four kids from the refugee camp in Bethlehem decide to visit the sea for the first time in their life.

Director
Ibrahim Handal
Runtime
Language
Arabic
Subtitles
English

European premiere

Places I've Called My Own

Local title
Kohad, mida pidasin omaks
Original title
Places I've Called My Own
Director
Sushma Khadepaun
Country
France, India
Year
2023
Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2023
Programme
Shorts Live-Action Competition

After several years in the US, Zee, in the midst of her MAP process, returns to India for the funeral of her father. There, she finds a mother in denial about her sexual orientation, an ex-girlfriend who has rebuilt her life with a man, and the shadow of the paterfamilias that continues to hang over the home.

Director
Sushma Khadepaun
Runtime
Language
Hindi
Subtitles
English

World premiere

My Gig In Sweden

Local title
Minu Rootsi tööots
Director
Simon Vahlne
Country
Sweden
Year
2023
Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2023
Programme
Shorts Live-Action Competition

The American photographer Nick is in an idyllic coastal town in Sweden, working for a tourism campaign. During her stay, Nick gets drawn into an infected conflict between the town’s locals and the tourists.

Director
Simon Vahlne
Runtime
Language
English, Swedish
Subtitles
English

Baltic premiere

Paradise Europe

Local title
Paradiis Euroopa
Original title
Du Bist So Wunderbar
Director
Leandro Goddinho, Paulo Menezes
Country
Germany, Brazil
Year
2023
Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2023
Programme
Shorts Live-Action Competition

On the day thousands of people went to the streets protesting against unaffordable rents in Berlin and the abolishment of the rental cap law, a gay Brazilian immigrant who was just kicked out of his apartment struggles to find a new room while his personal life falls apart as well as the city around him.

Director
Leandro Goddinho, Paulo Menezes
Runtime
Language
German, English, Portuguese
Subtitles
English

Estonian premiere

Jasmin's Two Homes

Local title
Jasmini kaks kodu
Original title
Jasmin's Two Homes
Director
Inka Achte, Hanna Karppinen
Country
Finland
Year
2022
Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2023
Programme
Shorts Live-Action Competition

When Jasmin's parents decide to move back to Somaliland, she has to bid farewell to the Finnish suburbs, as well as her best friend Maryam. Upon arriving, however, she starts to realise there is something familiar in her new home.

Director
Inka Achte, Hanna Karppinen
Runtime
Language
English, Finnish, Somali
Subtitles
English