Shorts Live-Action Competition 3

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

Hall 1 Kino Artis
Screening072101 / Shorts lühifilmi võistlusprogramm 3
Q&A duration
Screening duration
Trailer

Films

World premiere

There is No Friend's House

Local title
Sõbra maja pole olemas
Original title
There is No Friend's House
Director
Abbas Taheri
Country
Iran
Year
2023
Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2023
Programme
Shorts Live-Action Competition

Sarah & Mehri are two close friends who drank alcohol at school. Their friendship is challenged when Mehri's father, an influential government agent, confronts them.

Director
Abbas Taheri
Runtime
Language
Persian
Subtitles
English

World premiere

Skin of a Mandarin

Local title
Puudutus
Original title
Puudutus
Director
Jaanika Arum
Country
Estonia
Year
2023
Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2023
Programme
Shorts Live-Action Competition

Longing for last touch.

A sensitive story about ingrained traditions and grief follows young woman Anna, who wants to say goodbye to her mother by dressing the body for the funeral. But this act is prohibited by the funeral home rules. The film delicately explores a world in which bureaucracy, differing worldviews and divergent social norms are overcome by the empathy between strangers struggling within a complex situation.

Director
Jaanika Arum
Runtime
Language
Estonian
Subtitles
English
Trailer

Baltic premiere

Mud Queen

Local title
Mudakuninganna
Original title
Mud Queen
Director
Nathan Fagan, Luke Daly
Country
Ireland
Year
2023
Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2023
Programme
Shorts Live-Action Competition

A remote farmhouse in rural north county Dublin, Ireland. The early 1990’s.

Sensitive, artistic Ryan, his 6 year old sister Katie and his larger-than-life mother, Sue, are preparing to throw a wild and glamorous birthday party for Ryan’s 12th birthday.

But is Mum’s behaviour just a normal part of the festivities? Or a sign of trouble to come? As the night wears on, Ryan must try to keep everything under control - and keep reality and the outside world at bay. Even for just one more night.

Director
Nathan Fagan, Luke Daly
Runtime
Language
English
Trailer

World premiere

The Golden Record

Local title
Kuldne plaat
Original title
The Golden Record
Director
Stephen Korytko
Country
Luxembourg
Year
2023
Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2023
Programme
Shorts Live-Action Competition

The year is 1977. Mary is a young a young girl stuck in a toxic relationship with her father, a revered scientist who is working on NASA’s most human mission to date.
Will she have what it takes to stand up to him and find a way out of his emotional cage?

Director
Stephen Korytko
Runtime
Language
English

International premiere

Good Boy

Local title
Paipoiss
Original title
Good Boy
Director
Tom Stuart
Country
United Kingdom
Year
2023
Festival
PÖFF Shorts 2023
Programme
Shorts Live-Action Competition

Out of money and out of luck, Danny attempts to rob a bank with the help of his anarchic mum, Jackie. But his efforts are frustrated by the family doctor who confronts him at the doors of the bank, unnerving his resolve and shattering his plans. Danny drives around town in his battered VW van with Jackie in the back, a dead pigeon on the passenger seat, and a growing sense of desperation, as we begin to sense that everything is not as it seems...

Director
Tom Stuart
Runtime
Language
English