OSCAR SHORTS

Istanbul Modern Cinema starts the New Year with brand new shorts. Free of market conditions, a short film is a format that allows more exploration, and one that can exist as an independent field of research. Future is Short, which will be screened online and free of charge, consists of two sections. The first section is a continuation of the Count Us In! program, and includes 19 short films produced in Turkey last year. In addition to the screenings of these films ranging from 3D animations to documentaries, from experimental films to dramas, the film directors will also be meeting with the audience. The second selection consists of 8 short films that were nominated for the Academy Awards in the Best Animated Feature and Live Action Short Film categories in 2020.

A SISTER (UNE SOEUR), 2018
Belgium | HDD, Color, 16’ | French
Director: Delphine Girard
Cast: Veerle Baetens, Selma Alaoui, Guillaume Duhesme

It's dark, and the main character of the film is a woman, whom we see from the back. She is sitting in the front seat of a car, calling the emergency service with her voice shaking. Oscar nominee from Belgium, the film is a psychological drama-thriller that follows the story of two women.

BROTHERHOOD (VELJEYS), 2018
Tunisia, Canada | HDD, Color, 25’ | Arabic
Director: Meryam Joobeur
Cast: Kais Ayari, Mohamed Grayaâ, Mouldi Kriden

Muhammed is a shepherd living with his family. He is deeply shaken when his eldest son returns home from Syria after years of fighting for ISIS. The family reunion will cause the resurfacing of past wounds between father and son. A poignant film about tradition and family from the Tunisian director.

NEFTA FOOTBALL CLUB, 2018
France, Tunisia | HDD, Color, 17’ | Arabic
Director: Yves Piat
Cast: Eltayef Dhaoui, Mohamed Ali Ayari, Lyès Salem

In south Tunisia, near the Algerian border, two football fan brothers bump into a donkey wearing headphones. Music is emanating from the headphones. However, the secret stash that the donkey is carrying will cause unexpected problems for the brothers. Portraying a dangerous event using humor, the film is a warm comedy set against the backdrop of impressive scenery.

SARIA, 2019
USA | HDD, Color, 22’ | Spanish
Director: Bryan Buckley
Cast: Estefanía Tellez, Gabriela Ramírez, Verónica Zúñiga

Depicting the tragic event which took place in a safe home in Guatemala in 2017, the film is named after its 15 year-old main character, Saria, who dreams of escaping the orphanage where she endures daily abuse and hardship, for the United States, a country that is said to be like "tres leches dessert". Yet, she will have to pay a heavy price for this dream.

THE NEIGHBORS' WINDOW, 2019
USA | HDD, Color, 20’ | English
Director: Marshall Curry
Cast: Maria Dizzia, Greg Keller, Juliana Canfield

In New York, a middle-aged couple with three young children catches sight of a young couple making love in the apartment across from them. Despite being cross, and constantly asking, "Don’t these people have jobs, what about clothes?" they can’t stop themselves from peeping. Until things change behind the window across the street… The film won the Academy Award for the Best Live Action Short Film Picture.

DAUGHTER (DCERA), 2019
Czech Republic | HDD, Color, 15’ | English
Director: Daria Kashcheeva

A girl remembers a childhood memory as she is waiting beside her elderly father in hospital. This memory involves an injured pigeon and the girl as a young child trying to describe the events involving the pigeon to her father, and the unfortunate moment that damages their relationship forever.

MEMORABLE (MÉMORABLE), 2019

France | HDD, Color, 12’ | French
Director: Bruno Collet
Voice Over: Dominique Reymond, André Wilms

The aging painter Louis’s world has been changing for some time. Like his memory, his perceptions start playing tricks on him. Several things begin taking their toll on his life, from not being able to recognize his wife Michelle to trying to eat a banana with its peel. His world, the things he draws, his wife, children and other belongings slowly become fluid and start flowing.

SISTER, 2018
China, USA| HDD, Black - White & Color, 8’ | Chinese
Director: Siqi Song
Voice Over: Bingyang Liu

A man remembers his childhood in the 1990s in this film, which makes references to China's one-child policy. He produces responses to the question "What would his life be like if things were different in those days?" The games they played with her sister, the conflicts between the siblings, family photos and memories...