During the height of COVID-19 paranoia the attempted human sacrifice of 28-year old Daniel Peterson-English inside Flinders St Station, Melbourne by the Victorian State Government. Daniel is subject to a police gag order so cannot speak on camera. His mother Margaret bravely speaks on camera about the immense damage caused to her much-loved son.

"Best Short Documentary"
"Best Covid-19 Film"

► Directed by: Mark A Tarrant

• mark@tarrantlaw.com.au

Álvaro dies after his first day working in a supposedly French restaurant and Sérgio, his husband, applies for the position to try to investigate the presence in Carlão's place, a man who seems to be able to predict the future just by looking at the shape of a dish. was assembled. After having his own dish read by him and putting his prediction to the test, Sérgio confronts him, because Carlão could have saved Álvaro. Carlão will now have to deal with the consequences of his own gift.

"Best Thriller"

► Directed by: Fernando Haro

• fabio.b.torres@157elefantemovies.com.br
• Official Website

"What is Synesthesia? The contamination of the senses? Can one 'see' a sound or 'feel' a color?
In this videoclip, Gianni Salamone, with the help of Katia Della Fonte, a performer with animal-like movements, takes us back to an almost primitive being with precisely primary needs: eating, smelling, touching, having sex, in a mix of contaminations that will free him from the constraints of a life that increasingly alienates us from reality. Synesthesia is somewhat a metaphor for these times. We have everything at our disposal, everything within reach, and yet we fail to realize that we no longer even know what scent a woman's body or the food we eat can have.
In this videoclip, the concept is amplified, expanding the idea that a person can express themselves to the fullest only through their 'primitive' being."

"Best Music Video"
"Best Symbolic Film"
"Best Original Song"

► Directed by: Gianni Salamone, Marzio Benelli

• giannisalamone65@gmail.com
• Official Website

The click of an ordinary Busch-Jäger standard light switch in cream white is the Fiat Lux of a very, very small, narrow and barren world that a nameless and faceless protagonist creates anew day after day, in absolute ignorance of any alternative. In the search for meaning and fulfillment, he first submits to a glorified and idealized relationship fantasy, which culminates in an outburst of lustful self-infatuation, an attempt to transform himself into the object of desire.

"Best Short Film"
"Best No-Dialogue Film"
"Best Symbolic Film"

► Directed by: Alex Reutter

• kontakt@radiant-darkness.de
• Official Website

The DISCONNECTION will take you on an extraordinary journey of discovery, combining earth’s beauty and one of our greatest needs as human beings.
This short film highlights the disconnect between our fellow earthlings, the animal and the shocking reality of our choices today. It calls into awareness the way we view and treat animals as a defining characteristic of our own species.
Amongst the beauty and the pain, the film inspires hope, a way to come into reconnection with the earth and its inhabitants, which is accessible to all of us.
All that is needed is what we already have within, compassion.

"Best Short Documentary"
"Best ECO work"

► Directed by: Frank Metivier

• francismetivier@yahoo.ca

An absurdist short film featuring a man, a coat hanger and a ladder; they converse against the backdrop of the rise of Communist Russia.

"Best Historical Film"
"Best Experimental Film"
"Best Symbolic Film"

► Directed by: Ugrin Vuckovic

• ugrinvuckovic@gmail.com

Two men meet through a screen and struggle to get closer in an impossible pre-written reality

"Best LGBTQ+ Film"
"Best Erotic Film"
"Best Director Debut"
"Best Color Editing"

► Directed by: Gal Primack Najari

• galprimacknajari@gmail.com
• Official Website

In December 2017, Model maker Constant Willems embarked on a captivating mission-to recreate Zutphen as it stood in 1485. The overarching goal is ambitious: to recreate not just the old city but also the Nieuwstad, the Spittaalstad, and a segment of the surrounding environment, all meticulously scaled down to 1:500.
To bring Zutphen from 1485 to life in miniature form, Constant engages in extensive research, collaborating closely with city archaeologist Michel Groothedde and building historian Jeroen Krijnen.
We're shadowing Constant Willems as he embarks on the creation of this intricate model. Originally estimating a timeline of 3 years for the project, Constant found himself immersed in the endeavor for a total of 5 years. Witness the meticulous precision with which he works and the extensive preparation required before he can even lay the foundation for a series of houses. Unfettered by conventional deadlines, his world takes an unforeseen twist. A sudden, unexpected deadline emerges, casting a dark cloud of stress over the entire endeavor. Will he triumph against the relentless march of time and meet the looming deadline?

"Best Feature Documentary"
"Best Original Soundtrack"

► Directed by: John Post

• john@postmediaproducties.nl
• Official Website

A pregnant woman is meant to radiate unconditional love for her unborn child but what if her feelings are more complex and dark? Post-natal depression is increasingly
understood but in a society that portrays pregnancy as an uncomplicated journey
of maternal joy, prenatal depression is a taboo, and frightening.
Yet it can also make a mother stronger than ever.
"Within The Water" is a short documentary film exploring the experiences of a number of women with prenatal depression and how the ritual of cold water swimming throughout pregnancy helped two women in particular regain

"Best Short Documeentary"

► Directed by: Katharina Koall, Eleanor Church

• info@larkrisepictures.com
• Official Website

View the plastic pollution crisis through the eyes and imagination of a child in South-East Asia, a major hotspot for plastic pollution. (PLASTIK) is the first short film made in Asia for audiences in Asia that uses creative storytelling and live action drama to raise awareness and catalyse action to end plastic pollution in the region. It pulls on the heart strings and is both wrenching and warming in equal measure. Witness how a child can take individual action to influence their family to say no to single-use plastic.

"Best ECO work"
"Best Director"
"Best Cinematographer"
"Best Color Editing"
"Best No-Dialogue Film"
"Best Original Soundtrack"

► Directed by: Philip Rom

• kay@meshminds.com
• Official Instagram

Julius Andan served the deep state as a professional liar for 25 years. After realizing that the world has fallen into such a bad state that the invisible power can no longer maintain it, he decides to expose everything to the public. The first superintelligence, Sarah, is created in the CIA's AI research center. Andan and Sarah will be partners in the fight.

"Best Director"
"Best Sound Design"
"Best Web-Series"
"Best Sci-Fi"

► Directed by: Katalin Weith

• brandingkiado@gmail.com
• Official Facebook

The mundane life of a Glaswegian middle aged couple is disrupted by on the one hand a recurring dream offering a potential life changing meeting and on the other a proposed celebrity status as a champion knitter. The consequences play out in a way no-one could have imagined.

"Best Feature Film"
"Best Actor"
"Best Actress"
"Best Original Screenplay"

► Directed by: Kevin Molony

• moochbay@btinternet.com
• Official Facebook

Guys and girls are having fun at some lounge place. They are dancing, singing. Also they hanging around the city, visiting barber shop and a roof.

"Best Music Video"

► Directed by: Alexey Belkin and Vsevolod Aljokhin

• otavae@gmail.com
• Official Website

A lost submarine wanders the depths and collides with an unknown artifact. A man searches for a solution in this labyrinth and will eventually reach an area called "The Well", where human laws do not apply.

"Best Music Video"
"Best Original Song"

► Directed by: Jean Vabre

• backtotheswamp@gmail.com

Javi returns from a party in the middle of COVID confinement. He has met the girl of his dreams when the police interrupt them. He escapes from the police and arrives home alone, but how does he escape from COVID?

"Best Short Film"
"Best Covid-19 Film"

► Directed by: Jesus Rabasco

• dr33.wesley@gmail.com

A week has passed since the people in the rural village Asker has observed a spaceship beyond the atmosphere. When PELÉ (27) realizes that the entire community is trapped behind an invisible barrier, he decides to look for a way out.

"Best Feature Film"
"Best Sci-Fi"

► Directed by: Öystein Thorsen

• oystho@gmail.com
• Official Website

Karma bites back, The movie Crimson Snout takes place when Mr. Manh (family Father) dies, leading to ghostly events during his final week. His family was constantly stalked and harassed. They began to doubt themselves and turned to harm each other to fight for life.

"Best Feature Film"
"Best Horror"
"Best Director"
"Best Producer"
"Best Adapted Screenplay"
"Best Cinematography"
"Best Editing"
"Best Color Editing"
"Best Sound Design"
"Best VFX"
"Best Makeup"

► Directed by: Luan Thanh Luu

• vothanhhoa@89sgroup.vn
• Official Facebook

The story of the once forbidden Russian Sign Language, told through the personal story of the family of a hard of hearing Yulia - a teacher at a boarding school for deaf and hard of hearing children from the city of Tula, Russia.
How was sign language taught to the deaf? How do deaf people find ways to express themselves? What is hidden in the beauty of singing in sign language? What does the future hold for sign language?

"Best Short Documentary"

► Directed by: Anna Turchaninova

• skrechetov@gmail.com
• Official Website

In a future where rampant STDs have made sex illegal, a technophobic cop with an axe to grind has to find out who put a deadly virus in the international virtual reality sex network before more people die.

"Best Feature Screenplay"
"Best Poster"

► Written by: Aaron Heinrich

• adheinrich81@gmail.com

Three ghost hunters investigate a house for their YouTube channel, and discover something they never expected.

"Best Horror"
"Best Sci-Fi"
"Best Comedy"
"Best Director Debut"
"Best Sound Design"

► Directed by: Christopher James Wallace

• rbp1@yahoo.com
• Official Facebook

A young woman navigates modern dating, loneliness and an imaginary crush

"Best Music Video"
"Best Animation"
"Best Student Film"

► Directed by: Neha Viswanath

• nehavnath@gmail.com
• Official Website

A Journey into the life of Carl Gibson; a man whose early struggles with substance abuse threatened to consume him. From experimenting with 'huffing gas' at age 10 to a harrowing battle with addiction that cost him his family, his support system, and his actual “life” (twice), Carl's story is one of resilience, redemption, and restoration. Today, he shares his lessons and life experience, revealing a man of unwavering faith and a mission to help others overcome addiction and rebuild. Discover the triumph of the human spirit in the face of adversity in this powerful documentary.

"Best Short Documentary"

► Directed by: Karen Shayne and Kiya Naka

• karen@unconditionallyher.com
• Official Website

The untold story and life of Legendary Hollywood Stuntman Kim Kahana, one of the most prolific stuntmen in movies and television. Still professionally active at the age of 94, Kahana transformed Safety and the art of stunt performance through his storied 72-year career in the movies.

"Best Feature Documentary"
"Best Director Debut"

► Directed by: Frank Sollecito

• george@gbmediainc.com
• Official Website

Marta and Giacomo are getting ready to leave for a well-deserved holiday, but getting out of their own backyard will be far from easy. Between one stumble and another, this unlikely couple will have to overcome many challenges. Will love get them through the day?

"Best Short Film"
"Best Comedy"
"Best Director"
"Best Original Screenplay"

► Directed by: MIchele Ciardulli

• michele.ciardulli@gmail.com
• Official Website

Nico is an energetic 8-year-old boy who has the ability to fold all objects as if they were made of paper. On a lovely autumn morning, he happily gathers all the things he loves about his house while preparing himself for a life-changing voyage.

"Best Animation"

► Directed by: Fabián Molinaro San Martín

• papirolashortfilm@gmail.com
• Official Instagram

The story of the once forbidden Russian Sign Language, told through the personal story of the family of a hard of hearing Yulia - a teacher at a boarding school for deaf and hard of hearing children from the city of Tula, Russia.
How was sign language taught to the deaf? How do deaf people find ways to express themselves? What is hidden in the beauty of singing in sign language? What does the future hold for sign language?

"Best Short Documentary"

► Directed by: Anna Turchaninova

• skrechetov@gmail.com
• Official Website

This feature-length documentary is based on the work of Virginia Pesemapeo Bordeleau, an incredibly talented native author, painter, poet, sculptor and storyteller.
Virginia is a québécois artist of mixed parentage whose mother was from the Eeyou (Bay James Cree) nation. She is the recipient of the Médaille de l’Assemblée Nationale of Quebec and has received considerable recognition in the artistic world. However, my film aims to make the artist better known to the general public by juxtaposing her writings with her painting and sculpture. The film counterbalances the lack of importance accorded to women artists and, in general, to women who are past their so-called prime, a period when they are longer biologically fertile, yet remain fertile with the expression of great beauty and strength.
Blue bear Woman is both a difficult and a gentle film: difficult in the cruelty of the facts it relates, gentle in the luminous beauty of the artist’s work it presents. I didn’t set out intending to make my first documentary, Ishkueu Territory Woman Territory, which took me by surprise, but already foreshadowed this second film. The first film gave a voice to eight women of words.
In this second film, Virginia relates the story of her conception by a she-bear whose spirit would remain with her for the rest of her life as the genesis of her totem, the Blue Bear. Half virgin, half sensual animal, Blue Bear symbolizes the two cultures Virginia bears and explores in the written word, expressing the world’s beauty and its violence. Through her dazzling canvases that transcend pain and anguish and paradoxically, burst with joie de vivre, Virginia, the little girl from the bridge, explores the duality that inhabits us all as we cross from one shore to the next and return to our origins. We walk beside her, our heads illuminated, our hearts heavy but lightening with each step towards acceptance of what is, what has shaped us and what will be.
Virginia is Quebec itself, the very essence of our reconciliation with ourselves, the blending of cultures that shape us, a métissage synonymous with the very territory we inhabit. This is a film about the beauty of an artistic life, the infinite beauty of Abitibi, Virginia’s homeland, which is also my homeland. A documentary that emerges from the hollow of my hands, opening with an offering to celebrate the solidarity of sisterhood. Blue bear Woman highlights the extraordinary talent of a mature woman fueled by a love of art and the discovery of sensual pleasure in its immense simplicity.
A documentary consisting solely of excerpts of her books read by very well renown native artists, illuminated by more than 250 of her canvases and sculptures.

"Best Feature Documentary"

► Directed by: Claude Hame

• amarante888@yahoo.ca
• Official Website

Say the words you wish to say in the time that is given to us. Who knows when you'll have the chance to do so? Time is a privilege.

"Best Short Screenplay"

► Written by: Rosalind-Renèe Lindsey

• rralindsey@icloud.com

A brief first person narrative into the paradoxes of being born.

"Best Experimental Film"

► Directed by: Désirée Jung

• jung.desiree@gmail.com
• Official Website

Footage of Mobile Task Force Zenith-9 from the incident on September 8th, 2023

"Best Action Movie"
"Best Director Debut"
"Best Student Film"
"Best Young Director"
"Best Editing"
"Best Experimental Film"

► Directed by: Carter Cox

• yoshigeneral1@gmail.com

A Templar Knight in search for his stolen holy grail comes face to face with a strange warrior from the east who is scouring the land looking for an opponent who is worthy enough to give him an honorable death.

"Best Action Movie"
"Best Director Debut"
"Best Student Film"
"Best Young Director"
"Best Editing"
"Best Fantasy"

► Directed by: Carter Cox

• yoshigeneral1@gmail.com
• Official Website

Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, is a fascinating place where bicycles play a central role.
The first bike lane dates from 1892, but there was a time - 1970s -when bikes and biking was in decline and almost dying.
Loyal bikers united and pressured the government to improve the existing infrastructure and create new ones.
Today biking in Copenhagen and the entire country, is safe and effective, a model for the rest of the world: it benefits the environment, the health and the economy of the country.
This 9:46 documentary seeks to capture the dynamism and intensity of “Copenhagen, biker’s paradise."

"Best Short Documentary"
"Best Mobile Film"

► Directed by: Jesus Zaldivar

• jz652002@gmail.com

Aisling is eight years old, she's tall for her age, and her mom Madeline is going to die. Her pretentious uncle Daniel and his family come from the east coast, her elusive aunt Hannah comes from the pacific northwest, reuniting with their siblings Rusty and Malcolm. As the adults try to figure out what's next, Aisling tries to process what's happening and listens to the voice in her dreams telling her what's to come. With Hannah's return, Aisling feels a new kind of connection to her which grows as she learns Hannah will become her guardian.

"Best Feature Screenplay"

► Written by: Meg Miller

• megbutchart434@gmail.com
• Official Website

This documentary film expresses the will and commitment to sharing, through the story of emotions and experience, the context of the socio-cultural event 'Queen: "Check the King"', and with it re-present the testimonies of the victims of gender violence and feminicide.
Especially that of Stefania, who asked that her experience be of help to other women who experience or have experienced similar domestic violence.
It is the desire to put one's suffering at the service of others: a way to overcome it and prevent other people from experiencing similar pain.
The event we are describing, developed with the theatrical communication formula (let's not just call it a theatrical show), took place in Palermo on 27 May 2023 by the associations Vita Onlus of Milan and MarcoSacchi of Palermo, with the collaboration of Ennio Giganti, for the organization and planning part; Sergio Vespertino for the theater planning and direction and with the personal contribution of Dacia Maraini.
This film supports the commitment of all those who actively work against gender violence, with the aim of spreading the cultural, cognitive aspects and awareness of what still happens around us, so that everyone is no longer an extra in life of others, but can become a protagonist and actor by giving a concrete hand in helping victims of gender violence and helping to stop this social plague.
All this is presented with the concreteness of life, without pretending not to know or see. To address the issue responsibly, it is necessary to assume one's share of objective responsibility, because everyone is still part of the Educating Community, which has the task of preventing, combating and reporting, without silence, shame or fear.
With the courage to do and testify; with strength to ask for help and help; with the commitment to promote a healthy sentimental and civil education, today we take the step, without shame, to report and ask for help.
Let's keep alive the desire and hope that all this can soon end.

"Best Feature Documentary"
"Best Experimental Film"
"Best Educational Film"
"Best Director"
"Best Editing"

► Directed by: Luca De Giorgi and Sergio Vespertino

• info@vitaonline.org
• Official Website

In Rojava a woman can fight in many ways. Some do it with a Kalashnikov, to defend their land. All of them do it in their everyday lives, getting invested in the struggle for equality and freedom.
In this documentary, we have tried to show all aspects of this struggle, focusing less on war and destruction and more on the things that are being built, in silence and in the indifference of much of the international community.

"Best Feature Documentary"

► Directed by: Selene Verri

• selene.verri@phaeluna.com

During an attack in a concert hall, Officer Adam Amouri is trapped and must try to get out.

"Best Action Movie"

► Directed by: Billel Sakhri

• billel.sakhri@hotmail.fr

A human being who feels hopeless wondering around to find help when in that moment; a prayer of light walks into his life as he realizes when trouble occurs there is peace, love & hope to guide you in life.

"Best Short Film"

► Directed by: Shaun Guzman

• shaunjg21@gmail.com

"Best Feature Screenplay"

► Written by: Jack Amsler

• jackamsler3@gmail.com

We follow Monique as she drifts through local streets of Las Vegas, writing a letter to her deceased lover, saying hello to Bus Stop Billy and sorting out her cluttered mind. And who is that strange man from her dreams?

"Best short Film"
"Best Music Video"

► Directed by: Aaron W. Brown

• aaronb227@gmail.com
• Official Website

André-Charles is a boxer. Sports changed his life. He hopes his journey will inspire others to regain their pride and hold their heads high when facing life's adversities.

"Best Sport Film"

► Directed by: André-Charles Ishpatao

• nathaliamelo@wapikoni.ca

"2023 a Requiem" is an immersive VR odyssey that takes the viewer on a profound journey through the duality of existence—contrasting the chaos of human conflict with the serenity of cosmic order. The film commences in the quietude of an apartment, focusing on a picture of a young couple that symbolizes both the intimacy of personal history and the universality of human relationships.
As the evening tranquility is shattered by the distant cacophony of explosions, the boundaries of the apartment dissolve in a maelstrom. The room's windows explode, and amidst the swirling debris, the camera—a proxy for the viewer's consciousness—is drawn inexorably toward a television screen, the portal through which we transition from terrestrial turmoil to the silent vastness of space.
In orbit, the viewer encounters astronauts maneuvering an enigmatic object—a conduit to revelation. With the majestic Earth transitioning from night to day, Beethoven's 'Ode to Joy' heralds the emergence of a celestial visage, the serene countenance of Antonello da Messina's 'The Virgin Annunciate.' Her gaze, once confined to canvas, now adorns the cosmos, a silent sentinel amidst the stars.
This moment of sublime beauty is abruptly juxtaposed with the second image: the aftermath of destruction on Earth, where the same face is rendered on a mural amidst ruins. This stark contrast embodies the film's central theme, underscored by the haunting words of Alexis de Tocqueville: "When the past no longer illuminates the future, the spirit walks in darkness." It's a meditation on the consequences of human actions, a requiem for what has been lost and a reflection on what endures.
Through the cutting-edge medium of Virtual Reality 360 stereoscopic viewing, "2023 a Requiem" offers not just a narrative to be observed but an experience to be lived. It invites audiences to navigate the interplay of light and darkness, sound and silence, presence and absence—engaging with the film as active participants in a journey that questions, commemorates, and transcends.

"Best 360 Film"

► Directed by: Ragnar di Marzo

• ragnardimarzo@gmail.com
• Official Website

Lisa Lashes is considered amongst the most influential female DJs in the world after many years of accolades and top 10 positions in the industry such as the prestigious “DJ magazine top 100 poll”
Not only paving a way for female DJ’s but, for all musicians by offering a platform to all budding artists by creating the Lisa Lashes School of Music which offers government funded music and arts courses and rehabilitation programmes.
Have you ever heard a song that takes over all of your senses? The chances are that music is recorded at a frequency your body resonates with.
This proof of concept documentary short begins to explore the healing properties of producing music frequencies for wellbeing as Lisa navigates a life style changing health diagnosis of her own and transforms from techno and hard house producer to music for meditation.
Alongside her fundamental work supporting young people into music through “Lisa Lashes School of music” we meet Lisa as she begins to identify a space for music producers to use their knowledge and creativity to grow the pool of frequency designed tracks to improve accessibility for all.
Since the making of this film myself and Lisa have filmed at Oxford university for the museum of consciousness aswell as Lisa still playing on the DJ circuit. We both hope this film will begin a journey into everyone finding a musical frequency.

"Best Short Documentary"

► Directed by: Sarah Michelle Durrant

• contact@glamrockfilms.co.uk
• Official Instagram