The Paradise Road (2024)

Dog Run

A silent man is lifted out of a life of exploitation through an unexpected bond with guard dog, Sabre, and the healing power of nature.

Simon Cries

Simon, wrecked by a love sorrow, overflows with sadness. He literally starts to shed all the tears of his whole body. Constantly soaked head to foot, he has to face this new physical state that he’s incapable to stop. An encounter will allow him to take a step back from his pain, to point to another perception of sorrow.

Yes, God, Yes

Fifteen-year-old Alice has always been a good Catholic, but when an innocent AOL chat turns unexpectedly racy, she finds herself suddenly obsessed with sex.

Pigtails

The earth shook. The sea roared. And then… There is a small house solitary standing by the seaside. A young girl has been living there alone since that fateful day. Mail is no longer delivered, but even this morning, she’s hanging out the laundry as usual. She’s unaware that all around her, the clothes pegs are quarreling, the pillow argues with the umbrella about the outside world, and the new toothbrush is unsuccessfully trying to charm the grumpy older ones. Do objects exist to be used until they are consumed or broken? Are they afraid of being thrown away once their life cycle is complete? A delicate story of hope in a cruel and gentle world after an unnamed disaster.

Dead Man Walking

Alex and her boyfriend, Henry, struggle to connect in their secluded home in the woods after the recent death of Alex's father. However, following a trip to the market and a recent outbreak, Henry is attacked by a presumably homeless person forcing the couple to realize how much they truly mean to one another. As the film progresses the couple's newfound connection is met with even greater strife.

Men do not sham convulsion

Cecilia tries to follow her normal routine. She goes to classes; however, she decides to go somewhere else. She tries to work on a project but fails. Javier, a friend of Cecilia, invites her to a party. Cecilia agrees to go to distract herself and feel better. Something bad happens, and Cecilia needs to stop it.

Platoon07: A Great Marksman

A retired army officer with exceptional marksmanship becomes an assassin for a crime lord, but things go awry when an old comrade is targeted.

The Awakening

Bill Williams, a poor inventor with a large family, suddenly comes into great wealth through the sale of an invention. Sudden affluence turns his head, and he changes at once from the plodding mechanic of the dingy shop into an ultra-fashionable man of the town.

Contestant #4

A young boy frequently visits an old man who lives alone, keeping him always in good company. One night, he chances upon the old man watching a dated clip of himself as a cross-dressing boy. This sparks within the young boy an interest to find out more about the old man's past. What he ultimately discovers aids both him and the old man towards a richer understanding of how the weight of life and identity should be carried.

Univitellin

Marseille, today. Aminata works as a hairdresser in an Afro hairdressing salon, Badara works as mechanic. When they meet, their love story will change their lives.

In Orbit

The future, the space. Sonia is about to be transferred from her station to a newer one. Although everything seems to be going well, Sonia's mind is actually elsewhere, haunted by tragic events from the not too distant past.

Eden

In this short story, João and Pedro live in this garden. What João wants the most is for Pedro to be happy and the only way he found to make that happen is to support him in his escape with Sara. On the other hand, Pedro learned how to love João and does not want to leave the garden. But one of them ate the forbidden fruit.

Haus

A displaced black queer boy finds refuge in his city's underground Kiki Ballroom scene.

My Little Boy

Berlin, 1934. Many men are forced to live their hidden homosexuality. Erich, a photographer, has an appointment in his photo studio with Wolfgang, a Nazi soldier, with whom he shares a loving, tumultuous, and passionate relationship. For both of them, this should not be a problem, but appearances deceive.

Sing

Quiet 10-year-old Zsofi has just changed schools. Feeling out of place at first, she is quickly admitted to the school’s famous choir and befriends her popular classmate Liza. Soon, they have to stand up united against their choir master, who isn’t quite the friendly and inspirational teacher they first thought she was.

It Girl

Overwhelmed by her husband’s medical bills, Sofia takes a desperate measure: she becomes an egoblogger.

What We Don't Tell

Jeremy, a twenty-two-year-old drifter, goes on a search for the man who abused him as a child.

Interiors

"It’s remarkably contagious thinking about how much I’m willing to belong to the ones I love," says Tennis frontwoman Alaina Moore in this beautiful short-film, 'Interiors', which features music from the band’s 'Yours Conditionally’ album, and was created in collaboration with Vinyl Me, Please.

Angst and Treason

During an awkward family gathering, María, a young lady going through a love crisis, discovers a secret that will transform her reality.

What Did They Say?

A 1-minute film about the experience of young immigrant children having to translate for their parents. Presented by NextShark.

Erection

Can Dean get an erection in time to save his relationship?

Military Dog

New to BDSM, military officer Lee Jun Zhong meets DT, master of human dogs. One late night, Lee calls DT. Given a task to prove his loyalty to the master, will Lee be able to overcome his doubts and fear?

When the Waves Rise

Hwi-young and Kyung-jun are the closest of friends, always at each other's side. However, just before their planned trip to celebrate Hwi-young's birthday, a misunderstanding causes Kyung-jun to start giving Hwi-young the cold shoulder on purpose. Will Hwi-young's long-awaited trip be smooth sailing despite his friend's sudden distance?

By the End of the Night

Javier and Andrés get involved in a crime; together they'll face the doubts that will take them into making a decision that will change their lives forever.

Indigo

After years of waiting for a signal from home, Takumi and his toy robot companion receive a message that they will be returning to their home planet.

Dream Girl

Humans use technology to improve their lives, to forge connections, to create time that doesn’t exist, to replace real interactions. When we devise a second version of ourselves on social media, do we lose a piece of our true selves in the process? Do our digital connections threaten our real life relationships? What happens if the filtered characters we’ve imagined take on a life of their own?

Kiem Holijanda

When teenager Andi discovers a card of a Dutch porn star in the bedroom he shares with his brother, his obsession to get a phone and access the X-rated content means he doesn't notice that his brother has chosen this day to say goodbye to him.

Self Destructive Boys

Self Destructive Boys is a direct stare into masculine interaction as we follow three boys in their mid-twenties, António, Xavier and Miguel testing the limits of their sexual flexibility.

Heatstroke

A reflection on this generation’s sexual and existential disorientation.

Dream Kitchen

A tale about isolation and lack of communication, the gap between the reality a teenage boy lives, and how he would like it be. He has a secret that he would like to tell his family, something that he has come to terms with and is about to affect the rest of his life. But how will they react?

Carne

After a dreadful incident coupled with an ungovernable paroxysm of violence, a butcher will fall into a downward spiral that will burn to the ground whatever dignity still remained in him.

Tomato Soup

Set in the parallel worlds of gritty, urban reality and bright, sunny fantasy, Tomato Soup is the story of a teenage boy's journey to avenge the death of a loved one whilst trying to imagine a better life for himself.

Stray

Set in a parallel universe where the sexual bias favors homosexuals, Eric, a struggling heterosexual, admits himself into a straight conversion camp. What begins as a cure to his deviant lifestyle, becomes a journey of self acceptance.