Checkmate (2025)

Suffer the Little Children

A strict elderly teacher suddenly begins to seem (or not to appear?) That the students in her class are no longer children, but terrible monsters, pursuing their mysterious goals.

Antoine and Colette

Now aged 17, Antoine Doinel works in a factory which makes records. At a music concert, he meets a girl his own age, Colette, and falls in love with her. Later, Antoine goes to extraordinary lengths to please his new girlfriend and her parents, but Colette still only regards him as a casual friend. First segment of “Love at Twenty” (1962).

Herrmann

Herrmann is a leftist Thirty Something, who is still politically active, despite beginning to live the usual life of having a girlfriend and a child. On the way to his weekly political meeting he is kidnapped.

Son

August has to put up with quite a lot. Ever since his parents separated, his father no longer seems to have any time for him. To console him, his Dad gives him a sweet little dog. But his mother refuses to have the animal in her house and before long there are shouting matches on the phone again. August can hear them arguing through his bedroom door – it's something he seems to have become used to. When his mother remains adamant about not having the dog, August packs his bags to move in with his father. But there’s no place for him in his father’s new family either. And so the boy makes up his mind to create a drastic wake-up call. Told from the boy’s perspective, this coming-of-age drama describes the situation for children who are caught in the middle when their parents decide to separate.

The Dam Keeper

In a desolate future, one small town has survived because of a large windmill dam that acts as a fan to keep out pollution. The dam's operator, Pig, works tirelessly to keep the sails spinning and protect the town, despite abuse from classmates and an indifferent public. When a new student joins Pig's class, nothing will be the same again.

ADA

An A.I. therapy tool helps a lonely and depressed man confront the darkest parts of himself.

Bag of Worms

A Halloween party turns south when the issue of race comes up amongst friends.

The Proposal

Mike has set up a video camera to capture the big moment, when he proposes to his girlfriend Abi. But it isn't too long until they realize they are not alone in the house.

Blood on My Hands

A serial killer who frames bystanders turns a retreat and investigation to a nightmare.

I Am the Doorway

After Saturn XVI crashes back to Earth, ex-astronaut Arthur struggles with an infection. Richard and his friends are blind to it's origin but his victims won't be. The Doorway is open.

A Taste of Phobia

For this anthology movie, producers Vestra Pictures assigned international directors with a phobia and set them to work making a horror short about it.

Two Distant Strangers

A man trying to get home to his dog becomes stuck in a time loop that forces him to relive a deadly run-in with a cop.

The First Saturday of May

An Irish Traveler father struggles to raise his son, who has darker secrets than most.

easy on the turns

Jay and Matt move everything out of "Stu's" garage. A road trip of memory ensues.

Echo

A reframing of the classic tale of Narcissus, the director draws on snippets of conversation with a trusted friend to muse on gender and identity. Just as shimmers are difficult to grasp as knowable entities, so does the concept of a gendered self feel unknowable except through reflection. Is it Narcissus that Echo truly longs for, or simply the Knowing he possesses when gazing upon himself?

Pavane

For over 30 years, Cora has woken up every morning at 4am to go work at the factory and raise her daughter, Alex, gone to Paris, much to Cora’s regret, to try and become a filmmaker. As Cora is about to retire, she would very much like Alex to finally abandon this risky choice, but Alex is preparing her first film.

Free Bench Must Pick Up Today

A young gay couple pay an unexpected price for bringing home a free piece of furniture.

Haunting

One night, a supernatural figure emerges from the darkness to find a human who is grieving the death of his mother. As the figure watches closely, it soon discovers the value of human love and its strength to bring people together.

Three Wishes

Before Martin dies, he asks Jan to carry out three wishes. Will Jan be up to making them happen? Sometimes, one can also be faced with other, unforeseen wishes.

Cherry-Red

Anna and Marie are two women who could possibly love each other. Marie wants to be open to this new overwhelming feeling, even if she has to throw away all that she has ever held to be right. Anna on the other hand, enjoys the attention from this gentle soft girl Marie, who seems to love her, not in spite of but also because of her sharp edges. It could all be so easy if it weren't for Zoe, the woman who has been at Anna's side for years.

According to Mateo

Mateo and his boyfriend, Marc, arrive home after a night out with Luke, a guy they've just met. After an argument, Mateo leaves the flat and bumps into Jon, a drug dealer they have called. Mateo convinces Jon to take him to his house where he discovers he can't feel anything if it's not through pain.

Beast

Vincent has a secret that forces him to stay away from the people he loves. But when he meets Gustav, love strikes Vincent. As their love grows, so does his fear of letting his secret destroy his new lover.

Petit ami

Jasper, a 20 something playboy with little empathy, has a date in a rather obscure motel Petit Ami with Vincent, a mysterious older man. For Jasper just another day on the job, until he discovers Vincent's secret.

Lost Queens

18-year-old Rodrigo is arrested by the police in a televised raid on the club where he works as a drag queen.

Dossier of the Dossier

A filmmaker's life isn't an easy one. Write a screenplay, develop a project, wrap it all in a shiny package, pitch it to producers. And in the meantime try to survive and not forget how to actually shoot a film.

Eyes on the Road

On a drive back home in a dirty car, three young women talk about other people. Their conversation flows naturally, and takes them into uncharted territory.

Critters: All You Can Eat

The small Town Grover's Bend is in for trouble once again as a misfit ship of Crites crash lands into a area strip mall causing havoc and death to patrons through the town.

Fear

Fear is a story of Christian a 17 year old neo-nazi and event that will forever change his life.

Summer Ghost

An urban legend says that lighting fireworks at an abandoned airfield will beckon the "summer ghost," a spirit that can answer any question. Three teenagers, Tomoya, Aoi, and Ryo, each have their own reason to show up one day. When a ghost named Ayane appears, she reveals she is only visible to those "who are about to touch their death." Compelled by the ghost and her message, Tomoya begins regularly visiting the airfield to uncover the true purpose of her visits.

Anuja

When a brilliant nine-year-old working in a sweatshop gets a chance to attend school, she must make a difficult choice for her and her sister's future.

Parasomnia

Plot unavailable

Suppr.

A screenwriter lacking inspiration is given a very special typewriter by a strange friend that will make his dreams come true... And turn them into a nightmare.

Dog Meet Goose

A troubled teenager seeks help from his neighbor who has a secret. A thrilling psychological scenario ensues.

Growing Pains

A short film depicting adolescence.

The Last Kiss

Ant and Tremor meet up in a hotel lobby in downtown Chicago. Tremor is moving to Florida tomorrow, so this is the last chance they have to express their feelings for each other.

Swain

Swain is inspired by Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Fanshawe, features a dreamlike narrative of a young man’s ritualized rejection of heterosexuality, as a mysterious woman in white gossamer pursues him through a ruined landscape.

Because You're Mine

Torn by the farewell letter of his boyfriend, Samuel tries to change his ideas in nature. The forest will bring him a strange and sensual consolation…

The Woman in the Room

Johnny is burdened with deep remorse and his inner demons when he is confronted with the decision to euthanize his terminally ill mother. Based off the short story from Stephen King's, "Night Shift".

The Woman in the Room

A lonely and exhausted young woman caring for her ill father must make a difficult decision as his health rapidly declines.

The Woman in the Room

Johnny is burdened with the desire to euthanize his terminally ill mother in order to relieve her.

Adam in aeternum

Plot unavailable

The Fox Spirit Repays a Debt

A wife and a concubine seek freedom. In a game of seduction, together they join forces to defeat their oppressors.

The Euthanizer

A black comedy about a man struggling to make a living by helping people kill themselves.