The Hard Way (2024)

Tsuyako

In postwar Japan, Tsuyako, a factory worker and mother, must decide between duty and love, her family and her freedom.

Closing Dynasty

On a school day, a seven year-old girl, Queenie, hustles and schemes ways to make money on the streets of New York City.

Color Me Shameless

Made when I was a bit depressed which is nothing new,. Bob Cowan happened to be depressed as well and so we had a wonderful time working together. One of the actresses was separated from her husband at this time and the movie solidifies into concrete the repressed desires of everyone.

Relativity

Emshwiller made this film on a Ford Foundation grant, and in his original proposal to the Ford Foundation, he outlined the film as "something that deals with subjective reality, the emotional sense of what one's perception of the total environment is -- sexual, physical, social, time, space, life, death."

White Spirit

Avoiding uncomfortable pauses in a conversation is an art. Creating such moments in a conversation is a job, more precisely, this is White's job. In this whimsical musical short, dance along with White, a man who interferes in conversations at appropriate - or quite inconvenient - moments.

00-Baby Boom Child

On their way home by bike through a deserted industrial area, a mother and her son starts to talk about what happened when our dream of eternal economic growth collided with the peak, and following decline in global oil production. In a sad but quite plausible picture of the near future, our children make us accountable for today's irresponsible way of living.

The Power of One

PK, an English orphan terrorized for his family's political beliefs in Africa, turns to his only friend, a kindly world-wise prisoner, Geel Piet. Geel teaches him how to box with the motto “fight with your fists and lead with your heart”. As he grows to manhood, PK uses these words to take on the system and the injustices he sees around him - and finds that one person really can make a difference.

The Witch

Upon arriving home drunk, Martin, an old farmer, offends his wife Nicha and his grandson. Under the influence of witchcraft, Martin and Nicha sleep without being able to wake up, while a witch murders their grandson; a fact that will cause great sadness in Nicha, leading to her death, leaving Martin alone, deeply drowned in alcohol.

42 One Dream Rush

Collection of short films by various directors based on dreams, 42 seconds each. It was produced by the world's most awarded vodka "42 Below", known for doing things differently , with other Chinese User Generated Films.

Empty Planet

Papa, a bullied young boy whose only refuge is a book about space, runs away after being involved in the accident of one of his harassers. His escape to the outskirts of Paris awakens his imagination, somewhere between concrete blocks and starry skies.

The Pier Man

Theo is a young docker languishing in his native port. His life flows at the monotonous rhythm of cargo ships passing by. Through his encounter with Giuseppe, a disillusioned sailor ashore for a while, Theo will gather the courage to face the waves to escape his dull existence by trying to get into Giuseppe's gruff crew.

American Beauty

Lester Burnham, a depressed suburban father in a mid-life crisis, decides to turn his hectic life around after developing an infatuation with his daughter's attractive friend.

Life After

Based in New York City, “Life After” is about Nisha, a single mother and Indian immigrant living in Queens. After her only child, Zara, passes away unexpectedly, Nisha decides to learn about her daughter’s life in Manhattan. Out of her element, Nisha is forced to examine parts of who her daughter was that she had tried to ignore. Most significantly, Zara’s sexual orientation. Only through meeting her daughter’s partner, does Nisha finally begin to grieve the loss of her child.

The Jump Off

Nigel and Malik have been in a secret romantic relationship for several weeks. Nigel seems content with their unofficial status, but as times goes on, he longs for more. One evening, Nigel decides to take matters into his own hands before thinking of the consequences.

Naked

'Naked' is a modern-day drama set in Sweden which centers on two young men, Erik and Anthony. They share a night of passion after a party, and as ostensibly heterosexual men with girlfriends, this event disturbs them greatly and forces them to grapple with issues of identity in every facet of their lives. The two men, increasingly agitated, hurtle toward an explosive and unpredictable confrontation.

Ruis

A young man struggles to cope with the effects of hearing damage.

Inertia

During a walk in the woods a man stumbles upon a gate blocked by a guard who refuses to let him through. Gaining entry quickly becomes his obsession and only goal, to the detriment of all else, including his own physical and mental health.

Lands of Silence

Anna is twenty-five. Her boyfriend, Louis, is a math teacher. Together, they give birth to a child, Leo. A few months later, the discovery of Leo's deafness is an upheaval.

Followers

When an elderly woman sees a vision of Jesus on the shorts of a young African man at her swimming class, she befriends him, believing he's been sent by God to free her from loneliness. 'Followers' is a dark comedy drama about faith and loneliness. The short film explores how the two intertwine and is based on Tim Marshall's feature screenplay of the same name.

Garden of Remembrance

An untidy room. Empty beer tins, empty wine bottles, a half-empty glass of whisky... A girl is getting up absent-mindedly and starts preparing herself. YOUR morning starts. Lazy and hard-to-wake-up YOU. The emoticon is ME watching over YOU. I play tricks on YOU, while YOU are playing the guitar and drinking. One day, in town, YOU walk past THE CHILDHOOD FRIEND who is buying an Anemone I liked, and remembering that I liked them, YOU rush out to buy them. THE CHILDHOOD FRIEND displays the Anemone with care. One day, years after I died, YOU hear noise from the closet. Opened, YOU see MY garden right in front of YOU. Overflowing emotions of ME and YOU. When exiting from the room with memories, a picture of the Anemone that YOU painted is displayed in YOUR new room.

Amor

Based on the story "The monster in my room" by Miguel Angel López, a girl recounts living with her mother and a monster that stalks her at night.

nothing, except everything.

A graduating high schooler navigates a world of seemingly inevitable chaos by finding order in the number 7.

Dazed and Confused

The adventures of a group of Texas teens on their last day of school in 1976, centering on student Randall Floyd, who moves easily among stoners, jocks and geeks. Floyd is a star athlete, but he also likes smoking weed, which presents a conundrum when his football coach demands he sign a "no drugs" pledge.

Placer

Seven friends gather, like every year, in a mountain cottage in the mountains. This year is different, it will be their last year as twenty-somethings before turning thirty. Everyone seems to have matured but the discovery of a porn movie will make them discover how sexual fantasies can change everything.

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.

En el camino

During the trip back from their vacation, a young couple is stranded in the middle of the road and they lose all forms of communication, including each other.

White Berry

Grace, a Dutch-African girl with albinism, feels like an outsider with her white skin and poor eyesight. When she meets Kya, her African identity becomes more important. How far will she go, to fit in the group?

Gloss

When a new "love drug" is released, two seemingly compatible people decide if dating is worth the risk to find true love or if all their problems can be solved in one little pill.

My Friendship

Bank and Jack grow closer over time, but just as they part ways, Jack shares a secret that leaves a lasting mark.

Session Man

When personal and creative differences threaten to destroy a musical supergroup during the recording of an album, studio guitar player McQueen is brought in to smooth out the tracks. Soon he is reconsidering the direction of his life as he dreams of the elusive brass ring.

Versailles

An elderly woman and a hormone-charged teenager arrive to a beach hut where, during her brief moments of clarity, she will persuade him to kill her.

Kindil

During a beach excursion, Nfissa, a young mother, is violently sexually harassed and drowned by a group of young men after she absent-mindedly swims into their midst. Nobody seems to witness her disappearance. Anxiety and fear grow among her family, especially as, on the same beach, bathers suddenly start dying en masse.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

The Herdmans – Gladys, Claude, Imogene, Leroy, Ollie and Ralph – are undeniably the worst kids in the history of the world. They lie, steal, cheat, bully and overall terrorize their small community. But this Christmas, they’re taking over their local church Pageant – and they just might unwittingly teach a shocked little town the true meaning of Christmas.

A Curtain Raiser

Bruno, a young Frenchman, is frustrated by his girlfriend's constant lack of punctuality. He decides to end their relationship the next time she is late again.

The Beginning of Winter

When a young boy decides to hitchhike to get to a nearby village, he has no idea of the driver's true intentions.

Things We Don't Talk About

After surviving a car accident, thirteen-year-old Edvin isolates himself from friends and family. When his father forces him to go to rehabilitation, he can no longer avoid dealing with his trauma.

Tex

After their mother dies and their father leaves them, teenage brothers Tex and Mason McCormick struggle to make it on their own.

Linda Linda Linda

Only three days before their high school festival, guitarist Kei, drummer Kyoko, and bassist Nozomi are forced to recruit a new lead vocalist for their band. They choose Korean exchange student Son, though her comprehension of Japanese is a bit rough! It's a race against time as the group struggles to learn three songs for the festival's rock concert—including a classic '80s song by the Japanese punk rock band The Blue Hearts called "Linda Linda".

Washdays

About a boy who has a bed wetting problem and skips school to try and fix it

Corrosion

Wallace, an obsessive college swimmer, navigates a swimming injury and romantic tensions with a teammate.

The Head Vanishes

Jacqueline has lost her mind a bit, but whatever, for her trip to the seaside, she has decided to take the train by herself, like a big girl!

Angelmaker

In the shadows of a deep wood, in shadows of the soul deeper still, live 13 year-old Little Turcott and her mother. To their door is dragged a girl named A.D., prone to fits and wracked by visions, left to be watched for the day. As Little Turcott leads A.D. through chores, she is both repelled and drawn to the maddening, inexplicable girl who seems to have dropped from another world. When A.D. realizes that she's been brought to these women not to be watched, but to be murdered, she gives Little Turcott a vision of a marvelous "Elsewhere" and promises to take her there if she's set free. Haunted by this vision, Little Turcott must find the courage to outwit her mother when the day is done and she is set one last chore - to kill A.D.

Nightlight

Young brothers Konrad and Baschi get into a fight that spirals out of control and leads to dire consequences. While the world outside their home crumbles, Konrad has just one chance to right his wrong.

Essence of Pandanus

A young man is on a regular monthly visit to his grandmother. Things take an unexpected turn as she starts reminiscing and as the future and the past collide.

Crude

Ewan's life is turned upside down when he loses his job in Aberdeen's oil industry and he has no idea how to deal with the consequences.

Little Man

David and Eliab, two apprentice jockeys, get to know each other through admiration, rivalry and jealousy.

The Testosterone Club

After rejecting unwanted advances from her husband’s mates, Monica is forced to defend herself against "The Testosterone Club". Fortunately, she's found the perfect recipe for a little revenge.

SMILE

Plot unavailable

Golden

A tale of being different and growing up.

Maid

A woman applies for a job as a maid, while a difficult situation with her family haunts her.