Taint (2024)

After Mother

A son struggles with his father’s violent tendencies while his late mother attempts to help him.

La Jetée

A man confronts his past during an experiment that attempts to find a solution to the problems of a post-apocalyptic world caused by a world war.

The Distance Between Us and the Sky

Night, national road. Two strangers meet for the first time at an old gas station. One has stopped to gas up his bike, while the other is just stranded. Lacking the 22 euros he needs to get home, he will try to sell him the distance that separates them from the sky.

Who Talks

Caught on opposing sides of a debate about a proposed centre for refugee children, two parents try to navigate the turbulent tides of public opinion.

And Then the Bear

When a boy’s close bond with his mother is imperiled one night by the arrival of a mysterious stranger, matters of nature and nurture collide.

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.

Rougarou

In rural Louisiana, 11-year-old Sabine's widower father misses Ash Wednesday Mass, so she pushes him to give up drinking for Lent. He breaks his vow, evoking the wrath of the ROUGAROU, a mythical bayou beast who punishes bad Catholics. Now Sabine has to step up to save him from the monster or risk losing her only living parent.

Spaceless

Kan and Tul are aspiring actors who meet at an audition. From there on, another story unfolds, and both find themselves battling their own feelings.

A Naked Boy

A forty-five-year-old history teacher, Jin-tae, has hallucinations about one of his students.

Wake

A chance encounter between two women on the Mersey ferry leads to an exploration of the loss they both carry and how they navigate life and memories in its wake.

VALUE

Casual encounter or not? When a young man meets an old man, the generation conflict between them leads to unusual events.

Bubble Gummed Girl

Emma is addicted to chewing gum and in the middle of puberty, but doesn't really want to admit it. She doesn't want to do anything with her sandpit friend Lasse other than swinging, playing with her father's railroad world and chewing gum - nothing should change. But Lasse suddenly has a girlfriend and, even worse, he's also interested in sex.

Soft Like Me

On a secluded prairie farm, adolescent boys labor in wheat fields for a sexually predatory warden and his farmhands, who threaten to feed them to a voracious beast if they ever disobey. The newly arrived Linus instantly catches the warden's eye, and begins to receive secret visitations from a mysterious girl. The other boys tell Linus the legend of a special boy who fled the farm and became a glorious angel that will one day return to free them all. When Linus asks the girl if she is the angel, her answer is enigmatic. After the warden's favorite boy dies, Linus is poised to become the next victim. The girl reappears and promises to help him escape, but with hope comes punishment.

The Man Who Would Not Shake Hands

A man afflicted with a curse while visiting Bombay, India at the turn of the 20th Century struggles to live life without ever touching another human being. His tragic lack of success in remaining free of all human contact causes the death of casual acquaintances and close friends alike. Ultimately, his curse turns back upon him and his story ends as tragically as those he affected with his curse.

Pittsburgh

An intimate, emotionally turbulent yet occasionally light-hearted look at a young deaf man's relationship with his boyfriend, who isn't quite ready to come out of the closet.

Two Belles in Love

She smells her fragrance, she sees her talent... The ancient love story of Cui Jianyun and Cao Yuhua. The plight of these two women is told as they fall in love due to the admiration for each other's stunning beauty and literary craft. Adapted from the Kunqu opera & story by Li Yu, "Fragrant Companion/Lianxiang Companion", this short film includes a parallel between the play and "reality." The ending has been altered from the original play.

Quiet

Ali must lie and say she is her wife's sister so she can be with her in the hospital. Through Ali's memories, we see the women's relationship develop as Ali faces the truth in the present.

Electric July

In the burning heat of July, Thomas and Victor, two 14 years old teenagers, are bored to death and want to escape. Victor decides to take Thomas to an abandoned bridge. He will have to confront his fears and desires.

By this River

A young boy builds a raft to reach his mother in the land of the dead, which he believes is at the end of the river that runs alongside their property.

Like a Kiss from Jesus

A boy frolicking about on the beach meets this girl who gives him his first kiss.

Yardbird

A young girl who lives in a remote wrecking yard takes on the local bullies when they travel out to torment her father.

The Roof

After being sent to stay with his grandfather, a Cheyenne teen uncovers a connection to his family and community in a way he never thought possible.

The Suit Weareth the Man

A young London businessman is seduced by a corporate entity.

Overcast

This short psychological-drama follows a 13-year-old boy whose mother mysteriously disappears, forcing him to question his father and his own memory to uncover the truth.

It's Getting Late

In the translucent LA dusk we discover four women living very different lives. The camera follows each as they wind down their working days, their four stories weaving together as each prepares for their evening.

Veterinarian

A veterinarian routinely goes on house calls to treat sick animals. He is able to save most, but one time he arrives too late. The animal dies, and that breaks the veterinarian's heart. One night the animals that he has treated come to him in a dream. He receives love and forgiveness. When Veterinarian wakes up, his heart has healed.

The Author

Plot unavailable

Nada ha cambiado

Plot unavailable

The Year of the Radio

Mexico in the 90s. Alex, a 7 year-old boy and his little siblings are left in the care of senile Aunt Lola while their mother works as a host on a radio station. Alex misses his mother and along with his siblings, they listen to his mother’s show every night, building strange imaginary worlds through the stories they hear, the news, the radio soap operas and the religious influence of his great-aunt.

The Glutton

Gulosus (the glutton), is an alluring yet disturbing view of gluttony in contemporary culture. The film is in stop motion, with one photo being taken every 6 seconds, and contains over 130 individual sound effects and foley sounds. The piece draws from the compositions of traditional vanitas paintings and photography. It was also heavily influenced by a genre of youtube called 'Mukbang' (korean for 'eating show'), where people consume mass amounts of unhealthy and idealistic foods for viewers to watch. All of these elements came together to form an opinion on greed and vanity through a relatable but confronting menu. Influencing artists: PES Jan Svankmajer Reynold Reynolds Chen Fei Achievements: BUFTA Bond University awards - nominated best overall film - nominated best director - winner best experimental - winner best sound design Artexpress exhibitions at - Margaret Whitlam gallery - virtual gallery VX - Maitland regional art gallery

Second Thought

Chris and Art lead parallel lives, starting their day with similar routines in different locations. Both go to Provincetown, a welcoming haven for the LGBTQ+ community, where their paths cross on a dating app. A steamy encounter follows their first meeting, but a dramatic turn occurs when one blocks the other the next day.

Równonoc

Plot unavailable

Glue

Procida, a little Island in the gulf of Naples. Last days of summer. The adolescence of Domenico is coming to an end, just like his tormented relationship with Marcello. Domenico looks for hospitality at Antonio's house, his best friend, but soon he finds himself alone with the thirteen-years-old Antonio's brother, Lallo. A journey of discovery starts, between adolescence and maturity. The meeting with Sara, a transsexual woman, will bring to light the desires of the two young boys.

The Strangers Came

Just before Christmas, things that are difficult to explain happen in the house of the widow of the local organist. Muddy traces left in the house, mysterious shadows and strange sounds make Bogusia increasingly believe that these may be signs from her tragically deceased husband.

Coming Back

Great Britain voted to leave the EU. While euphoria and disappointment are mixed among the population, William decides to go to visit his parent discovering that love could be hidden in unexpected choices.

One Hundred and Twenty-Eight Thousand

Nearly one in ten Czechs over the age of 15 face some form of distraint, under which their property is seized because of money they owe. Every day, more and more people fall into the debt trap, but Karel is on the other side of the barricade – it is his job to collect their debts.