The Palisades (2022)

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.

Ella

Ella, a young aspiring actress, stands at a crossroads, pondering her journey on the day of a career-defining audition. her career. No matter how small, every decision can change the course of her day, illuminating the subtle battles of everyday life. In the heart-vibrant chaos of Paris, Ella navigates the complexities of her identity: a foreigner, a woman, and a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community.

Crossed Wires

A misunderstanding leads to sombre consequences as two flatmates recall very different turns of event from the previous night.

Artemide’s Knee

Mourning the death of his partner and collaborator Danièle Huillet, Straub finds tender mercy in music and nature. Out of the abyss, Kathleen Ferrier sings “The Farewell” from Gustav Mahler’s “The Song of the Earth”, (which the composer wrote in 1909 after the death of his daughter) and Heinrich Schütz’s Lament on the Death of His Wife. The landscape also provides solace: the mountain grove where Endymion pines for his beloved Artemis, “a wild thing, untouchable, mortal,” appears to embody the Japanese concept of ‘mono no aware’ — a wistful acceptance of the fleeting beauty of things.

We Are Not Here

We Are Not Here is a short film about a small derelict town, waiting for a road. Through a series of vignettes we take a glimpse into the life of the town and its residents.

Common Causes for a Clinical Condition

María rehearses Antigone the same way as she criticizes the government's actions; Ismene listens fearfully just as Irving reluctantly accepts the official version of a lie. Love only has consciousness in its disappearance; in the end the causes will be known, and only the memory of those who refuse to forget will be left with no consequence.

Discovering Ella

The (mostly) true story of the greatest jazz drummer you've never heard of who stumbled upon a 16-year-old singer and nurtured her into a legend.

Where Do We Go From Here

An adolescent dreamer struggles to find closure after the untimely death of his older brother.

Dear Mr Shakespeare: Shakespeare Lives

An evocative and imaginative exploration of the racial tensions in Othello and how the themes in Shakespeare's play still resonate today.

The House of Loss

The elderly at the nursing home have their heads shaved. The protagonist who works there sees them but can't read their expressions. However, from one instance, he finds himself looking closely at their faces.

1992

It's 1992. Martin is 17 and he films his daily life with his Hi8 camera. He films anything and everything—his room, the world around him... But never his father, the thought doesn't occur to him. One day he meets Dominique. He's 23 and works as a student monitor at Martin's high school.

The Wet Season

Jocelyn works at her Uncle's 'Crying Booths' in the country, while crying is forbidden in the cities.

Déjà Vu

An alcohol advertisement cut to look like a movie trailer.

The Trap

Maggie's friends have planned a surprise birthday party (despite it being a month away). During the party, Maggie realizes there's more to it then that.

Home

Two young brothers living in rural isolation struggle to survive in the wake of a mysterious attack, only to have their fragile world shattered by the arrival of a teenage girl. Home by John Henry Hinkel

Normal People

Daniel has just been released from prison and is trying to make a new life for himself. Between taking care of his alcoholic mother and finding a job, he might be able to find some happiness and normalcy in a new relationship.

Pylon

A field. A gang. A gun. A frightened boy. His brave sister. Their determined mother. And a towering steel obelisk overseeing it all. 'Pylon' is about fractious family relationships, the horrors siblings subject each other to and the indelible marks they leave.

Frozen Roads

Balthazar and siblings Christian and Lyla have been friends since childhood. As the trio struggles with coming of age in a rural, conservative Canadian town, they must confront escalating desires for one another that threaten to destroy their delicate bond.

Bhed Bakri Bhoot

A brass band member's hate comment in a public toilet triggers a chain reaction of diverse social expressions.

Wild Youth

Wild Youth is an ode to being young. A sensitive and intimate story of the first experiences of losing one's childlike innocence, questioning the imposed "masculinity" and (re)discovering yourself in the function of others.

The Hollers

The story of a young Appalachian girl who has lost her way amidst her mythical family, and the obstacles she must hurdle to find it.

Pretty Boy

Sean is taken to a motel and is given a prostitute for his 18th birthday by his father. He must sleep with her to "fix" his questionable homosexuality. "Pretty Boy" is a coming of age story of a young bullied teen, Sean, struggling with his sexuality and the hardships of high school. After his father finds some questionable magazines in his room, this devout Christian will go to any lengths to get his son to find the light and "perform" the way a man should. Sean is introduced to Katie, a prostitute that understands the stigmas of modern society and helps him see the true light that is within him.

The Doldrums or How to Cure Sadness

The tiricia is an illness of the soul when the heart is saddened. A story of three generations afflicted with being tiricientas: Ita, Justa and Alicia – grandmother, mother and daughter – who have at different times suffered, tolerated and allowed abuse, dragging on the disease. Alicia decides to break the cycle, eradicating it for future generations.

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.

Black Belts

KJ, an offbeat middle schooler and martial arts movie nerd from Compton, challenges the top dojos in South LA, wearing his uncle’s old black belt. But when his former fighter dad gets too involved, both learn there’s more to life than keeping your guard up.

Project CC

A brilliant child scientist must join forces with her sister when a cloning experiment goes awry.

In the Mood for Love – Day One

Edited from never-before-seen footage, this short film unveils rare scenes of Tony Leung and Maggie Cheung in roles vastly different from their iconic lovers. The first Asian film NFT offered at international auction houses, this unique artwork celebrates the first day of production for the acclaimed 2000 film, offering a glimpse into the creative process behind the masterpiece. As Wong Kar Wai cites, "Every thought consists of ninety flashes, and within each flash lives nine hundred sparks and extinguishments." This NFT eternalizes that first spark, marking a historic moment in Asian cinema.

After-School Special

A man and a woman have an awkward encounter at an indoor playground.

Far From Water

Two friends experience a moment of intimacy that leaves them questioning the future of their relationship.

It's Still Your Bed

David comes home from college to his family’s farm to find that his parents have hired a young man named Brent, who is also sharing his room. David is still in the closet and wants to come out to his high school friend, but he finds himself drawn to his new roommate and tries to determine if he is also gay.

Catopolis

A cat named Penny living in a desensitized, unstable world has to find a new job after she gets fired in order to make her dad proud.

The Great Artist

A gifted artist finds himself in a broken balance between creating world class art and the all too silent struggle of self care as his life begins to unravel because of his Dissociative Identity Disorder.

Face in the Crowd

A woman on a journey through a crowd grapples with private and public revelation, repulsion, fear, personal safety, and the desire for basic human interaction.

Come Swim

COME SWIM is a diptych of one man's day; half impressionist and half realist portraits.

Rubber Band Pistol

Jūzō Itami's debut short film, concerning a group of unique young people in the high economic growth period who are into games with rubber band pistols.

Debut

A short film about Philip who dreams of becoming a model. At a casting he gets the chance to be photographed with the well-known model Sebastiaan; they fall in love. During the photo shoot, Philip pushes his limits more and more in order to keep the photographer's interest. Philip and Sebastiaan lose control of the situation when Philip is doing everything he can just to be able to stay in front of the camera.

The Trap

Isolation and loneliness converge on an unexpected journey when intrigue and new come to town.

Here

A young woman's journey across the world following a set of cryptic clues.

A Tale of Yearning

This is a sad tale of a noble lady who is entranced by an opera singer. Hoping to get closer to the singer, the lady takes up lessons with her. Despite their affection, they must face obstacles.

A Search Through Nine Lifetimes

For love to travel for thousands of years, they will eventually meet.

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.

Lifeline

A nervous job candidate is forced to show much more than a positive attitude to save the life of her competitor.