Shorts National Competition 3

The world still feels small. Even though many of us are moving into some sort of normality – whatever ‘normal’ is nowadays – the endless stretches of isolation and distancing have conspired to make life seem more constrained and fragile. Yet cinema – and the films in the PÖFF Shorts International Competition – reminds us that there is still a whole community of humanity out on a big planet full of wonder. That there are people who – even if we have differences – we share a connection with and whose stories show us that any isolation is ultimately temporary.

While the pandemic is touched upon in the programme, the films here remind us that the everyday struggles of humanity still go on. There are loves to be found and hearts to be broken. There are corporations to fight and death to confront. There are mysteries to solve and joy and laughter to be had.

With a range of styles and genres, from dark drama to fun comedy with a little detour into the realms of magical realism, all the filmmakers in the International Competition not only astound with their talent but become a constant source of reminding us that we are still together, even if we have felt far apart.

Laurence Boyce and Tara Karajica

A Most Exquisite Man

There exists a most exquisite man, or at least the world that surrounds him, labels and sees him as such. He has fantastic abilities, incomprehensible talent, he could even be called a genius, yet something within him is restless. Big questions utterly absorb him, leading him to a place where all he can do is surrender his life, in order to find that which gives him and the natural world undeniable purpose and concluding peace.

The King

Olev Virkus is a completely ordinary man of no considerable wealth or achievements. Sometimes, however, he has to drop everything he's doing and go away for a while. Only then can he keep on living in peace. Film is based on the short story The King by Mehis Heinsaar.

The Stork

While smoking on the balcony, Citizen Stork is struck by a moment of clarity, in which he realises that he is not a person, but rather a bird. At the same time, a man and a woman are eating lunch. When a cuckoo jumps out of the clock, the man leaves the apartment in a hurry. The woman and the stork meet…

Lost in the Rust

Although Nauris could use a tractor from his partner in crime, thief Andrejs, Nauris dreams of his own tractor. Two ordinary country men go to the usual scrap metal stealing endeavors until they drank too much, initiating a dispute that turns into a brutal murder and a struggle for survival. The film is based on real events.

Fotosession

A photographer is too proud to take money from a friend, but accepts a deal instead.