2015 24fps ISFF Second Wave Official Selections

ONE WORLD. ONE VOICE.The following 10 films were announced Friday, September 18, 2015 as the Second Wave of Official Selections for the 2015 edition of the 24fps International Short Film Festival. A final 12 selected films will be announced September 28, 2015 as the Last Wave. The exhibition and competition programs will contain a total of thirty films. All of these exhibition screenings take place in the landmark Paramount Theatre, a restored movie palace from 1930 listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 24fps, a premiere international short film competition, is now in its 17th year.

WHALE VALLEYDirector: Gudmundur Amar GudmundssonProducers: Anton Mani Svansson, Gudmundur Amar GudmundssonDenmark/IcelandNarrativen, 2013, 10 min.

The strong bond between two brothers that live in a remote fjord with their parents is tested by an event that marks a turning point in their lives.About the DirectorGudmundur Arnar Gudmundson was born in Reykjavik, Iceland in 1982. He has a Fine Arts Degree from the Icelandic Art Academy and studied screenwriting in Denmark. He now works as a filmmaker and a part time teacher in screenwriting, directing and video art. Whale Valley was An Official Competition Selection at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Palm d’Or and awarded a Short Film Special Citation by the Jury. It has received numerous international awards and was nominated for the AFI Grand Jury Prize for Best Live Action Short. Gudmundur is currently at work on his first feature film, Hearthstone, due to be completed in the the spring of 2016.

TEETHDirectors: Daniel Gray, Tom BrownProducers: Daniel Gray, Tom BrownUnited Kingdom/USA/HungaryAnimation, 2015, 6 min.

Things of worth are often neglected in favor of that which is more immediately gratifying. The life of a misguided and intensely focused man is chronicled through his oral obsessions.

About the DirectorsUK-born directing duo Tom Brown and Daniel Gray met in a Welsh film school in 2003. Their graduation film, “t.o.m.” won numerous awards across international film festivals, including Sundance, Ottawa, Annecy, and the British Animation Awards. They have been working together ever since under the name of Holbrooks. Tom continues to live in New York, where he works in-house with Holbrooks’ US Production company, Blacklist. Dan followed his heart east and hopped on a plane to Budapest -- where he lives today and mingles in the Eastern European animation scene. Tom and Dan continue to work together across continents and time zones. Teeth received a special Short Film Jury Award at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.

SECOND WAVEOfficial Selection Films

2015

LISTENDirectors: Rungano Nyomi, Hamy RamezanProducers: Valeria Richter, Helene GranqvistDenmark/FinlandNarrative, 2014, 12 min.

A foreign woman is a burqa brings her young son to a Copenhagen police station to file a complaint against her abusive husband. The translator assigned to her seems unwilling to convey the true meaning of her words..About the DirectorsHamy Ramezan is an award-winning Finnish-Iranian director. He is currently developing his first feature, Motel of a Thousand Roses. Runango Nyoni's films have screened at more than 200 festivals. In 2013 she was selected for the Cannes Cinéfoundations Residency for her first feature film, I Am Not a Witch. Listen has won more than 14 international awards including the Golden Firebird Award at the Hong Kong International Film Festival and the Best Narrative Short Award at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival.

ON / OFFDirector: Thierry LorenziProducers: Julien Renaud, Thierry LorenziFranceNarrative, 2013, 12 min.

Obsessed by a mysterious voice message, an astronaut faces a paradoxical condition in order to stay connected to his humanity. About the DirectorIn 2005 director and writer Theirry Lorenzi formed the company Black Box Productions, which emphasizes the

use of cutting edge technology in film production. He wrote and directed Baby Boom, which was selected to over 20 festivals worldwide. ON / OFF is produced Black Box in conjunction with the Canadian visual effects company Rodeo FX, whose past work includes Edge of Tomorrow, Pacific Rim, The Fantastic Screen, and Brazil. The film has been seen in over 100 festivals worldwide and has won numerous international awards, including a 2014 Maverick Move Award for Best Special Effects.

BENDITO MACHINE VPull the TriggerDirector: Josse MalisProducer: Zumbakamera SpainAnimation, 2014, 11 min.

An exotic traveler comes from far away to discover the beauty of a supposedly unexplored territory. Instead, he finds himself in the middle of a turbulent conflict. Trapped against his will, he must wait patiently until the storm has passed.About the DirectorJossie Malis is an illustrator, animator and filmmaker of Peruvian-Chilean origin and director of the studio Zumbakamera, sending signals to outer space from the island of Mallorca (Spain). With special passion for the imaginary which incorporates machines and the cosmos, he is dedicated to the creation of short films and series such as the award-winning Bendito Machine, officially selected at innumerable international film festivals such as Annecy, Sitges, Cinanima, BAF, Hiroshima, SICAF or Fantastic Fest, among others. Bendito Machine V: Pull the Trigger has been seen at over 75 festivals worldwide, and received over f15 international awards.

EL PESCADORThe FishermanDirector: Alejandro Suarez LozanoProducers: Julio Suarez Vega, Alejandro Suarez LozanoSpain/USA/ChinaNarrative, 2015, 20 min.Mr Wong is a third generation fisherman in Hong Kong, struggling to keep this tradition alive. One night, he decides to leave the crowded waters of Victoria Harbour, and fish in calmer waters. His luck changes when he catches something that does not belong to this world. About the DirectorAlejandro's first film experience started when he was very young, where he helped his father with his Super-8 mm films. His passion in film-making led him to write, direct and produce several short films and documentaries that received over 30 awards and more than 100 official selections in festivals around the world. Alejandro’s films are a dynamic mix of art-house elements, commercial vision, and a fresh indie style. After living in Madrid, London and Hong Kong, Alejandro is currently based in New York City where he is represented by Elsewhere Works LLC. The Fisherman has just begun the festival circuit.

PIGDirector: Steven SubotnikProducer: Steven SubotnikUSAAnimation, 2015, 3 min.

The pig is everything. About the DirectorSteven Subotnik is an independent, experimental animator. His work uses varied imagery—from cartoon to pure textural abstraction, unusual editing techniques, and carefully structured sound design— to make human vulnerability, conflict, and history concrete and to convey a deeply personal experience to viewers. He has worked as an

animator, director, illustrator, author, and teacher. He currently teaches animation at the Rhode Island School of Design, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, and Brown University. Pig has been seen at over 20 international festivals, including SXSW and the BIAF Short Film Competition in South Korea.

TRACKSDirector: Logan SandlerProducers: Tiffany L. Gray, Sean RimokhUSANarrative, 2015, 18 min.

An amateur skateboarder is left to care for his girlfriend’s young daughter on the day of a championship tournament.About the DirectorLogan Sandler holds an M.F.A. from the American Film Institute in Film Directing. His first feature film, Live Cargo, recently took part in the US in Progress Paris section of the Champs-Elysées Film Festival. It was also one of the 10 feature films selected by AFP, to their 11th annual Independent Filmmaker Lab of 2015. Tracks, which is Logan’s AFI graduate thesis film, recently screened at AFI’s Director’s Guild of America showcase.

LA PROPINA(The Tip)Director: Esteban CrespoProducers: David Cassa Riesco, Esteban CrespoSpainNarrative, 2015, 10 min.

The encounter between a bygone movie star and a flower delivery boy turns into a fable with unexpected endings.About the Director

Esteban Crespo is a writer and director who started his career as a documentarian. His films have won more than 250 National and International Awards, and his film Lala was nominated as Best Live Action short Film at the Goya Awards in 2010. His short film Aquel no era yo was nominated for an Academy Award, and won the Goya Award for Best Live Action short film presented by the Spanish Film Academy. La Propina is just beginning the festival circuit, and has already been seen at 17 festivals worldwide.

THE SAMARITANSDirector: John BryantProducers: Mark Reeb, John Bryant, Zane Rutledge, Curtis PollockUSANarrative, 2015, 13 min.

A salesman faces the most difficult and important negotiation of this life.About the DirectorJohn Bryant is a filmmaker based out of Austin, TX. He co-wrote, directed, and produced The Overbrook Brothers which played in competition at SXSW in 2009 and was picked up by IFC for distribution. His short films, Oh My God and Momma's Boy have played at hundreds of festivals across the world, including Sundance and Clermont-Ferrand. The Samaritans had its world premiere at the 2015 SXSW Film Festival, where it was the Jury Prize winner in the Texas Shorts category.

BILLY THE KIDDirector: Sam Johnson

United Kingdom

OH LUCY!Director: Atsuko Hirayanagi

Japan/Singapore/USA

TÊMPETE SUR ANORAK(Storm Hits Jacket)

Director: Paul CabonFrance

SAFARIDirector: Gerardo Herrero

Spain

THE FACE OF UKRAINE:Casting Oksana BaiulDirector: Kitty Green

Australia

MADAM BLACKDirector: Ivan Barge

New Zealand

ROARDirectors: Stuart Langfield, Dylan Rekert

Canada

BABYDirector: Samuel Aaron Bennett

USA

PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED AS OFFICIAL SELECTIONS(First Wave)