Miks (27) works as an accountant in a large corporation. He has boring job and lonely life. Every day is exactly the same, but then strange occurrence happens, which makes him rethink boundaries of his reality. It is early Monday morning and Miks is still asleep in his bed. Alarm clock goes off and ancient Chinese melody wakes him up. During the curse of day several times he hears melody of his alarm clock. Miks finds it highly unusual since this is first time he hears melody of his alarm clock outside his home. It makes him wonder isn’t he still dreaming? As things get more confusing, Miks desperately decides to test his reality and finds out surprising results.
Artis Dobrovolskis is short film director, writer and producer from Latvia. His filmography includes four short films. His short film – romantic comedy “Almost Perfect” was awarded funds from short film script competition “Starmetis” (Riga, Latvia) and won competitions Grand Prix. Artis enjoys working with small crew of like-minded independent filmmakers. Occasionally Artis works as an actor both in films and theater.
Annija Korpa is born in 1995, Riga. In 2011 graduated from Pardaugavas Art School with a strong confidence to connect her life with architecture. 3 years later, after graduating from Riga English Grammar School, future plans were completely turned upside down. Now she is studying film and theatre production in the Latvian Academy of Culture, and becoming a successful film producer is the main goal to reach for her. Annija have attended in the RE RE RIGA International Street Art & World Music Festival 2014 as a backstage assistant and now working as a producers assistant in 2ANNAS Riga International Film Festival. Also will be participating in Riga International Film Festival 2014 on this December.
Two little boys Mark (7 years) and Nick (6 years) after school is heading to unfinished abandoned building, which was meant to be a Hospital in a centre of their small town. Not far from buildings side entrance, in the meadow four guys are hanging out. They are Red, Chickie, Ansis and Blacky. Chickie sees two little boys hanging around in the building. He comes up with an idea, that they could go and have some fun by scaring them. They pretend to be a doctors of this unfinished hospital, and accuses little boys of destroying their property and threaten them by a punishment that they will now get. Blacky takes this little joke to serious, he gets out his knife and promises a surgery. Little boys manages to escape using a staircase. Blacky and others follows them up to the fifth floor. Little boys run in to one of dark rooms, and hides. Blacky looks for them, other guys try to stop him before this little prank goes too far. Little boys are standing still and silenced in a corner of a dark room, suddenly they got scared by homeless person, who happens to live there. They run away, Blacky and other continue to chase, until the end of another corridor where one of the little boys are accidentally pushed and he falls down the elevator shaft. All persecutors are frightened now, and run away. Only one stays, because he feels guilty that he could have stopped this from happening.
This project was awarded with the Vilnius Film Cluster award of 10 000 Lt for in-kind services.
Oskars Kalnins born February 6, 1987. Lives in Riga Latvia. Oskars studies Audiovisual Media Art TV/Movie directing in Riga International Business Administration high school in 3rd course. In 2014 Oskars participated in Latvian script writing forum „Starmetis”.Oskars works in Riga as video operator in public television, where he spends most of his time taking care of broadcast studios.
Tomass Bekeris is a multi-artist located in Riga. He is currently is studying in Riga International School Of Business And Administration in an Audio Visual Media Arts faculty as a producer. Bekeris has produced four films, and worked in numerous films in other different positions. Besides film-making Bekeris is a well known person in underground music culture in Latvia.
Elizabeth is a full-time slacker and partygoer, who loves to hang out in bars with her girlfriends. In one such evening
she suddenly meets Ralph, a handsome and charming stranger. She falls madly in love with him. Their love is beautiful and perfect – until Ralph with no warning kills Elizabeth. He actually is a serial killer. But Ralph is in for a nasty surprise. On his next hunt for a new victim, Ralph is shocked to see Elizabeth in the bar. Thinking he is having a deja vu, Ralph takes her out on the same night and kills her again. But next morning she is back again, and Ralph is starting to question his sanity…
Karlis Strautins is a director, currently in his final year of studying TV and Commercial Media Directing specialty in the bachelor programme at RISEBA. He has been making short films since 2011, usually blending comedy with dark subject matter and metaphorical systems. Being also a screenwriter, his films are autonomous realization of ideas. His autobiographical documentary short “No One’s There” will be shown at the Baltic Film Festival in Australia in October 2014. So, obviously he also enjoys writing about himself in third person. When Karlis isn’t making movies, he enjoys writing music, writing film criticism and reading film literature.
Gunta was born in 1991, 23rd of September. At the age of 18 started doing advertisement things and studying, at one point understanding that the challenge was bigger than advertisements, so left the agency, joined the students TV channel called “KiviTV”. There she understood, that editing is long and painful, but production is fun and fluffy. In 2013 Gunta started working in TV3, where she had the pleasure of meeting film-makers and other producers, during this time Gunta co-produced 16 episodes. Now Gunta makes short film, because that is fun.
The fictional short movie “Chain” is about the work-stress and depression through the eyes of a lonely man – Bob. In Bobs world, everyone has a chained ball (made out of yellow post-it papers)attached to their leg, which represents their stress level. It increases, when gaining stress, and decreases, when relaxing. Although the world around Bob keeps on telling him, how to “wreck his ball” and therefore free himself from stress, it’s not working. Throughout one week full of routine, we see how his ball keeps on growing. He find out the truth about removing the chain, when it’s already too late. The movie is dedicated to the victims of work-stress and depression.
Johan is film director, born in small city in South-Estonia, in 1990. First screenplay by him was written in 2006 and it was called “The Last Ride”. After high school, he studied Opera singing. After graduation, he worked in Germany as an Opera singer. In 2013, he was accepted to Baltic Film and Media school. In one year of study he directed two short documentaries and three fiction films. He is also screenwriter/reporter/camera operator in students web-based television program Tudeng TV. From autumn of 2014, he moved to BFM-s film department and started studying screenwriting.
Keidi is film producer, born in Estonia, in a city called Pärnu. In high school years, was an activist in schools media, an entrepreneur and volunteer. In 2013, she was admitted to Baltic Film and Media School. Within a year, 7 short movies were directed/produced. Beside part-time job, school and film projects, she joined Students TV. After the first school year, she directed her biggest film production so far – a short fiction film about a well known building.
A career-driven father takes his estranged 9-year old son for a winter holiday. The father tries to force a reunion of minds and hearts, of father and son, but instead brings on a situation that hangs on a heavier balance. Their journey thus becomes one of survival. “Ice” reminds us that the ground we walk on is full of paradoxes: it is secure and fragile at the same time. What matters in the end of each journey is how much we remember to love on the way.
Anna Hints (1982) has studied literature, folklore and has BA both in photography and film directing. She has a background of active years in Estonian contemporary art scene since 2005. Anna’s personal and group exhibitions have taken place both in Estonia and abroad. In her art she has explored the thin borderline of public versus private, the backstage of our fears and desires, the concept of memory both personal and cultural. Voice becomes an important means of expression; she often combines old runic songs with voice improvisation and has composed in all of her films.
Eero Talvistu (1976) has worked for Exitfilm from 2008. Before he has had several experiences in the film field mainly as a producer – student thesis projects, short documentaries, and a feature film. He has experience in working with young and promising filmmakers. Eero is doing his MA in cultural management at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre. Today he is also involved in art management. In the past he has had more than 10 years of experience in business management in printing and publishing.
Leo tries to resolve his balding problem with a mysterious hair growth serum he ordered over the Internet. The liquid starts causing grotesque and extreme changes in his body and now Leo must stop the metamorphosis before he loses even the last hair on his head – and much else.
This project was awarded with the participant rights in the European Short Film Co-production Forum EURO CONNECTION 2015.
During the last five years Oskar has worked as director and assistant director in the Estonian advertisement and film community. He has directed several successful Internet advertisement campaigns, ike the Haapsalu Horror and Fantasy Film Festival and Qsurf viral campaigns, which have both gathered over a million views and won awards at the local advertisement landscape. Oskar is finishing his studies in the Baltic Film and Media School and is currently developing his short film “Karv” with the Estonian production house Kinosaurus Film.
Kaspar Ainelo (1991) has graduated film production BA in Baltic Film and Media School. Since 2010 he has been actively producing films. Kaspar is looking to produce fearless films. He is focusing himself to closely work with young creative talent who has the potential to do something innovative in near future. Kaspar is currently working at Kinosaurus Film production company.
The story is set in an unnamed future punk Town and centers around Liam, a nonchalant person, dwelling on his wavering faith and personal humiliations. While walking down the street, he accidentally meets John, a semi-justifiably paranoid Great Fire survivor obsessed with the Town which, he claims, is dehumanizing and killing the humans itself. He introduces Liam to the shelter – The Bar with a lot of hooks for every visitor to hang the keys from his own private hell. One of those keys belong to Emma – a young women tamed by an empty beer bottle named “Alugochi” and Gurem – a gas station night shift worker, who happen to find themselves in the Bar at the same time. Full of symbolism and ennui, the Town reveals its darkest nooks together with an intense importance and equal absurdity of life for their inhabitants.
Emilija Rivière is a film and stage director from Lithuania, and has been involved with theater and film education since age 7. Emilija has been trained at School of Creative and Performing Arts (SOCAPA) by New York University as a screenwriter and a filmmaker. Her very first music video became the finalist in Vermont Youth Film Festival. The other recently completed productions – a music video and a short film – are currently circulating in festivals.
Ramūnas Povilanskas (b. 1962) is living in Klaipėda. He works as a Professor at the Department of Recreation and Tourism of Klaipeda University. For the last twenty years on several occasions he has collaborated with an art performer Benas Šarka. Since 2011 as a film producer he collaborates with Emilija Riviére. Together they have produced two music videos and a short film.
Oasis 714 is a psychological sci-fi short film. It tells the story of Leila (26) who cannot let go of Tomá (24) and the last moment they spent together on a paradise like beach. The film fools the viewer into believing this perfect encounter next to a turquoise sea is real, when in fact it is only a simulation, a reconstructed moment of Leila’s memories. Bit by bit the viewer will understand that nothing in the picture is real, except Leila. Not even Tomá is real, but only a simulation of a boy Leila loved and lost 714 days earlier while escaping the dying planet earth in a space ship. A glimpse of reality is revealed when Leila tries to shut down the simulation for good, realizing that she needs to move on. But moving on is not easy, especially when there are still questions left unanswered in the past.
Laura Kazbaraite has a MA in Semiotics (University of Vilnius) and a Certificate Diploma in Filmmaking (London Film Academy). In the past few years she has directed several short films, numerous commercials and promo videos while working in Great Britain, Finland and Lithuania. At the moment Laura is directing local multi-episode TV drama and has both short and feature projects in development.
Annalisa Schmuckli has studied Film and TV-production at the most prestigious Film school in Finland, ELO Film School Helsinki. She has produced several short and since 2007 she has worked as a freelancer in the Finnish film industry in a number of feature film productions, specializing in international co-productions. In 2014 Annalisa founded the production company Empire Pictures together with producer Saana Räntilä.
A group of friends are celebrating Jim’s birthday. Jim’s girlfriend Megan tries to help her younger sister Emma figure out what happened to her last night, the truth becomes more than Megan can handle.
