2016 Official Selection

We are proud to announce the Official Selection for the New Renaissance Film Festival – London 2016!

Congratulations to everyone who made it into the festival (OUR FIRST), and a special thanks to all of you who submitted your short film or documentary!

All of the selected shorts will be screened during the festival on Saturday August 20th, 2016, at the prestigious Courthouse Hotel in London’s West End, and receive an award – either a Best Category Award or an Award of Merit or Excellence.

Click here to find out how you can purchase your Festival Day Pass. The New Renaissance Early Bird offer ends August 5, 2016!

The Official Selection* is listed in seven categories:

Narrative UK Short

Narrative International Short

Documentary Short

Young Talent Short or Documentary

Animation Short

Music Short

Short Short

* The Official Selection line-up may be subject to changes.

 

Narrative UK Short

A short no more than 30 minutes long. The filmmaker is UK based. Prize: Best Narrative UK Short, Official Selection laurels. Shared with other categories: Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Cinematography, Best NR Festival Film, Award of Excellence, Award of Merit.

Official Selection

Another Life

14 min • Drama / Women / Friendship / Love

Jen lives in a world of abuse and finds solace in the stories that she writes. As her final chapter draws near, her perfect character Emma quickly unravels. Director: Javid Rezai (1st time filmmaker). *NRFF Film of the Week.

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Backseat

9 min 39 sec • Drama / Romance / Comedy

Two people meet, in unusual circumstances, never to learn each others name. Director: Dann Emmons.

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Dark Laugh

12 min 09 sec • Comedy / Action / Adventure / Fantasy / Sci-fi

Egg Man carries a magical, Teleporting YO-YO. Wannabe crook Hunter, Wants it! Caught in the middle is Dominik. All Running through London’s Soho Square! Director: Michael J. McCarthy.

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Diembe

25 min 17 sec • Drama / Family ties / Friendship / Coming-of-age

A Kenyan teenager moves to the UK with high hopes only to be welcomed by bad weather, ignorant pupils and even worse, touchy girls. As he struggles to fit in at school, one unlikely friendship with a curious classmate is going to change everything. Director: Anderson West. *NRFF Film of the Week.

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Heavy Weight

12 min 45 sec • Drama / LGBTQ

When a talented new arrival begins using the local boxing club, Paris, a skilled and confident fighter, is forced to face the truth about his own emotional vulnerability. Director: Jonny Ruff. *NRFF Film of the Week.

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Ignoble Night

19 min 45 sec • Drama / Comedy

Based on Shakespeare’s play ‘Cymbeline’ where the loveable rogue Iachimo makes a bet with fellow gambler Posthumous to seduce his faithful mistress and produce sufficient evidence of his success. When a first attempt ends in disaster, Iachimo comes up with a plan B to keep his ten thousand ducats – and his tongue… Director: Jonas Grimås.

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Ladies First

4 min 50 sec • Period Drama / Romance

A short period drama set in 1919, focusing on a young couple challenging gender inequality as a social norm. Director: Matthew Steggles.

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Letters

4 min 53 sec • Drama / Dark

Become a part of the forest in this solo project, as you follow the harrowing story of ‘Letters.’A poignant story of emotion, devastation & regret.  Director: Oliver Dawes (1st time filmmaker).

Lost In Spring

12 min 07 sec • Drama / Family

A confidence stricken seven year old, embarks upon a journey to self belief. Director: Fred Leao Prado Wall.

Ministry Of Guilt

10 min •  Dark / Comedy / Thriller

Sam Smith is woken by the late-night delivery of strange and threatening notes through his letterbox. Each note more disturbing than the last. What did you do, Sam? The clock is ticking. Time to confess. Director: Detsky Graffam. *NRFF Film of the Week.

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Paris In The Rain

22 min 21 sec • Drama / Comedy

Ike reluctantly attends his father’s funeral, knowing full well that elsewhere, his girlfriend is minutes away from leaving him to pursue a better life in Tokyo. To add insult to injury, he gets lumped with his father’s large, ugly painting of a rainy street in Paris, and spends the rest of the day trying to dump it on someone else. Director: Eli Hart. *NRFF Film of the Week.

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Stay

20 min 28 sec • Drama / Mystery

Julian is struggling to come to terms with the death of his wife. He has shut down and cut himself off from the people in his life. One day, whilst sitting in his Chesterfield chair he is transported through memories from his life that spans all four seasons. Julian’s story is about love, hope and regret. Director: Ben Hyland.

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The Information

15 min • Drama / Mystery / Thriller

A sound man who gathers information for the police, gets drawn into a high profile case involving a government minister but when he is spotted following them, they start to take interest in him and what information he has gathered on them. Director: Robert Shannon

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Click here for Best Category Nominations!

 

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Narrative International Short

A short no more than 30 minutes long. Filmmaker is from outside the UK. Prize: Best Narrative International Short, Official Selection laurels. Shared with other categories: Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Cinematography, Best NR Festival Film, Award of Excellence, Award of Merit.

Official Selection

3000 (AUS)

19 min 59 sec  • Drama /  Friendship / Love

When Leon’s best friend Ari shares tragic news about his battle with cancer, unemployed and desperate to help, Leon secretly decides to become a criminal to pay for more cancer treatments. Against the backdrop of contemporary Athens, Greece, Leon’s actions to save his best friend have irreversible consequences. Director: Antonis Tsonis. *NRFF Film of the Week.

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Aletheia (USA)

14 min 46 sec • Drama / Family ties

A conversation between father and daughter leads to a philosophical discussion about the paradoxical nature of existence and humanity. Director: Nithin Muraleedharan.

Becomes Sore / Tadareru (JP)

17 min • Drama / Love / Sibling Rivalry

Kazuya and Miyuki Matsuhashi’s May-December marriage has lost its spark. It’s already been four days since Miyuki’s younger sister, Chiharu, showed up on their doorstep. Living each day in frustration, Miyuki can’t bear Chiharu’s reckless abandon, nor her husband’s favourable treatment of Chiharu any longer. One day on her way home, Miyuki spots Kazuya and Chiharu holding hands, and her suspicion grows… Director: Keishi Suenaga. *NRFF Film of the Week.

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Laika Stardust (IT)

15 min • Drama / Science Fiction

Laika Stardust is an experimental film set in the household of an upper class Italian family, in the not-too-distant future. Each family member is captivated by their use of technology, almost to the point of obsession. When the child becomes seriously ill, his mother begins to unravel and we discover the hidden truth behind her heartbreak…  Director: Antonin Bobò. *NRFF Film of the Week.

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Margaret (USA)

13 min 03 sec • Drama / Romance

After dealing with a series of extreme characters during a speed-dating event for senior citizens, an elderly woman meets a charming, exotic gentleman.  Director: Manan Singh Katohora.

Minh Tâm (FR)

24 min 59 sec • Drama / Romance / Family ties

At the age of 33, Minh Tâm has given up on love. Devoted to the education of her autistic son and overwhelmed by a domineering mother, she uses men just to escape briefly from daily life. Until the day she meets Olivier, who causes her to question her certainties. Director: Vincent Maury. Producer:  Laurence Lascary.

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Rinse (USA)

3 min 30 sec • Film Noir / Dark / Crime

A poetic visual experience about a cult. Director: Yuki Tokunaga.

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Situational (USA)

21 min • Drama /  Friendship

After being prescribed his third antidepressant, Charlie returns home only to have his Craigslist roommate Miles toilet flush his pills and kidnap him to see a sunrise over the ocean. Tension mounts as the fast talking road trip drives us to the bottom of Charlie’s pain and to the impending sunrise on the coast, where life could begin or end, literally… And then there are chinchillas. Director: Scott Simonsen. *NRFF Film of the Week.

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The Dark Side (IT)

20 min • Drama / Thriller / Crime / Horror

Videogames, movies and comic books affect the lives of many children. A fragile mind could be influenced/affected to the point of not recognizing the reality of things. Dr. Stanne, a child psychiatrist, is called to assess a unique and troubled case: a patient accused of murder following some of his ‘Patrols’, during which he dressed as a famous character from a comic book, the executioner ‘Rorshach’ . The psychiatrist, however, still can not seem to find an answer to an apparently/ a seemingly simple question: What turns a man into a monster? Director: Vincenzo Alfieri.

The Flavor Of The Moon (CH)

21 min 10 sec • Drama / Romance / Comedy

A man whose marriage proposal is rejected, decides to unveil the unsolved legend of the moon in the little town where he is from, to win back his lover’s heart. Director: Yan Zhang

The Last Thing We Knew  (USA)

6 min 22 sec • Drama / Suspense/ Thriller / Mystery

While spending an afternoon in the woods, a group of teenagers are forced to try and make sense of a string of mysterious events that have been plaguing their small town. Director: Brent Ryan Green.

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The Pigeon (RU)

30 min • Drama / Comedy / Fantasy

Based on a story by Patrick Suskind “The Pigeon”is about the fictional character Jonathan Noel, a solitary Parisien bank security guard who undergoes an existential  crisis when a pigeon roosts in front of his one-room apartment’s door, prohibiting him entrance to his private sanctuary. Director: Anna Smirnova (graduation film).

Click here for Best Category Nominations!

 

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Documentary Short

A short of less than 60 minutes long. The filmmaker can be from anywhere in the world. Prize: Best Documentary Short, Official Selection laurels. Shared with other categories: Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best NR Festival Film, Award of Excellence, Award of Merit.

Official Selection

A Conscious Dream (IT)

19 min  26 sec • Documentary / Reality  / Panorama

In March 2014 Photographic Museum of Humanity drove 6,000 km across Chile on the Museum Van. They crossed the Andes, reached the Pacific Ocean and passed through the Atacama Desert. This is a documentary about the people, moments and stories they met on their way. Director: Federico Telerman and Nicolas Uboldi. *NRFF Film of the Week.

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London Locks (UK)

9 min 17 sec • Documentary / Reality

A short documentary that explores an exciting new subculture that is emerging from the creative cracks in London. A subculture that is being driven by some of the most stimulating and expressive thinkers in London’s youth community and it involves hair. Director: Aaron Christian. *NRFF Film of the Week.

Smoke That Travels (USA)

13 min 03 sec • Documentary / Web / New Media

What happens when a story is forgotten? A personal documentary by 2016 Sundance Film Festival Ignite Fellow Kayla Briët that explores preservation and loss of Native American culture and her own identity as Prairie Band Potawatomi. Director: Kayla Briët (Young Talent).

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Click here for Best Category Nominations!

 

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Young Talent Short or Documentary

A short of less than 20 minutes made by a filmmaker between 18-24 year old. The filmmaker can be from anywhere in the world. Prize: Best Young  Talent Film Award, Official Selection laurels. Shared with other categories: Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Cinematography, Best NR Festival Film, Award of Excellence, Award of Merit.

Official Selection

Hugo (UK)

11 min 47 sec • Drama / Fantasy / Romance

Born with unusually long fingers, HUGO lives a solitary existence in an abandoned theatre fearing the mockery of others. Then one day he falls in love with a beautiful young woman working in a diner. Overcoming adversity and turning around what appears as a shortcoming into a gift is the theme of this film. Director: Theo Pavlou.

La Promesa (UK)

10 min • Drama / Friendship / Family ties

A singer and a neglected child forge an unlikely bond through a shared love of music. The film was inspired by a Spanish song (performed by the leading actress, Gloria Garcia) and has references to Hispanic culture, migration and adoption. Director: Aron Randhawa.

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Scrap (AUS)

11 min 34 sec • Drama / Family ties / Coming-of-age

Raised in a junkyard commune, the arrival of newcomers forces a young girl to question the world her father has created. Director: Joey Knox. *NRFF Film of the Week.

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Smoke That Travels (USA)

13 min 03 sec • Documentary / Web / New Media

What happens when a story is forgotten? A personal documentary by 2016 Sundance Film Festival Ignite Fellow Kayla Briët that explores preservation and loss of Native American culture and her own identity as Prairie Band Potawatomi. Director: Kayla Briët (Young Talent).

Click here for more information.

The Explorer (UK)

7 min 24 sec •  Sci-fi / Drama

A man repeats his daily routine until he discovers colour when removed from the machine that controls him. Director: Noah Ottersen Parker. *NRFF Film of the Week.

Click here for Best Category Nominations!

 

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Animation Short

A short of less than 20 minutes long. The filmmaker can be from anywhere in the world. Prize: Best Animation Short, Official Selection laurels. Shared with other categories: Best Director, Best NR Festival Film, Award of Excellence and Award of Merit.

Official Selection

Daughter Of An Ocean  (USA)

2 min 58 sec •  Animation / Children

By remembering the story of a fish told by her mother, Daughter ‘Suni’ realizes that the story was not just about little fish who wanted to live freely, but was meant for her to understand that she should live her life with freedom, as her mother never did. Director: Kintan Chauhan.

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HeavenKid: Time-Space Door (TW)

10 min 58 sec •  Animation / Children

ToTo by accident opened a device that transformed a chessboard into a Space Door. So, he and Ahya could become anything they wanted, going anywhere they wished. They fought with each other while playing out many different roles. This means they would be locked within, unable to escape. HeavenKid used his magic to awaken them teaching them the book Di-Zi-Gui. Finally, they having learnt their wrongs, corrected their ways, averting the crisis. Director: Derrick Wu.

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Substratae (CAN)

4 min 37 sec •  Animation / Experimental

Substratae provides the audience a glimpse of mythical lives glowing, under the eternal flux, with energies hidden deep within the earth. There is mystery here, and a sense of the otherworldly tempered with a dash of humour. A colourful array of characters interacts with metaphorical electronic components to present vignettes of activity and emotion in a rugged terrain not unlike that found in Iceland. Director: Margie Kelk.

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The Waldgeist & Me (UK)

10 min •  Animation / Dark

A dark tale of Love & Dismemberment. Director: Joe Bichard.

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Prove It (FR)

4 min 22 sec •  Animation / Music

Official animated music video for ‘Prove It’ by avant garde rapper Kool A.D. (prod. Scoop DeVille). Director: Ronald Grandpey.

Click here for Best Category Nominations!

 

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Music Short

A music short of less than 20 minutes long by a UK or international filmmaker. Prize: Best Music Video, Official Selection laurels. Prize: Best Music Video, Official Selection laurels. Shared with other categories: Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best NR Festival Film, Award of Excellence, Award of Merit.

Official Selection

Chicago Toccata & Fugue (AT)

1 min 29 sec  •  Experimental / Web / New Media / Music

The City of Chicago becomes a light show to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, Toccata and fugue in D-minor. Director: Geoff Tompkinson.

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Prove It (FR)

4 min 22 sec •  Animation / Music

Official animated music video for ‘Prove It’ by avant garde rapper Kool A.D. (prod. Scoop DeVille). Director: Ronald Grandpey.

West Side Swordy (USA)

8 min  •  Music / Fantasy / Dance / Adventure

The Jets chase the Sharks through an alleyway and up over a tall fence, when suddenly they find themselves in another world, magically transported into an abandoned warehouse. Where they are controlled by the electronic beat of world-renowned disc jockey, Deamau5. This is an LA West Side Story. A satirical action fantasy inspired by the music of Birnstein, Deadmau5 and Skrillex.  Director: Dan Liu. Writer / Producer: McKay Stewart. *NRFF Film of the Week.

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What You Need (BE)

14 min  •  Music / Reality

The title is the first track released from  Goose’s new album ‘What You Need’. The film is shot in ‘Safari Studios’ used by the band to record their albums. This old building used to be a hotel in the early 1900s, where freak shows were held and others lived a decadent lifestyle. You could say it’s GOOSE’s personal Chateau Marmont. The film is a way of getting deeper into what makes them GOOSE and the essence of their new album. There are Flemish influences, combined with the nightly aesthetics of Downtown Los Angeles.  Director: Willy Vanderperre. *NRFF Film of the Week.

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Click here for Best Category Nominations!

 

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Short Short

A  short of less than 3 minutes long. The filmmaker can be from anywhere in the world. Prize: Best Short Short, Official Selection laurels. Shared with other categories: Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Cinematography, Best NR Festival Film, Award of Excellence and Award of Merit.

Official Selection

An Accident (UK)

2 min  •   Film Noir /  Dark / Drama

A woman on her way to buy fish and chips thinks about a past accident. Director: Rafael Bujosa (First time filmmaker).

Bande de Jeunes (USA)

2 min 11 sec  •  Film Noir / Dark / Comedy

An aging and lonely man comes up with an idea one evening on how to cope with his own sense of fading beauty. Has he found an ingenious solution to his body image issues, or will this temporary solution just make things worse? Director: Devin Doyle.

 Happy Birthday Kevin  (USA)

1 min 11 sec  • Comedy / Coming-of-age

At 15, Kevin risks it all for a shot at greatness. Director: John Psathas.

HyperZooming Through Hallstatt  (AT)

2 min 14 sec  •  Experimental / Web / New Media

The beautiful historic town of Hallstatt is a Unesco World Heritage site in Upper Austria. It is visited by many thousands of tourists each year but perhaps none of them get to see it quite like this. As if on the back of an invisible insect we fly around the sites of this wonderful town in one continuous journey passing through buildings to emerge in different parts of the town, finally ending up on the new viewpoint from Rudolfsturm perched high above the ancient town square. Director: Geoff Tompkinson.

Click here for more information.

Click here for Best Category Nominations!

 

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