Short Film Competition-I

14th INTERNATIONAL GOLDEN SCALE SHORT FILM COMPETITION

*Short Film Competition-I

*Çıkışlar Tımarhaneden / Exit Through the Cuckoo's Nest

*İbrahim / Abraham

*Leela / Leela

*Ekimde Gün Ortası / October Noon

*Neredeyse Kesinlikle Yanlış / Almost Certainly False

Exit Through the Cuckoo’s Nest - Nikola Ilić

“Exit Through the Cuckoo’s Nest” is an autobiographical documentary about a soldier who refused to fight during the Yugoslav Wars. The film tells the story of Serbian director Nikola Ilić, whose younger years spent in the counterculture scene in 1990s Belgrade comes to an abrupt end with the outbreak of the war and his draft to military service. Having made its world premiere at the 2024 Visions du Réel International Film Festival’s Medium Length and Short Film Competition, the film transforms into a subjective war diary through the director's archive from the 1990s, as well as footage shot specifically for the film using thermal and surveillance cameras. 

*2024 Beldocs Documentary Festival, Serbian Competition, Best Editing 

*2024 Visions du Réel Film Festival, Official competition

* 2024 Official selection:

DokuFest, Guanajuato, Bolton

Abraham - Elnaz Ghaderpour, Reza Gamini

“Abraham” is a family drama set in a small, devout village in Iran. Transgender teenager Abraham’s body is found in a cave, murdered and burned. The main suspect in the horrific murder is his devout father. The testimonies of his mother and sister are of great importance for the case. The women in the family speak up, but will the legal system of Iran, where LGBTQ+ individuals are under great pressure, punish the murderer and ensure that justice is served? 

*2024 Vicoli Corti Film Festival, Short Film Special Mention 

*2024 Official selection:

Krakow, Drama 

Leela - Tanmay Chowdhary

In a coastal village in India, a young woman named Leela disappears. Rumors spread about her fate, ranging from fleeing to the city to committing suicide. As two of Leela's friends walk through the village discussing the incident, a broader picture of women's lives in the village and in India begins to emerge. In his fictional short film “Leela”, Tanmay Chowdhary shows a powerful picture of the often-discussed subject of being a woman in India.

*2024 San Sebastian Film Festival, Zabaltegi-Tabakalera

October Noon - Francisco Rodríguez Teare

"The city was paralyzed by barricades, fires... President Piñera was eating pizza in a rich neighborhood." Four friends and a sound technician sitting on San Cristobel Hill overlooking Santiago recall the anti-government protests in Chile in 2019. Their conversation ranges from the disappointment with police violence during the protests that deeply affected Chile, to cinema and hope. Director Francisco Rodriguez Teare, looks at his country's recent history in his documentary “October Noon”, accompanied by testimonies and images from the city.

*2024 Toronto Film Festival, Wavelengths

*2024 New York Film Festival, Currents

Almost Certainly False - Cansu Baydar

Having fled the war in Syria, Hanna and her young brother Nader have ended up in a run-down neighborhood of Istanbul. Hanna spends her days learning nail design to earn a living while dreaming of finding a way to migrate to Germany. In her debut film “Almost Certainly False”, Cansu Baydar builds a strong character in Hanna, positioning her against the harshness of the discrimination and prejudice faced by refugees in everyday life in Türkiye. 

*2024 Venedik Film Festival, Orizzonti

*2024 Baku Film Festival, Best Short Film

*2024 Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, Best Short Film