When octogenarian Beatrice receives a call from a scammer, she falls into his trap and agrees to ‘lend’ him her nest-egg. 

The dénouement is unexpected, humorous and empowering.

‘Scammed’ was produced by an elderly cast and crew embracing modern production technology.

&nbsp;When 80-year-old Beatrice receives a call from a scammer, she promptly falls into his trap. "Who? Who is it?" Beatrice asks. The scammer parries until he’s rewarded with, "Oh, is that you Dan?"
And then, under substantial pressure and a promise to repay the ‘loan’ within a week, Beatrice agrees to lend ‘Dan’ her hip-replacement nest-egg.
Pleased with the prospect of $30,000 the scammer warns her not to tell anyone and so the story progresses with a surprise ending that will delight, empower, and possibly induce a few fist pumps.&nbsp;

Scammed is an ensemble piece - involving 20 elderly actors, four locations, 7 sets, and nearly 100 costume changes. Oh, and a cat.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Scammed

Stacey And Her Toy Duck

Mehak and Sahir grew up together in the remote village of Neru, Gurez, Jammu and Kashmir. Childhood friends, they later realize they are in love. However, their families oppose the marriage due to their different castes. Unable to handle the situation, Sahir runs away to Mumbai to pursue his dreams. Three years later, he returns home to care for his ailing father and reconnects with Mehak, sparking old feelings.

Mehak and Sahir have grown up together in the remote village of Neru, Gurez District of Jammu and Kashmir. From being childhood friends they become young adults who realise that they were in love.
But when they approach their parents they realise something they were never conscious about. They belonged to two different castes and their families were not agreeable to them marrying.
Sahir cannot deal with the situation and runs away to Mumbai to peruse his dreams. He returns home after three years to attend to his ailing father. That is when he meets Mehak once again....

Kagazi Naav (The Paper Boat)

A food delivery rider's life is turned upside down, as personal obligations clash with professional responsibilities.

A food delivery rider's life is turned upside down, as personal obligations clash with professional responsibilities.

The Cyclist


A young woman who can access multiple versions of herself across the Multiverse is on the run from various malicious forces out to get her while trying to overcome her greatest struggle: loneliness.

The origin of this film began when I once stumbled upon this wild theory that what if schizophrenia was really just people experiencing other parallel universes. Of course, the flipside of that is more likely, where people who think they're experiencing alternate realities are actually just suffering from the symptoms of schizophrenia, a serious mental illness that affects around 1% of the population worldwide.

The scientific and philosophical concept of the multiverse has long fascinated me, having read into the research on quantum mechanics and its existential implications. I also wanted to portray some of the experiences and symptoms of those diagnosed with schizophrenia to shed light on such a misunderstood condition, which has often been portrayed negatively in media in the past.

The choice to shoot it on an iPhone rather than cinema rigged cameras was a last minute decision when the production schedule kept getting delayed due to various factors. With a deadline looming, I opted to use my iPhone 14 Pro as the camera of choice as well as my 11-inch iPad Pro M2 as a wireless remote and monitor.

Shooting on a smartphone allowed me incredible agility in the production where I was able to accomplish principal filming within a single day. With the ability to shoot in the industry-standard ProRes codec as well as in an equivalent Arri Alexa Log-C colour profile via a paid professional camera app (Protake+) I didn't have to sacrifice quality while achieving efficiency in workflow.&nbsp;

The Multiverse Syndrome

Semi-autobiographical film that narrates the story of an proud filmmaker Sid Mehra falling in love for the first time and over two decades becoming cynical about love and the changing landscape of queer rights in India in the year 1999.

‘Pine Cone’ is a semi-autobiographical film that narrates the story
of an out-and-proud filmmaker Sid Mehra falling in love for the first
time and over two decades becoming cynical about love.
The backdrop of the story is the changing landscape of queer rights in India:
the year 1999, when the first gay pride took place in Kolkata; 2009, when the
Delhi High Court decriminalized homosexuality (a ruling overturned in 2012);
and finally in 2019 when homosexuality had again been decriminalized by
the Supreme Court of India.

Pine Cone

Estranged siblings Elizabeth and Danny reunite in their childhood home after the death of their eccentric mother. Without a will or any instructions, old wounds are quickly reopened and disagreements abound. A Ouija board may be the only way for “Mom” to provide the guidance they both desperately seek.


Estranged siblings Elizabeth and Danny reunite in their childhood home after the death of their eccentric mother. Without a will or any instructions, old wounds are quickly reopened and disagreements abound. A Ouija board may be the only way for “Mom” to provide the guidance they both desperately seek.

Ashes to Dust

In a near future, Adam's life unravels as eerie visions of his sister Claudia, drenched in seawater and shadows, haunt him. Society teeters on collapse, with chips governing minds and drones enforcing laws. Struggling to grasp reality, Adam confronts dark truths of his past as Claudia nears a dangerous, irreversible cliff edge. Based on the first chapter of my feature"After Adam," this short is a visually stunning, mind-bending exploration of control, sacrifice, and the cost of life.

In a not-so-distant future, Adam lives in a world where technology dictates emotion, thought, and reality itself. Society teeters on the edge of collapse, Adam's life begins to unravel when eerie visions of his sister Claudia, drenched in seawater and shadows, haunt his every step. In a world where chips govern minds and drones enforce laws, Adam grapples with forces far beyond his control. As his grip on reality slips, he must confront the dark truths of his past and the growing storm within, all while Claudia inches closer to a dangerous, irreversible choice. 
This short is based off the first chapter of my script "After Adam" which is a visually stunning, mind-bending journey that explores control, sacrifice, and the terrifying cost of survival in a world on fire.

After Adam

The icy professional exterior of Sahar fractures when she learns of her grandmother's death. Faced with a forgotten box of childhood memories she finds a way to reunite with her....

Sahar is a no-nonsense executive, an immigrant with no prospect of returning to her home country.... not even upon learning of her grandmother's death. At home, as a plumber attends to a problem, she encounters a long-forgotten box. Distracted by it, she opens it to find long-forgotten mementos, among them a photo of her grandmother, and a recipe passed down to her.... a reconnection to her past.

Home-Made

Chae-hyun and Jung-su, a couple in their 5th year of dating, on their way back from their 5th anniversary trip to Yecheon, a painting of purity. When they accumulate in a trip, they fight over work. In particular, Chae-hyun doesn't like her sun cap. How to be the opposite when you love. With Jung-su's fart, the mood is getting bigger, but she gets to eat at a rest area, and Chae-hyun talks about a flower bud. "You can become a beautiful flower only when you blow your ears." How do they reconcile

Flower Fart

Rafa is recovering herself when something that should not have happened occurs.


Rafa is a young girl whose university degree was photography and she likes to become a singer, and to do so and reach this purpose she has to immigrate to another country where women are allowed to sing. Shas a complicated and difficult past due to her father’s mistake and is now nursing a paralyzed and disabled old man to hide herself, and she is looking forward a better future in a new world.&nbsp;

Rafa

In the new short film by a young director, the experience of war is embodied in an unusual genre – fantasy. The fate of Ukraine and the world is in the girls’ hands. Schoolgirl Slava faces trials and acts despite everything. And the Keeper, who embodies our nature, magical, fragile – and eternally alive, and therefore invincible.

&nbsp;Synopsis In the new short film by a young director, the experience of war is embodied in an unusual genre – fantasy. The fate of Ukraine and the world is in the girls’ hands. Schoolgirl Slava faces trials and acts despite everything. And the Keeper, who embodies our nature, magical, fragile – and eternally alive, and therefore invincible.&nbsp;
Director Bio^
&nbsp;Elina Myshanych – young actress and director, 14 years old, Kyiv. Studied in Virtual Club (London Film School), online-lab “Yellow Bus” (Kyiv), Kids Movie Film School (Kyiv). Author of the four short fiction films and the short doc film, got some festival prizes in Ukraine, Europe, USA and Australia. Elina is an actress in professional industry, recently she acted the leading teen role in Ukrainian 8-episodes TV-series. She is in Kyiv now.&nbsp;
Director Statement if any 
Cinema for me is to come up with a story, characters, and then bring it all to life on screen.&nbsp;

About:&nbsp;
Previously, I always acted in my short films only myself, but for “Mystery of the Keeper” I decided to invite other actors and work with them as a director. &nbsp;
Sasha and Masha, the twins who played Slava’s friends, have been going to the Poglyad Theater Studio with me for six years. We acted in the different plays together. Sasha and Masha are an actors, they played in TV series and adds. &nbsp;

I met Masha, who played the antagonist Liza, when we were 8-9 years old on the set of the series. Masha is an actress, a front girl in the rock band and a director. Recently she made her first short film and it was screening on some festivals. &nbsp;

Sasha who played Misha, Slava`s friend, isn’t an actor. He’s my classmate and a friend. I could invite a boy-actor for this role, but only Sasha seemed very similar to character of my film. &nbsp;

I was making “Mystery of the Keeper” a whole year, in autumn, winter, spring and summer. I didn’t have any budget for filming so I was free and could work for so long.&nbsp;
But a little secret: I shot autumn and spring in one day in Sasha’s scenes. It was in the spring and for the autumn scene I collected and saved yellow leaves.&nbsp;

I played two characters in this short film myself, Slava and the Keeper. So I had to change clothes on the location for a many times. But I tried to play it so that these two characters differed not only by clothes. Slava is an ordinary schoolgirl and the Keeper is a magical creature. &nbsp;

I think, it`s important to share this story with the young people all over the world. Maybe the world is tired or documentary from Ukraine, but this fantasy story would refresh emotions about the war in our country. We still need the help!&nbsp;&nbsp;

Mystery of the Keeper

Wartime winter Kyiv. Maryna, a girl detective, is searching for missing people with her partner, an IT expert. This time a little girl has disappeared, and searching for her Maryna has to go through a mysterious quest. This is a mystical detective story about a childhood lost in the war.

&nbsp;Synopsis: Wartime winter Kyiv. Maryna, a girl detective, is searching for missing people with her partner, an IT expert. This time a little girl has disappeared, and searching for her Maryna has to go through a mysterious quest. This is a mystical detective story about a childhood lost in the war.&nbsp;

Director Bio:
Elina Myshanych – young actress and director, 14 years old, Kyiv. Studied in Virtual Club (London Film School), online-lab “Yellow Bus” (Kyiv), Kids Movie Film School (Kyiv). Author of the four short fiction films and the short doc film, got some festival prizes in Ukraine, Europe, USA and Australia. Elina is an actress in professional industry, recently she acted the leading teen role in Ukrainian 8-episodes TV-series. She is in Kyiv now.&nbsp;

Director Statement if any – Cinema for me is to come up with a story, characters, and then bring it all to life on screen.&nbsp;

About:&nbsp;
I made my short film “Adult” when the electricity went out for a long time because of Russian missile attacks. So we had a long vacation at school – a good time to make the film. &nbsp;

Our crew on “Adult” was consisted of me and my mom. She was a cameraman when I worked as an actress. Before filming I draw storyboards, then on the location I set up the camera and asked my mom to shoot, and I was going into the frame.&nbsp;

“Adult” is a winter story. I was always waiting for a lot of snow to fall. We reshot some scenes because there was a little snow at first, but a few days later there was as much snow as we needed.&nbsp;

It was very cold all time because I had to be without a hat: my character Maryna is adult, she doesn`t wear it. After that I promised myself that I would never shoot a film in winter again. But the next film, “Mystery of the Keeper”, I shot mostly in winter too.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Adult

A teenage boy finds out a colossal monument that stood in his childhood playground is missing. He starts reminiscing about the best moments he had around that statue, revealing a painful truth he is forced to accept.

A teenage boy finds out a colossal monument that stood in his childhood playground is missing. He starts reminiscing about the best moments he had around that statue, revealing a painful truth he is forced to accept.

The Night The Monster Disappeared

'The Rectangle Love Triangle' follows Nathan's quest for love takes a wild turn when he ignites a passionate yet short-lived affair with an older man named Coop. Determined to move on, he meets Tray and falls into a new relationship. However, a dinner with Tray's parents takes a shocking twist.

The Rectangle Love Triangle 

The river takes one of them every year.

Season of Signos

Can Letty get through the day? Just the morning would be goo

Undiagnosed is one woman trying to battle through her morning to get things done. Is she undiagnosed? She doesn’t know but things always take a lot longer than expected. Especially when there are a lot of things to distract you.

Undiagnosed

A man must get his distant stepbrother to the funeral of an unlikeable family friend to appease his Mother.

A Little Strange

A man goes in search of his dreams, but is caught between homesickness and attachment to his new home.

Bittersweet Home

When Isabella checks into a therapy clinic she is introduced to three other girls with similar issues. Each girl is assigned a partner to work with them in the program. As things don't go the way they expect, they make a pact to cheat the program and unfortunately suffer the consequences.

This film was written and performed by the Advanced Teenage group of The Hills Drama School for the purpose of entering into SF3 SmartFone FlickFest 2024.

When Isabella checks into a therapy clinic she is introduced to three other girls with similar issues. Each girl is assigned a partner to work with them in the program. As things don't go the way they expect, they make a pact to cheat the program and unfortunately suffer the consequences. This film was written and performed by the Advanced Teenage group of The Hills Drama School for the purpose of entering into SF3 SmartFone FlickFest 2024.

Voices Unheard

Amy sees a grief counsellor, but the Zoom session takes an unexpected turn.

Amy sees a grief counsellor, but the Zoom session takes an unexpected turn.

The Goat

Mackenzie and her brother don’t get along, but after he passes away from a car accident, she gets the opportunity to counsel two siblings who also don’t get along and have also just been in a car accident. While she gets to know them, she begins to discover that there may be more that happened on the night of their accident than they are both telling her.

LIAR

Che-Ning watches A-Hu and his mother quarreling in the night market, but is attracted by a peculiar sound. He runs to play with La-A, and the luminescent shoes mark with time were captured in the dark night. This reveals a melancholy beauty that A-Hu has glimpsed in the corner of his eye.


Taiwan Film Direactor:I can’t explain why I want to pursue film, I just like it. Don’t just wait and hope for good luck to land, but put down roots. Fun fact:In order to become the character in the play, He cut more than 200 pineapples in training
True Story:Che-ning is the daughter of a photographer. Recording her daughter without any distance before twilight.&nbsp;

Dimming

A clone made by barns lab was released by a hacker. 

A clone made by barns lab was released by a hacker. The police search for the clone but he isn't as deadly as they think. The clone gets to meet his own clone!

Cloned

A boy receives a weekend project from his teacher to go out into the community and find a way to create positivity. He reluctantly takes on the project to avoid any trouble from his parents. The project takes him on an unexpected journey of self-discovery as well as finding out the true meaning of creating positivity.

The Positivity Project

This project is about a young girl, Sadie who has a passion for art and likes to vlog the process of her artwork. while doing her vlogs her peers are school make fun of her artwork and put her down. due to this she slowly loses her passion for art.

Sunny Blues 

A young man, in a remote part of the Solomon Islands, needs to feed his growing family.  

Real-life in the Solomon Islands, capturing the soul of these resourceful people.
Location: Kagata Village, Kia District, Ysabel Province, Solomon Islands.
Language: Solomon Pijin (English subtitles)

Hungere Nao

A Chilean man on walkabout in the Canadian wilderness has his principles put to the test after he punctures the fabric of reality.

Bullseye Butterfly

Two friendly middle-aged couples are experiencing twin problems - boredom, burnout, an increasing number of mutual grievances, daily "reminiscences" and accusations. They have endless discussions about the crisis and ideas for overcoming the problems.  

Two friendly middle-aged couples are experiencing twin problems - boredom, burnout, an increasing number of mutual grievances, daily "reminiscences" and accusations. They have endless discussions about the crisis and ideas for overcoming the problems. Mikołaj and the lost Jacek - are tossed around in emotional dependencies, in each subsequent scene and conversation revealing their weaknesses, complexes and a very unique view of their love life. Four independent characters - the perfect Monika, an independent artist Anka, a self-confident and successful man. Each of them has been thinking about leaving their current partner for a long time, but no one is able to take such a radical step. Their emotional activity comes down to subsequent 'decisive, final conversations, which, however, do not lead to any specific solutions. One day, inspired by Jacek's monologue, Mikołaj comes up with a great idea. The carousel of events begins to run.&nbsp;

Salted Caramel

Ho Man Ho grew up with his father telling tales of their ancestor Ho Man and his great treasures, and has always believed that the land Ho Man Tin was acquired by Ho Man who resides there.  Since young, Ho Man Ho has explored the area, looking for the legendary treasures.  After his father passed, Ho Man Ho moved away to pursue his career.  Having all grown up, he happened to pass by Ho Man Tin again, revisiting his childhood memories…

Director Statement:
“HoManHo in HoManTin” was shot in Ho Man Tin, an ordinary Hong Kong residential area with deep personal significance as my birthplace and childhood home.
This short film was shot entirely with a mobile phone, taking the audience along for treasure hunt in a candid, spontaneous way; the stripping down of techniques remind us of our humble beginnings. The coming of age leads us all into a maze where we feel lost, and this film aims to recall that limitless imagination for possibilities from our childhood.  Born and bred into this city’s heartbeat, let us find the direction of our hearts.
I filmed this film to express my gratitude to my hometown, and to record it during this time of change in Hong Kong. I wanted to capture Ho Man Tin from both a child’s imaginative perspective, as well as through the nostalgic lens of an adult. This place will always hold dreams and passion for me despite transformations.

HoManHo in HoManTin

	A ride-hailing driver, facing a series of misfortunes, buys a fish to release in hopes of changing his luck. However, he discovers that he can understand the fish's speech. At the fish's request, he postpones his release plans. Meanwhile, memories of a childhood chemical factory persistently resurface in his mind.


I aim to tell a lighthearted and amusing story that brings warmth while subtly revealing the inescapable loneliness present in contemporary society.
The film alternates between three types of visual materials: the flickering light and shadows of diary films, the narrative told through black-and-white images, and the raw, unedited footage. These elements interact in unique ways, creating a special dynamic.
I also want to capture fragments of the times within the narrative. In this era, the smartphone has become the most widely used tool for capturing images, serving as a testament to the time itself. Thus, I chose to use it as my filming tool.

The Vanished River and the Thing

In NYC, five strangers' lives intersect in unexpected ways, revealing the subtle interconnectedness between them as they navigate personal struggles. 

One day in NYC the lives of five people cross paths with each other in unexpected ways, revealing the subtle yet important interconnectedness of their lives as they grapple with their own issues and try to make sense of the chaos that surrounds them. Love is a complicated and messy thing, and sometimes it takes being broken to find the pieces that fit.&nbsp;

Broken Pieces

A young artist contemplates the value of holding onto the past, or whether it’s time to start afresh no matter how difficult it may be.

A young artist contemplates the value of holding onto the past, or whether it's time to start afresh no matter how difficult it may be.
We love happy endings, but that's not always how things turn out. This naturalist-inspired short film conveys the air of desolation that accompanies big changes and decisions. That's not to say that change is just a daunting prospect, not at all! But rather the outcome may not be what you expect…

a new page

Five friends decide to have a casual get-together that quickly takes a sinister turn when they play a game of Truth or Dare. Their dirty secrets are quickly uncovered.

Friends Kayleigh, Chris, Jeri, and Naomi hang out like any other day. Things take an intresting turn when Kayleigh invites her friend Rose to join them. Little does she know this very action will cause the seams of all her friendships to fall apart as a sinister game of truth or dare begins.&nbsp;

Truth or Dare

On a frozen tundra, a coat gives more than heat to a grief stricken girl.

The Coat

A girl deals with the emotional aftermath of a bad night out

“Tonight” was spontaneously created in one evening. Jasmine and Mel were hanging out and decided to just “make a short film!"
 They grabbed their camera and starting shooting, they watched a story unfold with the shots, added a voice over on top, quickly composed some music and voila!
 Jasmine and Mel have studied acting and film making together at Sydney Actors School and since graduating have been working on their own web series and short film, they are so grateful to be a part of this years festival.

Tonight

A woman confronts her cheating husband in an abandoned train tunnel.

An abandoned railway tunnel connects the towns of Port Smithton and Crawley’s Crossing. When Jason loses his licence to a DUI, he must walk the tunnel to visit Natasha. They have been having an affair for two years and now she is pregnant. Natasha texts Jason’s wife, begging her to let Jason go so they can be together. The next time Jason leaves home to walk to Natasha’s, his wife drives to the other end of the tunnel and walks in to meet him in the middle. There, she confronts him about the affair.

HOME / ALL FILMS / drama