Short Films Competition 2019
Over a number of months earlier in the year, Abertoir has been receiving short films for our competition. The response was phenomenal, we had entries from all over the world but sadly there just wasn't enough room to show all of the excellent entries. The final selection will be screened during the festival and we're sure you will agree that the quality of the work has never been better! The shorts will be divided over two sessions.
There will be two prizes on offer. The first being the Abertoir prize, and the second is the Méliès d'Argent (only for European films).
As part of Abertor's role in the Méliès International Festivals Federation, our short films competition will award a Short Film Méliès d'Argent. This is an internationally recognised prize specific to the Federation and is a testimony to the talented filmmakers in Europe. The winner of our Short Film Méliès d'Argent will go forward to the final lineup at one of the major European festivals for the prestigious Méliès d'Or Award for the Best European Fantastic Short Film. All our European short films are eligible.
SHORT FILMS COMPETITION SCHEDULE
Part One: Wednesday 20th November
L'Auxiliaire, El Cuento, The Cunning Man, Dog Skin, Flowers, The Game, Hopes, Ida, Limbo
Part Two: Thursday 21st November
Midnight, The Original, Paranoia, Rain Catcher, Retch, Swipe, Unmade, Where Blood Lies, Wild Will
L'Auxiliaire
(Frederic Plasman, Belgium 2018, 9 minutes)
Alone in front of her reflection in a collapsing world, someone desperate, feeling unfairly discredited, is going to end it all. But who is she and why?
El Cuento
(Lucas Paulino & Ángel Torres, Spain 2019, 9 minutes)
A witch observing from the apartment across the street and a story no child should ever hear...
The Cunning Man
(Zoe Dobson, UK 2019, 13 minutes)
The Cunning Man is inspired by a real Cunning Man, John Harries (c.1785 - 1839). It's an enchanted tale of compassion in the face of callous greed.
Dog Skin
(Tiago Teixeira, UK 2019, 13 minutes)
A man is haunted by visions of a dog that transforms into a mysterious woman every night. As he loses his grip with reality, his obsession takes a dark turn. Based on a fable from the Indian Folklore.
Flowers
(Ismene Daskarolis, Poland/Greece 2019, 4 minutes)
When Gal opens the door to the forest, she's immediately captivated by it. She is looking for her favourite thing in the world. But outside is not like her.
The Game
(Rogger Vergara Adrianzén, Peru 2019, 15 minutes)
Elira wakes up in a dark room. When turning on the lights, she discovers a strange being on the other side of the room that imitates all her movements and has the key to leave the place. Elira will have to use her wits to escape.
Hopes
(Raúl Monge, Spain 2019, 10 minutes)
Hopes tells the story of a pair of homeless people; a little girl and her hooded companion who wander the streets looking for food and begging. Only when they return to the "home" do we discover that their relationship is based on a very particular dependence.
Ida
(Cassiano Prado, Brazil 2018, 9 minutes)
Rosa is a sceptical mother who denies there is more to her daughter's rejection than a pure tantrum.
Limbo
(Dani Viqueira Carballal, Spain 2018, 15 minutes)
When Xose doesn´t manage to adapt to his new life, he gets pulled into a self-destructive spiral.
Midnight
(Katie Bonham, UK 2019, 8 minutes)
When strange manifestations begin to haunt Eddie, he is forced to uncover the dark and disturbing history of his home in this unsettling tale of regret and abandonment.
The Original
(Michelle Garza Cervera, UK 2018, 13 minutes)
In The Original we follow Alana, a woman struggling to keep her relationship alive as her partner suffers with a debilitating illness. A new medical procedure offers the answer to their prayers, but not without forcing her to make one last sacrifice.
Paranoia
(Katherine Lindhorst, UK 2019, 4 minutes)
Paranoia is a surreal, body and psychological horror narrative following a woman and her descent into madness after she discovers she is being secretly watched in her home.
Rain Catcher
(Michele Fiascaris, UK 2018, 15 minutes)
Rain Catcher is a neo-noir about a young photographer haunted by a mysterious man appearing in his pictures.
Retch
(Kier Siewert, UK 2018, 4 minutes)
A visceral horror rollercoaster in which a young woman's illness takes a disturbing turn...
Swipe
(Neils Bourgonje, Netherlands 2019, 6 minutes)
A girl finds out that she has a match on a dating app with a stranger, despite swiping him to the left moments ago. She starts to fear that the man is dangerously close to her.
Unmade
(Steven Sheil, UK 2019, 10 minutes)
Sophia is being haunted by the spirit of her dead husband Adam, and visits Charlotte, a spiritualist, in the hopes of being able to speak to him one last time. Charlotte makes contact with the spirit world and summons Adam, but the reunion is not a happy one...
Where Blood Lies
(Byron Qiao, USA 2019, 10 minutes)
A Romanian Hunter must protect his village from the Nazis who are hunting a vampire.
Wild Will
(Alan King, Australia 2019, 13 minutes)
When the neighbourhood dogcatcher William Page is found wandering the streets disorientated, he is brought back to the local police station for assistance. However the situation soon disintegrates into hell on earth.
