FIRST CROSSINGS
Short films from the First Crossings section will take off for the sixth time as part of the Tribute to Vision cross-border film festival. The festival aims to present fresh, innovative and eclectic short films from a wide variety of genres, which aim to discover new film rumors. These are author's works in various forms, animation, video essays, art and music videos, video poetry, and other experimental forms of short films.
M O R E S T O R I E S, L E S S B O R D E R S !
Official Competition
Films in Competition for a Jury Award
Kinemax, Kulturni dom Nova Gorica
The sixth edition of the First Crossing section is finally merging completely with our mother festival Tribute to A Vision IFF. This year was marked by many transforming changes, one of which is that the competitive section no longer has a thematic approach, but instead focuses on films that push boundaries with both visual and storytelling impact. Not only that I was faced with the difficult decision of choosing 12 films out of 150 submissions, but this year I had no topic to guide my programming vision. Burdened with this challenge I was torn between two dilemmas. Choosing high-end films, and educating audiences or giving a stage to new unestablished authors and staying faithful to our motto. If choosing the first I would contribute to the growing, but yet undeveloped trend of short film festivals, which is a tough industry in the region and in order for this market to grow, we need good films. Unfortunately, for us (being a small festival) good films sometimes stand for: films that premiered in Locarno, Venice, Sundance or Annecy, because they are a hook for journalists and cinema-goers. On the other hand if I would give spotlight to new, unheard voices who are experimenting with form and language and desperately need a stage for exercising their skill, I would truly integrate the festival manifesto in the program. Then again, sometimes the border between these two points gets muddled, because films are stretching their configuration in such new interesting ways nowadays. Unconventional films aren’t limited to being innovative in terms of form or content only. Sometimes a protagonist gets so incarnated in the film that he becomes an inherent cinematic characteristic. Sometimes the same thing is embodied through the film rhythm, non-linear storytelling or treatment. Oscillating amongst these two fronts, I diplomatically headed towards balance and harmony in order to reach an unbiased, fair, decent playground supportive of the films competing for a jury award. Furthermore we enlarged the programme with several other uncompetitive sections, to support local filmmakers and encourage young talents in their never-ending search of new languages. Pleased with these intricate decision makings, I realized that sometimes we mimic the openness of the films we see, so I conclude with this thought hoping that the selection itself will shine with the generosity of these remarkable films.
War : Air, Earth, Water (Erik Sémashkin, Ukraine, 2023)
JURY AWARD
Electra (Daria Kashcheeva, Czech Republic, 2023)
Ko plešem, zemlja trepeta (Otto Lazić-Reuschel, Italija, Nemčija)
How I Got my Wrinkles (Claude Delafosse, France, 2023)
Naglodane kosti (Nika Karner, Slovenia, 2023)
L’estate e finita (Laura Samani, Italy, 2023, 15’)
The Silence of The Banana Trees (Eneos Çarka, Hungary, 2023)
Before After (Filip Bojarski, Poland, 2023)
Human Resources (Trinidad Plass Caussade, Titouan Tillier, Isaac Wenzek, France, 2023)
At Little Wheelie Three Days Ago
(Andrew Stephen Lee, USA, 2023)
The Fruit Tree (Isabelle Tollenaere, Belgium, 2023)
SPECIAL MENTION
Kalitev (Ivana Vogrinc Vidali, Czech Republic, 2023)
Eclectic Cinema: Life or Death
Films In Competition For An Audience Award
Gallery Tir
First Crossings presents an additional slot to this year’s rich programing menu entitled: “Life or death”. This ever-intriguing opposition, floating on the borderline of our reality encapsulates six films of different types and genres all of which carry a melancholic dramatic impulse. Introducing existential topics based on the polarity of our lives, but also on the supernatural forces that govern it, this new segment will shine on the big screen on the opening festival day (Monday 16.10) at the gallery in Mostovna to warm us up for the upcoming festival days. The audience plays an integral part in this unit, with each individual spectator who will cast a determining vote for the award-winning film. To audiences and filmmakers, to life and death, to past and future, we celebrate these films as they remind us of our own delicacy and transience.
AUDIENCE AWARD
Ghosts (Teboho Edkins, South Africa, 2023)
My Childhood Friend (Maïté Lottin, France, 2023)
Miracasas (Raphaëlle Stolz, Augusto Zanovello, Switzerland)
Summer 96' (Mathilde Bédouet, France)
Shadow of the Butterflies (Sofia El Khyari, Morocco)
The Hollow (Jean-Jacques Martinod, Bretta C. Walker, USA)
Beneath the customs officer's window
A selection of experimental films
Carinarnica
First Crossings shall transform the former building of the customs office, which now serves as a unified cultural hub, into a hybrid cinema space, open to the public during the entire festival period (16-22 October). Ten incredible films revolving around the topic of discrimination, police brutality, political/societal systems, money, happiness, freedom, colonization and so much more are to be shown on loop exclusively on the margin between Slovenia and Italy. What better place to display radical contemporary films that strive to show the complexity of our world in a nutshell? What better audience than the armed policemen who guard us from “intruders” on a regular basis in the glaring light of high noon?
We introduce this slot to support and encourage authors who are the brave voices of today’s activist cinema, but also to bring film closer to audiences outside of the conventional movie theaters and back on the street. For film shouldn’t be exclusive, but film ought to be for anyone and everyone. So, although this slot is out of competition, the value it carries might cause a greater stimulating impact than the competition selection projected at the house of films. We warmly invite you to visit this window of opportunity on its inaugurating day (Monday 16.10) or any other festival day.
Fearkingdom (Kornél Szilágyi, Linn Löffler, Germany)
Not Go Gentle (Sasha Ihnatovich, Slovenia)
Money and Happiness (Ana Nedeljković, Nikola Majdak Jr, Srbia)
Thou Art Thyself (Rajat Sharma, Slovenia)
I Reflect (Toma Kirina, Slovenia)
The Steps That Are Not Lost To Everyone (Lise Rémon, France)
45th Parallel (Lawrence Abu Hamdan, UK)
In A Nutshell (Fabio Friedli, Switzerland)
Moune Ô (Maxime Jean-Baptiste, Belgium)
The Corona Shelter (Valerie Wolf Gang, Slovenia)
Študentski kratki filmi
Mostovna
School of Arts of the University of Nova Gorica
Every year, a large number of films are made at the School of Arts, which students create as part of various programs. Each film or animation is a project that represents each individual student. In the selection of this year's edition of First Crossings, we will show six works that are very different from each other, both in terms of story and technique. Some of them are graduate productions that were financially supported, and some were created as part of lectures, without financial support.
The program begins with the film Kletka iz papirja, in which a mother and son strengthen their bond through arguments and love. If it was being built before, it will now be demolished. The animation Dismorfija is about self-image and how it can paralyze our everyday life. Next comes the action film Pet sekund slave, which is about a dream that many people would like to have, but on the other hand, some people don't want fame, but they just want to breathe, which is presented to us by the animation Pustite mi dihati. The next is a documentary called Zbulimi, in which the sensitive story of an Albanian grandmother who talks to her granddaughter about her past is presented. And finally, the dark but fun animation Sabotaža, which talks about how our own thoughts can sabotage us if we only let them.
Kletka iz papirja (Una Savić, 2022, 11’)
Pustite mi dihati (Katarina Brglez, 2023, 3’)
Dismorfija (Amadeja Kirbiš, 2021, 4’)
Zbulimi (Arta Kroni, 2022, 7’)
Pet Sekund Slave (Filip Sluga, 2023, 16’)
Sabotaža (Neda Ivanović, 2023, 2’)
DAMS Cinema Università degli studi di Udine
This year, the DAMS students from University of Udine are presenting their work they realized during the courses of Digital filmmaking and Video Production held by Thomas Sheridan and Ludovica Fales, Post-production and audiovisual and multimedia distribution held by Professor Federico Millevoi, Cartoon animation and graphics by Professor Marco Devetak and finally the works realized during the course of Preservation and enhancement of the film heritage by Professor Simone Venturini.
The first works that we will see will focus on the forms of the documentary, ranging from more canonical forms to more experimental approaches. Then, we will screen works more distinctly narrative including an original script and an adaptation that will face the theme of death in a grotesque and unexpected way. The animation movies will explore the theme of the dream ranging from the reverie to more psychedelic forms. At the end of the screenings we will see the works realized during the seminar Culture del riuso held by Dario Rizzo; these works are the results of the digitalization of home movies thanks to the project Memorie animate di una regione.
Aquí te espero (Alex Aprile, Chiara Feltrin, Irene Fontanini, Patrick Inglese, Michele Zanette, 2023, 4')
G.A.S. (Tommaso Basso, Noel Capezza, Sofia Filomena Glaneo, Elia Vittorio Lessio, Karen Toniutti, 2023, 5')
Carne (Isabella Maria Azzini, Arianna Bruno, Elena Girotto, Emma Lavarone, 2022, 7')
Gente che non capisce (Lamberto Leghissa, 2023, 2')
Non è stato il Bianconiglio (Arianna Iacobucci, 2022, 12')
/e.mu.vwar/ (Nicolas Cook, Davide Fichera, Elisa Giordano, Emma Lavarone, 2023, 3')
Abuse – All Your Memories, Violated (Ivan Perissinotto, 2023, 3')
Short Films by Teenage Filmakers
Mostovna
Nova Gorica Grammar School - Theater and Film Major
The Nova Gorica Art High School - Theater and Film Major - also joins First Crossings program. Starting from the 2017/18 school year, students can intertwine their enthusiasm for film into the school curriculum, acquire knowledge and skills in the field of cinema, and create their first film projects. The festival program will include four of them, ranging from visual reflections on the death of a grandmother, a journey in the grip of sleepless nights and unexpected encounters, to a parody of a western and also documenting a true event - the burning of a village.
Marmelada (Lina Bensa, Italija, Slovenija, 2022, 11')
Do zadnjega palca (Jakob Pavlin, Slovenija, 2022, 6')
Klic noči (Emil Sabadini, Slovenija, 2022, 10')
Požig vasi Ustje (Karin Vončina, Slovenija, 2023)
CHS Villach
CHS Villach is presenting short films and videos for the first time in Gorizia/Nova Gorica. Approximately 200
students aged 16-19 produce short films, animated films and reports and are supported by classes in film,
computer animation and audio technology. The works from the CHS Villach have been awarded prizes at
numerous festivals and film competitions in recent years: Media Literacy Award in Vienna, Projekt Europa in
Vienna, YOUKI in Wels, K3 Film Festival in Villach, Video and Film Tage in Vienna. The films were also shown
internationally, e.g. at the Reel Women Festival in Palm Springs, California, at the Student World Impact Film
Festiva in New York or at TalentCamp23 at the Swiss Youth Film Festival in Zurich. Thanks to the First Crossing
Festival, the cross-border exchange of film and film culture in this border region with three languages in the
middle of Europe has great potential and we are happy to be part of it.
Hannes Rauchberger, Arnold Pöschl
Teacher, Supervisor