EUNIC Short Shorts Film Festival 2024: A Must-Do

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What is EUNIC Short Shorts Film Festival?

“Action, comedy, animation, doc, fiction – expect this and more from Short Shorts from Europe Film Festival – a selection of European short films from twelve member countries of EUNIC Ireland”. We are talking about Austria, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxemburg, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain, which will entertain you with a variety of genres.

All films are in English or with English subtitles.

When and Where is the Eunic Short Shorts Film Festival?

It started the 10th of October in Galway at Pálás Cinema and a week later in TUS Limerick School of Art & Design, Millennium Theatre. But now it’s the turn of Dublin, precisely November 6th at the Light House Cinema (Market Square, Smithfield). Last but not least, the final destination of the Festival will be Cork, the 11th of November, at Arc Cinema.

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Who is behind the EUNIC Short Shorts Film Festival?

Behind this film festival there is a European network that is called EUNIC, short for European Union National Institutes for Culture. It’s a collaboration between European national institutes and national bodies engaged in cultural and related activities beyond their national borders.

For example, EUNIC Ireland members are the notorious Alliance Française, the Italian Institute of Culture, the Goethe-Institut and the other embassies of Croatia, Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Greece, Hungary, Cyprus, and many more.

Why should you attend the EUNIC Short Shorts Film Festival?

You should definitely attend the EUNIC Film Festival because it can be an opportunity to embrace the beauty and nuances of different cultures, while immersing yourself into amazing experimental visions and storytelling.

This kind of film festival introduces you to a varied collection of short films that reflect European culture and contemporary themes. It can be a chance to question yourself about different aspects of life, for example exploring identity and belonging, migration, resilience, intricate relationships between people and their environments.

Also, EUNIC Short Shorts Film Festival often serves as a launchpad for young directors and film school graduates. On the other hand, it has become an excellent platform for audiences to discover new voices and rising talent in the world of film, supporting cultural institutions in Ireland! The question is: How will you actually get involved in this festival?

After the screening the audience will be asked to vote for their favourite film via their smartphone. So pay attention and voice your opinion and personal taste!

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What Short Films Are In The Competition?

Washed Up Love, by Dylan Cotter (2011)

Presented by The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media

Running time: 6’10

Language: Irish Language with English Subtitles

Moira and Cáit find a naked man washed up on the shoreline, all handsome and disorientated. With what little strength he can rally, the stranger locks eyes with Moira and declares a heartfelt love. Over the following 48 hours new loves are clarified, and old loves rekindled. “Washed Up Love” is the third short of the Dublin-based creative Dylan Cotter, after “Dental Breakdown” and “The Meaning of Lifeguard”.

Maestro, by Géza M. Tóth (2005)

Presented by Embassy of Hungary

Running time: 4’42

Language: No dialogue

Five minutes before the big performance, Maestro and his persistent mechanical assistant are getting ready behind the curtain and time is slowly ticking away. Géza M. Tóth is a Golden Bear and Academy Award-nominated Hungarian film director and producer. He is also a professor at the University of Theatre and Film Arts in Budapest.

Blood Brothers, by Marco Espírito Santo and Miguel Coimbra (2015)

Presented by Embassy of Portugal

Running time: 6’21

Language: No dialogue

This short movie follows one night in the life of the Forcados Amadores de Montemor, a group of bullfighters from Portugal. Returning to the biggest arena in the country for the first time since the demise of their erstwhile leader, they must channel his invincible spirit into their performance. Marco Espírito Santo attended the London Film School and then worked with Pulse Films, winning several awards before returning to Portugal. About Miguel Coimbra, he has an established career in advertising, having won several awards for his work, including at Eurobest, One Show, and Cannes.

Glow, by Fred Neuen (2020)

Presented by Embassy of Luxembourg

Running time: 7’36

Language: No dialogue

A little creature is trapped in a dying world, until the day it meets a living figure of imagination which introduces it to the power of dreams. Fred Neuen is a Luxembourgish film and gaming creator, plus a television producer. Neuen has worked across TV, cinema and advertising through his production company, Radar.

Graziano and the Giraffe, by Fabio Orlando and Tommaso Zerbi (2022)

Presented by Italian Institute of Culture Dublin

Running time: 6’33

Language: No dialogue

A man hungry for sausages buys a microwave oven that will drag him into the wild. It addresses the themes of the savage and the awakening of the animal and instinctive side, repressed by the social cage in which we live. Filmmakers Fabio Orlando and Tommaso Zerbi graduated in animation from the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, in Piedmont (Italy) in 2021. “Graziano and the Giraffe” is their co-directed diploma project.

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Treasures, by Welf Reinhart (2023)

Presented by Goethe-Institut

Running time: 8’

Language: English subtitles

Max is an eight-year-old boy who is constantly bullied by his older brother and his friend when they go treasure hunting in the woods. The group dynamic changes when they find an old grenade among the rusty treasures. Welf Reinhart studied directing first in Kassel and then at the HFF in Munich. His short film ‘Rooms’ was presented and awarded at various OSCAR qualifying festivals and won the Student Academy Award in Los Angeles in 2022.

My Father’s Damn Camera! by Miloš Tomić (2021)

Presented by Embassy of Slovenia

Running time: 7’

Language: No dialogue

A reckless boy persistently seeks the attention of his photographer father. Miloš Tomić uses hand-drawn collages and stop-motion, exploring the archive of Slovenian photographer Dragiša Modrinjak and drawing on his personal experience as a filmmaker and father. The Serbian director has made over sixty short fiction, documentary, experimental and animated films, screened at numerous festivals.

Crab, by Piotr Chmielewski (2022)

Presented by Embassy of Poland

Running time: 8’

Language: No dialogue

What would happen if we tried to look at the world through the eyes of animals? Animals are our silent companions; they have witnessed humanity’s greatest achievements and greatest failures. They are our food, our tools, part of the landscape; most of the time, however, they are not noticed by humans at all. Piotr Chmielewski is a self-taught stop-motion animator and ‘Crab’ is his debut.

Si me querei, irse, by Sofía Muñoz (2023)

Presented by Instituto Cervantes Dublin / AECID

Running time: 8’48

Language: English subtitles

Juana prepares paella, as she does every Sunday, surrounded by her family. However, the news of her husband’s retirement turns yet another celebration into a heavy concern. Sofía Muñoz holds a degree in Political Science and a Master’s degree in film directing. Her final Master’s project, this short film, is her first professional project as a director.

Me, myself and I, by Claudia Larcher (2022)

Presented by Embassy of Austria

Running time: 5’29

Language: English dialogue

Claudia Larcher feeds 350 of her photos to an artificial intelligence to generate a self-portrait that transforms, distorts, deforms. It represents an interesting reflection on the self in constant becoming, making and unmaking itself. Claudia Larcher’s work explores video animation, collage, photography and installation.

10 cm Above Ground, by Nathalie Masduraud and Valérie Urrea (2021)

Presented by Embassy of France and Alliance Française Dublin

Running time: 4’05

Language: English subtitles

She accepted the position of receptionist, but had no idea that she would have to wear 10 cm high heels. The short film focuses on the experience of women in male dominated professions. This short film is part of the series ARTE H24 – 24 hours, 24 women, 24 stories against gender violence. Since 2013, Nathalie and Valérie have collaborated on several documentaries and web series. In 2018, they received the Etoile de la Scam for their film Focus Iran, A Daring Vision co-produced by ARTE.

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Somewhere, by Fabrizio Ellul (2023)

Presented by Embassy of Malta and Arts Council Malta

Running time: 7’

Language: English subtitles

Wars, pandemics and accelerating climate change have forced part of human civilization to take refuge on the Cuboid: a gigantic structure just outside the Earth’s atmosphere. The rest of humanity is left to survive on a hostile planet. “Somewhere” follows Vincent, a researcher who takes a diversion to planet Earth to retrieve an object. Fabrizio Ellul is a Maltese visual artist who founded Filfla Studio in 2020, focusing on storytelling through hand-drawn digital painting. During this time, Filfla Studio has produced three short animated films and a graphic novel.

Out of Competition

Cumha, by Elena Horgan (2023)

Presented by Cork International Film Festival

Running time: 6’

This is a short personal film that explores the role of language in identity and perception. Throughout the bilingual piece, the narrator discusses the changes in her relationship with her heritage tongue. Elena Horgan is a filmmaker and visual artist from Cork, Ireland.

Curveball, by John Bray (2023)

Presented by TUS Limerick School of Art and Design

Running time: 6’28

Holly suffers from scoliosis and tells us about her struggle to cope with scoliosis surgery and the challenges she faces in everyday life. John Bray is a second year Creative Broadcast and Film Production student at the Limerick School of Art and Design.

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Don’t miss this chance to experience the stories shaping the future of European cinema. Write to us in the comments if you are going to attend the EUNIC Short Shorts Film Festival in Dublin or Cork and what your favourite short movie was!