Synopsis

Six-year-old Selma is happy that her father has not forgotten her despite the fact that he is fighting in the war. One of his comrades brings the family a present for Selma’s birthday: a living chicken. When Selma understands that her family wants to decapitate and eat the chicken, she tries to save it. What starts out as a story about the beauty and saving grace of a child’s naivety, becomes a compelling study of the life of a family surviving the horrors of war. The audience expects the animal to be saved, but the final result is shattering. In a place where there is no room for childhood, no animals are spared either. Where the urge to survive reigns supreme, the reconciling power of nature remains unheeded.

The film will be presented within the frame of SHORT FILM COMPETITION 2 together with the following productions:

Albert
POL 2014 | 24 min.
Language: Polish w. Engl. ST
Director: Daniel Wawrzyniak
Albert leads a heteronomous life in an undisclosed factory. An above all visually impressive story of the longing for life in an industrial society, which is dominated by lifelessness.

Ucronia (Ukronija)
SRB 2014 | 29 min.
Language: Serbian w. Engl. ST
Director: Marko Backović
A murder caused by an innocent joke results in a violent frenzy. What if the quarrel never emerged? A black comedy about the possibilities of de-escalation, filled with bizarre caricature gangsters.

Ukrainian Lessons
UKR 2013 | 29 min.
Language: Ukrainian w. Engl. ST
Director: Ruslan Batytskyi
When an attractive new teacher arrives in a small Ukrainian town, a tremendously dynamic series of events is triggered. The hatred of young mine workers, accumulated in years without prospect, explodes in striking pictures of violence and destruction.

Kosherland
GER/LAT 2013 | 16 min.
Language: Russian w. Engl. ST
Director: Pyotr Magnus Nedov
As usual, two criminals collect protection money from a Jewish shop owner, when the situation suddenly deescalates. A superbly cynical reckoning with the sheer ignorance of the authorities; one that is all too accurate in many places of the world.

Invisible Spaces (Ukhilavi sivrtseebi)
GEO/USA 2014 | 10 min
Language: Georgian w. Engl. ST
Director: Dea Kulumbegashvili
The morning routine of a priest’s wife: breakfast, prayers, taking care of her husband. A silent glimpse on domestic hierarchies in a religious patrimony and the resulting emotional standstill.

Guests

Una Gunjak

Director The Chicken