Dive into the demanding selection of short films at the Series Mania Festival and discover new creators, new stories and new talent. Better than a CV, the proof is on the screen!
Session presented par Emma-Louise Amanshia.
Selected projects:
LES OUBLIETTES (PEASANTRIES), Canada
Emma, 26, owes an incredible amount of money to her creditors. Misanthropic but in over her head, she poses as a Medieval enthusiast to secure a job at the restaurant Les Oubliettes. After a series of strange events threaten to close the restaurant, the employees notice something special about Emma. Could she be the chosen one foretold by the Prophecy? At the crossroads between fantasy and the « real life » of the restaurant business, Emma finds herself reluctantly having to save the restaurant and its employees, who turn out to be the most loyal and brave people she’s ever met.
LIMBO ZONE, Finland
Limbo Zone is a story of a young woman Eevi (21) who is afraid to admit that things are not going that well in her life. In the beginnning of the show Eevi (21) is left without a roof on top of her head after she has to leave her friends Iljas (21) place where she has been crashing. Eevi tries to find a job and a place to stay in the city that is restless and agressive. Eevi tries to approach friends, Tinder matches, exes, random people on the street to find help and a place to sleep, finding herself failing at her attemps. The more she fails, the more she has to put herslef on the line to survive. The episodic story revolves around central character being the victim of her own actions and cruelty of the modern world and capitalistic structure of the urban landscape. Limbo Zone is also a story about the difficulty of asking help and a subtextual story of the modern youth, trying to find a place to go and place to stay at peace.
SLAVA THE DOG, Germany
Ukraine 2022. The first year of the Russian invasion. Mysterious things happen. Sometimes it is a dog that falls into your lap. Sometimes it is a bomb that falls onto your house.
After their house goes up in flames, the Lutsenko family decide flee to Hamburg – Andryi (9), Alona (6), their mother Nyka (34), their great grandmother, Ba (98) and Slava, the dog. Their father, Petro, has to stay behind. Their escape from the war turns into a magical rollercoaster ride when they meet the Kiev circus, run by Taras (41) and Solomia (33), whose daughter, Zoe (5), instantly falls in love with the little Slava. They arrive in Hamburg and meet Nikolai, Nyka’s ex-boyfriend and their host for the time being. A series of unfortunate events leads to them losing Slava in the chaos of Hamburg’s Central Station. Meanwhile the Kiev circus troupe meets the Minister of Culture. She gets wind of Slava’s disappearance and can’t help but see it as a big public relations opportunity. Nothing is straightforward in Slava’s saga, but when a quirky, well-meaning pacifist finds the little dog she makes everything even more complicated. The search for Slava goes viral, with the whole city on the lookout for her.
#ANNAISMISSING, Czechoslovakia
Anna is a controversial influencer and best known for her provocative online content, but suddenly she goes silent on her social media profiles and mysteriously stops posting any updates. When fifteen-year-old Nina finds a half-naked photo of Anna on her dad’s phone, she decides to track down the missing influencer. The shocking events that follow will change not only Nina’s life but also her family’s. The thriller #annaismissing is a standalone film continuation of the successful series #martyisdead, which was honored with an International Emmy Award in 2020.
THE STRUGGLE FOR EXISTENCE, Denmark
The days of beers, babes and soccer are over. In this Danish series we follow the comedic journey of two friends as they navigate the ever-changing landscape of modern masculinity. Through a series of humorous conversations set in everyday situations, the protagonists grapple with the challenges of being sensitive husbands, dedicated fathers and sexy lovers in a world where gender roles are constantly shifting.
Crafted and brought to life by the storytellers themselves, Jannik Dahl Pedersen & Rasmus Skaarup Johansen, the low-budget, bite-sized episodes provide entertaining snapshots of the characters as they maneuver through airfryer-cooking, package pickups, and the complexities of decoding new societal expectations. Join the laughter-filled journey through the not-so-serious struggles of being a man today.
The Struggle for Existence (Kampen for tilværelsen) is eight episodes with varying lenght between 3-5 minutes.
SPACE RATS, Australia
The Space Rats are lab rat humanoid creatures, consisting of June (The Captain), Hector (Pilot), Hazel (Engineer) and Oliver (Botanist) they are sent off by space exploration intern, Howie and forced to find their footing on their first intergalactic mission.
The rats become Earth’s only space explorers tasked with finding the limits of the galaxy, meeting friends and foes of all sizes. What ensues is a journey that crosses between Earth and space. As the Space Rat’s battle to return home, Howie must fend off mounting pressure from his overheads and authorities fighting as they go from discarded underdogs to the heroes of the solar system.
CEUX QUI ROUGISSENT, France and Switzerland
Ceux qui rougissent est un tableau mouvant sur le thème de l’adolescence. À même les planches du gymnase du lycée, une poignée d’élèves se découvre face à un professeur remplaçant intransigeant. Au contact des mots de Shakespeare et de ce prof décidé à ne pas suivre les règles du jeu, les jeunes révèlent leurs personnalités à mesure qu’ils prennent conscience que l’espace qui leur est proposé ne connaît pas de limite. Ils s’emparent alors du cours pour se dépasser. Dans ce huis clos intense, les comédiens déjouent les codes de la fiction et entrent en résonance avec leur propre réalité. Réunis par le jeu, le groupe se forme et se transforme au fil des cours pour finalement devenir un corps de soudé. Ensemble, ils font l’apprentissage du parler vrai et acceptent leurs failles. Le coeur à vif, à deux pas d’abandonner l’enfance, ils grandissent et s’exposent à des sentiments vertigineux.
CA PREND PAS LA TCHAS A PAPINEAU, Canada
Jojo, a widower and father to Randy and Olivier, performs his role with aplomb. Devoted, he divides his days between work at the barbershop and his two sons. Their move leads Olivier, his eldest, to become isolated, while for Randy, his youngest, the transition to high school is challenging. Jojo, concerned, recognizes signs of delinquency in him. The sequence of these events will test the family unit, hitherto solid and unassailable. Supported and accompanied by the memories and words of a loving wife and mother, the father and two sons will manage to rebuild. « The Fades of Papineau » is a luminous drama with Maghreb, Haitian, and Latin American overtones. A heartfelt series that addresses fatherhood, masculinity, and free will in a nuanced way.