WINNER: «ARI» by Zamarin Wahdat (31), Germany 
Zamarin is an Afghan/German filmmaker, whose work is based on subtle and intimate storytelling with a fascination for youth and magical realism. Her work as a cinematographer has been screened at Sundance, Berlinale, and Tribeca. She recently received an Academy Award for the short documentary Learning How to Skate in a Warzone (if you’re a girl), where she worked as an additional cinematographer and interviewer. 

“If you pass under a rainbow, a boy turns into a girl, and a girl turns into a boy.” –Afghan myth

“Ari” is about girls who are dressed as boys in Afghanistan. Being inspired by the story of my grandmother, who as a first born, was dressed as a boy in Afghanistan, the story is grounded in the perspective of 11 year old Ariana, who has to transition back into a girl after she gets her period. Believing her mother’s words and the Afghan Myth, she tries to find a rainbow before the day of her transition.

PARTICIPANTS AND PROJECTS:

AARHUS FILM WORKSHOP                                                                     Nicolas G. H. Johansen (26) is a Danish director from the small island of Funen. He lives in Copenhagen, and since 2017 he has attended the Super8 Film School. He likes character-driven narratives and exploring themes of love and loneliness.

Leonora (28) has been in psycho therapy after having stalked her ex-boyfriend, Niklas. She is finally making progress, but when she finds out he has moved on with a new girlfriend, her sanity is put to the test.

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CICLIC
Audrey Gagneux (27) is a French screenwriter/director living between London and Paris. After years working as an in-house production assistant, Audrey now develops her own projects focusing on better representation of diverse female stories on screen.

«Torn» is a wry comedy about Melissa, a young woman in a committed relationship, whose inability to be vocal with her partner has left her sexually unsatisfied. She resolves to follow her best friend’s advice to change this, but things don’t go quite to plan.

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CINE SUD & NEW NORDIC WAVE
Dutch Vincent Sparreboom (27) is currently studying at the HKU university of the Arts in Utrecht, specializing in documentary directing and cinematography. His first short doc, Mama Mania (2019) screened at more than 15 international festivals, including DOK Leipzig and Go Short.

When the dust of a painful break-up finally settles, you may realize there are still things you wish you could have said. Two ex-lovers, also the film’s directors, meet each other for the first time in almost a year, in front of the camera, to rewrite their history together.

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FILM I SKÅNE 
Sweden’s Naures Sager (32) received a Bachelor’s degree in Film production at Trollhättan’s University West. Together with his boyfriend, he founded the company The Uneven AB, where they work to uplift diversity, especially focusing on LGBTQ+ people from the Middle East.

ANA MITHLI means «I’m gay» in Arabic. It’s the story about a gay Arab man who finds himself in the middle of a chaotic family drama, gradually forcing him to come out to his family.

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FILMBASEN 
Hannah Reinikainen (27), Sweden
Hannah has studied journalism at the University of Stockholm and documentary filmmaking at Biskops-Arnö. Since her studies she has been working at the production company Story. She has previously directed two short films Nybohovsbacken (2016) and She only beat the one she loves (2017). In 2020 she premiered with her first feature film Always Amber at the Berlinale in the Panorama section. 

Rita and Hedda are two childhood friends in their early teens. Together they explore life through physical and intimate games. This evening Rita is hanging out with Hedda’s classmates for the first time, the dynamics between them are changing and their friendship is put to the test.

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FILMWERKSTATT KIEL 
Hille Norden (21), Germany
Hille started making movies five years ago. She is an emerging director and writer with deep love for humans’ affairs, struggles and individual solutions. She tries to capture this trinity in moving pictures, documentaries or fiction. 

Oskar knows he’s a paedophile. Under no circumstances does he want to become a perpetrator and so he stays away from kids. One evening his best friend Maik leaves his daughter Lilli (7) with him. Lilli loves Oskar and he doesn’t want to love her back. 

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GALWAY FILMCENTRE 
Natasza Cetner (25), Ireland
Natasza is a Polish animation director and a graduate from the Royal College of Art in London. She is fascinated by the absurd us and the surreal aspect of our everyday lives. 

HEADLESS MIKE is an animated dark comedy loosely based on a real story of a chicken that lived without its head for 18 months in the USA during the 1940s. A film focusing on an emotional journey through his life of suffering and loneliness. 

Mark Smyth (31), Ireland 
Mark is an award-winning writer/director from Ireland with a love for collaboration and stories about the magic of life! Mark’s films have screened across the globe and have been distributed to several international platforms including HBO.

Set in the West of Ireland, ‘Turning Tides’ is a coming of age story about a young teenager who befriends a refugee through their mutual love of surfing. The pair build a homemade surfboard together, forging a powerful bond which transcends race and prejudice.

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MEDIEFABRIKKEN 
Anna Fredrikke Bjerke (28), Norway
Anna is a writer and director. She earned her M.A. from from New York University and B.A. from Central Saint Martins. Her directorial practice focuses on female-centric character led drama with strong, stylish visual storytelling. 

Set in the aftermath of the MeToo movement, a young woman struggle to manage an increasingly uncomfortable situation, which delves into gender discrimination and power structures during the rehearsals of her drama school’s graduation production. 

Magnus Lysbakken (27), Norway
Magnus is a film director, living in Oslo. He has a degree in comparative literature, and has previously worked as a screenwriter in Copenhagen. 

After seeing the stage musical Wicked, Liv has learned to forgive. She’s on sick leave due to workplace bullying, but decides to show up for the end-of-term nativity play at the school where she teaches. 

Jay Choi (38), Norway
Jay was born in South Korea and studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. She has directed four short films and two plays in Seoul, London, Berlin and Oslo. She is currently developing her first feature with the British Film Institute. 

A theatre company tries to rehearse over video chat during lockdown. However, when a family member of an actor becomes hospitalized for Covid-19, the company starts questioning the meaning of rehearsing a play that may never go on stage.