Strange Way of Life - Opening Program
The title of this section was inspired by the legendary Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar – a master of vibrant storytelling, the distinctive use of colors, and melodrama. His eponymous short film starring Pedro Pascal and Ethan Hawke tells the somewhat strange tale of two cowboys. And never fear: we haven’t just borrowed the title, we are also showing the film.
In Human Resources, a trio of animation students from France’s EMCA school shows us how to meaningfully and sustainably treat employees made of felt when they reach the end of their career.
In 2022, singer Oliver Sim of the band The xx released his solo album Hideous and invited the exceptional French director Yann Gonzalez to turn three songs from the album into a breathtaking surreal musical confession about the life of a pop music star.
The Israeli-British directing duo of Karni and Saul enjoyed great success at the 9th Pragueshorts festival with their film Flytopia, and they revisit the animal kingdom this year with their pseudo-nature documentary Wild Summon, which follows the more than strange life cycle of the wild salmon – but in human form.
Nugget the cat has sadly died, but this is not the end of its journey, for directors Danick Audet and Annie-Claude Caron have given it one more difficult task. The Canadian film Dead Cat was shortlisted for an Academy Award for 2023.
In The Golden West, two sisters are determined to survive the Great Irish Famine, but they must also face their long-standing sibling rivalry. An epic film in its own way, it was shot by the directorial duo of Tom Berkeley and Ross White, who have won numerous awards, including an Oscar, a BAFTA, and an IFTA.
