WIFF Official Selection 2023

WIFF Official Selection 2023:

Project Title	Directors	Synopsis
Review		In a video message, a social media acolyte invites other women to have sex with her boyfriend, but only if they film their review after. A game of power dynamics intertwines the lives of several amused participants, then the videos leak and those lives are forever changed, destroyed, or ended.
Enter the Room	Harry Waldman	A young adult (Brian) is visited by his brother, Jeremy, who needs a place to stay as he settles into his new city. The two polar opposite personalities begin to clash as Jeremy’s presence poses a threat to Brian’s way of life. Brian’s uptight personality and unreasonable living standards rub off on Jeremy, creating an incredible amount of tension. Bad blood, stemming from a traumatic past event reveals the shocking truth of the brothers’ current situations, as Brian struggles to differentiate between reality and his worst nightmares.
Morituriosis		An emotionally repressed, yet complacent, thirty year-old man dying of chronic alcoholism receives a mysterious six-foot tall wooden crate at his place of residence while both his body and mind begin to fail during a 72-hour-plus period of acute alcohol withdrawal— that abruptly escalates into a psychotic, hallucinogenic nightmare of unspeakable proportions— as he refrains from reaching out for help, while desperately fighting to stay alive.
A Boy of May	Seung-il Chon	Jeong Sae-nal, the young boy in Gwang-ju City, receives new sneakers as a 12th birthday gift, but he is shot by martial law forces while playing with his friends in a mountain reservoir in the back of the town. Sae-nal wakes up to the moonlight and the scent of wild roses, and flies to downtown of Gwang-ju City on a sneaker plane. He meets countless people who fought for democracy against the soldier’s guns and flies high in a sneaker plane.
Erik	David Kodheli	Erik finds himself in a school and immediately gets a crush on a girl named Ela .
J’Accuse! A cry from the killing pits of Lithuania	Michael D Kretzmer	A documentary film that tears apart Lithuania’s policy of holocaust denial and its official hero worship of mass murderers.
Obnovka	Iryna Brel	The story of a son’s love for his mother. Luda is trying to cope with alcohol addiction and return to normal life, find a job, break with the past, be together with her son. But the past is coming back and there are fewer and fewer forces to resist, and then there are handouts from a compassionate neighbor…The new jacket becomes the last straw. Fate presents the boy with an unexpected twist. Two weeks in a locked apartment, without means of livelihood, without hope…completely ALONE….. Can he survive? The film is based on a true story that happened in one of the Belarusian cities more than 12 years ago.
The Break In		After a newly wed couple inherits a home far from town, they let their friends move in and within months they find themselves trapped, trying to escape after a group of masked men searching for something break into the house.
For I Am Dead	Patricia Delso Lucas	In late 1800s Europe, Oscar, a wealthy but lonely middle-aged man who has lived an extravagant life in a chateau, confesses love to his gardener Jude before he dies of his excesses.
The Life of Cockroaches		French-Jew Hélène Levine spent ten years searching for her daughter after her actions led to the arrest and subsequent death of her family in Auschwitz. Mad with guilt and grief, she decides to kill herself. Instead, she steals back a meaningful family heirloom, an antique silver teapot, and embarks on a quest for forgiveness from her sister in South Africa.  In the meantime, Siphiwe, an independent minded Xhosa woman, risks arrest by working illegally without a “Pass”, a government document restricting the rights of black women. Desperate to raise school tuition for her gifted son Khwezi so that he doesn’t die in the mines like his father, she is increasingly targeted by racist Karl, a sadistic police officer who works “above the law.” Hélène’s life becomes entwined with that of Siphiwe when she saves her from being killed by an angry Zulu mob led by Funani, who threatens revenge. The two women battle their past and each other as Siphiwe is increasingly targeted by Karl, as Helene crumbles under the imminent decision to confront her sister with the past, and as Helene’s teapot is temporarily stolen. After a horrific event shakes them and their world to the core, Hélène learns to forgive herself. Letting go of her past, she changes the life of Siphiwe and her son forever, chooses to finally meet with her sister Irène, and discovers that her daughter Emilie is alive. Overwhelmed with joy, Helene is able to gift her own daughter with her grandmother’s silver teapot.
Time Spent	Rob Daniel Hutt	Nathan and his girlfriend are struggling with the cost of living crisis in the UK, so when Nathan gets a chance to interview for a dream job, he jumps at it.  After arriving in London for his interview, Nathan finds himself at a luxury apartment which feels a world away from his council flat on the estate. Nathan quickly realises that something is off when he’s faced with making an impossible decision that will affect the rest of his life. With the clock ticking, Nathan will have to decide whether to accept an opportunity of a lifetime or give up his memory of these events.
Birds of Baseball		A teacher is tasked with teaching birds how to speak.  Join the creatures that prove that baseball is not for the weak.  Will everyone come together as a team on a winning streak?
Adam In Aeternum	Pedro Jaen R.	An exhausted traveler reaches the border of the world chasing his destiny: to face the demon that caused his misfortune.
Bob’s Best Friends		A lonely man, Bob, discovers he has an ability to talk to dogs after a sudden illness strikes.  Through a series of adventures, mishaps, and conversations with his new “friends”, Bob rediscovers life’s joys.  It’s a story of love, loss, and renewal.  A drama/comedy for all ages.
Native Expressions of the Soul
Blood for Pearls: Holocaust of the Sixteenth Century		GENRE Historical Action/Adventure LOGLINE 1498 marks the arrival of Christopher Columbus during his third voyage and the discovery of the world’s richest pearl beds meant vast riches for the European monarchy and the annihilation of the local population, African slaves, and the destruction of the ecological habitat. MAIN CHARACTERS CHARAIMA, the innocent teenage son of the Guaiquery Cacique (chieftain) who initially becomes friends with Pedro, who is the same age and part of Columbus’ crew. Showing the Conquistadores the exact location of the rich pearl beds, he eventually is shackled and enslaved as are his peers. As a forced pearl diver and fearing for his life, he buries a clay jar and collects pearls, hidden from his enslavers. DEMBE, an African slave and excellent diver, leader of his people, who befriends Charaima and continues to collect pearls in the jar, after Charaimas passing. CORA, who was supposed to become Charaimas wife, but is forcefully taken by Pedro and becomes his suffering concubine and PEDRO, who arrives with Columbus, an ill-mannered and sadist, initially gaining the natives trust, but ultimately becoming the dominant evil entity who enslaves the natives and Africans and forces them to dive for pearls from dawn to dusk in the most horrible conditions, killing most of them in the process. He ultimately dies at the hands of Dembe who pulls him into the shark infested waters. LOCATION CUBAGUA, a tiny island, is the epicenter of this story, devoid of vegetation and fresh water, but with the highest concentration of pearl bearing oyster beds. THEME A central theme of “Blood for Pearls” is GREED. Greed for pearls. Pearls provide power, riches, status, influence; everything the Europeans dream of. They are used as payment to the soldiers, to trade for other goods, for the clergy, for the common people who blinded by their value, stop at NOTHING to obtain them. On this island, pearls are everywhere. Everyone wants to get their hands on them, at the most amount of pearls in the shortest possible time…at ANY cost! Meanwhile the natives cherish the pearls as well, for their spiritual powers and meaning, nothing compares to the blinding and destructive greed of the Conquistadores. Over the course of fifteen years, we see a coastal and tropical paradise where the people there had wanted for nothing, go from splendor to ruin. Foreigners bring their treasure-hunting lust for riches to the island where the pearl beds are located and destroy the nearby native villages in the process. As the invaders turn the land into a colonial outpost while they mine all the pearls it has to offer, the area becomes polluted with thousands upon thousands of discarded rotting oyster shells and the corpses of the dead native and African slaves. The overall contamination caused by greed, violence, and diseases covers this once paradisiac area with a dark mantle of despair and hopelessness. During the initial fifteen years of what would become known as “The Pearl Coast” about eleven tons of pearls were exported to Spain, exceeding all the other exports combined, including gold, emeralds, and slaves, impacting the economic splendor of the European monarchies. The sole survivor is Dembe, who escapes after killing Pedro, rowing towards the ominous and dark clouds of an approaching hurricane. After all the pearl beds are depleted and the island is desolate once again, a hurricane destroys what is left, as by the wrath of superior forces to eliminate any remaining evidence of the horrific past. TIMELAPSE 450 years later a buried clay jar filled with pearls is discovered on that same island and emptied in front of cameras. THE END
UnSEEN	Richard Bitangcol Tolentino	This short film is a case of a strange 2nd meet-up for sexual gratification, mixed with an “unseen” disability. A person with disability (PWD) is also capable of falling in love, like any other human being.
Basement	Bogusław Zbigniew Byrski	“Basement” (short film) based on a short story of the same title from the collection of short stories “Pomyłka” by Jacek Sapiecha. performers: Adam Organista, Kacper Kubiec and Tomasz Skoniecki screenplay and direction: Boguslaw Byrski scenography: Zbigniew Zacharski (Nowickiego Street) music: Tadeusz Kulas and Paweł Konikiewicz sound: Konrad Biel photography and editing: Boguslaw Byrski
Libras (Pilot)		Logline: A story about fraternal twin sisters growing up in Harlem NY; both girls are very different in every possible way; but it’s their differences that unite them together, rather than divide them apart.
First Love	Jo Teh	The story follows a queer woman who embarks on a journey of introspection and self-discovery. Through this process, she comes to a profound realization about her true feelings toward her first love.
Cycle Trails 045 – Beskids 2 – (Up to Radhošť!)	Marek Tichý	Radhošt’ towers above the valley of Rožnovská Bečva. Before we climb the peaks one thousand meters high, we will visit the most beautiful open-air museum in our country – the Wallachian Village. Jurkovič tower stays above it and we will follow the famous architect. On Pustevny saddle we will see his other buildings – Libušín and Maměnka. In addition to the bicycle, we will enjoy a number of attractions and a long descent to the valley.
Moving With Baby AFF		A young Detroit couple has a difficult conception and delivery and must move into their new apartment during the worst snowstorm in decades where they are trapped with both sets of in-laws, two movers, and a pregnant dog.
Pioneer	Dillon Sienko	Fed up and exhausted with his life, a man takes drastic and revolutionary steps to escape his burnout.  When things go wrong, he’s reminded of his friend’s apprehension towards his decision and battles with whether being a pioneer was ever worth it in the first place.
Aced It	Lucy Belgum	“Aced It” follows the story of Ace as she navigates a media fuelled over-sexualized world from an asexual lens which she has yet to realize.
Shadow Puppets	Penn Pauletich	A prisoner finds a new and dangerous way to spark joy in his otherwise mundane life.
The Investor	Praaby Khera	Two lifelong friends who aspire to make a positive impact on the world through their engineering ideas are determined to secure funding for their business. Despite meeting numerous investors, only one expresses interest and schedules a meeting with them. However, their journey to the meeting is fraught with challenges, from forgetting the new venue to misplacing important documents. To make matters worse, the investor is about to leave for another meeting in London. Whether they manage to overcome these obstacles, arrive on time, and impress the investor is a mystery that can only be unraveled by watching the movie.
The Pickleball Killer		Brigg, an aging pickleball sensation, with supernatural speed, and dark mysterious origin, becomes the target of the Cartel after he inadvertently rescues a young trafficked girl from their clutches.  In an attempt to give Amy a better life, he becomes her father figure and she his daughter.  The two develop a touching relationship that turns dangerous when they rescue her sister and other enslaved girls.  The cops are closing in, but the cartel beats them and reclaims the girls.  Brigg must use his special abilities and all his resources in a suicidal mission to free the girls.
Close Enough To Perfect		Logline: A low-income ranch kid must choose between college on a full-ride scholarship from an exclusive fraternity he must join to receive and a girl without legs whom the frat refuses to allow him to see. Synopsis: Life can change in an instant, but it can take an entire lifetime to either get back to normal or find a new normal after that instant.  CLOSE ENOUGH TO PERFECT is an uplifting story about a young man who brings his rustic, rural values to college with him when he receives a scholarship from a fraternity he must join to receive the gift.  He soon forms a bond with a young lady who has had both legs amputated in a cheerleading-related parade float accident and must fight fraternity hazing and his well-meaning father to continue seeing her.  Her roommate, who is a college cheerleader, also has her eyes on this young ranch kid who does not fit in her world from outward appearances, but it is a time at which she is looking to broaden her horizons and living with an amputee with whom she finds she has so much in common gives her the guidance to grow.
Damsel Dash		A young trans prince decides to rescue a damsel to prove his identity to his family, but he runs into trouble when the damsel does not want to be rescued.
Interstice	Paul Emmanuel Lastennet	Marie Berthes, seventeen years old, disappears overnight without a trace. From her relatives, her acquaintances, no one knows what happened to her…
Broken Wings		A young student’s chance encounter with a fellow passenger on the bus to New York City during college break proves to be dangerous as he devlopes spinal meningitis and lands in the hospital fighting for his life.
Whiskey Mountain Days—Proof of Concept	Bill Walker	A golden opportunity. A startling connection. When a young man falls for a famed actress of yesteryear, can he control his overflowing emotions? Twenty-year-old Ben Miller is eager to kick-start his film career. After winning an award for his student film and getting arrested for defending his leading lady in a fight with her abusive co-star, the Hollywood-aspirant’s prospects look bleak. But his hopes reignite when a famous director offers him a production role on an upcoming project. And when Ben arrives on set, he can’t believe his luck when he’s assigned to work under the gorgeous older assistant director. Struggling to contain his growing feelings, Ben is thrilled when his beautiful supervisor admits to the same forbidden desires. But as word of their love affair spreads and her soon-to-be ex-husband threatens to take custody of their child if she doesn’t break it off, Ben fears their bittersweet romance might not be a box-office hit. As profound and unexpected love propels him into adulthood, will Ben become the man he’s meant to be, or will he lose the woman of his dreams forever? Whiskey Mountain Days is a sweet coming-of-age romance. If you like show business backdrops, hopelessly smitten heroes, humorous banter, and heartbreaking drama, then you’ll adore Bill Walker’s tender tale of maturation.
Christmas Witch – Feature Script		After moving to the mysterious and magickal, Amberlight Valley, a young girl discovers magickal powers of her own… and must do exactly that.  Middle school is hard enough for Brigid Baelfyre, working through the recent loss of her father while attempting to make the first Christmas away from Scotland special for her and her mother.  In the midst of the whirlwind that is her life, Brigid must endure the taunts of Morgan Asarligt. The dark and moody princess of Amberlight Valley Middle School, seems to have a deep interest in the tease and torment of our ginger-haired heroine.  Things take a strange turning point once they are assigned as science partners, and stumble upon what could only be a magick spell.  They discover the myths and legends of Amberlight Valley are not myths at all, learning a dark force will return soon. Only when the moon is waxing to become full on Halloween, will The Stygian Myst be able to return.  It has been said that the Myst is like a creature protecting itself from the light of the valley, with the desire to consume everything which falls into its path… including The Amberlight Stone, the source of magick for the Valley. With the Myst threatening to eradicate all that is pure and magickal, Brigid struggling to understand her own powers, and Morgan’s ever growing attitude, the fate of Amberlight Valley rests in the hands of a thirteen-year old, inexperienced witch. Will Brigid find The Amberlight Stone and restore the dwindling magick in the Valley with Morgan’s help, or will Morgan thwart her every effort for personal gain?
Richard Spong		An ambitious businessman, who is haunted by an abusive foster home, struggles with his past while desperately climbing the corporate ladder by using his co-workers as stepping stones –  pushing him into a spiraling mental breakdown.
Awaken Her – The Short	Kerri Lynn Miller	When a businesswoman is promoted to investor relations, she comes face to face with a power-hungry man who dangles the keys to the kingdom in exchange for what he wants.
Hobey		In the early 20th Century, before Babe Ruth and Red Grange, an undersized, multi-sport athlete becomes America’s first Superstar, a WWI hero who carries himself with such gallantry and grace that no one sees the internal conflict that drives him to unforeseen heights.
Friends by Firelight		An egocentric, all-American quarterback, driven by rage to quit the team when his charismatic coach starts dating his older sister, is forced to choose between pride and friendship when, in solidarity, his best friend also quits the team, jeopardizing his future.
THE FACE OF THE FACELESS	SHAISON P OUSEPH	Synopsis: “The Face of the Faceless”  Shaison Ouseph’s film The Face of the Faceless tells the story of one of the most extraordinary women of our time, Sister Rani Maria, an Indian nun, social worker and activist who worked among the most oppressed and poorest of the poor and who laid down her life for them. She was murdered because her work empowered women and threatened the oppressive traditional power structures in the area. There are many today who espouse human rights, who take the side of the oppressed against vicious and dictatorial governments and who fight for the rule of law against feudal practises and corporate lobbies and they pay for this with their lives. Rani Maria was one of them. Produced by Sandra Dsouza of Tri Light Creations in association with DBIMA—Paris, this film brings this out graphically: anyone who dares to tamper with the existing feudal power structure is summarily eliminated. The narrative takes its course through Sister Maria’s eventful experiences in India, encountering life-risking incidents in a rustic atmosphere, where she motivated the villagers to stand in unity with her practise of nonviolence. Rani Maria was murdered in a knife attack, and her assassin was sentenced to prison. Rani Maria’s mother kissed the hands of her daughter’s assassin as a sign of forgiveness and accepted him as one of them.  Unbelievable, but a TRUE story of forgiveness.
Adam Jack’s The Lurker	Adam Jack	“Instagram Influencers, Colin and Fiona, seem like the perfect couple to their loyal followers, but their relationship is put to the test when a crazed serial killer breaks into their home. Chained to their bed, the couple is forced into a sadistic game of relationship trivia in which honesty is their only way to survive.”
Living in couple	Antonio Orbe	Filmed in vertical format Almost by chance, Hugo and Renata start a life together. They soon realize that modernity is not so simple
Weakness	Antonio Orbe	Are you sure you want your wishes to come true? A wizard’s apprentice is overwhelmed by his burning desires.
Morrigan’s Tree		When a grieving father receives a directive from his dead daughter, he must choose between granting her request or conceding to the wishes of his suffering wife.
Sunset Drive	Michael Thomas DeLano	Humans and an invasive alien species have come to a stalemate. Humans in rural areas can only survive at night with a shield built from alien tech. When marauders steal an older couples shield power source it doesn’t take long for them to realize they might have messed with the wrong old couple.
It Doesn’t Mean Anything	Justin Lovett	A brief look into a families life living in Seoul, South Korea as they go to a photo studio to take a family photo and then go home.
Sunday’s Child	Vanessa Nicholson	A female martial artist who supports herself through sex work comes face to face with a violent challenge on the way to an underground fight. Upon arriving home and confiding in the one person she trusts, her girlfriend Reanne, Sunday is faced with a series of flashbacks and internal conflicts as she tries to reconcile her identity as a fighter, sex worker and now a victim of aggravated assault.  Though physically she escapes unscathed, mentally doubts begin to trouble her. Ultimately, Sunday must come face to face with her toughest opponent, herself, and strive to move beyond limited definitions of what it means to be both a fighter and a survivor. All while the countdown begins until her next fight.
Sunday League	Jamie Bourne	A comedy sitcom show based around a Sunday league football team and the drama surrounding it. Pilot episode follows Tony one of the younger players and his current love interest. The rest of the team come up with a plan for a healthy break-up. Brought to you from the award winning production team. Filmed on Netflix approved Sony FX9 camera’s. Looking for a tv/ streaming service series pickup.
The vineyard	Antonio Orbe	Uncle Anselmo returns to the vineyard of his childhood after many years. Everything has changed. His niece Alejandra runs the property together with her cousin Anita.
Speechless Being!		Pain of camels when they carry too much load of humans and their belongings or are used for some commercial works. How selfish and cruel we humans are that we ride on them for fun and our pleasure but we don’t realise their pain behind it. This world is full of cruelty and selfishness….. The story behind it is that on 23rd October 2023, I went to a sea beach in Daman for a tour where I saw an owner took a camel for a ride and when the people completed it, the camel was taken to this place and forced to sit. The owner was behaving in a very cruel manner. When the owner went for finding another camel ride, I took a photograph through my phone as I didn’t bring my DSLR over there. Meanwhile, I took a photograph when I noticed that the camel was very tired and his body was not allowing him for a next one but it had to. Alas! We humans have become so cruel and rude that we don’t realise the pain of others especially the speechless ones.
Trickster		Based upon a true story a wise old horse narrates his extraordinary life. After a near death accident he finds the meaning of life through the eyes of a special needs little girl.