Nominees for Best Cinematography 2020
Beyond Her Lens
Director: Tereza Hirsch
Country: Czech Republic
Duration: 19:01
Synopsis: BEYOND HER LENS is inspired by the life and work of female conflict-zone photographer Jana Andert. It follows Alex’s (portrayed by prominent Czech actress Lucie Vondrackova) return to Prague as she attempts to piece together a sense of normalcy after shooting footage in Mosul, Iraq.
Rear View Mirror
Director: jonathan Terence may
Country: Australia
Duration: 11:13
Synopsis: “When the impermanence of life and land collide, what remains inside the heart and soul of a man”. Ingo Hansen returns to the desert opal mining town where he grew up, struggling with his health and searching for answers. At a crossroads in his life, he seeks comfort in reminiscing the impact of the harsh landscapes and crazy adventures he had in Andamooka – one of the most remote places in South Australia. Ingo soon realises that the thriving outback town he once loved is now bleak and it mercilessly parallels his own impermanence; the harsh winds of life blow not just on the desert but also inside his heart. In its glory days Andamooka had over 3000 residents, but now the opal has dried up and it is a former shadow of itself – with a total population of 316. It takes a certain type of person to love a place like this, with the isolation and the desolation. Walking through the cemetery Ingo reflects on the grim truths of his reality, and how strange it is to know every body that lies beneath him in the dust. As in life, both the once beautiful landscape and the once promising future he faced are slowly fading way and the story is unforgiving.
Dark like the night. Karenina-2019.
Director: Radda Novikova
Country: Russian Federation
Duration: 08:22
Synopsis: Love and betrayal, faith and treason – nothing has changed in our world since ‘Anna Karenina’ by Leo Tolstoy came out. The question is, will a modern character be willing to become a victim of circumstances and the public opinion or will she be struggling for her life? Alexander Tsypkin, an author and script-writer, has his own view of Anna Karenina of modern times, and producer Radda Novikova has created a gloomy but very beautiful world where everybody gets his/her whack of it, the gossip media and so-called friends, the powers that be and the cynical heartthrobs.
The Yellow Jacket
Director: Andreas Mortensen
Country: Sweden
Duration: 29:00
Synopsis: Tova is alone, until she finds herself in a young woman named Agnes through some old home videos. When the videos doesn’t end the way Tova anticipated, she tries to fix it by rearranging the events from Agnes’ life.
Aio Zitelli
Director: Jean-Marie Antonini
Cinematographer: Arnaud Gabriel
Country: France
Duration: 20:00
Synopsis: In the midst of the trench warfare, the Corsican soldier Lucien Casalta is called urgently at the back of the lines by a court of the country as a translator. Upon his arrival, he is surprised to see that the young soldier tried for desertion is none other than his compatriot and friend, Joseph…
Blooming
Director: Dora Šustić
Country: Czech Republic
Duration: 13:37
Synopsis: Two sisters, Alma (11) and Lila (6), enjoy their playful time together, having a bath. One evening, faced with a strange sensation, Alma experiences the beginning of a transformation from a child to a girl: she gets her first period. At first ignoring it, Alma deals with blood during the night, but is discovered by Lila. In panic, she asks Lila to keep a secret, but little Lila misunderstands it for sickness, thinking her sister is dying. She protects Alma from their mother’s attempts of sending her to school and spills the secret. Miljana, their mom, allows Alma to stay at home and deal with her problem on her own, giving her a space to bloom. She comforts Alma and helps her to overcome the shame. All three girls are united in the end, playing in the bath.
Killing Stacy
Director: Liva Lervig Haue, Alexander Sørensen
Cinematographer: Robin Holtz
Country: Denmark
Duration: 24:59
Synopsis: Marcus is the guitarist and leading force behind struggling rock band, Killing Stacy. On the night of their biggest gig yet, everything is falling apart and Marcus is desperately trying to save the show. Unbeknownst to his band mates, Marcus has gotten an offer to join a highly successful band if he plays an impressive show. Can Marcus overcome his band’s dysfunctional nature and pull of their best gig to date, all in order to leave his friends behind?
Chose mentale
Director: William LABOURY
Country: France
Duration: 20:00
Synopsis: Ever since she became electro-sensitive, Ema lived isolated in her home, cut from the world. Her only link with the outside is mental, through her out-of-body experiences. But one day, two boys break into her house, thinking that they were burgling an empty house. This meeting will throw Ema into her fears and shake her certainties.
PRASKOVYA
Director: Alexander Solovyov
Country: Russian Federation
Duration: 05:17
Synopsis: Praskovya continues working in the Bank despite hunger in the freezing siege of Leningrad. Her husband went to war. The only thing he left is the ink pot. This gift is the onlyitem which makes Praskovya feel warm. In the most critical moment when no hopes or energy is left only the ink pot acts as a twist of destiny.
The animal that therefore I am
Director: Bea de Visser
Country: Netherlands
Duration: 10:37
Synopsis: “What does the animal see when it looks at me?” Three animals and a woman in an enclosed space. As they study each other, their own methods of communication create a wordless conversation. We view them in close-up and from various perspectives, with the woman as a solitary species in this universe.
NOVEMBER 1ST
Director: Charlie Manton
Country: United Kingdom
Duration: 24:41
Synopsis: Traveling to witness the execution of her son’s murder, a mother is torn between retaliation and reconnecting with her estranged daughter.
Awake
Director: Matan Rochlitz
Country: United Kingdom
Duration: 16:25
Synopsis: Awake is a short film by Shift.ms that explores the interplay between Multiple Sclerosis, sleep and mental health. It is an experimental documentary film that unfolds over one night. Voices from real late-night phone calls are woven together to reflect on life and death from the unique perspective of those experiencing both insomnia and a neurological disease.