EUNIC London in collaboration with the European Union Delegation tothe UK is pleased to present the third edition of the In Short, Europe shortfilm festival, taking place online from 7-16 May.

This edition, themed Happy Together, is organised in three strands: Hope,Magic and Life’s Little Disappointments and invites us to look at thebright side, embrace moments of joy, lift our spirits and dares us todream.

The programme has been curated by Shira MacLeod, film curator andformer Cinema Director at the Regent Street Cinema and RiversideStudios Cinema.

7-16 MAY 2021

In Short,EUROPE:

HAPPY

TOTOGEGETHETHERR

19 SHORTS | 3 LIVE EVENTS | 1 MASTERCLASSAN ONLINE SHORT FILM FESTIVAL

WELCOME NOTE

CURATOR'S NOTE

At a time which has been so much about separation and loss these films from19 European countries remind us of what connects us - our humanity andfragility. Where a smile from a stranger can make your day. Where communityand neighbours can surprise you and where you can find humour in thebleakest moments.

No matter what language, political context, whether it’s a snowy Tallinn or abaking hot Madrid these films have an underlying optimism and joy.

They are presented in three programmes:

HOPE looks at those moments where there is a possibility of change, awindow.

MAGIC looks at the idea of a spiritual world, something bigger.

LIFE'S LITTLE DISAPPOINTMENTS looks at the awkward moments, whereillusion gives way to reality.

Shira MacLeod

EUNIC London in collaboration with the European Union Delegation to the UKis pleased to present the third edition of the In Short, Europe short film festival,taking place online from 7-16 May.

After more than a year of restrictions, limitations and unprecedentedchallenges the festival wants to celebrate the slow return to normality with adiverse programme of short films from all over Europe.This third edition of the festival themed Happy Together invites us to look atthe bright side, embrace moments of joy, lift our spirits and dares us to dream.The festival connects a diverse programme of original filmmaking andpresents a great opportunity to explore innovative short films and connectwith filmmakers from all over Europe.

EUNIC London’s In Short, Europe short film festival celebrates Europeancinema and our shared values and culture with the UK. Its first edition, initiatedby the Romanian Cultural Institute, took place on 31 January 2020, and wasfollowed by an online showcase with the theme Escape in October 2020 inresponse to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Our virtual festival of European shorts gives you free access to nineteen shortfilms from the comfort of your home. The films are organised in three strands:Hope, Magic and Life’s Little Disappointments.

The showcase of Happy Together will be accompanied by three Q&A’s with thefilmmakers, with the first one to take place on the opening day of the festival,on 7 May. These panels are an opportunity to get an insight into thefilmmakers’ work, share their knowledge and connect them with fellowfilmmakers and film enthusiasts alike.

The programme has been curated by Shira MacLeod, a longstanding advocateand enthusiast of European cinema. She has previously been Cinema Directorat the Regent Street Cinema and Riverside Studios Cinema and brings hermany years of curatorial expertise to the festival.

We invite you to celebrate the creativity of these exceptional storytellers withus and hope you enjoy the films!

Claudia Ott, EUNIC London President / Project Manager ACF London

Dear friends and cinephiles, We are delighted to welcome you to In Short, Europe: Happy Together shortfilm festival. The festival offers a wonderful opportunity to celebratetogetherness, unity and solidarity and to mark Europe Day on 9 May. We hope that this selection, enriched by the UK's guest participation, willbring you many joyful and memorable moments, and a sense of happytogetherness which is ever more precious after a tough year of keeping a safe'social distance'. Let's re-connect with European creativity, diversity and talentfrom the comfort of our homes.Sit back, enjoy and stay healthy!

European Union Delegation to the United Kingdom

FROM EUNIC LONDON FROM THE EU DELEGATION

HOW DOES THE FESTIVAL WORK?

Go to EUNIC VIMEO showcase page:https://vimeo.com/showcase/happytogetherChoose the film you wish to watch Click the £1 rent button In the purchase window that appears, click "Apply promo code" Enter the code Together21 to get it for FREEClick the "Apply" button. The purchase window will then update to rentfor free.

You need to have a vimeo account in order to be able to watch the films. All films are available to watch for 10 days ONLY (7 May – 16 May ) withinthe UK.All films with dialogue have English subtitles.

Instructions:

Please note:

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW

Audiences are offered the festival experience from home. This year’s filmprogramme Happy Together is organised in three strands, curated by theme(Hope, Magic and Life's Little Disappointments) all gathered in oneshowcase.

The films will be released on EUNIC’S Vimeo platform at 10:00 am on the 7May 2021 and will be available to watch until 23:59 pm, 16 May 2021.

All videos are on Vimeo on Demand – that means they are available to rentfor free.

Find out more on Eunic Website.

GET READY TO LOG IN THE VIRTUAL FORMAT EXPLAINED

LIVE EVENTS

Live events, including Q&A sessions with the directors and the Masterclasswill take place on Zoom. They will be live-streamed on EUNIC’s Facebookpage and will also be recorded.

To attend the virtual events you will need to register in advance. More info on the EUNIC London website.

Films are PG, 15+ or 18+. Some films contain themes viewers may findupsetting or distressing. Please see the programme for details.

Email contact@eunic-london.org if you have any questions.

FILM RATINGS

A collection of six short films encompassing a short documentary, animation, fictionand a dance film. Short films from the Netherlands, Portugal, Finland, Estonia,Belgium/Flanders and Slovakia.

Each film explores the possibility for change, most often a welcome change whichmay exist only at that present moment. It could be a small shift, a change inperspective or a big shift which is potentially life transforming.

Get a glimpse into the lives of a bass player in Glasgow, a sewage worker in a smallvillage in East Slovakia and two young students in Oman for example.Be surprised.

PROGRAMME

HOPE

THE FILMS

Ha Ha Ha | Samuli Valkama, Finland, 2019, 9mins Heidi Naakka, Jyrki Karttunen, Mikko Paloniemi Workers in a factory for canned laughter find themselves in an accidental revolutionwhen one woman is unable to laugh according to the norms. A new product is born.

New Beginnings | Tauno Mee, Estonia, 2019, 15mins subtitles Janek Joost, Ule Kaljuste, Alo Korve An unsettled romantic moving in with her boyfriend finds an unlikely companion as theseasons and her circumstances change. Mars, Oman | Vanessa Del Campo, Belgium, Oman, 2019, 20mins subtitles documentary Two young Omani girls passionate about space get a glimpse of possibility as two worldscollide when a crew of astronauts uses Oman as a training ground, the terrain beingsimilar to that of Mars.

Scuzz | Alia Ghafer, UK (Scotland), 2020, 14minsRebecca Murphy, Jack Stewart, Keon CrampsieOn a Saturday night in Glasgow a bassist who has recently split from her boyfriend andfellow band member pursues a teenage boy through the streets for a stolen guitar, butends up finding what she really needs.

Once Upon A Time in East Slovakia | Adam Šoltéz, Slovakia, 2019, 30mins subtitles Adam Šoltéz, Tevgenij Libeznuk, Alena Fialekova A lonely 40-year-old cesspit worker living a quiet life in a village with his dexterous dogand essential beer supply finds his quality of life threatened by the prospect of a bachelortax. In a short period of time, he needs to find a wife.

Bingo! | Patrick Schoemaker, Netherlands, 2015, 3mins animation Gelda an elderly but spirited lady stuck in a dreary nursing home finds her luck changingin a potential win at Bingo. The last ball however suddenly disappears. An absurd questensues.

Dogs Barking at Birds | Leonor Teles, Portugal, 2019, 20mins subtitles Vincente Gil, Maria Gil, Salvador Gil. Vincente is the eldest of four in a one parent working class family living in Porto.Gentrification is changing the city and the family has to move home. He finds his ownway through the pressure, prejudice and uncertainty.

15+

The Girl at the End of the Garden | Bonnie Dempsey, Ireland, 2020, 15mins Eva Bartley, Glynis Casson, Sue Collins Lucy, a strong willed smart young girl from inner city Dublin with a vivid imaginationfinds a young girl (Zed) at the bottom of her garden who professes to have superpowers.The two become fast friends but Zed is to reveal her true identity. A wonderful commenton the power of belief over circumstance. Swimming Pool | Carlos Ruano, 2017, Spain, 9mins subtitles Alex Villazan, Ferran Vilajosann, Cayetana Pay no Del Rio Jota and Santi two teenage boys living in Madrid in searching for a pool to cool off fromthe city’s baking heat inadvertently take their friendship to another level in a bizarrebrush with scientology. Expertly naturalistic performances from the two leads. And We Are Not Yet Superheroes | Lia Bertels, Belgium, France, 11mins subtitlesanimation Pocket-sized philosophers share their thoughts as they map the path to growing up andfind themselves between the two worlds of imagination and reality. Sublime. The Christmas Gift | Bogdon Muresanu, Romania, Spain, 2018, 23 mins subtitles Adrian Vancia, Luca Toma, Mircea Andreescu On the 20th December 1989, a few days after Ceausescu’s bloody repression in Timisoara,a father’s quiet evening turns to sheer ordeal when he finds out that his son’s wish letterto Santa is not just about presents.

A collection of six short films: one documentary, an animated short and four fictionfilms. The films come from Sweden, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Belgium and Romania.

Within each short is the idea of accessing a spiritual world whether that be throughlife choices or by tuning into a higher level of consciousness. That spiritual world isto be found in the most unlikely places.

The programme features as highlights a community of farmers and shepherdsliving an idyllic life in the Alps, a young refugee from the Congo with superpowersliving in Dublin and some wonderful philosophical musings from a group of youngBelgian children on growing up.

PROGRAMME

THE FILMSSwimmer | Jonathan Etzler, Sweden, 2020, 13 mins subtitles Victor Ivan, Pontus Liedberg,Tove Wireen Based on real-life events. Two policemen try to arrest a man in a swimming pool. He’sbeen a reckless driver and someone has spotted his car outside the bathhouse. Whenthey try to arrest him, he refuses to get out. In not facing reality he finds a way of feelingfree. RIAFN | Hannes Lang, Germany, 2019, 30mins documentary Riafn combines local idiom and song, calls and commands of farmers and shepherds aswell as cow bells and animal noises to take us on a cinematic journey into thesoundscape of the Alps. Partly documenting something real, partly imagining an ideal,the film creates a world across peaks and valleys that joyfully follows its own rhythms andsounds far away from our speedy modern life.

MAGIC 15+

Woods | Ignas Meilunas, Lithuania, 2015, 12mins An old hermit and would be botanist tries to catch a mythical creature who lives in theforest to add to his Exclusive Collection. He constructs a trap but finds that he is messingwith something more powerful than he anticipated. The Victory of Charity | Albert Meisl, Austria, 2017, 21mins subtitles Rafael Haider, Albert Meisl, Nora Czamler A music professor facing redundancy with a serious hoarding habit is pushed toextremes when he discovers his girlfriend has given a treasured 1960s band jacket tocharity. He enlists a young ambitious musicologist to accompany him on a mission toretrieve the jacket. Sh_t Happens 18+| Michaela Mihalyi, David Stumpf, Czech Republic, Slovakia, 13minsanimation In an inner-city block of flats an exhausted caretaker, his sexually frustrated wife and analcoholic widower find their lives intertwined as they are pushed to the edge by a seriesof events. Chuchotage | Barnabas Toth, Hungary, 2018, 17mins subtitles Pal Gottinger, Geza Takacs, Andrea Osvart During a professional conference in Prague, two interpreters in the Hungarian boothrealize that only one person is listening to them. They vie for her attention.

A collection of six short films : two animated and four fiction films. The films comefrom Poland, Cyprus, Lithuania, Austria, The Czech Republic and Hungary.

Each short features one or many awkward moments where illusion and realitycollide. Where things haven't quite gone to plan.These could be small moments of unrequited romance or technology breakingdown or larger faux pas's with significant consequences. Enjoy these wonderfully crafted gems.

PROGRAMME

THE FILMSStory | Jola Bankouska, Poland, 2019, 12mins animation A young girl observes a technology obsessed world where on one particular day thingsbreak down before reality dawns and true behavior and feelings are exposed. Jar of Nuts 18+ | Savvas Stavrou, Cyprus, 2019, 17mins subtitles Makis Papadimitriou, Alexandros Mylonas, Katerina Latta Giorgio a miserable middle aged government employee makes elaborate suicide plansfollowing his mother’s accidental death from choking on a pistachio nut. His localcommunity however has other ideas. A cautionary tale.

LIFE'S LITTLE DISAPPOINTMENTS 18+

The showcase of Happy Together will be accompanied by three Q&A’s withthe filmmakers, taking place online on Zoom on the 7, 11 and 13 May.

Join us, meet the filmmakers and learn more about their work and passionfor filmmaking!

With the directors: Leonor Teles (Portugal), SamuliValkama (Finland), Tauno Mee (Estonia), VanessaDel Campo (Belgium), Alia Ghafer (Scotland) andAdam Šoltéz, (Slovakia). Moderator: Kaleem Aftab.Online on Zoom – Register here.

With the directors: Albert Meisl (Austria), SavvasStavrou (Cyprus), Michaela Mihályi, David Štumpf(Czech Republic, Slovakia, France), Ignas Meilūnas(Lithuania), Jolanta Bankowska (Poland) andBarnabas Toth (Hungary). Moderator: Danny Leigh Online on Zoom- Register here.

With the directors: Jonathan Etzler (Sweden),Hannes Lang (Germany), Bonnie Dempsey(Ireland), Carlos Ruano (Spain), Lia Bertels(Belgium/France), Bogdon Muresanu (Romania). Moderator: Isra Al Kassi Online on Zoom – Register here.

In addition to our showcase and the paneldiscussions, we are excited to collaborate with theNational Film and Television School for a specialMasterclass. More information will be availablesoon, please follow our social media to be the firstto know about our activities.

MASTERCLASS

11 MAY 20217-8:30PM BST/MAGIC

7 MAY 20217-8:30PM BST/HOPE

13 MAY 20217-8:30PM BST /LIFE'S LITTLEDISAPPOINTMENTS

JOIN USONLINE

LIVE EVENTS

CHOOSE THE BEST EUROPEAN FILM The European Parliament and the European Film Academy (EFA), inpartnership with the European Commission and Europa Cinemas, present anewly minted award - the LUX Audience Award.

The award aims at strengthening ties between politics and citizens, by invitingEuropean audiences to become active protagonists by voting for theirfavourite films.

This year’s contenders are:

· Another Round (a Denmark/ Netherlands/ Sweden coproduction)· Collective (a Romania/ Luxembourg coproduction)· Corpus Christi (a Poland/ France coproduction) To learn more and cast your vote see: www.luxaward.eu

LUX AWARD The European Union Delegation to the UK would like to thank the embassiesof EU Member States, the European Union National Institutes for Culture andcolleagues across EU institutions (including Valerio Caruso, Pilar Campos,Myriam Watson and Diodora Bucur) for their remarkable help and ability toturn ideas into reality in an extraordinarily short period of time.

EUNIC London would like to thank the Delegation of the European Union tothe United Kingdom and the participating EUNIC London members for theirgenerous support to this project. Special thanks to Claudia Ott, Maren Hobein,Kelly O’Connor, Marlena Lukasiak, Renata Clark, Marios Psaras, Shira Macleodand Anastasia Mina for their valuable contribution towards the realisation ofthis project.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

INFO Organised by:

contact@eunic-london.org EUNIC LONDON

Sponsored by:The EU Delegation to the UK

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EUNIC LONDON

EU DELEGATION TO THE UK

EUNIC London members:

Austrian Cultural Forum LondonEmbassy of Belgium/Flanders HouseEmbassy of Belgium/Wallonia-Brussels InternationalCamões Institute / Embassy of PortugalInstituto CervantesCyprus High CommissionCzech CentreEmbassy of EstoniaFinnish Institute UK +IrelandGoethe-Institut LondonHungarian Cultural CentreEmbassy of IrelandEmbassy of LithuaniaEmbassy of the NetherlandsPolish Cultural InstituteRomanian Cultural InstituteEmbassy of the Slovak RepublicEmbassy of SwedenScotland House London

FESTIVAL SUPPORTERS

The Delegation of the European Unionto the United Kingdom

PARTNERS & SPONSORS:

ORGANISER: EUNIC (European NationalInstitutes for Culture) London