Short Competition. BLOCK 3

Twin Days

-> Film presented in the Short Competition. BLOCK 3

Twin sisters drive cross-country from Los Angeles to Ohio for Twinsburg Festival, the world’s largest gathering of twins. Along the way, they confront their similarities and differences, navigating the fragile balance between closeness and individuality. In Twinsburg, as they meet other twins and hear their stories, the sisters begin to see their bond in a new light. What starts as a simple journey becomes a search for who they are – both together and apart.

Apocalypse Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow and the Day After Tomorrow

-> Film presented in the Short Competition. BLOCK 3

Through the story of Bohdan, an ordinary man living in Nikopol, the director explores why some people choose to stay in their homeland even when every day might be their last. Bohdan’s quiet strength lies in his unwavering faith and ability to find meaning in life, no matter what challenges each new day brings. The film contemplates humanity, resilience, and belief in the face of an unfolding apocalypse.

Fruits of Despair

-> Film presented in the Short Competition. BLOCK 3

While making a film about the Israel-Palestine conflict, an Iranian filmmaker is suddenly thrust into war himself when Israel attacks Iran. Forced to flee Tehran with his family, he finds fragile shelter in a suburban home. Over twelve tense days, what began as a political essay transforms into a personal diary of survival and exile. Through fragments of news, images, and reflection, he confronts questions of freedom, identity, and belonging. When the war ends, he returns to a city both familiar and altered, his film forever changed by the collision of art, politics, and lived experience.

The Baddest Speechwriter of All

-> Film presented in the Short Competition. BLOCK 3

Directed by 4x NBA Champion Stephen Curry and 2x Academy Award®-winner Ben Proudfoot, ”The Baddest Speechwriter of All” is rivetingly told by 95-year-old Clarence B. Jones - Juilliard-trained clarinetist, music copyright lawyer, and ultimately Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s trusted lawyer and speechwriter. Personally recruited by Dr. King in the early days of the Civil Rights Movement, the headstrong attorney was forced to choose between the security of his successful life or a path of purpose that would forever alter history. From the steps of Juilliard to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Jones reflects on the decisions that led him to advise Dr. King and help craft the first seven paragraphs of the iconic “I Have a Dream” speech.