A total of 26 short films will compete in the national and international short film competitions, while five feature films will vie for the Anonimul Trophy at the 23rd edition of the Anonimul International Independent Film Festival, set to take place from August 10 to August 16 in Sfântu Gheorghe, in Romania's Danube Delta, the organizers announced.

This year's program includes the feature film competition, national and international short film competitions, special screenings, and Q&A sessions with filmmakers and guests.

"We did not begin the selection process with a predetermined theme. Yet, as the five films came together, one question emerged to connect them: what happens when a person discovers they are living in a world already written for them, by family, authorities, tradition, history, the place where they were born, or even by their own fiction? This year's competition covers five distinct voices that question, challenge and, at times, surprise one another," Ludmila Cvikova, curator of the feature film competition, explained.

All five feature films will be screened in Sfântu Gheorghe after world premieres at major festivals including the one held in Venice, Sundance, Karlovy Vary, Warsaw, Busan, San Francisco and Palm Springs.

The feature film competition includes: Broken Voices, directed by Ondřej Provazník (Czech Republic, Slovakia); Kurak, directed by Emil Atageldiyev and Erke Dzhumakmatova (Kyrgyzstan); If I Go Will They Miss Me, directed by Walter Thompson-Hernandez (United States); The End of the World (Sfârșitul lumii), directed by Sebastian Pereanu (Romania); and Silent Rebellion, directed by Marie-Elsa Sgualdo (Switzerland, Belgium, France)

The winner of the Anonimul Trophy will be chosen by the festival public and will receive a EUR 3,000 prize.

The festival also includes Romanian and international short film competitions. From more than 150 submissions, film critic Ionuț Mareș selected 14 Romanian short films to compete for the EUR 1,000 Audience Award.

The Romanian competition includes: Ajutoare (Benefits), Bunicu doarme (Grandpa Is Sleeping), Cherry Master, Fursecuri și lapte (Cookies and Milk), Go Outside and Hug a Tree, Index, Interferențe (Interference), Lichior de mentă (Mint Liqueur), Mama (Mother), Proprietate privată (Private Property), Rosebuds, Tangent, Viitorul ți-l faci cu mâna ta, dar de ce să nu îl lași pe mâna unor specialiști? (You Shape Your Own Future, but Why Not Leave It to the Experts?), and Vizita (The Visit).

The international competition features 12 films selected from more than 200 entries from around the world. The EUR 1,000 Audience Award for Best International Short Film will be selected from the following entries: Ali (Bangladesh, Philippines); Class Photo (Lithuania); The Cow (Croatia, Montenegro); Dog and Wolf (Czech Republic); Hyena (United States, China); Mal de Madre (Spain); Nest (Switzerland); No Skate! (France); Norheimsund (Cuba, United States); Samba Infinito (Brazil); Someday, a Child (France, Lebanon, Romania); and These Voices Are Real (Iran).

"From troubled relationships to existential and artistic crises, from first sexual discoveries to the death of a family member, from unexpected encounters to life-changing decisions, this year's short film competition explores a wide range of subjects familiar to all of us through bold and engaging filmmaking styles. The international competition is a carousel of emotions and cinematic forms, as well as an audiovisual journey through different societies and cultures full of surprises," Mareș explained.

(Photo: Dragoş Asaftei/ Anonimul)

simona@romania-insider.com