Undercurrents

Undercurrents: Moving Dramatic Shorts

Ballad of North Whale DIRECTOR: Ehsan Mohammadi . NL . 13 minutes After Raam, an international student, moves to Newfoundland to pursue his dreams and education, his housemate Joseph loses his job amidst the global pandemic. As they set out on a whale watching trip together, tragedy strikes leaving Raam questioning everything he knows.

Caffeinism DIRECTOR: Yanwen (Liz) Wang . Australia . 1 minutes Blending abstract 2D animation and a carefully crafted soundtrack, Caffeinism explores the transformative experience of drinking a cup of coffee. Immersing viewers in a vibrant, sensory journey, the film contemplates how caffeine influences both the physical and emotional realms of human existence.

Fishbowl DIRECTOR: Vaida Nairn . NL . 17 minutes A poetic drama about COVID-19’s shadow pandemic. Amidst global lockdowns and restrictions, a former dancer is increasingly cut off from the world by her emotionally abusive husband. When a goldfish is her only remaining friend, she’s forced to choose between placating her husband and freeing herself from their toxic relationship.

Ice Merchants DIRECTOR: João Gonzalez . Portugal . 14 minutes In this beautiful, animated short, a father and his son jump with a parachute from their vertiginous cold house, attached to a cliff, and go to the village each day to sell ice. When temperatures begin to warm and the house starts to break away, the father and son jump from the collapsing house, embracing tightly. On the way down, they are met by a vision of the boy's mother, who holds on to the pair and pulls her own parachute.

Pirouette DIRECTOR: Ciara Borgards . Germany . 3 minutes When a toy ballerina’s support breaks inside her music box she suddenly finds herself in a strange world. Her world is transformed by misfortune, but it may just be for the better.

Poster Child DIRECTOR: Brianna Russell . NL . 8 minutes An up-and-coming pianist is set to take the role of her childhood idol at the most prestigious orchestra in the country. When the virtuoso (Rhiannon Morgan) is not interested in being so easily replaced, the younger player has a choice to make.

Scored by Time DIRECTOR: Nicola Hawkins . NL . 9 minutes Following a violent attack, a displaced older woman struggles to maintain her mental acuity amidst the cruelty of Europe’s 19th century social order. As she nears death, the burden of her persecution, but also her lifelong burden of having lost a young child is revealed. . The Healing Jar DIRECTOR: Andrea Cass . NL . 7 minutes In this short meditative documentary, viewers are offered a space through ASMR techniques and poetic imagery, to relax and reflect on their own healing in an overly busy, consumerist, push-button world.

The Same DIRECTOR: Anastacia Hopkins . NL . 5 minutes In the wake of an abusive father's death, two brothers contemplate the different paths they’ve taken in life, and their relationship to one another.