Lisff2014 11 12 13 march 2014 03 days 18 hours 61 films

A young woman and an elder man on a park bench – but something is wrong – a filmic mediation about time and memory.

An honest look at the disturbing and mysterious power that love has over us when we experience it for the first time.

'Talfahrt' (Descent) tells the tragic story of two lovers who can neither be with nor without each other and of the alienation of those who are closest to us when we don't share our deepest feelings.

The film The Plundering focuses on four cases of aggressive, state-property privatization policies in Tbilisi, capital of Georgia. Through interviews, it discusses the privatization of the water system in Tbilisi and of Tbilisi’s popular market, the Dezerter Bazaar. A newly emerging movement prevented the attempted sell-off of the National Scientific Library, and the destruction and conversion of the historical Gudiashvili Square in Tbilisi’s city center into a shopping mall.

Inmidst hectic Rio de Janeiro a street musician, a young director, the massive statue of Christ and even a computer avatar interact in this multi-layered father-son tale.

A physical portrait of the human battle for recognition. Wrestling for a lifetime: Geri K. Richmond.

A text message bursts out the inner despair of a young man.

Tortured by a recurring nightmare, an alcoholic robot has nothing left but a corrupt memory. In order to find out what has happened, he returns to his creator.

A girl is looking for her dead boyfriend in the mythological Sami landscape. She turns to an old woman, who is a noaide, for help.

Norway, 2009, 9’

A stop-motion animated graduation film about a dark world

where a girl and a man are trapped in a strange net, where

life unfolds rapidly until roles are suddenly reversed.

Norway, 2011, 11'

The suspended synchronized swimming guru Labanosov entices overweight women to join him in his mission to prove Isaac Newton wrong at the Championships.

Norway, 2010, 15’

Having survived the end of the world, two Norwegians have

spent the last twenty years in a cramped space station.

Waiting to be saved by the ship Vascodagama, Mikkel tries

to keep his spirits high, while Gard starts to lose patience.

Director: Kalle Doniselli Gulbrandsen

Norway, 2011, 14'

A woman has obsessive-compulsive thoughts about a certain knife and killing her husband. She is afraid that she might actually hurt someone so she goes to see a psychologist to get help.

Norway, 2011, 14'

Christian is visiting his home village with his fiancée. But what are the true reasons for the visit? A strong visual and evocative story about a young man's inner struggle, the sorrow of a love that once was and the balance with the new love that has occurred.

Norway, 2012, 22'

Moving house unleashes a torrent of memories. All his life, dad has collected things with stories attached. His new flat only has space for a fraction of them. What should he bring with him into the final chapter of his life? How will he define himself en route to his last stop?

Norway, 2009, 29'

On a wind-swept island in the North Sea, Margarethe has served her traditional fish stew in her diner for years. One day, the lovely Julia unexpectedly moves into the closed down fish factory next door and opens a Sushi Bar. Margarethe takes up the fight against this strange new way of eating fish.

Norway, 2011, 24'

What is memory loss? In the labyrinth of fear, a stranger becomes a close person and home turns into a trap. Groping her way down the track of familiar objects and shapes, the character is trying to go back to the life that used to be her own. This latest clay animation from Izabela Plucińska is a captivating picture of the feeling of being lost and alienated and an attempt at putting the pieces that fail to fit together into a whole.

„The Mystery of Malakka Mountain” introduces us to the prepossessing universe; shrouded in mystery, that cannot be mastered. A young Junior leads a life of a very special boy – he smokes and holds constant inner monologues on the most existential of issues. His mother and two twin sisters live in the shadow of their father – a living legend air force pilot, who, one day doesn’t return from another secret mission. When the box with his personal belongings found in the plane wreck is delivered to the family, Junior, encouraged by his father speaking to him from the picture, decides to trace his footsteps and solve the mystery of what exactly happened at the foot of the Malakka mountain were his father was seen for the last time. This animation by Wroński is a mesmerizing story of growing up and the need of knowing the truth.

It is an animated documentary about imagination. The protagonist lives in several realities at the same time. Real people and events intertwine with those created by his imagination. He looks for a place for himself in this world and does it in his own unique way. He spins a tale while dreaming about the rule of love in Poland. Despite its naivety, his world ignites thought about the existential notions of good and evil. The author uses animation to show the inner life of the mentally ill patient and for the visual value of the film uses images created spontaneously by the protagonist.

To what extend can our live be planned? Do we ever let the coincidence influence our plans? "Ars moriendi" seeks to answer these questions. The main protagonist's struggles with the surrounding reality are performed in the context of the Art of Dying - a medieval manual on the procedures of reaching the salvation through "dignified" death. All set in quite austere, cardboard scenery.

Julia loves photography. Thanks to her passion, she meets Maciek. They both live on the same housing estate, that is none too safe. For years it has been the turf of two rival groups of football fans, the Blacks and the Hounds. Like a modern-day Romeo and Juliet, Maciek and Julia are caught on opposing sides of the warring club factions. And, like the protagonists of Shakespeare’s drama, their love for one another is hit by a series of tragic events.

Two elderly swimmers meet at the baths for their ritual swimming. This time they are diving deeper than usual.

In her latest animation Izabela Plucinska returns to the motives that in 2006 inspired her to create her film Breakfast. Similarly, Afternoon is a two-part commentary on one single moment shared by a man and a woman. Although each of them is completely engaged with their own activities and doesn’t seem to notice anything else all of a sudden, owing to an unexpected incident, a couple will towards one another once again. When the world somehow fades away for a little while they are given the chance of reuniting once again. For how long however will this precious moment last? Izabela Plucinska, the author of awarded Esterhazy, employing clay technique creates an impressive depiction of the relationship between a man and a woman.

Imagine your body stops being only yours. Someone starts to live inside you, changing the rules, taking more and more space, a milimeter every day, not caring that he almost makes you explode. Would you be able to love this thing and call it your child?

Is there a place for friendship in the world dominated by callous health rules? For a friendship that is a misalliance. Stefan is a successful swim coach loved by women. His life is turned upside down when he meets Beetle. Beetle embodies everything that is forbidden in the Stefan's world. Will their friendship last? Will Stefan be able to kill qualms of consience in the same way as he kills the smell of his friend with scented trees? A film by animation and special effect student from Lodz film school does not give clear answers but it makes an accurate diagnosis of human relationships. The animation about Stefan and Beetle should not be called surrealistic. On the contrary, in Piotr Hoang Ngoc's animation real reflection about loyality and alienation of an individual is hidden under the guise of grotesque realities.

Documentary film mixed with animation which tells about an unusual collection of toys. Like most of his peers, the protagonist begun from collecting stamps, drink labels and stickers. Presently his collection consists of a couple hundred thousand