Short Films 1 14plus

You Like It, I Love It

D: James Vaughan

Australia 2012, 16 min, OV

In an affluent society even the animals are well cared for and this means the vetinerary hospital is always open for emergencies – day and night. Sitting with his younger brother in a car in the parking lot out front, Roberto has an eccentric air about him, with his semi-shorn head and his black gloves in spite of the summer’s heat. The pair noisily munch their fast food and sit tight. What else are they to do? During the day they throw rubbish and other old trash into their neighbour's garden from their balcony. At first he's furious, but this is preferable to him coming over to the pool, sitting and drinking beer with Roberto and going on and on about some roadshow, young people, the didgeridoo and sustainability – now that's really punishment.

Eating Lunch

D: Sanna Lenken

Sweden 2013, 13 Min, English subtitles

For some people a food-filled plate is an insurmountable hurdle. Places on treatment programmes for eating disorders are in high demand. Accompanied by a psychologist, five young patients try to eat lunch together. In spite of the empathetic discussions and clear rules that are supposed to help them to overcome their aversions, the people at the table erupt. In the end, only two girls are left and they try to support each other in their struggle. Every bite of mashed potato is a triumph.

Pet Bird

D: Ricardo de Podestá

Brazil 2012, 13 Min, English subtitles

Life is pretty monotonous in this dull town. A couple who are anything but talkative watch TV night and day. Their parrot is supposed to entertain them, but even he prefers hanging out in his cage to performing for his owners. The couple decides to get rid of their wayward feathered friend and puts him outside. But he keeps on flying back, attracted by the only colourful source of light far and wide – the television.

Dina and Noel

D: Sivan Levy, Natalie Melamed

Israel 2012, 10 Min, no language

An old man is dying. His carer Noel sits quietly by his side. Dina, the man’s granddaughter, appears in an animal costume. She raids the fridge and then goes off to have fun with her friends. When she returns late at night, her grandfather is dead. Dina and Noel lovingly stroke the man’s hands, comb his hair, smoke a cigarette, share a laugh and then go out into the night time city. Loud electronic music awaits them in a club. As the sun rises they leap into the sea’s clear, cleansing waters. Their night of farewell is also a new beginning. Dina and Noel finds unconventional cinematic means to portray the attitude to life among young Israelis.

The Yearning Room

D: Minka Jakersson

Sweden 2013, 22 Min, English subtitles

Anne is feeling uncomfortable in her skin. She's spending the holidays at her friend, the self-confident Julia's summer house and she can't help noticing how the boys give Julia the eye every day. Anne feels shut out from the world behind the garden shed where boys and girls meet for a bit of snogging. When Anne falls in love too, Julia parades her experience and really belittles her. At moments like these Anne could strangle her friend.

Ninja & Soldier

D: Isamu Hirabayashi

Japan 2012, 10 Min, fictional language

Two eight-year-old boys compete in a game of childish bravado. Ken is a Ninja, Nito a child soldier from the Congo who was forced to kill his own mother. Their naïve game addresses cruel realities, and they talk about their differences and what they have in common. Accompanied by contrasting graphics, the film explores the types of acts of which humankind is capable. Isamu Hirabayashi, whose previous shorts Aramaki and 663114 provoked much discussion when they screened at the Berlinale, once again demonstrates his ability to tackle universal topics and provide disturbing insights.

The Chair

D: Grainger David

USA 2012, 12 Min, OV

All of a sudden, the strange epidemic is simply there. Where has it come from? What have people done to deserve it? First it kills the mother of the boy who is narrating the story, then it wipes out an entire family in the neighbourhood. Finally more and more people from this part of America’s rural south succumb. There is no protection, for anyone. People start to talk only about this curse and attend church everyday to pray. But the disease won't go away. An atmospherically told nightmare inspired by the director’s memories of his own childhood in South Carolina.

The Date

R: Jenni Toivoniemi

Finland 2012, 7 Min, English subtitles

Sixteen-year-old Tino finds himself obliged to play host at an appointment where his family’s pedigree tomcat, Diabolo, is to mate with a female cat. A mother and daughter arrive with their cat. While - with much yowling and mewling - the animals get down to the business of preserving their species next door, their owners make awkward small talk over coffee and cake. A delicate situation for Tino, who tries his best to behave as a young man should. But it is truly mortifying when your pet is so much more experienced with the opposite sex than you are.

Admission: 4 €

Group concessions: groups from 5 persons and up for 2,50 per person with prior registration by phone under 030 252 927 66 (daily 11 - 17h).

Reserved tickets can be collected at the Berlinale Center, Eichhornstraße 3, Postdamer Platz (from February 6 daily 11 - 18h).