Bitter
Joel Wilson and Jamie Campbell (United Kingdom, Executive Producer: Michael Winterbottom) are two of the UK's best young directors. They have worked on a number of short films as well as directing commercials for Virgin Trains, Kodak, Walkers Crisps and The Times newspaper and have now set up Eleven Film Limited, which has produced a number of Documentaries for the BBC and Channel 4. Bitter is the tale of a man who is set to meet his daughter's boyfriend for the first time. When he meets him he is faced with his worst nightmare -- they are the same age and the meeting is a tale of the unexpected.
Citizen Hero
Christophe Perie (France, EP: Jan Kounen) is a 30 year old young director. Before making movies, Christophe was artistic director for a number of commercials in Paris. During this period he had opportunity to work on some of the top French television commercials with feature film directors such as Rémy Belvaux (Man Bites Dog) and Luc Besson (The Professional, The Fifth Element). In 2007, Christophe did his first short film Cuisine Americaine, a four minute long black comedy. Once he had completed that, he came back into the world of advertising, but this time as a director. Citizen Hero is his second short film. Christophe is working on his first feature film project -- he prepares to shoot in 2009.
Prison Food
Uwe Flade (Germany, EP: Marc Rothemund) was born in Munich in 1971, but now lives and works in Berlin where he is best known for working on music videos for artists including Depeche Mode, Franz Ferdinand, In Extremo, Nickelback and Rammstein. His film, Prison Food, set during a very special Sunday in a single prison cell, is a tale of entrapment, tension and the power of the human imagination. With only a ball and the human mind, to comfort them, Flade's characters envision a better life for themselves, free from their repetitive, helpless state. It's only disrupted by reality rudely shattering their delicate fantasies.
Hands
Director Xavi Jose (Spain, EP: Montxo Armendariz) has built up an impressive resume as a cinematographer, photographer, and director of photography -- with work from Berlin to Barcelona, with clients from Calvin Klein to the Swedish band Sahara Hotnights under his belt. His film, Hands, his first in the director's seat, is a fascinating and melancholy character portrayal that reveals a new facet with every viewing. The story of a couple who live with a damaging secret, and the actions that pull them apart, it's a tale that ultimately grips and shocks us. Xavi has brought his full array of talents to creating a film that looks as good as the script reads.
8.3 Minutes
Highly acclaimed photographer Klaus Thymann (Scandinavia, EP: Thomas Vinterberg) has proved a multi-talented force to be reckoned with. His photographic work has been featured in ID, Dazed & Confused, The Face, and GQ. Thymann has done visual campaigns for Coca-Cola, Levi's, Adidas, BMW, and Nike, and co-founded the art and design-based Black Box magazine. His short film, 8.3, uses elements from Mayan culture and modern technology to explore the divide between science and mysticism. Thymann's work asks just what differentiates our beliefs in the spiritual world from the facts that we cannot ignore. It's a work that builds tension upon itself piece by piece, until all is revealed in a dramatic, surprising conclusion.
The Dreaming
Anthony Green (International, EP: Jerry Bruckheimer) is a young Canadian director interested in exploring global issues and contemporary morality through the medium of film. Aged 21, Anthony wrote and directed Pigeon, his first short film to attract international acclaim. In 2005 Anthony earned a BFA with honours from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.
