International Short Films

Trailers and Info

A Child Never Born - Iran

A woman haunted by unresolved childhood sexual abuse trauma embarks on a harrowing journey of self-exploration. As she questions her very existence, she confronts the weight of her past and the fragile boundaries between memory, body, and identity.

Director - Shamim Shamsaei

Born in Iran, I discovered my passion for storytelling through cinema at an early age. While my love for filmmaking was clear, pursuing it wasn’t initially an option due to family expectations. Instead, I earned an MBA and built a successful career over the course of a decade. Eventually, I chose to honor my lifelong dream, embracing filmmaking as a way to channel my creativity and unique perspective.
As a filmmaker, I draw from personal experiences and a deep curiosity about the human condition to craft intimate, authentic, and thought-provoking stories. My work reflects a commitment to exploring the beauty, pain, and complexity of life while connecting with audiences and sparking meaningful conversations.
With a rich professional background and an unwavering dedication to this artistic journey, I aim to create films that resonate deeply and leave a lasting impact.

Director Statement

A Child Never Born was born from my own journey of reckoning with the weight of untold stories—mine and those of countless women silenced by trauma. As an Iranian-American filmmaker, I carry the complexities of cultural expectations, personal history, and the silent battles we fight within ourselves.

This film is an exploration of identity, grief, and the question of whether we can truly reclaim ourselves after deep psychological wounds. The protagonist’s journey reflects a universal struggle: the attempt to redefine existence beyond pain. I wanted to create a film that doesn’t just depict trauma, but immerses the audience in its psychological landscape, asking them to feel the protagonist’s uncertainty, isolation, and ultimate resolution.

Through minimalist storytelling and evocative imagery, A Child Never Born is meant to leave an open-ended space for reflection—inviting the audience to confront their own perceptions of self and survival.

An Excess Baggage - France

Sophie hides her unhappiness in the close-knit relationship she shares with her daughter, Lila. When Lila leaves for summer camp, Sophie's reality crumbles, and her anxieties resurface. She then tries to escape her loneliness by any means possible

Director Biography - Myriam Garcia Marienstras

Initially engaged in acting studies, Myriam quickly realized that what she truly loves is inventing characters and writing their stories. She pivoted to directing, making her first two self-produced short films and developing the screenplay for Un bagage en trop at Gindou Cinéma’s La Ruche residency. She is currently working on a second professional short film produced by Sans Regret Productions as well as a feature film.

Director Statement

"An excess baggage" is the portrait of a woman, her relationship with love and her distress. But, above all, it is a story of two : that of a mother and a daughter. They are inseparable, and their gazes intersect to each convey, in their own way, this intense bond. Through the relationship of emotional dependency she has with her daughter , the film captures a feelin, like when you meet someonefor the first time : you look up at them, and they smile... There's no need for words, you just know, you can feel it. It's subtle, but the pain is there, in her eyes, in her dimples, in the tightness of her lips.

Screenings/Awards

41ème Rencontres Cinématographiques Gindou Film Festival

France
August 23, 2025

Label SFM Picks - Clermont Film Festival
France

Detour festival
Portugal
November 27, 2025

Imagine this woman international film festival

New York
United States

Hollyshorts film festival monthly

Los angeles
United States

Female filmakers festival berlin

Berlin
Germany
October 1, 2025

Scanorama film festival

Vilnius
Lithuania

Luberon film festival

Pertuis
France

Cambridge film festival

Cambridge
United Kingdom
UK premiere

Terra di sienna

Sienne
Italy

Pinerolo film festival

Turin
Italy

London Breeze film festival

London
United Kingdom

Thurrock film festival

Thurrock
United Kingdom

Queens world film fest

Queens
United States

Cyprus international film festival golden Aphrodite
Cyprus

Ghandara independent film festival

Ghandara
Pakistan

Benchless - France

Rody, Doug, and Fred bicker over a bench in a park. The streets have erased their age and past. Who can still tell
who they once were ? One day, Fred finds a lost smartphone during a political demonstration. He brings it
back to the park. They want to call someone, but who? Everyone has either abandoned or forgotten them. They
browse through the contact list and each decide to call someone.

Director - Galiam Bruno HENRY

Galiam Bruno Henry, born in Bordeaux, is a French actor of Afro-Caribbean origin. After three years of training as an actor with Dominique Viriot, he passed an audition for Monsieur Amédée with Michel Galabru (also his theatre teacher and mentor) and Bernadette Lafont. He has appeared in plays such as Antigone, Pygmallion, Of Mice and Men, Ma Tatie Alfred under the direction of Nicolas Briançon, Jean-Philippe Evariste, Philippe Ivancik, Anne Bourgeois, Michel Morizot, Olivier Macé.

He has made TV films such as Un Gars Une Fille with Jean Dujardin directed by I.Camus, Enquêtes Réservées, directed by Bruno Garcia, Les Jurés, directed by Frédéric Berthe….At the cinema, 8th Wonderland, Dernier Etage Gauche Gauche by Angélo Cianci with Hypolite Girardeau, Félag (International Critics' Prize in Berlin), WAKA by Francoise Ellong, ÊTRE by Fara Sene, Dealer by Jean Luc Herbulot, Sans Regret by Jacques Trabi with Michel Bohiri, China Sales Man by Tan Bin with Mike Tyson, Steven Seagal, Vaurien by Mehdi Senoussi with Pascal Elbé, Two major prizes won at FESPACO 2019 with the film Résolution by Boris Oué and Marcel Sagne distributed by Orange Studio…..He is also the French voice of Black American actors such as Tyreese Gibson, Déreck Luke, Djimon Ounsou, Glenn Plummer etc.

Currently his first short film as director and main actor "Le Service" written by Maryline Mahieu is touring international festivals and has already won 24 awards plus a television purchase by Guadeloupe1ière. For more than three years Bruno Henry has had an international career and has filmed all over Africa, in China, Morocco, Los Angeles, France and Italy. He will soon be seen in two feature films (lead actor); La Traversée directed by Irène Tassembedo and Sine Saloum by Jean-Luc Herbulot plus a pan-African series by Mohammed Ahed Bensouda.

Director Statement

Sans Banc Fixe tells the story of three homeless men arguing over a park bench. As the script unfolds, their exchanges reveal chaotic, unexpected, and moving life paths.

I was deeply touched by this story because, like the author, I have provided assistance to homeless individuals and discovered, through conversations with them, that their lives are far from the usual clichés of laziness, alcoholism, drug addiction, or schizophrenia. These clichés are deeply ingrained in our minds and lead us to look away when we pass by a homeless person. We tend to see them as delinquents who deserve their fate rather than as lost human beings. Many would be surprised to learn that some of them are educated, have had careers, spouses, and children. Emotional shocks (grief, childhood abuse, etc.) or insurmountable professional failures have dragged some of them into an abyss of suffering.

By bringing this nuanced script to life (which blends humour and emotion), I aimed to illustrate the concept of losing self-esteem and dignity. The three protagonists in this story have alllost their dignity. They first lost confidence in themselves before losing faith in society. The youngest still resists this inevitability, but without help, we know that the streets will eventually consume him just like the other two, who are 25 years older. I found it compelling that they communicate their state of mind through a lost cellphone belonging to a politician at a union demonstration. The irony of the phone is that, for the first time, they truly get to know each other—none of them previously understood the real life stories and reasons behind the others’ downfall. Yes, they share and “steal” benches, drink together, and try to survive as best they can, but all with a semblance of inner serenity.

My directing approach is poetic in movement, like a melody. I sought emotion through close-ups on faces, eyes, and silence. "Silence speaks volumes for those whose eyes are expressive." I depicted life in the park through the isolation of our three homeless protagonists, even as families stroll by with their children. Our three characters are there, cut off from the world yet in the middle of it. As if they live in another dimension, like ghosts who, from time to time, catch their breath through laughter. The two older characters wear outdated, worn out clothing, but they are clean—the real dirt comes from society’s judgment. The youngest wears clothes more suited to his age, and he too is clean.

Given the confined setting of a park, I infused dynamism into the direction using tracking shots, drones, etc. My cinematography is never too static. Through fluid camera movements, I ensured that the audience connects with my main characters. My goal is to dispel, or at best erase, the prejudices against homeless people and break the stereotypes imposed upon them. I want viewers to leave the screening with a new perspective, able to see a homeless person without immediate judgment.

My film is accompanied by music reminiscent of Schindler’s List, Requiem for a Dream, and other deeply emotional scores.

Collection Title : Turtle - Iran

A woman is determined to bring her beloved back to life, a man who vanished into the waters in search of a place to call his own. She feels compelled to recall things that have long been dead, hoping her loved one might revive. She believes he will be washed ashore someday, back to her by the tides-a sudden return, as if by magic.

Logline :
I believe someday all immigrants will be washed ashore to their homeland.

Director Ehsan Majouni

Born in 1995 in Zanjan, Iran, Ehsan Majouni has a Bachelor's degree in Acting and a Master's degree in Theater Acting from UCNA. His career encompasses directing and acting in numerous plays and films, showcasing a profound creative vision and dedication to the arts. Contributions extend to video art and installation projects, reflecting a versatile and innovative approach to artistic expression.

Filmography:
- p / Drama / 3min / 2010
- Bottom glasses / Drama- / 5min/ 2011
- 1881 / Drama- / 8min/ 2012
- My Beautuful Life/ Drama / 13min / 2014
- Elsinor / Drama / 6min / 2019
- Jeld / Drama / 11min / 2021

Director Statement

The short film "Collection Title: Turtle" is a collection of departures, absences, and losses. It depicts those who live through life as lifeless bodies or the dead, helplessly watching time slip away—like a turtle on a motionless migration, neither stopping nor progressing.
The title of this collection could be my family, my friends, others, or even myself. It could be everyone, all those being buried at the borders between homeland and somewhere else. A place where magic is no more than an extra breath, granting one more minute of survival. For me, this film is that minute.

Screening

34th Rio de Janeiro International Short Film Festival - Festival Curta Cinema (Academy Award ® Qualifying)

Rio de Janeiro
Brazil
April 25, 2025
World Premiere
Official Selection

Hello Anna - Iran

Hello Anna tells story of Maryam Mirzakhani who immigrated years ago and achieved many successes in the world arena. But on the other hand, we hear a story of Raha, who immigrated many years ago, but experienced though and bitter days and her dreams did not come true. Sormeh hears their story and Rasha takes pictures of all the moments with her camera. Rasha and sormeh have known each other since childhood, sormeh has changed a lot these days and has come out of a serious relationship, she has decided to emigrate and pursue her dreams alone, no one knows how fate will turn out for her, but Rasha...

Director - Mohammad Hossein Soleimani Fard

Mohammad Hossein Soleimani Fard
born August 23, 1988.
Education: Diploma in Graphics. 15 years of activity in the fields of photography, editing, filming, designing and directing in cinema and advertising projects.
Photographer and editor of Dorehami TV talk show
"The Crab" movie photographer
"Gholhak" movie photographer
"The Ear" Photographer and poster designer
"Dracula" TV series making behind the scenes movie and announce trailer
"Shabgard" Making behind the scenes film
"Maybe Somewhere Else" Making behind the scenes movie.

Director Statement

All of us are somehow in the emptiness that we have made for ourselves. I always believe that we should often remember and talk about the great and influential personalities of the world, listening to Maryam Mirzakhani's words can be very useful for us. We can learn from her and think about what and how we live.
We all know that many people immigrate every year, and we know that emigration is very difficult and somehow everything has to be rebuilt. Maryam Mirzakhani is a powerful woman who immigrated years ago and has achieved great success in a global field with all difficulties. Even when she realizes that she has cancer and will no longer survive, she does not stop for a moment and continues on her own path. Now we all know that her works, both during her lifetime and now that she is no longer among us, have been very useful and influential for all of us in all parts of the world. This film non-linearly narrates two stories about immigration by looking at photography and listening to the inner voice of impressive and unrepeatable people. Sometimes we don't need to see and we just need to listen well and sometimes we need to record moments inside us and take pictures of them. Always remember what we had in the past, experience and learn, and continue on our path without being disappointed, and sometimes wonder inside ourselves about what we exist for, even in the emptiness...

Screenings/Awards

The Humanity Award for the Best Short Film from Moon Arts Film Festival

Mehro Mah Film Festival

Seattle Film Summit

Khosrow 127 - Iran

Khosrow is facing dismissal from his job. He takes his last opportunity from the manager. During that opportunity, he encounters his father's murderer and seeks revenge, but he gives up.

Director - Abolfazl Sa’eiMehrabani