3 Shorts Selected for the Main Competition

For the Main Competition, three Dutch shorts are selected. Lioness* by Philip Besamusca will have its world premiere during the event. Produced by Family Affair Films, we follow the coming of age story of young girl Sylvie. When the temperamental Sylvie is told that she has to give up her child when it is born, she decides to escape the youth institution where she lived. In her eyes it is the only solution to prevent that her child will have the same institutionalized youth as she endured. Festival distribution is handled by Kapitein Kort.

While also being screened at Brussels Short Film Festival, Marlon Brando* by Vincent Tilanus is also selected for Odense. A hearthworming short story, we follow Cas and Naomi, who spend their last weeks of high school together. As "brother and sister" of other parents, they experience a security and love that they cannot find elsewhere. But when their future plans seem to drive them apart, their relationship is put at risk and the affectionate Cas must dare to be alone. The film had its world premiere at Toronto International Film Festival and was selected for Semaine de la Critique, both 2020. Sales is handled by Varicoloured.

Short graduation film Back to Zotteken Waes by Lobke de Boer has also been selected for this programme. Made for the Netherlands Film Acadamy and with support from AVROTROS, in Back to Zotteken Waes, Mathis returns to his native village to collect an early inheritance from his dying father, the infamous criminal Nicolas. His father is willing to give him the money, on one condition. 

3 Shorts Selected for Documentary Competition

A selection of documentaries also screen during this year's event. Doctor Ink by Wouter Hoes is an interesting story about a printing expert who calls himself Doctor Ink and knows ingenious ways to break open and refill cartridges. In his exotic shop he reveals the secrets of big cartridge companies as he battles consumerism in silence.

Furthermore, there are two graduation films, also from the Netherlands Film Acadamy, selected for this year's event: A View From Above and The Ballet of Service. A View From Above by Dylan Werkman follows the intimate journey of an astronaut going up into space, guided by metaphors from the life on earth. The film reveals the emotional complexity of the astronaut’s journey and raises questions about our shared home and our broader collective consciousness. The short documentary is made possible with the support of NTR.

The Ballet of Service by Marlies Smeenge gives us an insight in the world of butlers. At the International Butler Academy in Limburg, people from all over the world are trained to become a butler for the elite. Under a lot of pressure, they learn the old ways of butlering. An observational and absurdist documentary that gives us a glimpse of the perfectionist world of the butler profession. The short documentary is made possible with the support of BNNVARA. It won the Grand Prix Documentary at Mecal International Short Film Festival 2021.

Sad Beauty Selected for Animation Programme

Sad Beauty* by Arjan Beentjes is selected for the Animation Programme at Odense. This follows its recent selections for La Guarimba and Monstra Lisbon. Sad Beauty takes place in a heavily polluted world, where a young woman mourns the disappearance of animal species. When she falls ill due to a bacterial infection, nature appears to send her a message in her hallucinations. We spoke to director and producer Beentjes about the animated short, which you can read here. Sales for the film is handled by SND Films and festival dsitribution by Kaboom Distribution.

For more information on the Odense International Film Festival, click here.
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*Film is supported by the Netherlands Film Fund.