Short films: Block V. Personal Spaces

Nestled among the cliffs of Italy’s Adriatic coast lies a series of man-made caves, carved over generations by a group of fishermen known as the ‘Grottaroli’.

Every morning a remaining handful of them, now in their 70s and 80s, descend to their caves to continue their craft. There, the sound of the waves becomes one with the ticking of time, as the last of the Grottaroli reflect on their love for the sea and come to terms with being the last generation.

An unknown force pushes a man to embark on an expedition to the high Arctic, a place of extraordinary characteristics.

In his quest of "measuring the North", a peculiar set of tools will help him understand that force. He may find the answer in this extraordinary region’s limits. Manoeuvring between an introspective adventure and the poetry of the absurd, this film also boasts aesthetics recalling Wes Anderson’s beloved symmetry and immaculate composition of the frame.

What does freedom actually mean? And in some cases, could it be better to be locked up, with a roof over your head and food to eat, even if you have to work for it? Dejan Petrović poses these questions indirectly in his distinctively framed impressions of an overcrowded dog shelter in Serbia, where dogs are kept behind wire mesh in dismal pens.

The observational footage is consistently shot from the same height; we never see the face of the man who cares for and trains the dogs, like the clever, shaggy-furred Vanja. Only at the end of this short film does it become clear why. Meanwhile, Vanja has already won your heart—and that of the initially somewhat grumpy trainer—with her keen-eyed look and affectionate ways.

A carnivalesque portrayal of the Finnish landscape of the soul and abode, based on the iconic YLE "People's Radio" show. The visual material has been created by the road movie method of driving across summery Finland.

The film paints a panorama of what Finland looks like today. Its narration progresses through humor into civic anarchy, ultimately also towards the longing for human connection.