Nordic Shorts 5: Make hay while the sun shines

Sometimes every day feels like a challenge. Whether it is one we inflict upon ourselves, or one imposed on us from the outside. Let’s seize the opportunity and successfully overcome them – and will we learn from our failures? I pose og sekk / Someone’s Everything Sweden 2024, 14 min., norw., swed. ov, engl. st R: Julia Schia K: Julia Schia, Johanne Udnes Hansen D: Mari Hovde (Drache), Mirjam Kjellman (Ella), Patrik Svedberg (Taxifahrer) P: Therése Nordenberg, Evelina Jacobsson, Olle Morfar Film International premiere On the drive through the night-time city, the tears flow freely. She's been dumped, the white dragon tells the concerned taxi driver driving her to the Hotel Nordic Horizon. There, raccoon Ella can't hold back her tears when she has to put in an extra shift. Even lovingly animated, saccharine-sweet dolls aren't spared the suffering of all too human conflicts. Fuck Me Sweden 2024, 15 min., schw. ov, engl. st R: Anette Sidor B: Anette Sidor K: Marcus Dineen D: Embla Lindroth (Tina), TJ Miansangi (Ben), Nayeli Meza (Milla), Asanda Kokkonen (Katja), Lorén Lundberg (Lilli) P: Frida Mårtensson, Lova Lilliemarck, Verket Produktion German premiere The warm, soft light at the beach club imbues the faces and bodies with a beautiful and sexy aspect. The words “dicks” and “boobs” belong to the standard vocabulary of the lively conversations with her girlfriends. At the counter, Tina is the consummate seductress. In the privacy of the stockroom, she breathes “Fuck me” into Ben's ear. But sometimes, even playing the part perfectly does not get you where you hope to go. Dickpunch UK 2024, 4 min., engl. ov, engl. st R: Frøydis Moe K: Ravi Doubleday D: Alisia Buekenhoudt (Sarah), Rebecca Abigail-Thorne (Lena), Benjamin Press (Jimmy) P: Dora Galosi, National Film and Television School International premiere One sunny day in the park, Lena and Sarah are having a relaxed chat over beer and cigarettes. A man sneaks up, addresses them, and then exposes himself. Sarah punches him and the two friends run away. Their exuberant relief quickly gives way to Lena's concerns that now they can no longer report the man. A powerful and cheeky reflection on structural sexual violence against women. The Beauty Odyssey Finland 2024, 14 min., engl. ov, engl. st R: Rosaliina Paavilainen K: Aake Kivalo D: Rosaliina Paavilainen P: Rosaliina Paavilainen, AV-ARKKI The Centre for Finnish Media Art Beauty is the ultimate gold standard, ageing is not an option. Director Rosaliina Paavilainen relentlessly reveals the path of suffering to the unachievable ideal of perfection on her own body: a time-wasting, unceasing everyday life between yoga, waxing, and Botox treatments. Close-up shots make the struggle against time sensually perceptible and painfully palpable. Dette er ikke en fest (det er en vinkveld) / Sorry I’m Late (But I Brought a Choir) Norway 2024, 10 min., norw. ov, engl. st R: Håkon Anton Olavsen B: Håkon Anton Olavsen, Sunniva Kviteberg K: Kristoffer Engholm Aabo D: Simen Glømmen Bostad (Stian), Nina Elisabeth Gjerstad (Nina) P: Tøri Gjendal, German premiere Nina isn't exactly thrilled when Stian, arriving late for her housewarming party, has an entire choir in tow that he just picked up on the tram. Boisterous, drunk, and silly, the motley troupe in the stairwell strains the patience of the hostess. When her cat also escapes the flat, enough is finally enough. But then the uninvited guests start singing.