Shorts 3: Blood Ties - Family Horror
Thursday 8th February / 17:00 / City Kino Wedding & Online
Shorts Program 3: Blood Ties - Family Horror (104 mins)
All families are like cults. They can often be insular, stifling, have their own set of odd rules and etiquettes..and the films in this block are prime examples of that! Erratic behaviors, repressed desires, and familicide can be found in this selection of unnerving films.
Lamb (15:00)
Directed by Sinéad O'Loughlin, Ireland, 2023 | German Premiere
An ordinary day takes a sinister turn for a woman and her child when a stranger walks into their isolated rural home.
Primogeniture (3:08)
Directed by Savanna Menzel, US, 2023 | European Premiere | Available online
A town must follow a strict curfew imposed by a red mark and a mysterious force. When Claudia's little brother is marked, her whole family must suffer the consequences.
The Thaw (16:31)
Directed by Sarah Wisner & Sean Temple, US, 2023 | European Premiere
In 19th century Vermont, a young woman's parents drink sleeping tea in order to survive the harsh winter, but an early thaw leads to horrifying results.
Aviya (4:00)
Directed by Aviya Hanina, Israel, 2023 | German Premiere | Available online
"Aviya" is a haunting short film that delves into the complex dynamics of a broken family. Set against the backdrop of a celebratory occasion, the story follows a young girl, Aviya, yearning for her mother’s recognition against her abusive father.
Stump (17:47)
Directed by Silva Kuusniemi, Finland, 2023 | German Premiere | Available online
Powerful corporate leaders have inexplicably turned feral and now live in forests where they are being hunted and sold for their crimes against the environment . Loyalties are tested when one of the hunters encounter someone unexpected.
Schluckauf (Piecemeal) (14:04)
Directed by Maxie Le Dévéhat & Marcel Schuhardt, Germany, 2023 | Available online
An approaching loss threatens the of a middle-class family, whose dark secrets gradually come to light and begin to gnaw away at the family members - literally.
Where The Witch Lives (14:00)
Written and directed by Marial Sharp, Canada, 2023 | Available online
After moving into an old isolated house with her newly-single mother and her little sister, 12 year old Cassie begins to suspect that her family is being tormented by the spirit of a sadistic River Witch.
Blind Spot (6:49)
Directed by Alexandra Mignien, Canada, 2023 | German Premiere | Available online
A young woman is haunted by a presence that seems to be linked to her past.
Said of a deer that’s shed its antlers (19:51)
Directed by Salomé Crickx, Belgium, 2023
A rural dystopia with a wacky nihilism that takes us to the heart of the annual Shedding ceremony, where the old is discarded to make way for the new.