The 2022 Universe Multicultural Film Festival Selections
Feature Films
A Beautiful Breakup United Kingdom | 95 min Feature | Drama Director: Ajithvasan Uggina Sometimes unconditional love pours when hate grows. Krish and Ruby oblivious to what destiny holds for them, set out on one last holiday to celebrate their Breakup. Destiny and the Destination have a lot to offer. Their fate will be now decided by the unseen.
Emergence: Out of the Shadows Canada | 80min Feature | Drama Director: Vinay Giridhar For Kayden, Jag, and Amar, awakening to and expressing their sexuality within conservative South Asian families was a lonely and terrifying experience. Denial, shame and despair haunted their youths, even threatening their lives. Yet, they’ve emerged. In the feature documentary Emergence: Out of the Shadows, the disparate journeys of Kayden, Jag and Amar converge around a shared sense of compassion and healing as they bravely convey their often heart-wrenching stories.
The Disappearance of Mrs. Wu United States | 90min Feature | Drama Director: Anna Chi The film tells the story of Shang Yu, a female teacher at Yueliangwan Middle School in the impoverished mountainous area of Sichuan Province, China, and her two generations of students who dropped out of school because of poverty and returned to school.
The Loneliness Of Those Who Do Not Exist USA | 76 min Feature | Drama Director: Michael Matteo Rossi While working for a shady real-estate company in Shanghai, Bryan Zellerman is framed by his corrupt employers. Faced with a choice between escape or finding out the truth behind his betrayal, his path veers terribly out of control.
Short Films
ICON - Memoirs of a Master Craftsman India | 42min Short | Documentary Director: Kala Shreen ICON is the story of an indigenous artisan, from an underprivileged stratum of the Hindu society, who became a nationally acclaimed master craftsman through his handmade religious artefacts. Guided by his spiritual immersion, inner vision and revelations, images from his creative consciousness are translated into materiality through hand craftmanship. Hailing from the Kulalar ethnic community in India, his creative pursuits perpetuate the traditional knowledge and praxis rooted in ancient autochthonous culture.
My Home United Kingdom | 13min Short | Drama Director: Bilal Mudassar Khan Aryam receives a call from her employer, asking her to care for someone on her day off. Aryam reluctantly agrees, as it was her late father's birthday and she had plans. Aryam arrives at the Boyle's home and is faced by comments judging her ethnicity and religious attire, as she is a Muslim who always wears a headscarf. As Boyle's comments turn more discriminatory and reveal his disgust about his foreign neighbours, Aryam's patience reaches breaking point and she considers calling her employer to leave caring duties; however Aryam decides to stay put.
Miracle China | 8min Short | Animation Director: Shaofu Zhang In modern day Xian, two siblings will have the most memorable adventure of their lives. Silkma, a curious and naughty boy and his adorable younger sister Lingling are visiting their Grandma’s house. However, she’s no ordinary Grandmother. In fact, she is the world’s greatest inventor, and Grandma is close to finishing her top secret spaceship that can travel through time and space
The Border Spain | 30min Short | Animation Director: Jose Pedraza Martinez Two neighboring peoples live in the same territory, separated by the border line. Although they are identical and only differ in the color they use in their clothing and symbols, they observe with suspicion to each other and any border incident can lead to large-scale conflict
Youth Made & Student Films
2030 United States | 2 min Student-made | Animation Director: Angela N Hernandez-Carlson "A worsening problem continues to threaten the stability of our future.
Something Has Died In The Forest Australia | 25min Student - made| Drama Director: Eva Justine Torkkola A Ukrainian woman, recently migrated to Australia post WW2, struggles to come to terms with her pregnancy as she relives the trauma of losing her first child.
Impermanence United States | 12min Student-made | Documentary Director: Vejune Sidaugaite Having grown up in Soviet-occupied Lithuania—a socialist, conservative society—Audrone spent her childhood understanding that tattoos were reserved for Soviet soldiers and criminals. But after her youngest daughter, the filmmaker, gets a tattoo in Audrone’s honor, Audrone takes the leap of getting her own first tattoo at the age of 53
The Pain Killer Korea | 9min Student-made| Drama Director: Minjae Kim A journey of a depressed protagonist seeking to kill her inner pain. In the samsara of her emotions, just like the cycle of water(the tide), the protagonist's journey of life- enduring endless suicides of her inner self is praiseworthy.
Music Video and Film Songs
Back to You United States | 5min Music Video Director: Kyle Spicer The lead singer goes on vacation to Hawaii and meets someone after having a fight with his girlfriend. At the end he realizes that true love can't be traded for anything.
Gravity United Arab Emirates | 3min Music Video Director: Akram Badr The story is metaphorically represented in a love theme, we can see the protagonist leaving earth (reality) to the endless space trying to find his lover (the purpose). It's a journey with no returning back, a one-way ticket to the unknown.
Impetuous attraction Brazil| 3min Music Video Director: Rita Figueiredo This music video represents three separate individuals going about their day and their struggles. It resolves as they find a reprieve and peace in nature, music and dance.
Lamp Russia | 20min TV Episode Director: Ilya Kulikov Kostya is 23, he lives in a garage and grants wishes. And not simple, but the most intimate: if you need to ruin someone's life, take revenge or do something out of the ordinary, welcome to the Lamp application. The only employee of the company, he is also its owner Kostya knows his business perfectly. Tremble, unfaithful girls, insufferable bosses and treacherous friends, the genie Kostya is coming to you!
Special Screening Films
The awarded documentary feature film from Latinx filmmaker Magi Avila follows the happiest quadriplegic man’s journey around the world as he shares life’s greatest lessons.
Altitude Not Attitudeis a documentary about the true-life story of Michael Warkentin, who became a quadriplegic at age 22. Despite this tragedy, he has created a magnificent life. Among gorgeous European landmarks, with humor, we explore the six phases of recovery that we all experience after facing adversity. A timely story during an unprecedented time. Fun-loving-thrill-seeking Michael is a true inspiration and testament to resilience and over-achievement.
