Official selection

A woman made from wood, Embla, is willed into existence by her maker and lover, Baldur. Their relationship takes a turn when Embla mars her perfection by burning her finger. Carved from wood by the artist Baldur, Embla awakens into a world of passion and wonder, his muse and his lover. But when her curiosity mars her perfection, burning her finger, his adoration cools, replaced by distance and moody withdrawal. Desperate to recapture their once-ferocious bond, Embla seduces him, only to discover his secret: a new prototype, a better version of herself, taking shape in his forbidden woodshed. In a final, fiery confrontation, Embla must face the terror of being discarded, the mythic clash between creator and creation erupting into a fable of desire, control, and resilience.

This work examines binge-eating livestreams in contemporary internet culture through the metaphor of a tower rising from the desert, symbolizing exploitative online corporations. The protagonist, a man in poverty and constant hunger, is guided by a bird representing his inner self. As profits grow, he falls into a cycle of excessive consumption and self-destruction. The bird’s death marks the loss of his final rationality, and he realizes he has destroyed his only escape while the system continues exploiting others.

A young boy, living in rural Greece with his father, has to confront the violent familial tradition on his birthday, the slaughter of a goat. The ritual is unavoidable for the boy in order to become a man, even if his ideals diverge from those of his father’s. Following constant pressure, he runs away and after meeting a mysterious presence he must take a difficult decision.