How to Build a Sand Castle is a four minute hand- drawn animated short that uses the metaphor of a crumbling sandcastle to explore queer self- discovery, shedding shame, and reclaiming identity with newfound clarity and power.
In desperate search of acceptance, a troubled man is taking part in brutal slap fighting competitions. Disregarding the consequences he crosses more dangerous boundaries.
A BOY (Black and White Drawing)is in love with A GIRL (Cardboard Cut Out Puppet), he is too shy and anxious, which makes him too incapable to express his feelings for her. THE GIRL tries to get closer to him, but after he doesn’t react to her approaches, she decides to stop trying. When she leaves, she drops a little cardboard spider, which THE BOY takes home. The Spider starts to absorb the BOY’s energy and feeds on his complex and insecurities, growing bigger and monstrous. The BOY’s reality starts to mix up with his dreams and nightmares, he gets obsessed with THE GIRL and starts waiting for the GIRL to come back, while the toxic spider continuous to spin its web over his overthinking head.
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.
In the marshlands of Southern Iraq, Ibrahim and his family live in solitude as strangers to the outside world, their lives tethered to the river, the reeds, and the buffalo they tend. Silent and withdrawn, Ibrahim finds comfort only in his buffalo, his sole companion. But as the rivers dry and the landscape withers, Ibrahim faces unrelenting forces threatening the only life he has ever known, and the only creature he has ever understood.
In the volatile moments after a car crash, before the authorities arrive, a hot-headed yet desperate tow truck driver fiercely protects his tow. But the situation quickly spirals out of his control.
