Category Archives: Drama

Screening Room

We know you like to watch… short films that is. Welcome to the ImageMakers’ Screening Room. Enjoy films from present and past seasons. The films that are available for viewing online are listed below and have been divided into four categories: Animation, Comedy, Drama, and Suspense.

Below is a playlist with all of the available ImageMakers films on YouTube and Vimeo. We also have separate playlists for the following types of films:

Animation

Click here to watch the full animation playlist.

Comedy

Click here to watch most of the comedy films listed below.

Drama

Click here to watch most of the drama films listed below.

Suspense

Click here to watch most of the suspense films listed below.

Lost and Found Love

This episode includes:

Mr. Hublot by Laurent Witz
Lucy by Zoe Lubeck
West of the Moon by Brent Bonacorso

Mr. Hublot
France/Luxembourg
Mr. Hublot lives in a world where everything is mechanical — including pets. It’s a universe where the giant scale of machines and the relentless use of salvaged materials reign supreme. Mr. Hublot, a withdrawn, idiosyncratic character with OCD, must break out of his shell when a robot dog is left abandoned on the curb outside the place where he lives. The film won the 2014 Academy Award for best animation. Written, produced and directed by Laurent Witz.
– Visit the film’s website at mrhublot.com.
– Watch a trailer at mrhublot.com.
– Read an interview with the filmmaker at cartoonbrew.com.
– Visit the film’s Facebook page at facebook.com.
– See the film’s IMDb entry at imdb.com.

Lucy
USA
A little girl wants a puppy … real bad. Her obsession is driving her parents crazy. Will her persistence break through her parents’ stone cold hearts? While the story may be familiar to anyone who has wanted a dog, her creative storytelling technique will have you in tears by the end. Animated by Zoe Lubeck.
– Watch the film, below.

West of the Moon
USA
The memory of a long lost love triggers an old man to recall the odd set of circumstances that led to his having a grenade as a heart and a monkey inside his head. A wildly inventive and visually amazing film inviting comparisons to the work of Terry Gilliam and Tim Burton. The film is directed by Brent Bonacorso and based on the book of children’s essays entitled The Colored Monster Has No Mouth by Roger Omar. Principal cast: Jacob Whitkin, Michael Garbe, Amber Noelle and Christopher Tomafelli.
– Watch the film, below.
– Read an interview with the filmmaker at filmmakermagazine.com.
– See the film’s IMDb entry at imdb.com.

Watch Lucy:

Watch West of the Moon:

Love Never Dies

This episode includes:

Love at First Sight by Michael Davies
Romance by Douglas Boswell

Love at First Sight
England
It’s not every day you fall in love, but in 70-year-old Arthur’s case he can and does. When he spots Ruth in the retirement home, he knows in his heart he has finally found his soul mate. Directed by Michael Davies, the short film shows that you are never too old to fall in love. Principal cast: John Hurt, Phyllida Law and Barry McCarthy.
– Read interviews with the filmmaker at bristolpost.co.uk and latimesblogs.latimes.com.
– Visit the film’s Facebook page at facebook.com.
– See the film’s IMDb entry at imdb.com.

Romance
Belgium
Meet Desiree, Agnes and Louise. All three have come from different backgrounds and life experiences to share the same room in a nursing home. Only one has the coveted spot near the window. From her vantage point, she is able to give her bedridden roommates a daily play-by-play of the young lovers in the park. The newcomer to the ward finds her stories meddlesome until one day she has an epiphany. Directed by Douglas Boswell. Principal cast: Mieke Verheyden, Doris Van Caneghem and Blanka Heirman.

Be Still My Heart

This episode includes:

Voice Over by Martin Rosete
Rhino Full Throttle by Erik Schmitt

Voice Over
Spain
There are unforgettable moments in one’s life that take your breath away. Here are three of them. No, make that four… or is it one? Confused? So is the narrator who jumps from one heart-thumping story to another. He argues with himself until he finally figures out what tale he is really trying to tell. Directed by Martin Rosete. Principal cast: Jonathan Mellor (playing the main three characters), Javier Cidoncha, and Luna Montignier Pereiro.
– Watch the film, below.
– Visit the film’s website at voice-over.es.
– Read interviews with the filmmaker at manhattanshort.com and thewrap.com.
– Visit the film’s Facebook page at facebook.com.
– See the film’s IMDb entry at imdb.com.

Rhino Full Throttle
Germany
Bruno roams the streets of Berlin trying to find the soul of the city when a beautiful tourist highjacks his thought process in this deceptively simple but visually creative love story. Driven by curiosity, his wild imagination and his unique take on reality, Bruno reveals his love affair with Berlin and his infatuation with a mysterious woman. Directed by Erik Schmitt. Principal cast: Tino Mewes and Marleen Lohse.
– Watch a trailer, below.
– Visit the film’s website at kamerapferd.com.
– Read an interview with the filmmaker at msfilmfest.com.

Watch Voice Over:

Watch a trailer for Rhino Full Throttle:

New World Disorder

This episode includes:

iMom by Ariel Martin
Foxes by Lorcan Finnegan

iMom
Australia
Finally, the answer for busy parents all over the world! In the not too distant future, the iMom is created and becomes a wildly successful product that’s guaranteed to raise your kids for you. When a preoccupied mother leaves her eight-year-old son and baby daughter under the care of the family’s iMom, a scary connection is formed. Technology has made many jobs obsolete, but can it replace the role of dear old mom? Written, produced and directed by Ariel Martin. Principal cast: Marta Dusseldorp, Lara Everly and Tom Kiesche.
– Watch a trailer, below.
– Read interview with the filmmaker at shootonline.com.
– See the film’s IMDb entry at imdb.com.

Foxes
Ireland
The real estate bubble has burst leaving people’s home mortgages and lives upside down. One lone couple are all that remain in an otherwise abandoned subdivision. Isolation can mess with your mind and make you do strange things. They soon find out they are not alone. Directed by Lorcan Finnegan. Principal cast: Marie Ruanne, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor and Karen Griffin.
– Watch the film, below.
– Visit the film’s website at foxesfilm.com.
– To read interviews with the filmmaker, go to dreadcentral.com and directorsnotes.com.

Watch a trailer for iMom:

Watch Foxes:

Boy Meets Girl

This episode includes:

97% by Ben Brand
Mickey and Maria by Steffen Reuter
Man in Suit by Anna van der Heide

97%
Holland
Finally, technology has now been able to help us find love. Via an app on his phone, single and ready to mingle, Bert gets a notice that the girl of his dreams is nearby. Now, all he has to do is find her before the subway train reaches the end of the line… easier said than done. Directed by Ben Brand. Principal cast: Bert Hana, Thirsa van Til and Laura Branderhorst.
– Watch a trailer, below.
– Read interview with the filmmaker at msfilmfest.com.
– See the film’s IMDb entry at imdb.com.

Mickey and Maria
Holland
Twenty-year-old Maria goes to a birthday party in hopes of escaping her troubles. She has just broken up with her immature boyfriend and has become disenchanted with men and love. Just when she is ready to give up on love, a precocious nine-year-old Mickey, who knows a good thing when he sees it, offers her the most romantic proposal ever. Directed by Steffen Reuter. The filmmaker was going for a nostalgic look with the film and decided to shoot it on a very old 8mm home movie camera. Principal cast: Stefanie Stappenbeck and Max Schmuckert.
– See the film’s IMDb entry at imdb.com.

Man in Suit
United States
A busy woman is at her wit’s end with her family. Her children don’t appreciate all the things she does for them. When her husband forgets to tell her that he has to work on the family’s planned day to visit the amusement park, she reaches the end of her rope. She decides to seize the day. Now it’s Mommy time. Directed by Anna van der Heide. Principal cast: Maria Kraakman, Nick Livramento Silva, Rover Van Gennep, Roosmarijn Van der Hoek, Ali Ben Horsting.
– Watch a trailer, below.
– See the film’s IMDb entry at imdb.com.

Watch a trailer for 97%:

Watch a trailer for Man in Suit:

Never Take No for an Answer

This episode includes:

Grounded by Alexis Michalik
Selma by Mohamed Ben Attia

Grounded
France
Evelyne needs to travel to London for her mother’s funeral. But at the airport, she can’t produce her newborn baby’s ID. She is not allowed to board her plane. But with the help of Stephanie, a young air hostess, they will fight the inflexible airport rules and bureaucratic red tape. It is a race against time. Will she make it before the gate closes? Written and directed by Alexis Michalik. Principal cast: Stephanie Stephanie Caillol, Evelyne El Garbi Klai, Anne Loiret and Laurent Mentec.
– Watch behind the scenes below.

Selma
Tunisia
After the accidental death of her taxi-driver husband, Selma decides to become master of her own life by taking over his taxi business. She comes up against the Kafkaesque procedures of Tunisian bureaucracy and the heavily entrenched patriarchal society. With quiet determination, she also faces her conservative Muslim in-laws who continue to dictate the way she should behave. Facing difficult odds, she fights to break free. Written and directed by Mohamed Ben Attia. Principal cast: Nejma Zeghidi, Rafiaa Boutekkine Belhoute and Asma Fallah.

Watch behind the scenes of Grounded:

http://player.vimeo.com/video/70611819

Not the Same Without You

This episode includes:

We Keep on Dancing by Jessica Barclay Lawton
The Phone Call by Mat Kirkby

We Keep on Dancing
Australia
A deep human connection is made — in of all places — in an auto repair shop among men who have never met before. A distraught man with a rundown Volkswagen Beetle comes into the Rainbow Mechanics repair shop with an unusual request. The men in the shop come to the realization that breakdowns happen to more than just cars. Directed by Jessica Barclay Lawton. Principal cast: John Brumpton, William Gluth and Rhys Mitchell.
– Watch a trailer, below.
– Visit the film’s website at jessicalawton.com.
– See the film’s IMDb entry at imdb.com.

The Phone Call
England
Heather is shy and spends her days working at a helpline call center. When she receives a call from a distraught man, she has no idea the encounter will change her life forever. Featuring an amazing performance by Sally Hawkins (who did this film right after her Oscar nominated performance in Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine), the film will resonate with anyone searching for a true companion. The film won the 2015 Oscar for best short film. Written and directed by Mat Kirkby. Principal cast: Sally Hawkins and Jim Broadbent.
– Visit the film’s website at thephonecallfilm.com.
– Read interview with the filmmaker at hungertv.com.
– Visit the film’s Facebook page at facebook.com.
– See the film’s IMDb entry at imdb.com.

Watch a trailer for We Keep on Dancing:

http://player.vimeo.com/video/74093129

The Dog in the Window

This episode includes:

Helium by Anders Walter

Helium
Denmark
A terminally ill boy makes a friend with a hospital worker. Through his stories about Helium — a magical fantasy world, the boy regains the joy and happiness of his life and finds a safe haven away from his daily hardships. Written and directed by Anders Walter. The film won the 2014 Oscar for Best Short. Principal cast: Casper Crump, Marijana Jankovic and Pelle Falk Krusbaek.

– Watch a trailer, below.
– Watch an interview with the filmmaker at youtube.com.
– Read interview with the filmmaker at filmshortage.com.
– Visit the film’s Facebook page at facebook.com.
– See the film’s IMDb entry at imdb.com.

Watch a trailer from Helium:

Can You Fly?

This episode includes:

5 Meters 80 by Nicolas Deveaux
9 Meter by Anders Walter
Dust by Ben Ockrent and Jake Russell

5 Meters 80
France
Ever wonder what giraffes do for fun? Wonder no more. Animated by Nicolas Deveaux. The filmmaker’s first film, 7 Tons 2, shows us what elephants do to amuse themselves.
– Watch the film, below.
– Watch 7 Tons 2 at youtube.com.

9 Meter
Denmark
A young track star’s mother is in a coma. Every time he breaks his own personal records, his mother responds by moving her finger. He is convinced that if he can push himself to the limit, he can continuing breaking records in the long jump and this will wake his mom up. He sets out to make the most dangerous jump of his life. Written and directed by Anders Walter. Principal cast: Benjamin Gabrielsen, Oliver Methling Sondergaard, Thomas Baldus, and Christine Albeck Borge. The film was short listed for an Oscar in 2012. His next film, Helium, won the 2014 Best Short film Oscar and is also part of the ImageMakers episode The Dog in the Window.
– Watch the film, below.
– Visit the film’s Facebook page at facebook.com.
– See the film’s IMDb entry at imdb.com.

Dust
England
A creepy man follows a young girl and her mother home from school one day and waits until dark to sneak into their house. The mysterious man won’t leave until he gets what he wants — and doesn’t leave until he gets it. Written and directed by Ben Ockrent and Jake Russell. Principal cast: Alan Rickman, Jodie Whittaker, and Lola Albert.
– Watch the film, below.
– See the film’s IMDb entry at imdb.com.

Watch 5 Meters 80:

Watch 9 Meter:

Watch Dust:

Beyond Infinity

This episode includes:

Entity by Andrew Desmond
Orbit Ever After by Jamie Stone

Entity
France
Minutes after the technical failure of her spacecraft (if you can call your ship blowing up just a “technical failure”), an astronaut finds herself ejected from her cockpit and into space. She tries in vain to contact the base to obtain help. Her oxygen level diminishes slowly but surely. She faints… after floating adrift for several hours through the immensity of space, she awakens to find herself facing a strange and mysterious entity, taking the shape of an immense black hole. A jaw dropping, gorgeous special effects laden film written and directed by Andrew Desmond. Principal cast: Alias Hilsum.
– Watch the trailer, below.
– Read interview with the filmmaker at moviepilot.com.
– Visit the film’s Facebook page at facebook.com.
– See the film’s IMDb entry at imdb.com.

Orbit Ever After
England
When you’re in love, you’re willing to risk everything in order to spend one perfect moment together. Nigel has fallen in love, but when you live in outer space aboard a ramshackle spaceship it isn’t easy to follow your heart — especially when the girl of your dreams is circling around the earth the opposite direction. A science fiction romance where two star-crossed lovers overcome all probabilities and sacrifice everything in order to spend one perfect moment together. Written and directed by Jamie Stone. Principal cast: Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Mackensie Crook, Bronagh Gallagher, and Bob Goody.
– Watch the trailer, below.
– Watch interviews with the filmmaker at insideencounters2013.wordpress.com and filmclub.org.
– View a behind the scenes look at the special effects at vimeo.com.
– Visit the film’s Facebook page at facebook.com.
– See the film’s IMDb entry at imdb.com.

Watch a trailer for Entity:

Watch a trailer for Orbit Ever After:

The Family Dynamic

This episode includes:

Boogaloo and Graham by Michael Lennox
Head Over Heels by Timothy Reckart

Boogaloo and Graham
Ireland
In 1970s Belfast, two young boys discover the facts of life with the aid of their pet chickens. Jamesy and Malachy are over the moon when their soft-hearted Dad presents them with two baby chicks to care for, but the two boys are in for a shock when their parents announce that big changes are coming to the family. Directed by Michael Lennox. The film was nominated for a 2015 Oscar. Principal cast: Martin McCann, Charlene McKenna, Riley Hamilton and Aaron Lynch.
– Watch a trailer, below.
– Learn more about the film at outoforbit.tv and bbc.com..
– Read interview with the filmmaker at iftn.ie.
– See the film’s IMDb entry at imdb.com.

Head Over Heels
England / USA
After many years of marriage, Walter and Madge have grown apart. To make matters worse, he lives on the floor, she lives on the ceiling. When Walter tries to reignite their old romance, it brings their equilibrium crashing down. The couple that can’t agree which way is up must find a way to put their relationship back together. Written and directed by Timothy Reckart. The stop motion animation was nominated for an Oscar in 2013.
– Watch the film, below.
– Read interviews with the filmmaker at animationmagazine.net and awn.com.
– Visit the filmmaker’s Facebook page at facebook.com.
– See the film’s IMDb entry at imdb.com.

Watch a trailer for Boogaloo and Graham:

Watch Head Over Heels:

A Girl In Trouble (Is A Temporary Thing)

This episode includes:

All Soul’s Day by Aleksandra Terpinska
The Parakeets by Julie Voisin

All Soul’s Day
Poland
On her eighteenth birthday, Lena is trying to bond with her family, but as usual, they seem to be ignoring her. It also happens to be All Soul’s Day, a time for contacting the dead and getting together to return to one’s roots. Lena set out in search for her long-lost father. Events of the day transpire that ultimately lead her to reassess what family truly means. Written and directed by Aleksandra Terpinska. Principal cast: Jasmina Polak, Ewa Dalkowska, Anatol Fuksiewicz and Marcin Banaszewski.

The Parakeets
France
Lili, an ill young woman going through cancer treatment, is faced one morning with the sudden loss of her hair. She cannot bring herself to leave her apartment. Her best friend proposes a radical solution: to give Lili a radical makeover from head to toe. Lili agrees to be transformed. Little does she know that this makeover will fundamentally change not only her day, but also her life. When your inhibitions are the last things you have to lose, that’s when freedom begins. Written and directed by Julie Voisin. Principal cast: Marie Kremer, Julie Voisin, Bruno Debrandt, Helmi Dridi and Tathieu Simonet.
– To learn more about the film, go to thealternative.in.
– Visit the film’s Facebook page at facebook.com.
– See the film’s IMDb entry at imdb.com.

Behind the Veil

This episode includes:

What Can I Wish You Before the Fight? by Sofia Babluani
After the Class by Fereshteh Parnian Zad

What Can I Wish You Before the Fight?
France
Marie, adopted at the age of five under strange circumstances, lives in the French countryside with her father and younger sister. Unable to talk since the day she arrived, her father encourages the slow progress she is making with her speech therapist. One fateful evening, the family finds a strange young girl hiding in their barn. On the run from the law, this stranger will change Marie’s life forever and bring her hidden past into sharp focus. Written and directed by Sofia Babluani. Principal cast: Aziza Arslanova, Liana Babluani, Jean-Louis Coulloc’h and Nastassia Legrand.
– See the film’s IMDb entry at imdb.com.

After the Class
Iran
In this emotionally nuanced family drama, a high school teacher’s day begins with the good news of a promotion. But later, her independently minded daughter brings less welcome news. A universal story about what freedom and independence means for a modern day woman. Written, edited and directed by Fereshteh Parnian Zad. Principal cast: Fereshsteh Sadr Orafaei and Sadaf Sadri.
– Watch the trailer below.
– See the film’s IMDb entry at imdb.com.

Watch a trailer for After the Class: