Ebb & Flow – had the World Premiere at the festival. The short (Lebanon, Qatar, United States) is 18 minutes long in Arabic with English subtitles. About: Determined to have her first kiss, a young teenage girl defies her tumultuous world in search of normalcy.
The film starts with beach scenes and good music, and then the peaceful scene changes to dramatic scenes when a mom and her teenage daughter are on the road to school. The mom states the protocol for staying after school, and the teen debate begins. When two teen girls meet with plans for an after-school meet-up with two boys, their meet-up is interrupted, and the parents are frantic when communication is down. This short film is written, directed, and edited by Nay Tabbara (Frayed Roots) and is very good. Mark Khalife is the cinematographer capturing scenes of what was to have been an extraordinary moment in her life. Overall, the film is a very polished and professional production.
This film is the 2024 Winner of the Student Visionary Award. Cast: Dona Atallah, Aya Zeaiter, Elyssa Skaff, Sami Saade, Karim Chemaly and Sarah Atallah
Source: Nay Tabbara/Tribeca Film Festival
La Roche is a 28-minute documentary short about Marc Rochat. About: A short portrait documentary on the ascendance and battle of Marc Rochat to the elite level of World Cup Slalom skiing. US Premiere – Directed by Basil Schneeberger and Nolan Büchi with excellent cinematography by Schneeberger.
This is a very interesting documentary/biography about Rochat’s life as a skier, introduced to the sport by his father as a child. There are good archival photos from his youth to becoming an award-winning skier, but not without a myriad of injuries, some of which could have ended his career.
Switzerland | French, Italian, Swiss-German | English subtitles
Source: Heimat Films
Sea Lion Cow – World Premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. About: On a late-night G Train, things are not what they seem, nor are they otherwise. Director/editor: Ivan Cash, cinematographer: Jamal Solomon, Animation: Art Camp, Alexis Prost. A song by Bella Fratkin is sung by Gideon Irving, a composer, with credit to Dave Harrington, also a composer.
I don’t live in New York or use the subway as a Texas resident, but it certainly would be interesting to ride the subway and see/hear a man start singing as he is holding a planter/plant. He sings to those aboard whether they like it or not. The camera shoots him walking and singing until he approaches the opposite end of the subway car. It is full of plants and set almost like an altar. It must be one of a kind. The film certainly is, and I hope more people get to experience it.
Short | United States | 6 minutes | English
Source: Cash Studios
Earthshine had its World Premiere at this animation festival. About: In this animated short film, the narrative unfolds as a stream of consciousness as the protagonist bravely confronts insecurities about anxiety, self-worth, success standards, and love.
Earthshine: Beautifully animated to dialogue as “stream of consciousness” and engaging for the film’s three-minute run. It is an exciting and unique concept to confront the aforementioned.
Short | United States | 3 MINUTES | English
Source: Starrpower Entertainment