Silk Road International Film Festival Programme 2020

T.D., MINISTER FOR CULTURE,
HERITAGE AND THE GAELTACHT
JOSEPHA MADIGAN
For centuries, the Silk Road provided routes for voyage, discovery and dialogue
between cultures. The reciprocal flow of ideas and values along those silk routes
has shaped languages and cultures, building relations and strengthening
ties. Its impact has been a lasting cultural, artistic and intellectual legacy.
Now in its 8th year, The Silk Road International Film Festival (SRIFF) continues
to support the artistic legacy of the Silk Road as it brings together cultures,
traditions and identities and displays a diversity of features, documentaries,
shorts & student films from around the world. It will also help to create dialogue
and increase multicultural awareness through the wonderful medium of film.
The screen industry has been an area of particular focus for my Department
and the Government of Ireland has committed very significant resources to the
development of that industry including the important tax incentive Section
481 which has been augmented this year by the introduction of the regional
film development uplift which offers an additional incentive to productions
in the regions. Initiatives delivered under the Audiovisual Action Plan, which
is an industry-wide, long-term plan, under the Creative Ireland Programme,
continues to support the Government’s ambition to enable Ireland to
become a global hub for the production of Film, TV drama and animation.
This sector is of enormous value to Irish culture and the Irish economy,
creating jobs, supporting services and above all, offering the opportunity
to tell our stories so that we can share our identity, our cultural heritage and
our landscape. I am delighted to note that as well as screening international
films, SRIFF will also share a special selection of films from the historical
network of the Silk Road ancient trade routes. The selection – “Belt & Road”
includes Asian, Arab, Middle Eastern, African, Mediterranean and European
cinema and will certainly help on delivering the mission of the film festival to
celebrate excellence in screen-based storytelling and promotion of cinema.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone involved in this year’s
Silk Road International Film Festival every success for the future.
JOSEPHA MADIGAN
.

Welcome to Silk Road
International Film Festival 2020
The Silk Road International Film Festival (SRIFF) is held annually in Dublin,
Ireland. This year it will take place around the Chinese Lunar New Year. The
festival will screen over 90 films from 40 international countries between the
21st to 25th January across the city of Dublin. Founded in 2012, the SRIFF is fast
becoming an international acclaimed film festival. Past guests have included
world renowned filmmakers such as Director Béla Tarr, Vittorio Storaro and
Mahmoud Kalari.
This years Honorary guest Director Abel Ferrara will attend the 8th edition to
receive the Silk Road International Film Festival Honorary Award at the Lord
Mayor of Dublin’s Mansion House during the official opening ceremony. Abel
Ferrara’s film Tommaso starring Willem Dafoe, will screen at the Irish Film
Institute. SRIFF will hold a masterclass with Abel Ferrara in Trinity College
Dublin on Thursday 23rd January introduced by Michael Lee of Film Ireland,
supported by Screen Skills Ireland.
SRIFF screens an exclusive array of world cinema showcasing a rich diversity
of features, documentaries, animation, shorts & student films. As well as
screening international films there is a special selection of films from the “Silk
Road”, countries part of the historical network of the Silk Road ancient trade
routes. The selection called “Belt & Road” includes Asian, Arab, Middle Eastern,
African, Mediterranean and European cinema.
We’re excited to be screening a number of Chinese films through our
partners of the Belt & Road International Film Festival Alliance and Shanghai
International Film Festival.
Main sponsors of SRIFF include Dublin City Council, Trinity College Dublin,
ODEON cinema, O’Hara’s Irish Craft Beer, NolaClan, the Silk Road Cafe and
The Merrion as the official hotel partner.
SRIFF’s mission is to celebrate excellence in screen based storytelling.
Promote cinema of the world and Belt & Road. Facilitate international
contacts between filmmakers. Narrow distances between people & cultures,
break boundaries & foster cross-cultural collaboration & social change.
The festival, founded by filmmakers Carla Mooney, Steinar Oli Jonsson &
Delwyn Mooney hope that followers of the Silk Road International Film
Festival will be be inspired & learn from other countries cinema and culture.
We wish you a fantastic #SRIFF20
Very Special Thanks to Provost Patrick Prendergast & Dr. Sarah Alyn Stacey of
Trinity College Dublin & the Lord Mayor of Dublin Paul McAuliffe.
And thank you to all the SRIFF Team, Programmers & Jury Members of
SRIFF20
Carla Mooney, Steinar Óli Bjarkar & Delwyn Mooney

IFI, Temple Bar
wife’s desire to change the rules of their relationship. This change
his
them is set against Tommaso’s simple day-to-day life in Rome;
between
a student taking Italian classes, as a teacher working with young acting
as
and most importantly his relationship and the pure love he feels
students,
Abel Ferrara
Director:
Willem Dafoe, Cristina Chiriac, Anna Ferrara
Cast:
Feature Films
Wednesday 22 Jan 2020
8.20 pm
T O M M A S O
(Willem Dafoe), an American artist living in Rome, and Nikki’s
Tommaso
(Cristina marriage is in turmoil and he must come to terms with
Chiriac)
for his three-year-old daughter and she for him.
// 115mins // 2019
Italy
Irish Premiere
Q&A hosted by Chris O'Neill with Director Abel Ferrara

hometown. Yuan Ye regrets breaking up
Director: Zhang Yaoyuan
Cast: Abe Tsuyoshi
Admission: €10
Feature Films
Wednesday 22 Jan 2020
7:00 pm
C I T Y O F
Brooks Hotel
R O M A N C E
In a small seaside town in northeast
China writer Yuan Ye is frustrated, and he
can’t get over his ex-girlfriend Yang Yang.
Many years later, they meet again in their
with Yang Yang and is trying to win her
back before it’s too late!
China // 86mins // 2019
Thursday 23 Jan 2020
4:45 pm
T H E
ODEON Point Square
F A L L E N
Years after running away from her drug
kingpin father and her family, a woman
returns home. However, what appears to
be the return of the prodigal daughter is
actually just the beginning of her plan to
settle a score from two decades ago.
After making an explosive debut last year
with G Affairs, director Lee Cheuk-pan
quickly returns to the director’s chair with
this gritty and stylish revenge thriller
reminiscent of classic Hong Kong crime
thrillers.In her first film role in three years,
veteran actress Irene Wan is captivating
as the puppet master of the sinister
revenge scheme.
Director Lee Cheuk Pan
Cast: Irene Wan, Kenny Kwan,
Hanna Chan, Eddie Chan, Alice Chan
Hong Kong, China // 96mins // 2019

Roja, a migrant woman, who has lost her
Director: Kambiz Safari
Cast: Arusha Beigi, Behnaz Jafari, Sadaf
Asgari, Khosro Pesiani, Atila Pesiani
Admission: €10
Feature Films
Sat 25 Jan 2020
1:00 pm
N O . 3 A Z A R
ODEON Point Square
S H A H R . S T R E E T
husband in Germany returns to his home
country (Iran) to manage his inheritance,
only to realize he had a child from another
marriage which complicates the situation
// 78mins // 2019
Iran
World Premiere
Extraordinary
events and
experiences
Proud supporters of the
Silk Road International Film Festival
• Conference Hire
• Product Launches
• Private Screenings
• Test Screenings
• Private Gaming Sessions
To nd out more and create your unique
ODEON event experience contact
Paul Wren, Commercial Sales &
Marketing Manager
T: +353 (0) 87 984 4926
E: pwren@odeonuk.com
W: ODEONevents.ie

ODEON, Point Square
Admission: €10
an old oil worker, has worked in a remote oil field station for more
LIU,
thirty years. He builds a swing especially for his young colleagues to
than
in the midst of boring work. When he retires, he is diagnosed with
relax
Therefore, he decides to return home to spend the rest of his life
cancer.
his family. However, his return is met by his wife’s coldness and his
with
estrangement.
daughter’s
finds that her daughter is pregnant without marriage, so he asks her
He
marry as soon as possible. LIU hides his illness from his family and
to
Yu Daxiong
Director:
Jiang Shouzhi, Song Yili, Wang Yan, Song Xichen, Liang Ji, Ji Lulu,
Cast:
Min, Zhou Yugang
Yu
// 88mins // 2019
China
Feature Films
Wednesday 22 Jan 2020
7 pm
H E S W I N G
T
A K E R M
a mototaxi driver. He often suffers losses due to his kindness.
becomes
day, his former colleague FAN tells his daughter the truth about LIU’s
One
sickness…

The Lane Legacy
21 January - 19 April 2020
Hugh Lane Gallery,
Charlemont House,
Parnell Square North

ODEON, Point Square
Admission: €10
20-something Amy grows up in a single parent family and lives
The
Upon discovering the clues about her biological father in her late
abroad.
diary, she decides to follow the Yangtze River to find out where
mother’s
father is. A wandering singer named Tao offers help to her and treats
her
a series of investigation, Amy finds that her father, who used to
Through
a captain, has devoted his life to save the passengers, trying to avoid
be
an oncoming liner. However, Amy senses a huge secret behind
hitting
accident. With the help of Tao, Amy comes closer and closer to the
this
Zhang Jiarui
Director:
Yao Di, Song Ningfeng, Xia Zitong, Peng Ziyang, Tao Ran
Cast:
Feature Films
Thursday 23 Jan 2020
7:00 pm
B E A U T I F U L
V O Y A G E
her with great care and kindness.
truth.
China // 103mins // 2019

is married to Sevgi who runs a hair salon in town and their
Ahmet
has not been on track for some time. Ahmet suspects his wife
marriage
been cheating on him. Ahmet’s insecure and anxious state reaches its
has
when he notices a foreigner in town.
peak
Cihan Sağlam
Director:
Onur Dikmen, Serdar Orçin, Nihan Okutucu Dengiz, Reha Özcan
Cast:
Feature Films
Tuesday 21 Jan 2020
7:00 pm
L O N G T I M E
Brooks Hotel
A G O
Turkey // 119mins // 2019

Tuesday, 21 Jan 2020
am 11:00
Lane Gallery, Dublin
Hugh
generation ago, Murghab was well taken care of. As the highest
A
of the former Soviet Union at 3600 metres above sea level
town
close to the sensitive borders with Afghanistan and China, the
and
enjoyed ample provisions from Moscow brought in via the
town
Highway. It had electricity around the clock, an airport, a
Pamir
theatre, and a hospital with central heating. Since then,
movie
and its people have weathered several storms and the
Murghab
hallmarks are crumbling away. Yet, live goes on and, with wit
Soviet
improvisational skills, the ruins of Socialism afford a plethora of
and
but precarious ways to make do. The film provides a window
new
contemporary life in Murghab. It follows a group of men
into
shrubs on the windswept high-altitude plateau, a nurse
harvesting
regional health statistics, a passionate teacher inspiring a
keeping
of history and purpose in her class, and a welder building
sense
from the scraps of Soviet modernity. A winter film of
stoves
work and hope.
hardship,
Martin Saxer, Marlen Elders, Daler Kaziev
Directors:
& Tajikistan // Doc // 81mins
Germany
pm 1:00
Lane Gallery, Dublin
Hugh
over the course of one year, a
Filmed
of rugby players in Benghazi, Libya
group
with the realities of a civil war, as
cope
come together to form Libya’s first
they
Rashid Kadura
Director:
// Doc // 94mins
Libya
A RUGBY STORY
national rugby team.
Free Admission
DOCU
MENTARIES
MURGHAB
Tuesday, 21 Jan 2020
Free Admission

KARMA
DIGITAL
a remote village nestled in the foggy
In
of northern Bangladesh, a young girl
hills
Rupa struggles against her
named
fate. With a bike, a camera
inescapable
her knowledge only, she defies the
and
and makes her way to
traditions
But when a misfortune
empowerment.
her family, Rupa’s freedom is
strikes
Will she be able to maintain
threatened.
fragile balance between her loved
the
expectations and her own
ones’
Mark Olexa, Francesca Scalisi
Director:
& Switzerland // Doc // 78mins
Bangladesh
Thursday, 23 Jan 2020
am 11:00
Lane Gallery, Dublin
Hugh
Tuesday, 21 Jan 2020
pm 2:30
Lane Gallery, Dublin
Hugh
man is inside a store where the shutter door is half closed. There
A
no customers at this store, and although the sign says “Boseong
are
Interiors,”the space is filled with canvas, art tools and
Tile
paintings. The man stays here every day from morning
unfinished
sunset and spends his day painting on canvas or resting on
until
rocking chair. His repetitive routine forms a part that holds his
the
together and yet, it also disconnects him from the world
life
the shutter door. Unlike the seasons of the world that flow
outside
summer to autumn, from winter to spring, his time floats
from
in unknown places. From a corner in this small space, the
around
carefully observes his time crisscrossed with doubt and
film
resolution.
Taewoong Won
Director:
of Korea
Republic
Wednesday, 22 Jan 2020
pm 2:30
Lane Gallery, Dublin
Hugh
documentary overview on the life and
A
of the writer Mia Couto.
work
Solveig Nordlund
Director:
& Portugal
Mozambique
I AM THE AUTHOR
OF MY NAME MIA
COUTO
Doc // 52mins
Free Admission
IN MY GARDEN
aspirations?
Doc // 72mins
Free Admission
Free Admission

UP DOLL
STAND
Stand Up Doll marks the 100th year in
The
life of Risa Igelfeld. Documenting the
the
ten years from 85- 100; Risa makes
last
with her early years as Jewish
peace
and escaping the Nazi invasion,
Refuge,
her children and then the love of
losing
life at 98. How does Risa keep getting
her
up with joy after so many blows?
back
did she find the love of her life at 85?
How
does she look happy and young at
How
Attitude. Risa shows us her secrets to
100?
joy instead of suffering. A
choosing
on life, time and love.
meditation
Evelyne Tollman Werzowa
Director:
& Austria // Doc // 76mins
USA
Thursday, 23 Jan 2020
pm 12:30
Lane Gallery, Dublin
Hugh
ON THE
CAMP
ROAD
WIND´S
23 Jan 2020
Thursday,
pm 6:00
Theatre,
Synge
College Dublin
Trinity
film which shows the humanistic perspective to the current
A
of our era: rapid development of the technology and the
feature
followed by it. The film will approach artificial
transformation
and technology with sheer curiosity and wondering,
intelligence
the voice to the researchers who are working on the field.
giving
the visions of the experts and encounters between
Displaying
and robots, the film captures a glimpse of our near future.
people
film will introduce us a cyborg, a developer for artificial
The
of sex robots, an android developer, a coder who
intelligence
thoughts into images, and robots of various kinds.
transforms
Iiris Härmä
Director:
// Doc // 80mins
Finland
Thursday, 23 Jan 2020
the death of her father,
Following
(25) lodges herself in his
Belekmaa
encampment. She
sheepherdsman’s
to see her father at least in her
hopes
up to the day when, according
dreams,
the Tuvan tradition, the spirit of the
to
would be fed and given
deceased
send-off.
ultimate
Nataliya Kharlamova
Director:
// Doc // 70mins
Russia
pm 7:15
Theatre, Trinity College Dublin
Synge
Free Admission
WHO MADE YOU?
Free Admission
Free Admission

HARVEST
6,000-year old love story in which the
A
tries to understand the
filmmaker
often troubled, relationship
profound,
olive trees and the people of
between
including her own father.
Mediterranean,
is a complicated romance, sometimes
It
sometimes tragic, that is
funny,
evolving in a region that
constantly
some of the poorest and most
includes
areas of Europe and the Middle
conflicted
East.
Alia Yunis
Director:
// Doc // 85mins
USA
Saturday, 25 Jan 2020
pm 12
Theatre,
MacNeill
ENDLESS ROAD
THE
25 Jan 2020
Sat
pm 2:00
Theatre,
MacNeill
Art this documentary searches the singularity of Beijing
Chinese
passing through the historical transformations of Chinese
people
Milena de Moura Barba
Director:
// Doc // 82mins
China
25 Jan 2020
Saturday
pm 3:00
the Australian outback to Music
From
USA, a child guitar prodigy dedicates
City
life to become the world’s greatest
his
guitarist, even as revelations of
acoustic
family secrets send him into a battle
dark
addiction that threatens to destroy
with
Jeremy Dylan Potts
Director:
// Doc // 80mins
Australia
TOMMY EMMANUEL:
Trinity College Dublin
his career, his family and his life.
Free Admission
THE GOLDEN
BEIJING INTO SONGS
people from different origins who live in the city of Beijing,
Fifteen
sign a song and tell the history of how this song influenced
China,
lives. Inspired by the dispositif of the film “As Canções”,
their
by Eduardo Coutinho, and the imitation concept from
directed
society from the sixties until nowadays.
ODEON Point Square
Free Admission
Admission: €10
Trinity College Dublin

DAY 1.
Tue 21 Jan 2020
6:00 pm
Synge Theatre, Trinity College Dublin
Free Admission
We are the Bulls
Director: SeWoong Bae
Republic of Korea // Live Action // 30mins
The story of five boys who became outlaws in the
neighbourhood with a BB gun.
Shooting Crows
Director: Christine Hürzeler
Switzerland // Doc // 20mins
A park in the fog. Crows flap and caw in the sky. A homeless
man sleeps between the trees. Now and then a crow
is shot: as a deterrent. The crows rally after every shot.
A woman disappears. The police gather evidence. What
is really going on? Are reality and imagination slowly
blurring?

The Stop
Director: Bartosz Reetz
Poland // Live Action // 14mins
Jakub takes his last bus to school in the nearby town to
get the results of the secondary school leaving exam. His
ultimate visit to school marks the end of one stage in his
life and the beginning of another.
Glamorous City
Director: Ji Yuan
China // Live Action // 12mins
Due to the rising cost of living, the illegal construction of
the house is facing the problem of demolition. The North
drift girl Smile is not knowing where to go in Beijing. Because
her and her colleagues and friends, the Beijing boy
Jingbaiwang got along, let the smile make up her mind
for her new life, and decided to draw a memorable end to
her life in Beijing. Before leaving, Smile and Jingbaiwang
spent the most common night in Beijing, it was the most
romantic night.
More Than I Can Say
Director: Wang Liyuan
China // Live Action // 15mins
The rhythm of life of Qinghua and his wife in the north
have been disturbed by the arrival of his mother-in-law
from the south. At this moment, due to the cultural
differences between northern and southern people,
the communication differences between parents and
children have made their lives under the same roof looks
calm, but actually it’s very conflicted.
Grey
Director: Jack Li
Canada & China // Live Action // 20mins
A white-collar male wakes up from a nightmare where
a masked man murders his boss with a slingshot. On
the same day, he finds his boss missing from work. The
masked murderer greets him back home. He takes off the
mask and reveals a dark secret…

La Mer
Director: Chang-Won Lee
Republic of Korea // Live Action // 18mins
A father and a son live in a cottage by the sea. The son
checks his father’s breathing every morning, as he wakes up.
The son knows that his father, who was a fishman, wants to
end his last days of life at home by the sea rather than in a
nursing home. The father, feeling sorry for his son, is completely
helpless but there is no way out. They don’t know
how far this life will go on. They don’t talk anymore. They
just get tired of each other. Can they make a beautiful end?
The Rat
Director: Faisal AlAmer
Saudi Arabia // Live Action // 10mins
Fahad spends the last day of his life with the fear of his
father looming over his head. The fear that grew up with
him in the form of an old man closely resembling his
late father, shadowing his every moment. Like a rat on
a wheel, Fahad scurries through infinite cycles of fear
characterized by different aspects of his father; fear of
paranoia, of those who wield power over his life, of being
different, and of tradition and myth. With those fears
controlling his life, Fahad tries to break free only to die
with his fears.
Wed 22 Jan 2020
6:00 pm
Brooks Hotel
Free Admission
Shangri La
Director: Carlo Christian Spano
China // Doc // 38mins
This film is based on a true story about a white-collar
Chinese worker that lives in Beijing. After he reads the
fantasy novel “Lost horizon”, he begins an extraordinary
journey with a backpack to find his “Shangri-La”. His
quest to find it was so intense that he crossed 6 provinces
and 12 cities, passing by the Shangri-La and the Tibet
region.

DAY 2.
Wed 22 Jan 2020
3:30 pm
Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin
Free Admission
The Tiger Who Came to Tea
Director: Robin Shaw
UK // Animation // 23mins
A mysterious tiger turns up unannounced and invites
himself in for afternoon tea. Young Sophie and her mummy
watch in fascination as the tiger proceeds to eat not
only their tea, but the entire contents of the fridge and
everything else in the house!
M Like Mobius
Director: Faranak Moradi
Iran // Live Action // 8mins
Lili a waitress, struggles with loneliness and is obsessed
with sound.
The Sixth Term of Time
Director: Elham Mortazavi
Iran // Doc // 29mins
Ms.Izadi tries to choose a way to pass her life, a way that
has hurt her alot before.

DAY 3.
Fri 24 Jan 2020
6:00 pm
Synge Theatre, Trinity College Dublin
Free Admission
Never Give Up
Director: Jonathan Schörnig
Malta // Doc // 15mins
In 2014 Mekon had to flee Nigeria after his parents were
murdered.
The Man of the House
Director: Jesús López Melgares
Spain // Live Action // 11mins
One morning, Gregorio finds a squatter inside the house
of his deceased parents.
Man, Hole
Director: Hyunwoong Heo
Republic of Korea // Live Action // 27mins
Daejun’s hobby is to lie in the sewers and watch people
secretly. As usual, he lies in the sewers. Then, he was hit
by a piece of metal that fell from the building. After a long
time, he wakes up with loud sirens and a police line. The
murder has occurred near Daejun.

Cheek to Cheek
Director: Bo van der Meer, Malou Wagenmaker
Netherlands // Doc // 23mins
Just imagine: you’re in the middle of a hall in an old-age
home. You are surrounded by cheerful dancing people of all
age groups, but especially the elderly. Nellie (94) has turned
her mobility walker into her new dance partner. Carel (91),
musician in heart and soul, forgets the silence at home when
he starts playing along to Dutch classics on his keyboard. The
super-fit Suze (92) zooms past anybody half her age, whether
she’s on her bike or on the dance floor. Rene’s (85) memory
is not what it used to be, but as soon as he hears James
Brown’s music, everything suddenly comes back to him. The
film tells a story of the fragility and the power of ageing.
Copyrette
Director: Marc de Leeuw
Netherlands // Live Action // 9mins
The nude body of a young woman lies motionless on a
kitchen floor. In a nearby forest a man calls out for his
dog.
Fly High
Director: Fatma Racha Shehadeh
Lebanon // Live Action // 6mins
Marital Rape exists- Yes consensual sex does exists
between a husband and a wife. Exchange of rings, vows
and garlands does not permit anyone to seize the right of
saying No. Enforcing something in the name of religious
ritual or patriarchy isn’t justified by any standards.
Heatstroke
Director: Edgar Morais
Portugal & USA // Live Action // 9 mins
***Graphic Scenes of Nudity – 18 rating
On a hot and febrile day, teenage Claire ditches school
to meet some friends in the woods where her memories,
traumas and desires merge into tears, sweat, and sperm
in a reflection on this generation’s sexual and existential
disorientation.

Scent
Director: Young-wook Paik
Republic of Korea // Live Action // 18mins
Ever since a fatal accident, Sunghoon’s life has never
been the same. Driven by an uncanny ability he spends
his days in a room piecing together memories from the
past. But to him they’re not just memories. They’re clues
that could possibly hold the key to saving a life once lost.
Ruwatan
Director: Ernest Lesmana
Indonesia // Live Action // 15mins
Accompanying her blind mother undergo alternative
therapies is one of Sri’s weekly routines. Today might be
their last visit.
DAY 4.
Sat 25 Jan 2020
12:30 pm
Hugh Lane gallery, Dublin
Free Admission
Captain 22
Director: Arman Qolipour Dashtaki
Iran // Doc // 11mins
The life story of “Ali Khosh Elham”. A young boy who
loves football but he starts to try drugs…

Xiao Xian
Director: Jiajie Yu
China & Spain // Live Action // 17mins
Xiao Xian is in charge of finishing a dress. Her mother has
decided that she is going to take care of it that night, and
she obeys, as usual. Sheng Xia, her best friend, shows
up at her house to convince her to go partying. Xiao
Xian accepts, but she cannot imagine what will end up
happening that night.
Far From Past
Director: Nicole Foelsterl
Switzerland // Doc // 15mins
“I’m not in the picture!” The grandmother is sure the
filmmaker has positioned the camera wrong. The old
lady vigorously defends her image of herself against her
granddaughter, who wants to learn more about her flight
from Hungary to Austria. In a dialogue characterized by
friction and intimacy, they reveal the way families pass
on their history from one generation to the next, and how
it works its way into the core of relationships.
Not A Pet
Director: Andrea Walji
UK // Doc // 5 mins
Hundreds of cheetah cubs are being stolen from the wild,
decimating the wild population in Africa.
For every 5 cubs that are taken, only 1 survives.
They are being smuggled illegally into the Middle East to
be sold as pets.
Not A Pet looks at the illegal wildlife pet trade, and the
role social media plays in the parading and trading of
exotic animals online.
Malakout
Director: Farnoosh Abedi
Iran // Animation // 11mins
Music was his passion…
Love was his masterpiece…

Leave The Road Behind You
Director: Daniel Butler
Ireland // Live Action // 15mins
A young man from the Donegal Gaeltacht struggles with
long-repressed emotions as he prepares to emigrate.
The Skid
Director: Francisco Noronha
Portugal // Doc // 18mins
A family crisis triggers doubts, pain, changes. Images
of the present that talk about the past. Images from
the past that talk about the present. Between one and
another, stories repeat themselves in a journey through
present and past life(s), intimacy and cinephilia.
Family Hour
Director: Mariia Ponomarova
Ukraine // Live Action // 11mins
Sunny August day, almost midday. It’s time for family
visits on the summer camp near Kyiv.
Danya (17) is hoping for his estranged father to show up
and get together after the long separation. Father arrives
at the camp gate earlier than expected and the meeting
is pushed outside the camp gate. While bearing father’s
unfunny jokes, Danya has to grasp the real meaning of
their family bonds.
Umbrella
Director: Helena Hilario, Mario Pece
Brazil // Animation // 8mins
While visiting a home for children, a little girl meets
Joseph, a boy whose only dream is to have a yellow
umbrella. This unexpected encounter awakens his memories
of the past.

Yijob’s Birthday Party
Director: Chaeyoon BAE
Republic of Korea // Live Action // 24mins
Yijob is a young man who came from Eritrea, now living in
Korea. His birthday is something different comparing to
other’s. His factory colleagues, Changcheong and Samir,
are planning to have a birthday party for him at midnight
in December 31.
Contact
Director: Samir Syriani
Lebanon // Live Action // 21mins
A sniper, living alone on a country’s border, shoots
refugees attempting to cross and collects their items for
survival. One day, he finds a tape of his victim’s war diary
and begins to listen to it.
Big Wok Chef
Director: Hoi Wong
Hong Kong // Live Action // 17mins
Chef Aaron’s clay pot rice is excellent, but is never popular.
He is very depressed. He drowns his sorrows in booze
every day, which eventually leads to the loss of his sense
of taste. He then only continues to cook heartlessly.
Magic Dream
Director: Tomás Welss
Chile // Animation // 11mins
“Magic Dream” is a painted stop-motion full animation
film that tells the story of a magician on stage trying to
perform his show. As his magic goes wrong, he loses
control and gets weak. The wizard timidly reintegrates
to the set and tries to extract a rabbit from his hat. The
rabbit rejects the magician and his environment. As he
keeps crumbling down, the rabbit offers him help, to deal
with the misleading and confusing magic and to confront
his life.

The Way To Snow
Director: Fong WIn
China // Live Action // 15mins
An orphan called Run Lin in the village is taking charge of the
orange garden left by his mother. He is full of yearning for
the outside world at eighteen or nineteen years of age, while
the villagers do not have much requirement for life, feeling
nothing uncomfortable with repeating their quotidian life.
However, Run Lin wants to go and see the snow.
When Planets Mate
Director: Riley Thompson
USA // Animation // 11mins
Explore the origins of life and humanity’s quest for
transcendental knowledge while voyaging through a
psychonautic world melded from biology and Hindu myth.
A Family
Director: Ryan Weldon
Ireland // Live Action // 10mins
A tense, late-night fight in a suburban home takes a
turn for the worse but as we observe the aftermath and
attempts to reconcile, we realize something far more
sinister is occurring.
Segregated By Design
Director: Mark Lopez
USA // Animation // 17mins
Richard Rothstein, author of ‘The Color of Law’, narrates
a fast-paced motion design film that illustrates the forgotten
history of how all of the nation’s metropolitan areas
became segregated by “de jure” segregation, racially
explicit policy on the part of the federal, state and local
governments. ‘Segregated By Design’ explores different
subjects pertaining to residential segregation like many
New Deal policies, racial zoning techniques like Redlining,
the creation of slums, blockbusting, slum clearance,
state-sponsored violence, the immense wealth gap
between white families and African-American families,
the effects of segregation and the constitutional remedy
for the unconstitutional segregation.

STUDENT
FILMS
DAY 1.
Wed 22 Jan 2020
6:00 pm
Jonathan Swift Theatre,
Trinity College Dublin
Free Admission
Incubation
Director – Bo Zhang, Yunxi Guo
USA & China // Live Action // 5 mins
A lonely girl runs away from home, and she
is trapped in a time loop when she touches
the magic egg. Her soul wakes up again in
the room and she finally sees herself dead
in the boat.
Paper Boats
Director: Gonzalo Guajardo-Fajardo
Ethiopia & USA // Live Action // 15mins
Why can’t Rahel bring herself to sign
her artwork? The visit of her high school
academic triggers memories of why she
is haunted by her surname, yet would not
consider changing it.
Memory Foam
Director: Martyna Dubicka
Ireland // Experimental // 6 mins
This short video art piece provides a
glimpse of contemporary bed culture,
and reveals how our hidden emotional
experiences, attachments, memories
and nostalgia find their place among the
physical components of a bed.
Midair
Director: Zhaoxin Liu
China & USA // Live Action // 10 mins
A young boy follows a black balloon
around his neighbourhood on the day his
father passes away.

Archie’s Bat
Director: Shannon Egan
Ireland // Animation // 2mins
Archie’s Bat is a story about a lonely young
boy who is surprisingly given the chance at
friendship when his path crosses with an
injured bat.
Prey
Director: Sun, Jing
China // Animation // 5mins
As an ancient eastern proverb described:
“a mantis hunting the cicada unknowingly
falls prey to the eyes of an oriole.”— the
most vivid view of natural cycle in human
societies is best seen through lens of karma
on a microscopic scale.
The Beekeeper
Director: Robyn Conroy
Ireland // Animation // 6 mins
Deep in the heart of a bamboo forest, a
paternal bear watches over Mae, a
spirited young girl that he is raising.
Sustained by the collection of beehives
that the bear tends to, the two live
together in peaceful harmony.
Jill and Giles
Director: Alison Byrne
Ireland // Doc // 13mins
A short human interest portrait
documentary based on an English couple
who have spent 20 years living and
working on a boat with half of that time
being spent on the River Shannon in
Ireland.
Reprise
Director: Stanley Xu Ruiyang
Singapore // Live Action // 14mins
On a film set, the two main leads who were
once lovers are about to act out a scene
which reminds them of their past. Throughout
the filming process, the boundary
between fiction and reality begins to blur.
Dante vs. Mohammed Ali
Director: Marc Wagenaar
Netherlands // Live Action // 25mins
When Wolf refuses to fight his best friend
Alexander during a weekly boxing match,
the whole village turns against him. He
tries to convince Alexander to join him
leaving the village, but his overly
romantic message runs into a wall.
Secret Lives of Asians
at Night
Director: KEFF
USA // Live Action // 18mins
What does the model minority do after
dark?
Mum
Director: Mariam Al Awadhi
UAE // Doc // 9mins
After 15 years of averting the source of
her anxiety, Mariam at last walks the
journey of voicing her avoided emotions
regarding her non Emirati mother, and
the uneasiness she felt about her mixed
background in the Emirati society.
The Balloonatic
Director: Eoin McLoughlin
UK // Animation // 3mins
A clown tries to earn some money on
the street by doing balloon tricks. But
no matter what he tries, the audience
doesn’t seem to notice him.

STUDENT
FILMS
DAY 2.
Thu 23 Jan 2020
6:00 pm
Trinity College Dublin
Free Admission
Two Women Can Tango
Director: Maria Abdel Karim
UK // Live Action // 18mins
Reem, a Palestinian young woman living
in London on a sponsored visa, has
only a couple of months before her visa
expires when she meets Alma, a Jewish
-British Tango instructor who sweeps her
off her feet the moment they have their
first Tango dance together.
The Chef
Director: Hao Zheng
USA // Live Action // 19mins
In the near future, when all labor works are
replaced by humanoids, a Chinese chef, Pu
is ordered to pass on his cooking skill to a
humanoid robot William and to teach him
Chinese cooking.
Life Between the Exit Signs
Director: Nicolas Pindeus
Austria // Live Action // 18mins
A young man is standing in a hospital room
inhabited by his mentally ill mother. She is
asleep and instead of waking her, he leaves
the room. In search for distraction he drifts
through day and night. He embarks on a
series of events that bring light into his
fears, identity conflicts and his desire for a
sense of belonging in this world.
Japanese Orphan
Director: Xiangda Ding
China // Live Action // 18mins
Old man Shengli Liu found himself suffering
from Alzheimer’s disease. On his
deathbed, he always saw his biological
mother, Keiko. Liu Shengli was a Japanese
orphan, his mother, Keiko, intended
to let the young Shengli Liu be adopted
by the Chinese people. He knew that he
had not many days. On the wasteland,
a tombstone was erected for honer his
biological mother Keiko.
Knock, Knock, Knock
Director: Arom Choi
Republic of Korea // Live Action // 15mins
Hana, the protagonist, lives in a small
box-like room and interacts with the
world only by listening through the
thin walls that separate her from her
neighbours.
Home
Director: Adam M. Jammal
Lebanon // Live Action // 18mins
After the death of her daughter, Lama
decides to move out of her family home.
However, a presence in the house keeps
her from completing the act.

Be Happy To Be You
Director: Ebony Corcoran
Ireland // Doc // 5mins
Irina, aged 11 has lived in Ireland for 5
years. She is confronted with questions
about identity as a Romanian living in
Ireland.
Maria
Director: Charline Fernandez
France // Doc // 28mins
A documentary following the filmmaker’s
grandmother as she revisits sites of her
traumatic childhood. Born in Andalusia in
Spain, at the age of eight she was forced
to flee the country during the civil war of
1936-39.
Eeny Meeny
Director: Raphaela Schmid
Austria // Live Action // 17mins
It all starts with an accident. Little Paula
pushes her sister Annas hamster out of
the window while trying to feed it. She
desperately wants to bring it back to life
with spells and magic. Meanwhile her
mother, Isabella, is constantly trying to
reconstruct Anna’s birthday cake from
last year.

www.cardelentertainment.com
STUDENT
DAY 3.
FILMS
Fri 24 Jan 2020
1:30 pm
Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin
Free Admission
Mati 23/7
Director – Antigoni Kapaka
Greece // Doc // 21mins
The diary of a young woman, a poetic
short documentary, witnessing the collapse
of environmental, social, political
and economic standards and failure of
moral values.

Seven Days with Grandma
Director: Zhenyuan He (Rex Ho)
China // Live Action // 17mins
A Taishanese family come back to hometown
from America and Brazil because of
a funeral. When it’s over, the granddaughter
Wan Ping is told to take care of her
grandma, who has been living in Taishan
throughout her life.
Cage Match
Director Bryan Lee
USA // Animation // 9mins
A businessman enters the elevator for
another day at work…
Therese
Director: Fabiana Serpa
Switzerland // Live Action // 29mins
It is 1888 and Therese, a bavarian botanist,
undertakes a four month long expedition
to Brazil. Trouble starts unfolding because
of the cultural clash between her and a
Brazilian local guide as he refuses to take
orders from a woman, without knowing
her real identity, he is in for a surprise.
At Midnight Plays A
Dance-Tune
Director: Roy Seerden
Netherlands // Doc // 30mins
When the Dutch filmmaker Roy Seerden’s
mother dies, there’s no holding him back.
Sex, drugs, roaming through the night:
his life transforms into a bundle of energy,
grief and detachment. At the same
time, he can’t help thinking of Antoine,
the strange neighbour from his youth.
Nigel
Director: Natasza Cetner
UK // Animation // 9mins
A short film telling a story of a bird called
Nigel that fell in love with a concrete statue.
It is about how extreme idealisation and
delusion shows how similar us and animals
really are. The film is based on a true story
of Nigel the Gannet that happened on Mana
Island in New Zealand in the past few years.
Anansi
Director: Elliot Gibson
Australia // Animation // 4mins
Potion master, Anansi, is a man of
many faces. Which face will he show an
innocent boy in search of a potion for his
sick father?
Unspoken
Director: Andrew Ascough
Ireland // Live Action // 15mins
The story follows Kyle as he tries to
quietly earn money to pay for his father’s
lung treatment by participating in underground
fights.
Guy proposes to his
girlfriend on a mountain
Director: Bernhard Wenger
Austira // Live Action // 13mins
Captured with a mobile phone, we see
a group of three friends gathering at a
ski lodge. Daniel is about to propose
to his girlfriend and his friend films the
whole thing to remember the best day
of their lives.
Porfotto
Director: Edson da Conceicao
Netherlands // Live Action // 29mins
Em, Moreno and Kyon have raided a local
money laundering practice in Rotterdam.
They feel like kings and go home with a
good feeling. In one night they find out
that money is not enough to solve their
problems.

Belt and Road Film Festival Alliance
( B R F F A )
Image courtesy of Shanghai International Film Festival
Belt and Road Film Festival Alliance (BRFFA)
SRIFF became a partner of the “Belt and Road Film Festival
Alliance” (BRFFA), established at the 21st Shanghai
International Film Festival 2018 now comprising of 38 film
festivals & Institutions from 33 countries.
BRFFA facilitates the bilateral panorama of films; encourage the mutual
recommendation of film festival judges & event guests; strengthen the
exchanges & cooperation in film production and distribution; and establish
and implement the film information sharing mechanism among contracted
parties. Under the “Belt and Road Film Festival Alliance” BRFFA an Irish
feature will have an opportunity to screen as part of the Shanghai
International Film Festival (SIFF) Film Panorama. The BRFFA is a platform to
show films, to communicate & to create opportunities for further cooperation
among our film industries and other related fields.

TRINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN
School of
Languages, Literatures &
Cultural Studies
French
Germanic Studies
Hispanic Studies
Irish & Celtic Languages
Italian
Near & Middle Eastern Studies
Russian & Slavonic Studies

P O N S O R S
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available online
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T R I N I T Y C O L L E G E D U B L I N
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SILK ROAD INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

///NOTES
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