Sony
Future
Filmmaker
Awards

In Iceland, thousands of highly trained volunteers dedicate themselves to rescuing people in danger, responding to around 1,500 callouts every year. They are normal people with jobs and families, ready to operate day and night. No call for help goes unanswered. Beyond Hope portrays the heroic work of the Icelandic Association for Search & Rescue and explores the physical and emotional challenges of its members.

Since 1964, almost 250,000 people have disappeared in Mexico and over 100,000 have not been found, with thousands of people across the country still looking for their loved ones. Three years after her daughter Rubi went missing in Orizaba, Veracruz, Araceli Salcedo decided to start a collective in her own community, which today counts 350 members - 90% of them being mothers - and which has to this day successfully found several people alive, returned bodies, and spotted clandestine graves. However, most of these women have not found their children. One of the coping and healing mechanisms that Araceli created for the mothers in her collective are muñecos sanadores ('healing dolls'), representing each of their children and serving as a tool to help them navigate the void that their loved ones left behind.

Jack and Sam is a poignant documentary about two Holocaust survivors miraculously reunited after 80 years. Now in their late 90s, they are spending the precious time they have left rekindling their friendship and educating others about the dangers of hatred. Mixing documentary, archival, and breathtaking animation, this heartwarming story explores the enduring power of connection and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of unimaginable adversity.

Ìrún Dídì showcases hair plaiting as a profound art form, with each plait being crafted with love and artistic expression. Delving into the connection between hair plaiting and self-love, the film showcases the stories woven into each braid, reflecting personal narratives, social status, and ancestral ties, highlighting how this craft is passed down through generations, preserving cultural identity. From traditional Yoruba techniques to modern interpretations, Ìrún Dídì traces the evolution of this timeless art, as it becomes a sacred ritual of self-care and empowerment.

In the era of critical race theory being challenged, books banned and history watered down, it’s important, more now than ever, that the responsibility of teaching Black History go beyond the educational institution. My mother, Karen Hinton Robinson, is a shining example of this. A historian and skilled quilter, she has used her talents to create beautiful works of art to educate for decades.

In a small rural town in Pennsylvania, the refuge of a rare salamander and the only source of clean drinking water for 700 people is threatened by the installation of a fracking waste injection well, prompting community members to band together and mount an epic fight for the rights of their people and nature.

Shayla, a passionate Unangax̂ scientist, delves into vital research concerning toxic shellfish—a staple Indigenous food for the Unangan people, and her unwavering dedication to preserving her ancestral traditions, culture, and the health of her community. As she investigates the complex interplay of climate change, toxins, and traditional knowledge, Usugilix Awakun illuminates the profound connection between the Unangax̂ people and their environment, showcasing the resilience and resourcefulness of a culture in the face of unprecedented challenges.

Wildmen of the Greater Toronto Area follows a group of Toronto citizens fed up with the rising cost of living who are renouncing their personhood en masse to legally become animals, forming a society of "Wildmen" in the city's vast ravine network.

Spanning Wales, Uganda and Germany, The Permaculturist sees vegan chef, permaculture enthusiast, and content creator Gaz Oakley meet permaculture expert Bemeriki Dusabe, a Congolese refugee who has been living in a settlement in Uganda for the last 16 years, where he has set up a foundation teaching others how to grow their food — a testament to the incredible strength of the human spirit in the face of adversity.

Amongst the hustle and bustle of Kuala Lumpur lies an isolated forest which is home to gibbons, one of our closest living relatives. Gibbons live in small family groups and mated pairs sing duets every morning in a coordinated fashion, but this isolated forest only has one song. Finding Solo follows the search for Solo, a white-handed gibbon believed to be the last of his kind in this patch of forest, discovering in the process the uniqueness of this species and witnessing the direct impact of human development on their lives.

A struggling accordionist busker gets more than she bargained for when her desire to get noticed attracts the attention of a mysterious and enticing competitor. 

After their flight is grounded, two strangers agree to an anonymous tryst as their new travel plans are arranged. When the brief encounter wanes to an end, the impermanence of their time together is mirrored by something greater.

A lonely seagull looking for love struggles to accept that his newfound object of affection is a human-operated drone with a limited battery life.

Resource without recourse is the creation of extinction. Change cannot be sustained without action, intention is merely a fraction of transformation. Source is our breath, and depletion inescapable.

MC mastermind Poppy and her beatboxing border terrier Snoop are the new kids in town – and they’re ready to make their reputation known. Straight As and bubble baths are their way of life – but when confronted by an older crew en-route to her first day at school, Poppy quickly changes her tune.

A new mother's descent into darkness is triggered by the arrival of a mysterious wayfarer. 

A middle-aged Pakistani housewife, in search of herself, hires a young, self-assured sex worker to keep her company for the night.

Renata, a young and talented swimmer, has a secret relationship with her swimming coach Liliana. When the state competition approaches, the line between love and abuse becomes more blurry as Renata’s place in the competition is jeopardized by the pair’s dark game of power. 

Stigma looks back at one of the most brutal family homicides in Thailand’s history, perpetrated a decade ago in the Bangkok metropolis and described as a 'cold-blooded' and racially motivated act.

In what seems to be a zombie-infested world, devoted son Sam must tend to his zombie mother while surviving the zombie apocalypse himself. Sam’s relationship with his mother will find itself tested, in turn revealing to him the reality of the predicament he finds himself in.

Collapse is a compelling short film that sheds light on the urgent issue of water pollution. Through a powerful visual narrative, viewers witness the devastating consequences of human negligence as a fish tank becomes a metaphor for our planet's deteriorating ecosystems. As individuals pass by, discarding plastic waste and pollution, their justifications echo common misconceptions and attitudes towards environmental responsibility. As the water turns murky and the fish vanish, the film serves as a stark reminder of the collective impact of individual actions on our environment.

For the first time, witness a bank robbery from an angle you’ve never seen before. In this intense drama, see what it takes for someone to pursue a life of crime and ask yourself: what would I do for my friends and family?

Through a corridor passage, there is something unsettling. A dark basement, a mysterious window - with no knowledge of what lies there, we keep walking. Why is our instinct to go towards the unknown? Are we puppets of our own minds?

ABOVE/ZERO is a journey through the relationship between light, space, and subject, in an attempt to configure one's existence within the light.

Polite Waters depicts the challenges faced by communities whose livelihood depends on bodies of water, such as Wular Lake, for fishing and extraction of lotus stem and water-chestnut, highlighting the impact of man-made pollution and climate change on these environments.