Short Film Programme
SUNDAY 19 APRIL
15:00 | Short Film Programme + Q&A (120 mins)
A curated selection of recent short films from emerging filmmakers across Greece, Lebanon, Turkiye and the wider region. The programme brings together contemporary stories that move between realism, dark humour and emotional depth, following characters dealing with displacement, family pressure, identity and everyday life. Several films have received recognition at international festivals, including Sundance, Venice, Palm Springs and London Short Film Festival. A rare opportunity to see these acclaimed shorts together on the big screen, followed by a Q&A with directors.
Films:
- Almost Certainly False – Dir: Cansu Baydar (Turkiye)
- Heat Me – Dir: Kelly Sarri (Greece)
- And If the Sun Drowned – Dir: Wissam Charaf (Lebanon)
- Dreams, Hopes and Rotating Dolphins – Dir: Adil Burak Aydin (Turkiye)
- Don’t Say It – Dir: Ezgi Temel (Turkiye)
- Glass Spider – Dir: Michael Demetriou (Cyprus-Greece & UK)
- The Yarn – Dir: Gokce Pehlivanoglu (Turkiye)
🎞️TICKETS: https://www.picturehouses.com/
Almost Certainly False (Neredeyse Kesinlikle Yanlış)
Dir: Cansu Baydar
Turkiye | 2024 | Drama | 20 Min.
Having fled the war in Syria, Hanna and her young brother Nader find themselves staying in a run-down neighbourhood of Istanbul. Hanna spends her days learning nail design to earn a living, while dreaming of finding a way to migrate to Europe. When she meets a Turkish guy, İbo, on a night out, she finds herself trying to balance her identity and desires with the needs of her young brother.
World Premiere Venezia 81, Mostra Internazionale d’Arte Cinematografica – Orizzonti Short Films Competition 2024, Italy / Sundance Film Festival 2025, USA
HEAT ME
Dir. Kelly Sarri
Greece | 2025 | Drama | 15 Min.
During a severe summer heatwave, three generations of spirited women—a sprightly granddaughter, her fashionable mother, and a feisty grandmother—find themselves confined in their apartment without air-conditioning due to the granddaughter’s injured leg. As the city buzzes with the uproar of a hygiene union strike, their home transforms into a funny battleground of mounting plastic. Water shortages add to their misadventures, teetering them between laughter and despair.
And If the Sun Drowned Into an Ocean of Clouds
Dir. Wissam Charaf
Lebanon | 2023 | Comedy & Drama | 20 Min.
Beirut, Lebanon. On the waterfront’s construction site, security agent Raed must prevent passing-by walkers from accessing the seaside. Yet as the horizon becomes each day more stifled by the construction, Raes makes peculiar encounters – mere dreams, or symbols of his desires?
European Short Film Candidate 2024
Dreams, Hopes and Rotating Dolphins (Hayaller, Umutlar ve Dönen Yunuslar)
Dir: Adil Burak Aydin
Turkiye | 2025 | Comedy & Drama | 11 Min.
A new technology pops up, now everyone can see who they were reincarnated from. Erdi (Ozan Kaya Oktu) tries to find out who he was in his past life while going through an existential crisis.
31st Palm Springs International ShortFest | 19th San Francisco ShortsFest | 61st Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival
Don’t Say It (Sakın Söyleme)
Dir. Ezgi Temel
Turkiye | 2025 | Drama | 12 Min.
Yaren and Arif are two friends who go out by car at night to get dinner. While Arif goes to pick up the food, Yaren has different plans for the evening. She is determined to confess her love to him. But every time she speaks the words, time fractures and everything resets to the beginning. With each repetition, small details of the moment change; Yaren rewinds and relives the same moment again. To break free from this loop, she tries something new each time.
Glass Spider
Dir. Michael Demetriou
Greece | 2025 | Drama | 5 Min.
A mild night in…
The Yarn (İpler)
Dir. Gokce Pehlivanoglu
Turkiye | 2016 | Drama | 11 Min.
A Greek-Turkish couple and their young daughter travel with their caravan along the Turkish Aegean Sea. This time, however, their journey concludes with a reflection of a tale that the parents always tell their daughter.
Crossroads 11th International Short Film Festival