2017 Oscar Nominated Short Films - Live Action

Élise Lafontaine has a secret routine. Every morning and evening for many years, she has been waving at the express train that passes her house. One fateful day, she finds a letter from the train conductor in her garden and her lonely life is turned upside down. She engages in a promising correspondence through poetic and thoughtful letters where the two anonymous writers share their worlds with each other. But Elise’s fairytale is cut short when the train line permanently detours for a shorter route to Paris. Not willing to do without her daily delight, Elise prompts a daring escape from her comfort zone and sets out to find the train conductor.

Triggered by the mysterious phenomenon of the space probe ‘Voyageur’ returning to earth, Virginie meets her dead father on a train one night. She sets off with him on a metaphysical journey through Bulgaria, where her long-forgotten grief catches up with her. The young woman is confronted with feelings of transience, eternity and loss, brought on by the resurrection of her father.

Throughout 2011, a rhythmic chant echoed across the Arab world, as young protesters called for government reform, economic opportunity and political freedom. This wave of demonstrations crossed borders with ease, carried in newspapers and magazines, on Twitter and Facebook, and the airwaves of Al Jazeera and AL Arabiya. These events came to be known as the Arab Awakening. Eastern Winds is a short film initiated by Jawaher Al Sudairy and Timo von Gunten as their first collaboration. Merging adaptations of modern dance, aerial silk performances and circus arts to offer a visual expression and a theatrical performance of political upheavals that occurred in the Arab Spring.