Boys Feels: High Tide

These five award-winning coming of age short films offer a glimpse of how boys and young men tackle life's difficult desires: confronting one's demons, understanding sexual relationships, gaining the respect of one's father, or simply running away from it all. This is only the start of their complex formative years, where not every question has an answer, and not every answer makes sense. The short films are: Boys [Pojkarna] (2015); Ioana (2015); Kiem Holijanda (2017); Picnic [Piknik] (2015); Tomer & Elias [Tomer en Elias] (2016).

Whether it's playing games in a military zone, cheating at school tests, crossing borders for cheap thrills or doing whatever it takes to make illicit money - these boys know that with every risk, they move closer and closer to an irreversible jeopardy. Deftly exploring masculinity and peer-pressure, these five coming-of-age tales from France, the Netherlands and Lithuania from burgeoning new filmmakers demonstrate that sometimes young hearts can run dangerously free. The short films are: Gotta (2015); The Last Day of School (2019); Tree House [Cabane] (2016); Gameboy (2014); Pollux (2018).

During tender years, a companion can guide you through awkward moments when the heart rules the head, or be a partner in crime in the face of danger. Follow these young men through the highs and lows of early learning, when all around us is new, and peer pressure is at its most pervasive. The 6 short films are: It Was Dark [Il faisait noir] (2015); Suspendu (2015); Keep Going (2016); Headbutt (2017); Out of the Blue [Ud af det blå] (2016); Mars Colony (2020).

Nine-year-old Daan is really excited about taking up swimming when he discovers his mother's old swimming medals in the attic. When his school teacher encourages him to join the nearest local swimming club, Daan finds out that his mother is definitely not amused. She is afraid that Daan inherited her cardiac problems. Despite his mothers fears, Daan doesn't wait and starts training behind her back.

Since he was a child, Mari Sanders has been in a wheelchair. At school he was told that his dream of becoming a filmmaker was nice, but that he’d better be more realistic about his future. Now he uses his own story to discuss a broader subject: handicap and work. 80% Disabled is a humoristic investigation into our society’s struggle in dealing with handicapped people. Since his eighteenth birthday Mari receives state support, but he would rather not and would prefer to be completely independent. He wants to know the possibilities and impossibilities of working with a handicap in our society that is so set on having everyone participate.

Vera is a fun-loving 23-year-old until her entire life is upended after an accident leaves her in a wheelchair. Struggling to cope with her new reality, she meets Xander, who helps to show her that being in a wheelchair doesn’t mean she’s stuck.

Once upon a time, Nel and Gerard arranged to jointly end their lives whenever they had a sense of completion, as the ultimate symbol of their love bond. But when Gerard is ready and Nel is still in doubt, it puts pressure on their relationship. Suppressed conflicts and ingrained habits make it harder than expected to follow through with their intention.