Pregones/PRTT presents the 6th Anniversary of 21 Islands International Short Film Fest as a FREE ONLINE event, February 9-23, 2022.

Selected from thousands of multilingual submissions originating in hundreds of qualifying locations worldwide, 21 Islands ISFF finalists compete for both Festival Jury Prizes and Audience Choice Awards.

Awards Ceremony

Live! Wednesday February 23, 2022 @ 4PM ET
See link below to re-watch.

And the 2022 Winners are

21 Islands Short Film Fest 2022

Playing February 9-23, 2022

Curated by:

Melisa Ramos

Films From

Australia | Canary Islands | Cuba | Dominican Republic | Hong Kong | Iceland | Indonesia | Ireland | Japan | Madagascar | Madeira Island (Portugal) | Malta |  Manhattan | Montreal | Philippines | Puerto Rico | Sardinia | Sicily | Singapore | Taiwan | Tenerife | United Kingdom | Vancouver Island

The 2022 Winning Films are:

BEST FILM: HEDY, directed by Andy B Clarke from Ireland

BEST SCRIPT: MARTÍN’S VANTAGE POINT, directed by Chedey Reyes from Canary Islands

BEST EDITING: BEFORE THE BEAUTY IS GONE, directed by Mackai Sharp from Vancouver Island, Canada

BEST ANIMATION: THE HOLE, directed by Fang Hsin Kai from Taiwan

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: HELLOdirected by Oldren Romero from Cuba

BEST DIRECTING: NOSTOS ALGOS, directed by Juan Diego De Leon from Dominican Republic.

BEST DOCUMENTARY: PACING THE POOL, directed by Radheya Jegatheva from Australia

AUDIENCE AWARD: CACOS, directed by João Brás from Madeira Island Portugal

SPECIAL HONOR MENTION: JOB ORDER, directed by Richard Soriano Legaspi from Philippines!

Click any of the 5 Groups below to
VIEW THE FILMS ONLINE – FREE

GROUP 1

Duration: 1 hour 48 mins.  >>

Blue Slushy ice

1. SLUSHY
United Kingdom – 2:00 Min.
Director: Callum Wylie

Two frozen soft drinks fall in love and must find a way to be together.

Chef in black t-shirt

2. PRAWN NOODLES AND A DREAM
Singapore – 10:20 Min.
Director: Ding Jie (DJ) Ng

Hawker food culture is made of dreams, creativity and innovation. Despite making UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritages, Singapore’s hawker culture is endangered. That is, until a young man rises to the challenge.

White woman with a blue hoddie, holding a gray wall and standing next to a yellow bike

3. HEDY
Ireland – 11:00 Min.
Director: Andy B Clarke

A savvy homeless girl creates a robot as a surrogate for her departed younger brother. Not everyone is happy with their partnership.

Pastel Cartoon images of a boy and a cook in the kitchen.

4. THIS ONE IS SWEETER
Taiwan – 7:23 Min.
Director: Li-Yu Liu, Shu-Yen Wang

The countryside Grandma seems to have magical superpowers. As time goes by, the boy gradually discovers a big surprise

Nightime photo of the back of a car in a city

5. NAAN BUT YOU
Hong Kong – 5:00 Min.
Director: Paulo Reyes

Two strangers brought together by the power of food. A reminder that our most unforgettable connections are often the most unexpected – regardless of place, language, culture, ethnicity, or time.

Painting of two persons standing by a white fence with a background of green trees and a lake

6. IIZUNA FAIR
Japan – 11:00 Min
Director: Sumito Sakakibara

In a frenzy night a man finds himself lost in time, not among monsters, as he was the phantom. Buried in memories of inhibitions and promises he never kept. Words washed up on the shore, poems now approaching through the waves.

White Man with white beard and yellow hat

7. SNAMH (SWIM)
Ireland – 3:00 Min.
Director: William Williamson

Colm Daly, a 70yr old veteran of open water swimming, tells of his fifty-year experience and passion for Irish water.

A young skateboarder atop yellow letters

8. WALKING ANGELS
Montreal – 14:00 Min.
Director: Michael Fortin

Two Montreal skaters explore Rosemont in search of the best places to shoot a video. A choreographic, feminist tribute to an underestimated genre of cinema about the essence of freedom and the friendship between members of Les Vagabonnes.

Caricature of a woman witha light gray top and very skinny legs framed by a door entrance

9. BEHIND THE DOOR
Taiwan – 5:00 Min.
Director: Wei-Lin Zhu

A boy is afraid of the unknown and unable to face the world outside. The boy’s inner struggle and entangle mental state are seen through his repeated attempts and his abandonment.

Light yellow title letters over caricature of a woman's shoes seen through the legs of a chair

10. MAM’S OLD CHAIR
Ireland – 2:27 Min.
Director: Sheena Walsh

By chance, an old chair is found. Repair, reuse, community, and the joy garnered from everyday objects reveal how locally sourced, locally made goods can find life across generations.

A young woman with black hair praying with hands clasped in front of two candles

11. CANDLE AND PATH
Hong Kong – 3:00 Min.
Director: Kyle Wong

A young woman is celebrating her 17th birthday live on a social media platform. She thought her Dad had forgotten about her birthday.

Light red and black letters of white sky, framed by buildings on either side and a man riding a bike through the street on the bottom

12. AS EASY AS RIDING A BIKE
Ireland – 15:00 Min.
Director: Ronan Burke

Andy is heartbroken when his girlfriend dumps him. His friend Mandy tries to cheer him up by letting him ride her bike. He confesses he’s never ridden one. Mandy bets she can teach him in less than a week.

Blue charicature of a singer wearing sunglasses, a red microphone and surrounded by other musician charicatures. White letters at the bottom of poster.

13. NUEVO RICO
Puerto Rico – 16:00 Min.
Director: Kristian Mercado Figueroa

Twin brother and sister stumble upon a celestial secret that changes their lives and launches them into Reggaetón stardom. In it, they discover that fame comes at a deep price.

WATCH GROUP 1 - Starting Feb 9, 2022

VOTE HERE
Voting begins February 9, 2022

Please rate each film on this group by using the form below. Only one form per email. You must submit your ballot by no later than Sunday, February 20, 2022, at 12noon ET.

GROUP 2

Duration: 1 hour 28 mins.  >>

Woman with black hair and white dress submerged in blue water

1. STORNI
Gran Canaria – 5:21 Min.
Director: Agustín Domínguez

She tried to search death for the answers she did not find in life.

White letters over salmon colored background. Caricature of gray teddy bear floating over bone-colored skyline of old city.

2. MR. TEDDY IS ANGRY
Malta – 4:03 Min.
Director: Fabrizio Ellul

A Giant Teddy appears in the Valletta Harbour. Media goes into a frenzy. And havoc follows.

Black and white pencil drawing of a man with a helmet wearing a mask.

3. GOLDEN SURGE
Taiwan – 5:03 Min.
Director: Nan-Tung Lin

Hong Kong is facing tyranny, and two brothers are marching their own ways in the revolution. As horror approaches, it seems as if this City knew it all, and rebirth follows its collapse.

Maroon letters over white cloudy sky. A man kneels before a small wooden cross.

4. HORIZON
Sardinia, Italy – 15:00 Min.
Director: Daniele De Muro

In the borderlands, the protagonist, a refugee resigned to his faith in an underground shelter, observes the decline of society. That is, until an encounter builds his hope for the future of humanity.

Faceless cloth doll with black hair, red hat, white shirt.

5. TRICK
Taiwan – 2:41 Min.
Directors: Tai Ching Yun, Ye Ze Yu

Something’s wrong with the bathroom after class. What kind of quirky things will Mei and Yu bump into? Can they make it out alive?

A bold older man in a pool, resting over red swimming lane dividers.

6. PACING THE POOL
Australia – 8:29 Min.
Director: Radheya Jegatheva

A glimpse into the extraordinary life of Richard Pace. A different approach to life might have crushed him by the weight of physical and mental stress since childhood. But healing waters help him rise above it all.

Light colored photo of back of a man with chopsticks grabbing food from a tray.

7. NOH Men
Japan – 3:59 Min.
Director: Kimi Meguro

Atsushi, an old man, makes sculpture masks with his friends in the form of Japanese Noh theater. He has been absent there for a while.

Photo of 4 men and a woman in traditional indian attire, surrounded by an orange fabric altar with white, yellow and deep orage garlands. A white man with a beard sitting at the center of the group.

8. SM9
UK – 15:00 Min.
Director: Makon Bessala

A young Sikh wrestles with forbidden queer desires and his faith. Set in a club against the backdrop of a recital of the penitential hymn Salok Mahalla 9. Will he have to choose between his faith and sexuality?

Caricature of an Asian Pacific woman with a dark round sculpture behind her, and white letter spelling Bangau in front of her face.

9. STORK (Bangau)
Singapore – 7:20 Min.
Director: Fanny Bratahalim

A film exploring the (de)construction process of the director’s diasporic identity. “Remember who you are, and how you were raised. At the end, you will return whence you came from.”

Single line outline of woman atop a sunset (or sunrise) above a body of water.

10. GRADATIONS
Japan – 7:17 Min.
Director: Nanami Saito

A girl and a boy set out to reach their ideal place. The girl realizes they have arrived at the place she wanted. As the scenery around them changes, they find their minds too exist in gradations.

A young man with a thin beard and a gray hoodie, rests his hands on a young girl's head. The girl is wearing glasses and resting her head on a desk.

11. CACOS
Madeira Island – 9:59 Min.
Director: João Brás

As a Portuguese family adapts to a different daily life, an irreversible situation occurs, re-defining their before-and-after and changing the direction of their lives.

caricature of a man's torso, wearing a green t-shirt and holding two young children on his lap.

12. MY LITTLE BOY’S – APOLLO’S BELT
Taiwan – 3:58 Min. Dir: Jack Shih

Nee-Gu Lo signs up his chubby father for bodybuilding competition. His father, touched by the support of his little boy, stepped up against the boos from the crowd, reversing the outcome with a heartwarming speech.

VOTE HERE

Please rate each film on this group by using the form below. Only one form per email. You must submit your ballot by no later than Sunday, February 20, 2022, at 12noon ET.

GROUP 3

Duration: 1hour 39mins.  >>

Dark brown cartoon character with red mouth wide open, yellow eyes and a hat, over lime green and lavender swirls. White title letters at the bottom.

1. CRACK
Japan – 1:00 Min.
Director: Forrest Schlage

If you or someone you know suffers from the horrors of smartphone addiction, the OK Boomers of America want you to know, there is help available.

Dark black and white image of a silhouetted person walking alongside a fence. Gray title letters on the front.

2. TALKING TO MYSELF
United Kingdom – 7:43 Min.
Director: David Easton

While looking for something under his bed, Graham finds an old walkie-talkie and discovers he can talk to himself twenty years into the future.

Cartoon character rendering of a dark-skinned young boy with dark brown hair and eyes, holding a spear. Blue skies and white clouds behind him.

3. A FISH FOR A FRIEND
Singapore – 8:53 Min.
Director: Javon Chan

Father and son catch a fish. The boy wants to share it with a bear cub that can’t catch any on its own. The father doesn’t want to waste their food, but the boy insists on sharing the fish with the cub.

Man with dark brown hair, wearing a tank-top and eating a water Mellon. behind him are light brown wooden kitchen cabinet doors on top. White and green checkered tiles below.

4. SOL SOL
Canary Islands -10:40 Min.
Director: Àlex Arroyo

Xavier is a Menorquin teenager who is not comfortable at home. When a Catalan tourist visits the island, he tries to feel better by exploring his sexuality and preferring to grow up in Sa Mesquida.

Man with black pants and long-sleeved dark metallic green jacket, holding onto a rail. Yellow ceiling above him.

5. THE TRIGGER’S EDGE
Manaus, Amazonas – Brazil – 12:00 Min.
Director: Lucas Martins

Max, a private detective in decline and addicted to gambling, looks for suspects who may be responsible for the murder of a man who was also addicted to gambling.

Person with white long sleeved shirt and dark hair sitting on a red couch. Floor lamp on the left. Dark mustard wall behind. Brown title letters above him.

6. NOSTOS ALGOS
Dominican Republic -13:56 Min.
Director: Juan Diego De León

Going through his memories, Adrian rekindles feelings linked to his father’s lack of support throughout his life towards his choice of becoming a theater actor.

White letters over areal photo of ships and boats on the water.

7. BEFORE THE BEAUTY IS GONE
Vancouver Island – 13:58 Min.
Director: Mackai Sharp

An unfortunate reality: our fish are disappearing. Not our Salmon or our Halibut, though those will soon follow. Forage fish, key to the marine ecology, is vanishing off the coast of British Columbia.

Woman with white shirt, red striped skirt and a walking stick on a dirt road with small bushes. Behind her are dark silhouetted riffle-like objects. Dark red letters at top.

8. HER WALKS
Philippines – 20:00 Min.
Director: Julius Lumiqued

While preparing lunch on a Sunday, an Igorot elderly woman hears distant explosions. She flees her home. Despite her disability, she crosses through her hometown in the middle of an insurgency.

Cartoon etching of the back of a child's head as they look out towards a distant mountains on an island in the horizon. Dark circles with the film's award recognition floating over pink and orange clouds and sky.

9. THE HOLE
Taiwan -11:39 Min.
Director: Fang Hsin Kai

A soldier hides in a cave to avoid the big snake in the woods. He rests a bit in the cave, even makes a little bat friend. But then, after eating all the food, he hears a hiss. It’s the snake. Again.

VOTE HERE.

Please rate each film on this group by using the form below. Only one form per email. You must submit your ballot by no later than Sunday, February 20, 2022, at 12noon ET.

GROUP 4

Duration: 1hour 32mins.  >>

Gray patterned cellphone resting on a dark pink fabric. Repeated italic title letters cascading from the top right side.

1. HIPERREALIDADES
Canary Island: 1:23 Min.
Director: Carlos S. Peña

Understanding ‘hiperreality’ as an inability of consciousness to distinguish reality, this work tries to represent the seek of a memory, a longing, which finds itself within a virtual realm; a dilema about the connection between the outside and the inside, the imagination and reality.

Silhouette of a person with dark brimmed hat and dark coat, holding an oversized pair of scissors. Light yellow letters on top. White credits on bottom.

2. DANTE
Manhattan – 9:00 Min.
Director: Christian Peña

Dante grew up in an orphanage. His mentor was Circe, a clown, whose dark influence throws Dante into isolation. In it, Dante develops a strange obsession with hair, and he will do anything to satisfy this obsession.

Man with dark long-sleeved top in font of multi-colored etchings and paintings.

3. PAINTINGS, SKETCHES, FILMS and U.F.O.s
Australia: 4:45 Min.
Director: Tom Vogel

Derek Erskine talks about his art, his films and about that time he saw an U.F.O.s while he was living in Tasmania.

Man with dark short hair, red bandanna, black face mask, black long sleeved shirt and pants, above the bare torso of another man on the floor. Green leaves and foliage behind and in front of them.

4. AMANAH DANGIANG
Indonesia – 13:14
Director: Yudha Nugraha

Once, Ki Kasta (abah) told his students that his knowledge came from the Book of the Tulunjuk Sakti. One of his student warriors, was obsessed the book. One day the book was stolen. Ki Kasta had a hunch.

Etching of young girl with light yellow hair, holding a rose with a hand close to her face. Blue background with floating heart above her.

5. A VISIBLE HEART
Taiwan: 4:00 Min.
Director: Yu-Ting Chang

After a conflict with her mother, a girl runs out to the street. Her ability to see through the color of one’s heart irritated her. Then something happens that changes the way she thought of her powers.

Portrait of a blue nose and wide open mouth looking upwards at a blue title letters. Light blue texture background.

6. ICEBERG LICKING SOCIETY
Iceland – 4:40 Min.
Director: Nathan Ceddia

A never-before-seen look into the mysterious world of the Iceberg Licking Society, at the moment in which the association faces iceberg-licking’s greatest threat: global warming.

White title letters over close-up portrait of a young girl's face.

7. SOPHÍA
Canary Islands – 13:55 Min.
Director: Alex Duck

Sophía, a kid who lives in a cottage with her brother and grandmother, has been forced to grow up fast. With remarkable tenacity, she becomes responsible for the home, animal care and the field.

Gray silhouette floating (or falling) over dark background. White title letters at the bottom.

8. BEHIND THE SCENE
Taiwan – 13:29 Min.
Director: Wu Yen Sheng

A writer is experiencing a creative block when he is drawn to the life of violence of the couple next door. He peeks through a hole in his room. He does nothing to stop it, in fear of losing his inspiration.

A boy with jeans and white shirt, a honey-skinned dog at center and a long haired young girl to the right. White title letters in front.

9. ARGOS
Sicily – 9:50 Min.
Director: Fabio Bagnasco

This film, inspired by the Sicilian writer Leonardo Sciascia, tells of a child who gets lost in a garden and meets a magical dog who opens a new dimension for him.

Etching of light salmon-colored sky, orange sun setting on horizon. Small figures on white floor. Light blue etchings and drawings on the front.

10. A PIECE OF CAKE
Taiwan – 5:20 Min.
Director: Wen-Yi Tseng

A man is abducted to a planet of pastries, fruits and natural goods. He falls in love with a magical creature, half cupcake, almost human. But must battle through obstacles to get to her.

Shirtless black man with red scarf wrapped around his head, surrounded by religious statues and candles. Light yellow cursive title on the bottom.

11. HELLO
Cuba – 13:00 Min.
Director: Oldren Romero

In the process of creation, in a state of ecstasy, this Painter can’t find a definite line between reality, dreams, madness and death. Then a call, one word, will decipher the enigma.

VOTE HERE!

Please rate each film on this group by using the form below. Only one form per email. You must submit your ballot by no later than Sunday, February 20, 2022, at 12noon ET.

GROUP 5

Duration: 1hour 30mins.  >>

Hand timer/clock with the words

1. FIRST MISSION
Singapore – 3:48 Min.
Director: Yao Jiaqi

First Mission is a 3D comedy, animated film about a novice Grim Reaper on their first job to reap an old man. But there is the limitation of Maya’s hardware 2.0 renderer to achieve an Arnold-like quality.

Image collage. A figure looking out of a yellow tinted window; a section of a face with an eye; black and white photos of trees and a small river stream with a small cascade. White title letters in front of person looking out of the window.

2. THE FRUITFUL
Ireland – 7:00 Min.
Director: John Collins

From classic Georgian townscapes to the lush landscapes of rural Ireland, a young woman struggles for restitution in the shadows of her recent past. Enchant Irish recitation of an antique Asian anecdote.

Top of a bare back. Small dark letters in front.

3. [be e e e e e e e e e e e e e e ‘e e]
Tenerife – 19:00 Min.
Director: ziREjA

A sensory and contemplative experience involving film and performative co-creation about forgotten spaces and realities. A journey through wool mediated by the body and voice of its protagonists.

Two men with dark suits walking on a light gray-tiled walkway. Trees and building background. White title letters above them.

4. HIT LIST/THE LOVE PROJECT
Japan – 10:50 Min.
Director: R.Jamie Kassler

An eager thief hits the jackpot as he takes on the city. That is, until he steals from an unassuming young woman who might jeopardize his biggest heist yet.

Deep orange background with white letters. On the bottom is a small image of an isle in a train or plane.

5. JOB ORDER
Philippines- 1:11 Min.
Director: Richard Soriano Legaspi

An experimental film reflecting on the daily journey of migrant workers in Taiwan. The geography and culture of the Island seen through a fast-moving narrative, and a reflection of their limited time.

Rendering of a pale caricature character with white shirt, lime green tie and beige jacket. Burgundy background.

6. DETECTIVE BUCKERS
Ireland – 6:34 Min.
Director: .Alan Power

Detective Buckers arrives at the scene of a gruesome murder. Instead of searching for clues, he wastes time, clumsily checking the scene, reading the victim’s diary and getting a little paranoid after a smoke.

Artful rendering of two silhouettes framing a forest of trees and fog.

7. FOG
Ireland – 6:57 Min.
Director: Lisa Marie Dwyer

Two daughters, one mother – fractured by fate.

Young long haired woman with blue uniform in martial arts combat position. B green board in the background. Title letters above her.

8. ERASER
Japan – 11:33 Min.
Director: Jamie Kassler

A fiery young schoolgirl would do anything to protect her best friend from a merciless bully. She stumbles upon a dark, mysterious ring with magical powers that just might make her problems disappear.

Cantilever rock boulder by a sea. Blue and pink clouds in the background. White title letters in Spanish at the center of image.

9. MARTIN’S VANTAGE POINT
Canary Islands – 12:51 Min.
Director: Chedey Reyes

Lorena arrives at the viewpoint of the cliff. She meets with José, whom she is divorcing. Their phones are tapped, their accounts locked. The circle tightens. Nothing is what it seems.

Black and white image of a percussionist with white shirt and sunglasses playing the drums. Title letters on frame the top and bottom parts of image.

10. SIMPLE LOCURA
Puerto Rico – 10:00 Min.
Director: Melvin Audaz

Henry Cole is an enigmatic Puerto Rican drummer/composer. The film crew follows Cole from NYC to Añasco, PR, where he reunites with old friends, relatives and the rhythms that gave birth to his music when he was just a child.

VOTE HERE!

Please rate each film on this group by using the form below. Only one form per email. You must submit your ballot by no later than Sunday, February 20, 2022, at 12noon ET.

ABOUT

Pregones/PRTT is proud to present the 6th Annual 21 Islands International Short Film Fest. Starting February 9, 2022 with online WATCH & VOTE periodthrough February 23rd.

Selected from thousands of multilingual submissions originating in hundreds of qualifying locations worldwide, 21 Islands ISFF finalists compete for both Festival Jury Prizes and Audience Choice Awards. YOU GET TO VOTE!

The festival offers a kaleidoscope of the real and the imagined, bursting with memorable stories and characters, and plenty of visual pizzazz. Multi-genre and multi-style films from islands territories and island nations around the globe lend the festival both its expansive and uniquely focused character.

Our Esteemed Funders – Click To Open

Special thanks to our media broadcast partners at BronxNet Community Television.

This program is made possible, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts, with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. For a full list of our funders, visit www.pregonesprtt.org.