21 Islands ISFF 2024

Extended streaming this February 1-19

Pregones/PRTT presents the 8th Edition of its 21 Islands International Short Film Fest as a FREE ONLINE STREAMING event, February 1-11, 2024.

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.

This year’s films come from:

Aruba • Australia • Bahrain • Bermuda • Canary Islands • Cuba • Dominican Republic • Hong Kong • Iceland • Ireland • Japan • Madagascar • Philippines • Puerto Rico • Sicily • Singapore • Sri Lanka • Taiwan • Tenerife • Trinidad & Tobago • United Kingdom

Click on each of 5 Groups below to WATCH & VOTE NOW!

GROUP 1

Duration: 1 hour 23 mins.  >>

Dark gray letters and pencil sketch of a small wooden canoe over a yello-beige background

1. OMART
Taiwan – 3:47 Min.
Director: ER-YA KAO
Nathen, who called himself the survivor of the supermarket attack, agreed to be interviewed. As the interview evolves, wacky things about Omart emerge.

Colorful Porcelain Asian Doll over dark sketch of man

2. ANHELO
Cuba – 12:56 Min.
Director: Isela Michel

Adela lives with her family. She loses them in a sudden accident. Reclaiming their bodies throws her into self-destruction, while her family, in another stage of reality, continues to inhabit the home.

Yellow letters over black landscape, with orange skyline above

3. TREASURE
Canary Islands – 19:35 Min.
Director: Anatael Pérez

In a distant future, without people, a robot coexists with nature. Then he meets a mysterious dancer. How will everything change?

Sepia photograph of a man with a beard

4. PRINCE YOGGLE DRAGON SLAYER
United Kingdom – 3:52 Min.
Director: Trevor Hardy

Prince Yoggle wants to slay the Dragon, his dad. The King thinks he shouldn’t. The wise old hermit thinks he should.

Sepia photograph of a man with a beard

5. IN BETWEEN HOMES
Aruba – 3:00 Min.
Director: Lisanne Melchiors

A true story of relocation: from Aruba to the Netherlands, and how the filmmaker was able to create a new home in a new country far away from her birthplace.

White letters over photo of two feet standing on loose blue-gray dirt.

6. FEEL
Canary islands – 12:13 Min
Director: Trevor Hardy

Sofía takes care of the only cow left on her late parents’ farm. Her brother wants to sell it but Sofía clings to it in memory of her parents. Reality sets in. She must part with her beloved animal.

Dark image of a woman with black hair looking over her shoulder towards the outline a man by a door.

7. ASTRONOMICAL TRIPS
Dominican Republic – 2:59 Min.
Director: Melo

This experimental film expresses what daydreaming feels like. Filmed with a Bolex 16mm camera.

Rendering of a city skyline floating over dark rocks.

8. LIFE IN A SECOND
Canary Islands – 15:00 Min.
Director: Pablo Fajardo

Segundo goes to therapy for the first time and the session takes an unimaginable turn.

Skull-faced puppet wearing a straw hat.

9. LA AMANTE
Puerto Rico – 10:00 Min.
Director: Paty Cruz Martinez

Angela (65) stirs the pot when she shows up at Tete’s husband’s memorial to profess her feelings for Tete.

WATCH GROUP 1 - Starting Feb 1, 2024

VOTE HERE
Voting begins February 1, 2024

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 11, 2024, at 12noon ET.

GROUP 2

Duration: 1 hour 13 mins.  >>

Yellow letters above sepia image of two men.

1. FISHBOWL WORLD
Tenerife – 11:46 Min.
Director: Marco Antonio Toledo Oval

Disturbed by the social, economic, and political situation, Abdou confronts a harsh reality, seeking for a change that will pull him out of his ‘fishbowl’.

Caricature of three children's faces, with dark hair and light green shirts.

2. UPSIDE DOWN
Trinidad and Tobago – 15:00 Min.
Director: Neisha Catherine Agostini

An exploration of the history of Dragon Mas in Trinidad and Tobago, and the influence of Patrick “Chinee” Jones in the early 1900’s.

Line sketch of a bird atop a tree branch with a red colored spot on it's chest

3. GROVELY AND THE BIG FISH
Australia – 4:02 Min.
Director: Ani Bell

A fun fantasy edu-tainer for parents to use as a conversation starter with young children on the larger topic of caring for animals in our world.

Drawing of four figures dressed with brown cloaks sitting on a light green lawn.

4. MARAVILLOSO
Puerto Rico – 2:01 Min.
Director: Lin Yvette Velazquez Ferrer

Maravilloso is a documentary that sheds light into the work of children in a community garden, building local agriculture and a butterfly sanctuary in rural Puerto Rico after hurricane Maria.

Photo of trees in a forest with white line-drawings of dragonflies on top.

5. CARROTS DON’T WAIT
Japan – 7:36 Min.
Director: Lina Machida

That stray dog the girl loved wanted an apple for a long time. Meanwhile, the carrots try to turn everything into a seedbed. The girl opens the box and leaves with the dog because they know that decay is inevitable.This animation captures a moment of overlapping birth and death.

Photo of trees in a forest with white line-drawings of dragonflies on top.

6. BURNOUT
Australia – 4:07 Min.
Director: Jonathon Charlie Copson-Pacal

“Burnout” brings forth the childlike creativity that fuels our ideas and how that can turn sour quickly if expended in bursts; an homage to some of the artist’s favorite games.

Yellow letters and sketch of a car door over black background.

7. PO
Hong Kong – 1:21 Min.
Director: Kwan Yiu Hung

An animation on the anxiety of being unable to express one’s true self. Can appearance truly represent one’s essence? Inspired by sexual minorities who experience physical and mental gender disunity.

Sepia photo of a man with a mustache wearing a suit and a woman with a camera and a large notebook.

8. EVIA
Bermuda – 8:31 Min.
Director: Quinceé Kaya Dill

An anxious, depressed Gen z’er lives in defiance of the urge to take her own life. The story follows Evia as her mental health takes a sudden turn. A day-dream sends Evia on an active path to her own recovery.

Caricature drawing of household items like a television and bedrooms inside a round tin can.

9. INSULAR
Canary Islands – 1:30 Min.
Director: Adrián León Arocha

A social situation becomes uncertain. It is a specific time and space. A reflection on the sense of belonging, of what belongs to us, and the need to cross borders, to walk away.

Light salmon-colored lettering over green background. Drawing of a young boy's face on the lower right hand section.

10. #LIKE ME
Taiwan – 5:23 Min.
Director: Lin Sin Yi

A social media addict likes to peek into other people’s lives. On his birthday, he goes to a viral restaurant and watches social media addicts as they reveal social media situations in different ways.

Image of a light gray feather over white background. Gray letters above and below it.

11. CANARY TOMATO
Canary Islands – 11:22 Min.
Director: Arima León

Fefi works on a tomato farm. One morning, she starts having erotic thoughts about Mari, a farmer. The suffocating atmosphere of the greenhouse builds her anxiety about this new desire.

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 11, 2024, at 12noon ET.

GROUP 3

Duration: 1 hour 26 mins.  >>

Charicature of a robot-like figure looking in front of an oval-shaped window

1. COVERT
Singapore – 5:00 Min.
Director: Bervyn Chua

A security guard must protect a priceless Jewel from a thief’s clutches until the police arrive.

White letters over a dark sideways photo of a yatch standing vertically.

2. A SEA OF PLASTIC
Canary Islands – 3:31 Min.
Director: Vega Nayadet

When humans enter the vicious circle of consumerism they are trapped, with no way out. Buying, using and throwing away becomes a loop that drags the rest of the species towards their disappearance.

A collection of rectangle colorful drawings over a black background. Thin gray letters at top.

3. BETWEEN MONITORS
Taiwan – 7:05 Min.
Director: Anderson Huang

A girl living trapped between monitors is challenged to decide her own future.

Outline of a woman sitting by a window, in front of a desk, looking at a photo in her hands.

4. PRESERVATION
Ireland – 5:59 Min.
Director: Noreen Bingham, Dennis Earlie

Bogs preserve cultural and scientific information: how areas were farmed, tracking objects and bog bodies. They give us insights into Irish identity, culture and heritage.

Silhouette of a dark skinny figure with a top hat, looking at a giant clock, over blue background.

5. BLOOM
Hong Kong – 12:13 Min.
Director: Yinyi Wu

Casey loved ballet since childhood. But with time, she felt out of place due to her neutral appearance. She delved into basketball. But her great work on the court did not bring out heartfelt smiles.

Silhouette of a dark skinny figure with a top hat, looking at a giant clock, over blue background.

6. THE SMELL OF SCENERY
Taiwan – 17:40 Min.
Director: Hsing Ying Tseng

A visionary road trip. Four couples, four sceneries, four different stories. All strangely connected.

Image of a Japanese gate gateway in front of a bamboo garden.

7. TWENTY TWO
Taiwan – 6:26 Min.
Directors: Tong-min Li

Among the crowd, a paper animated man must find himself.

Caricature of a young boy opening a brown door to a room of dark green leaves and forest trees.

8. COLD GIRL
Canary Islands – 4:09 Min.
Director: David Sainz

The lonely janitor of a vacation apartment complex finds the body of a girl floating in the pool.

Faces of two women with white lettering on the lower part of image.

9. MARILÓ
Puerto Rico – 7:44 Min.
Director: Quintín Rivera Toro

Isolated in her own world, young Mariló’s paintings reveal her mother’s truth.

White bold letters over yellow and purple flowers

10. WAJBA
Bahrain – 3:28 Min.
Director: Loay Tatta

A mother and her son, Mahmood, live in the same building but separated for different reasons. Mahmood develops a system to solve this, and things start to heat up.

White bold letters over yellow and purple flowers

11. IMPURRFECTION
Taiwan – 13:10 Min.
Director: Chiang Yao

Mr. Cat has aquaphobia, terrified to swim in the Zodiac race to fulfill his dream of becoming the Guardian God of the Year. He lives by the sea, and an accident brings him closer to the water.

WATCH GROUP 3

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 11, 2024, at 12noon ET.

GROUP 4

Duration: 1 hour 22 min.  >>

Drawing of two human heads with short hair surrounded by green leaves.

1. DRAGONFLIES THAT CAN’T FLY
Taiwan – 2:03 Min.
Director: Hsiao-Anne Liao

When stress piled up, the bullied boy turned his gaze onto weaker beings to bully, not realizing that he himself was turning into the kind of person he dreaded the most.

Drawing of a small boy atop a rock and under a rocky arch looking at a swirling firmament.

2. STRAW
Japan – 7:33 Min.
Director: Liu Mingcheng

A world influenced by an endless desire for more. We labour to obtain the necessities of life, only to want more after we do, once we experience a sense of fulfillment.

Sketch of a man with a gray coat and a sword in his hand, with white birds flying above.

3. RESILIENCE
Cuba – 3:52 Min.
Director: Diana Araujo

A young man suffers a loss, and he decides to find himself again through it.

Black and white image of a man looking at a large snake with it's mouth open.

4. BEFORE
Philippines – 8:25 Min.
Director: Arlo Jhan Bayot

In a hidden Philippines paradise, two brothers share a simple, good life. Then a visitor brings new-found attention to their island, turning it into a tourism spotlight and out-of-control urban vibe.

Black and white image of a man looking at a large snake with it's mouth open.

5. EL CLUB DE CHICHIGUAS
Dominican Republic – 8:59
Director: Tomás Pichardo

A journey to the childhood memories. Animated with nostalgia and imagination. It tells the events that happened one day to the kids in a small Dominican neighborhood.

Puppet with light yellow curly hair, orange long-sleeve turtle neck, looking at it's fingers.

6. THE FINAL STRAW
United Kingdom – 3:52 Min.
Director: Louis Frost

A mockumentary about a most unusual hobby.

Abstract line-drawing of a human-like figure over white background. Black letters on top.

7. COLORS: NOIR
Madagascar – 19:59 Min.
Director: Ando (Cid) Andrianarison

Private detective Walter Koch wakes up in his office. His memory is fuzzy. He tries to piece together the fragments of his memory and figure out how he got there.

Bald head figure with stripped yellow cat atop it

8. THE CANINE MENACE
Sri Lanka – 7:45 Min.
Director: Ravindu Niranga Fernando

An epidemic erupts in a certain country due to overpopulation of dogs, resulting in unbearable hazards. Its citizens, trying to cope, seek solace, not on practical solutions, but on religious rituals.

Photo of a woman's face, torn in half and separated, to reveal the side portrait of another woman.

9. EYES
United Kingdom – 6:40 Min.
Director: Hwanyi Kim

A girl suffers from a disorder called “Scopophobia” , which main symptom is being afraid of making eye contact with others. What is triggering it? To find out she must overcome fears from her past.

WATCH GROUP 4

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 11, 2024, at 12noon ET.

GROUP 5

Duration: 1 hour 15 mins.  >>

Water color of a small boy with a smaller white figure in front of him, both standing under a Japanese archway with Japanese writing at top.

1. KUKUNOCHI
Australia – 3:12 Min.
Director: Naomi Hermans, Mia Dator

The 3-min 3D animation film, set within the Edo Period of Japan, depicting a young girl who learns about humility. Two children cementing their relationship as they confront an angered ancient spirit.

Drawing of a thin house atop a hill, with the large shadow of a monster with yellow eyes overlooking the house. A green tree-trunk in the foreground.

2. NELL’ARIA
Sicily – 11:55 Min.
Director: Gaetano Di Lorenzo

Ernesto Vasile, a merchant from Palermo, is grappling with the usual deadlines for paying taxes. Just as he prepares all the folders and bulletins, an immovable debt collector knocks on his door, presenting him with a steep bill for an unpaid tax.

Yellow letters over diffused pink background.

3. STORY OF A BLUE GIRL
Iceland – 10:50 Min.
Directors: Alda Ægisdóttir

Out of a magical tree a blue girl is born. Stop-motion animation brings fantasy to life, as she meets a mysterious creature on an intuitive journey. Recurring symbols pop in dreamlike reality.

Spiral notebook with sketches and lettering on its cover.

4. LUNA, A FEARFUL PUPPY
United Kingdom – 1:25 Min.
Director: Michaela Brückner

‘Luna’ is a bulldog puppy with noise phobia, a common one for dogs, even bulldogs, who are typically stereotyped as aggressive. But we all have natural instinctual fears.

Sepia portrait of a man and a woman in profile. Letterings in the middle. Below, the same couple on either side of a table with a checkered table cloth.

5. REQUIEM DEI VIVI
Cuba – 9:52 Min.
Director: Rosse Mary Suárez

An experimental short film reflecting life, death, soul and luck all vibrating like a dame unity.

Back side of a young boy wearing a backpack, long dark pants and light shirt, over a bright yellow backdrop.

6. MORPH
Hong Kong – 1:00 Min.
Director: Ahongon Kumi Villavicencio

A reveal of the hidden textures, and patterns in the streets of Hong Kong. These undiscovered static shapes – a crack, a white speck – come together to dance vividly and lively.

Artful pink and gray rendering of and older woman with needles and yarn.

7. FORGOTTEN COLOURS
United Kingdom – 6:24 Min.
Director: Archie Brown

A prestigious stain glass artist from Swansea is battling memory loss.Tim enjoys looking at his windows but cannot remember who made them. Stained-glass pieces come as flashes of older memories.

Thick yellow lettering over a green-shaded photo of the back's of three individuals.

8. PITCHER OF YOU
Ireland – 9:30 Min.
Director: Coireall Kent

Urban-hermit Mag’s family pub is soon-to-close. Attacked by a vengeful Ghost, she must reckon with both the supernatural, and the broken pact made to her late father of becoming the family’s next publican.

"Drawing

9. KRAINA – THE LAND ON THE EDGE
United Kingdom – 9:52 Min.
Director: Marta Adamowicz, Robert Motyka

A short animation made in collaboration with members of the Polish community in Edinburgh to explore traditional slavic art, folklore and myths.

Blue tinted drawing of two young male faces looking intently into each other's eyes.

10. LEFTOVERS
Canary Islands – 11:00 Min.
Director: Pablo Porcuna

An audiovisual project portrayal of four current labor realities being satirically portrayed.

WATCH GROUP 5

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 11, 2024, at 12noon ET.

ABOUT

Pregones/PRTT is proud to present the 8th Edition of the 21 Islands International Short Film Fest. Starting February 1, 2024 with online WATCH & VOTE period through February 11th.

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!

Our festival process is a rich, multi-month experience involving multidisciplinary artists, activists, scholars, audiences, and neighbors of diverse age, language, and cultural heritage. Their jointly selected list of finalists is now waiting for your consideration! Watch and vote digitally on your choice desktop or mobile device from Pregones/PRTT’s website.

Year after year, 21 ISLANDS 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.

Curated by independent filmmaker, producer, and educator Melisa Ramos in collaboration with Pregones/PRTT Artistic Director, Rosalba Rolón. For festival rules and submissions visit https://filmfreeway.com/21IslandsInternationalFilmFest.

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 Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature. For a full list of our funders, visit www.pregonesprtt.org.