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shareNarrative Shorts 4 tenderly explores the beauty and ache of mortality, weaving stories of love, grief, and the quiet courage it takes to move forward.
In And That’s for This Christmas, an elderly man preparing for his own funeral spends Christmas Eve at his wife’s grave, finding unexpected warmth in loneliness. Holy Heaveness transforms grief into poetry, capturing the heavy pull of memories and the painful grace of release. The Blue Bench reunites two ex-lovers on the spot where everything ended, where nostalgia meets the uneasy truth of who they’ve become.
Daniel Van den Berg is Dead brings humor to bureaucracy as a man must prove to the government—and himself—that he’s still alive. Pre Deceased follows a terminally ill woman seeking meaning and connection in group therapy, discovering that life’s value lies in how deeply it’s felt, not how long it lasts. Crossing offers a whimsical take on death as an apprentice to the Reaper learns what it really means to help a soul move on. And in Stitches, a woman recovering from self-harm sews a dress to heal, literally stitching herself back together one thread at a time.
Life, Loss, and Letting Go is a deeply human program…honest, bittersweet, and full of the small redemptions that make saying goodbye a little easier.
Filmmakers will be present for a post-screening Q&A.
In this program
And That’s for This Christmas
Directed by Peter Vulchev
While preparing the details for his own funeral, an elderly man realises that he will be celebrating Christmas alone. Unable to fall asleep, he decides to spend the holiday at the grave of his deceased wife.
HOLY HEAVÊNESS
Directed by Farnoosh Abedi, Mohammad Ghaffari, Negah Khezre Fardyardad
Saying goodbye to your loved ones is difficult and painful. But sometimes they don’t want to leave. The memories cling to you and weigh so heavily that everyday life is an insurmountable burden. Every step hurts, every moment is agony and every smile hides a river of tears. But in the end, all that remains is to let go and take a step into a new era. All that remains is to replace the dead with the living. They are all worth it!
The blue bench
Directed by Judith Hidalgo
Five years after their breakup, Eric and Lisa reunite on the blue bench, where old promises and new fears collide.
Daniel Van den Berg is Dead
Directed by Ali Baharlou
Daniel van den Berg is wrongly declared dead in the pension system and no longer receives his pension. To prove he’s still alive, he must go through all sorts of absurd steps. Despite the frustrating amount of paperwork, Daniel refuses to give up. Will he succeed in proving that he’s not dead?
Pre Deceased
Directed by Jules Franchetto
Vittoria has received a diagnosis that will change the course (and length) of her life. As a last resort, she attends group therapy for the terminally ill to find out if her there’s anything left in her that is worth saving.
Crossing
Directed by Vicky Chen
An aide to Death struggles to help her first soul cross over to the afterlife.
Stitches
Directed by Victoria Frings
While recovering from an episode of self-harm, Ava decides to sew a dress from scratch. Her sister, Gillian, wishes she would focus on getting better. But could it be that putting stitches into something other than her own skin is exactly the kind of healing Ava needs?
The Last Dance
Directed by Hayden Mclean
When Fox’s “LA Bar” is hit with a compulsory purchase order, a cornerstone of Caribbean life in 90’s East London is threatened. As the city begins to forget, the community remembers. In defiance and longing, a last dance ignites—one that will be remembered for the ages.
