Dräxlmaier International Short Film Award

Some films you accept straight away, some you discuss immediately afterwards; and some films stay with you for a long time, gradually unfolding their full impact long after the film has physically ended. In this very special case, it is above all the all-encompassing warmth that lingers and continues to occupy the audience for quite a while, time and time again. This warmth is established through the solidarity of the characters, who close the bowling alley early once a month – without regard for their customers. For one very special guest, everything must be perfect, clean and welcoming: the worn, somewhat dusty bowling alley proves to be far more than a place for sport and leisure. The outwardly closed and confined space of a bowling alley opens up into a limitless world where memories, dreams and hopes find a place. With camerawork that is meticulously lit and precisely composed at every moment, a world of its own is established around the two main characters in just a few long, sustained shots. It’s a world that invites us to immerse ourselves in and whose unconditional warmth we cannot and don’t want to resist. The Jury Prize for Best International Short Film goes to Agapito by Arvin Belarmino and Kyla Danelle Romero.