Short Film Compilation: The World Stood Still

Maailma odotti paikoillaan, Finland 2025, 15 min. 
Myrsky has run away from her transphobic parents and lives on her grandfather Tapio’s couch. She dreams of moving somewhere far away, but high school graduation isn’t working out and her mother is causing problems. Tapio’s health issues and Myrsky’s mother’s remarks make her feel like a burden, and she takes her stress out on her friend Nella. 
On the verge of huge life decisions, the concern of Myrsky’s loved ones makes her second guess herself and rethink the meaning of home. Maybe there could be a new life still in the city that used to feel poisoned?

Water Hazard, Portugal/France 2024, 23 min.
A pre-adolescent kid spends a family summer holiday at a golf village. A newly built lake on a golf course becomes the backdrop to a mysterious encounter. And the discovery of an unknown other becomes the discovery of the unknown self.

Out of Order, Finland, 3 min. 
The male gaze is diverted for a moment.

Orgy Every Other Day, USA 2024, 13 min.
Set in New York City’s queer underground sex party scene, Orgy Every Other Day explores the importance of creating space for all the letters of the queer alphabet to collectively experience the liberating potential of expressing and performing sexual desires while always
respectfully asking for consent.

Genrehyppääjä, Finland 2024, 23 min.
The film tells the story of a young filmmaker, Vilja, who embarks on an adventure across film genres through a magical object owned by Rousku, a cinematographer she admires. This metamodern adventure film blends genres from horror to action, from telenovela to Czech art cinema. Along with genre shifts, the characters also change their gender expression as easily as changing clothes. The film explores the pursuit of dreams, the freedom of self-expression, social roles, and embracing incompleteness.

Marlowe in the Basement, 21 min.
An avant-garde fetish film of Christopher Marlowe’s classic monologues.

Seat 31: Zooey Zephyr, USA 2024, 15 min.
After Zooey Zephyr was expelled from the Montana House of Representatives for defending transgender medical care, she made a nearby bench her “office.” Director Kimberly Reed’s intimate camera transforms this explosive political moment into a moving portrait of trans and queer joy.