The fashion show

United Kingdom 2017. Director: Lucy Lumsden. 16 min. Language: English.

A teenage girl lives in the Irish countryside. She’s preparing for something big: the annual fashion show, where her and her sheep are going to compete dressed up as Super Mario and Luigi. The audience is in place, the competitors are ready, and you could cut the air with a knife… Who’s going to win? An atmospheric documentary short about what life can look like when you’re growing up.

Stardust

Polvo de estrellas. Mexico 2017. Director: Aldo Sotelo Lázaro. Language: Spanish. Subtitles: English.

A young boy lives the life of a refuse collector together with his dad, in the most poverty-stricken of circumstances. One day, while they’re collecting rubbish at a school, the boy happens into a classroom where a presentation of the Big Bang is underway. He is spellbound, and starts to explore his own existence, driven by the idea that something big and beautiful can be created by something of apparent insignificance.

Mrs McCutcheon

Australia 2017. Director: John Sheedy. 17 min. Language: English. Subtitles: English.

Tom is Mrs McCutcheon, something which is easier said than done. In her blue dress, she transfers from school to school, where everyone wants nothing more than that she should be Tom. When Mrs McCutcheon meets Trevor, everything changes. This story about identity and friendship is full of heartbreaking humour and visual fireworks.

Get up, Kinshasa!

Debout Kinshasa! France, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of Côte d’Ivoire 2017. Director: Sébastien Maître. 21 min. Language: French, Lingala. Subtitles: English.

When 10-year-old Samuel isn’t admitted to school one day because his shoes are worn out, he has to work out how to get a new pair. His parents are poor and can’t help him, but it soon transpires that Samuel has hidden talents as a polished businessman.