When viewed side by side, stories of our differences become proof of our sameness. Here is a beautiful collection of stories about the various ways in which we can all relate to each other’s experiences of feeling ‘different’.

Ingbert, a sock, applies for a position as a double bass player at the Vienna State Orchestra and soon finds out it wasn't the best idea. About the Director:<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/c92b83c5ce9e1da9574416df4587475e.png" width="153" style="display: inline; margin: 0px 0px 1em 1em; float: right;">Henning Backhaus was born in Dresden, Germany. He moved to Vienna to study directing with Austro-French film director Michael Haneke at the Filmakademie Wien. In 2013 Backhaus shot his film debut Local Heroes on 16mm and 35mm film. From 2013 to 2018 he was an assistant director at the Vienna State Opera. Just recently he worked in the sound department of Terrence Malick's A Hidden Life.

The Best Orchestra in the World

Ingbert, a sock, applies for a position as a double bass player at the Vienna State Orchestra.

Freebird is the coming-of-age story of Jon, a boy with Down Syndrome who learns to navigate the world with a loving mother, an absent father, a classroom bully, and a life-long crush. In just five minutes, we watch 45 years of his life flash by. About the Directors: <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/db68fb295f024a8bf8b8ae51ede9dd8b.jpg" width="118" style="max-width: 100%; white-space: pre-wrap; display: inline; margin: 0px 0px 1em 1em; float: right;">Michael Joseph McDonald is a poet and filmmaker. His work explores the intersection of fragility and resilience. He's a writer, director, and producer, known for 6,000 Waiting and As I Am. He’s a big fan of triptychs, overlapping story structures, and Sri Lankan buffalo curd. <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/cac521efc4ca16db6342a83a7c3184a9.jpg" width="139" style="max-width: 100%; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap; display: inline; margin: 0px 0px 1em 1em; float: right;">Joe Bluhm is an Academy Award and Emmy Award-winning artist and storyteller who works in all animation techniques from 2D to CG. He's best known for his work on The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, Scarecrow, and Pinocchio: A Modern Retelling. <img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/7fcda521fb0e500b91a4bca5848ff86b.jpg" width="166" style="max-width: 100%; white-space: pre-wrap; display: inline; margin: 0px 0px 1em 1em; float: right;">Nick Herd is a Canadian actor, author, and LGBTQ activist who was born with Down syndrome. He has worked on stage, and in film and television for 20 years. Most recently, Nick hosted Battle of the Fans, the first international lip sync competition hosted by persons with intellectual disabilities. He also hosts his own online talk show on the Disability Channel, Keeping it Real with Nick, and starred in a recent episode of Employable Me.

Freebird

The coming-of-age story of a boy with Down Syndrome, navigating the world with an absent father, a classroom bully, and a life-long crush.

In a fabric society, a young figure diverges from rigid gender binaries to explore where their identity lies.

Nudity

In a fabric society, a young figure diverges from rigid gender binaries to explore where their identity lies.

When Michael’s ballet career did not turn out as planned, he finds refuge and liberation by assuming an alter ego: a sparkly turban-wearing, Russian ballet instructor named Madame Olga. By slipping into this mysterious character, Michael discovers a way to both embrace himself as an artist and reconcile with the pain from his past. Olga challenges authority and breaks the stereotype of a strict ballet teacher, taking on a life of her own, and generating a following for her unconventional ballet classes. Through Olga, Michael is able to give aspiring dancers a place to flourish and can be the kind of mentor he never had for himself. When I'm Her follows the life of Michael as he inhabits Madame Olga who serves as a portal to help her students. But in the process, she discovers the person she needs to help the most. About the Director:<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/4f233f0a86909adbdaca9e97f529c30d.jpg" width="199" style="display: inline; margin: 0px 0px 1em 1em; float: right;">Emily Schuman is a documentary producer and filmmaker. Her directorial debut, When I'm Her, a co-production with ITVS, follows the double life of a dancer as he inhabits his alter ego, Madame Olga. Most recently, Emily co-produced a film for National Geographic detailing the development of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine. Emily co-produced the independent films The Disrupted (DOK.Fest Munich, International premiere) and True Believer (streaming on The Atlantic), and was an associate producer on The Witmans (Discovery), and Lift (premiering in 2021). Emily's career began as a camera assistant and a member of IATSE Local 600.

When I'm Her

Michael was a ballet prodigy with a stellar career ahead of him. He transformed into a Russian ballet instructor named Madame Olga as a way to both embrace himself as an artist and reconcile with the trauma from his past.

Short Calf Muscle is an absurdist black comedy about Anders. And Anders is different. But he doesn't know that. Yes, he's also gay, but that's not the point. There is also something else that others see in him that he doesn’t. About the Director:<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/8f0afac353a55667ad8455deda59a670.jpg" width="134" style="display: inline; margin: 0px 0px 1em 1em; float: right;">Victoria Warmerdam won the Burny Bos Talent Award at the Cinekid Festival with her sci-fi feature idea SpaceKees shortly after graduating in 2015. Since then she wrote the short Soap and Short Calf Muscle that has played at over 130 festivals amongst Oscar-qualifying festivals at Leuven, St.Louis, Winterthur, Edmonton, Gijon, Foyle and Show Me Shorts, but also at Aesthetica and Asiana. In 2019 she wrote and directed her short film ISFFF, which received over 25 international awards including the IRIS Prize of 30.000 pounds. Currently she is working on several new short and feature film scripts.

Short Calf Muscle

Anders is different, but he doesn't know how. Or, is he?

Gian Lawrence found salvation and purpose in fly fishing. Fly fishing’s finding a new identity thanks to pioneers like him About the Directors:<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/6286e91f9ca155d7b657a0d586b1ce3d.jpg" width="199" style="display: inline; margin: 0px 0px 1em 1em; float: right;">Over the past five years, Cody Lewis and Marc Rotse have collaborated to produce content that not only tells stories, but shifts perspectives and visually enlightens audiences. Cody’s a son of Ballard, WA, while Marc hails from down under, living now for better or worse in Portland, Oregon.Outside of their work on The Black Stonefly, they recently co-DP’d a feature film and are in pre-production on a number of upcoming projects.

The Black Stonefly

Gian Lawrence found salvation and purpose in fly fishing. Fly fishing can be about finding a new identity thanks to pioneers like him.

Full of excited anticipation, a poet plans to go to a book party. Then along comes depression. A film about yearning simply to be able to clean your teeth and leave the house. Based on the poem "I was going to go to Dorothea Lasky’s book party in Brooklyn, but instead I stayed on the couch with my depression, not crying" by Paula Harris. About the Director:<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/d36680586461d142a5468e9df604661e.jpg" width="197" style="display: inline; margin: 0px 0px 1em 1em; float: right;">With a background in film-making, art, design and creativity, Angharad wrote and directed her first short film in 2011. Her art is to combine her passions of film-making and mental health awareness and in 2019, she headed the team behind her first short film It Is Me. In the foreseeable future, she wishes to continue to combined these two passions to create more creative content. As a director, producer and DOP, Angharad's short films have been officially selected into Canberra Mental Health Film Festival 2019 and 2020, Hot Springs International Women’s Film Festival 2020, Conquering Disabilities with Film International Film Festival 2020, Courage Film Festival 2020, MHSA Film Festival 2020 and 2021, 9th International Video Poetry Film Festival 2021, Ó Bhèal Poetry-Film Competition 2021, Zebra Poetry Film Festival 2020, Cadence Video Poetry Festival 2021 and Festival du film Au Contraire 2021. Film Contact: Contact: Paula Harris (poet/producer) Website: www.paulaharris.co.nz Email: offkilter@paulaharris.co.nz Twitter: @paulaoffkilter Instagram: @paulaharris_poet Facebook: @paulaharrispoet

On the Couch With My Depression

Full of excited anticipation, a poet plans to go to a book party. Then along comes depression.

Rat Tail explores director Chad Sogas’ battle with depression in this short autobiographical documentary. What begins as a self-deprecating story about the rat tail he had for nearly ten years (that his parents still keep in the storage room of their basement) transcends into a journey of unexpected self-discovery and healing. About the Director:<img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/eventive-static/33a685e65c2bb057b0dce0670fc48410.png" width="137" style="display: inline; margin: 0px 0px 1em 1em; float: right;">Chad has dedicated the past 20 years to his filmmaking craft making short films, working on commercial and feature film sets, and editing for leading ad agencies. He is currently based in Brooklyn, NY. Film Contact: chadsogas@gmail.comhttps://www.instagram.com/chad_sogas/

Rat Tail

Rat Tail is a self-deprecating look at director Chad Sogas’ battle with depression using archival footage and ephemera from his past, focusing primarily on the rat tail he had for ten years that his parents still keep in the storage room of their basement.

Chad Sogas (Director, Rat Tail), Jason Ferrell (Producer The Black Stonefly), Emily Schuman (Director, When I'm Her), Angharad Gladding (Director, On the Couch With My Depression), Matthias Halibrand (DP, The Best Orchestra in the World), and Jáchym Bouzek (Director, Nudity) discuss their short films with Rex Carter.

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