We are honored to present the selected talents for the Talent Academy of the Linz International Short Film Festival 2024.
CHUÍ THERMAL
12 min
Fiction | Horror
Language: Portuguese
Production Countries: Brazil
Larissa Murai
A graduate in Cinema from FAAP, Larissa Murai has been working in the audiovisual industry since the age of 12. She began as an actress on the Disney Channel, appearing in children’s and teen programs for over 10 years. She continued working as an actress, which sparked her desire to take on roles in creation as well. Throughout her college years, she wrote and co-directed short films and music videos, always with the perspective of someone who had also been in front of the camera.
Her first job in a writer’s room was as an assistant writer for the series “O Negociador” and shortly thereafter, “Sutura,” two Amazon Exclusive series directed by Isabel Valiante and Diego Martins, respectively, both produced by Boutique Filmes. She worked as a content assistant for the writer and director Caroline Fioratti, developing series and feature films for streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. Larissa was awarded a public grant in São Paulo to create her first professionally authored and directed short film, “Ainda estamos aqui,” and she recently co-directed her first advertising campaign for the “Linus” brand.
SOS
Little House, Ikonë Studio
20 min
Fiction | Drama
Dialogues (Language): English, Albanian, Croatian
Production Countries: Kosovo
ANITA MORINA
Born in Kosovo in 1995, Anita soon immigrated to Croatia with her family where she got involved with film and theatre early on. After studying International Relations at Rochester Institute of Technology, she continued her Master studies in Cambridge, UK in Film. She expanded her work experience as a broadcast director and programme writer, writing TV commercials for major brands. As a writer/director, her short films have traveled to film festivals and her screenplay “One Woman Film” was part of Manchester Film Festival. There is a fixation with telling the habitual, day-to-day, raw but true stories in her repertoire. Anita is currently writing her first feature “Lucky Us” that has been supported by Croatia’s and Kosovo’s National Film Institutes.
AUGEN AUF MAU
Eyes of Mau
15 min
Fiction | Experimental / Fantasy
Language: German
Production Countries: Austria
MEMORIES UNRAVELED
12 min
Animation | Documentary , Social
Language: English
Production Countries: Ukraine/Austria
ALEXANDRA DZHIGANSKAYA
is an award-winning Ukrainian animation director and illustration artist, currently in Vienna, Austria. She studied visual communication in Kyiv(KNUCA), Vienna(Angewandte) and London(UAL). In her work she is passionate about creating captivating visual narratives that leave a lasting impression on audiences.
POEIRA
10 min
Fiction | Drama, Social, Elevated Drama
Language: English, Portuguese
Production Countries: Brazil
Luigi R Parisi
is a highly talented film director and cinematographer based in São Paulo, Brazil. His work has been recognized with accolades and screenings at prestigious festivals such as Cannes Lions, CAMERIMAGE, El Ojo and others. With a passion for storytelling, Luigi’s style combines a variety of techniques and skills to create visually stunning and innovative narratives. Drawing inspiration from films and books, he infuses his work with post-production elements and special effects that bring a unique authorial vision to his films. His approach is both eclectic and robust, allowing him to take on narratives that challenge and push the boundaries of the creative process. This has led him to find success in music videos, where he has experimented with different techniques and styles with a strong foundation in film and a bold artistic vision.
WHEN HEART MEETS SOUL
17-20 min
Fiction | Drama
Language: English, Urdu
Production Countries: Pakistan
IQRA RAFIQ
is a film writer and director based in Lahore, Pakistan. She holds a master’s degree in filmmaking and has produced several documentaries, short films, and videos. Her recent film, ‘Her Favourite Song,’ was selected for a special screening at the Women International Film Festival’s French Sidebar in 2024. Rafiq’s work focuses on spirituality, feminist theory, the male and female gaze, and mental health in Pakistani cinema. Additionally, she teaches at Beaconhouse National University’s Department of Theatre, Film & TV and is currently working on new short film projects.
THE FLOWER CROWN
14 min
Fiction | Drama, Social, Mystical
Language: Serbian
Production Countries: Austria/Serbia
DENIS PEJOVIC
is a director and writer from Vienna, Austria. He studied Film Studies and attended Michael Haneke´s directing program at the film academy in Vienna. In early years he worked with actors and non-actors in Serbia and as an assistant director for theater productions in Vienna. He has written and directed several short films in Austria. He has a minimalistic style, his recurring themes are the family and the relationship between the older and younger generations. This year he started to study the Sanford Meisner Technique with Steven Ditmyer and he is preparing a short film in Serbia. His parents are from Serbia. He visits the country often and has contact with Serbian culture and architecture.
MELANCHOLIC PROCLAMATION
25 min
Fiction | Drama, Mystical
Language: English
Production Countries: Australia
CURTIS SCIANO
Sciano is a 20 year old filmmaker based in Perth Western Australia. Studying at Curtin University, he specialises in Writing and Directing. In his directorial debut, Diary of Death he won the Student Short Award at the Wa Screen Culture Awards. He was also screened at the Revelation film festival. His style is known for fluid handheld camera movements, long takes and the use of wide angle lenses. Curtis uses recurring themes such as sin, death, sex, addiction. His films tend to have a philosophical bend and slight comedic undertones. He has multiple scripts that he will complete in the near future, they will further explore the never ending changing artistic voice of Curtis Sciano.