High Stakes

Director: Henry Worsley

Year: 2027

Italy, 1866. Michele Di Gè, a young shepherd, leads a monotonous life, but dreams of the bandit-filled mountains on the horizon. When he helps his friend flee conscription, Michele sees an opportunity to leave home and prove himself as a man, joining a band of brutal outlaws. But this is not the adventure Michele bargained for – and behind every myth, there hides a stranger and more terrible truth. Shot by an international crew of young independent filmmakers, this film transports you to Italy's own Wild West -- a world never seen before on screen.

Director: Nataša Cordeaux

Year: 2026

Bill, a timid and overworked Brit, impulsively books a beach escape in the hope of unwinding. On arrival, he's greeted by a mysterious Balkan baba and follows her into the flat of her daughter, Sunny - an eccentric former travel agent. “Welcome to paradise, my darling,” Sunny beams, rebranding their small home into a VIP holiday experience. Out of his depth, Bill is soon commandeered by Sunny’s persuasive upselling and is roped into a unique beach excursion - pay per hour. Each day brings another increasingly absurd encounter: a coffee-cup fortune becomes a massage sales pitch, while an innocent nap takes a strange turn. Yet amidst the oddness, Sunny and Baka’s boundless hospitality and growing fondness for having a man around the house begin to make Bill feel at home. On his final morning, Bill discovers that his bed is actually Baka's bed. Sitting together on the balcony, he confesses his deep dark secret: he’s never been on holiday before and worries he’s doing it wrong. “What a silly thing to worry about,” Sunny says. Bill decides it’s a great day for the beach. Business is back on as Sunny and Baka bicker about how many sandwiches they can sell.

Director: Grace Cassidy, Laura Hafes

Year: 2025

Inside this film’s carefully constructed dollhouse aesthetic lies a sinister moral, directly inspired by Victorian fables designed to scare children into obedience. A wistful, near-elegiac poem of a script, by writer/director duo Laura Hafes and Grace Cassidy, gives lyrical form to a narrated daydream that turns into nightmarish reality. Movement Director Araminta Wraith’s adept puppetry breathes life into a Medusa-like wig that overpowers its master. Each perfectly lit frame of Scarlett Gardner’s cinematography plays to the text’s theatrical nature, from a tracking shot through a hair-curtain opener to a final battle rendered in shadow and silhouette behind frosted glass. Official Selection, Uppsala Short Film Festival 2026