On the occasion of December 21st, the shortest day of the year, join us online starting on December 18th for a captivating streaming event featuring a delightful program of quirky, amusing, and insightful short films that showcase the best emerging talents in Italian cinema. The Italian Cultural Institute of Washington, in collaboration with Centro Nazionale del Cortometraggio (Italian Short Film Center), is excited to celebrate International Short Film Day.

The selection of six Italian contemporary shorts offers a diverse and compelling cinematic experience. In "Il Mare che Muove le Cose," Max, the owner of a seaside establishment, grapples with Parkinson's disease but discovers a renewed sense of purpose through an encounter with an African boy. "L'Isola dei Resuscitati Morti" takes us to the 1970s, where a group of mercenaries faces supernatural challenges while searching for a missing scientist on a tropical island. "Balaena" blurs the lines between documentary and fiction, exploring the impact of progress and capitalism as a beached whale encounters its simulacrum. "Give Up the Ghost" follows a grieving father who discovers unsettling footage of his deceased daughter on an old Super 8 camera. In "L'Etologa," Anna searches for the meaning of being human, finding answers in a surreal encounter with the animal world. Lastly, "Jocu" unfolds a tense narrative in post-World War II Italy as criminals break into a farmhouse, turning it into a theater of horrors for Fiorina and Francesco seeking refuge.