Following a suicide attempt, a woman suddenly finds herself on an unfamiliar beach, empowered with the uncanny ability to converse with rocks. Director: Max Radbill • USA/Spain

A woman goes to a studio to have her picture taken. Later in the evening, when the photographer starts editing the day’s photos, he discovers images of an elderly woman in place of the much younger one who had sat for him earlier. The next day, he sets out to find the woman and discover what happened. Director: Ehsan Mohammadi • Newfoundland and Labrador

To provide for his family, a young Afghan man hatches a clever plan. In a war-ridden world, he makes war his economy. Director: Shayhaq Baloch • Pakistan

It is safe to assume that standing in the window with a telescope smugly invading the privacy of his neighbours occupies more of this man’s time than cleaning up his kitchen. Today, that might change. Director: Javid Farahani • Iran

Offering a new beginning for humanity, a mission to establish the first community to settle on Mars launches an open call to interested parties. Director: Stephen Cadigan • Newfoundland and Labrador

A young woman named Yassi, who is clearly very upset, stands in the middle of a highway holding up traffic. The situation gets worse when Sergeant Jabbari arrives on the scene to arrest her. Director: Avazeh Shahnavaz • Quebec

In this comedy, an inveterate gambler attempts to outwit two less-than-intelligent heavies who have been tasked with making him disappear. But in order to hold on to every precious minute, he must provide helpful solutions to the problems encountered by his hapless captors. Director: Mark Popple • United Kingdom