In the dawn of the Cold War, a young Soviet telegraphist makes a desperate attempt to save her American lover from being stranded in the Russian side of the Bering Strait after receiving a border closure message.
Special Jury Mention, Promofest Summer Short of the Year 2019 (2018)
1st prize, Best Short Film, Prémio Sophia Estudante, Portugal (2018)
Best Performance (Daryna Butryk), 10th Watersprite International Student Film Festival (2019)
Winner Best Director Foreign Dramatic Short (Gwenn Joyaux), Hollywood Women’s Film Festival (2019)
Winner Best Student Film, Swindon Independent Film Festival (2019)
Winner GOLD Best Short – Love is Love, Queenpalm International Film Festival (2019)
Winner GOLD Best Actress (Daryna Butryk), Queenpalm International Film Festival (2019)
Winner SILVER Best Cinematography (Michael Tebinka), Queenpalm International Film Festival (2019)
Winner BRONZE Best Director – Student (Gwenn Joyaux), Queenpalm International Film Festival (2019)
Honorable Mention Best Supporting Actress (Mira Gaydarova), Queenpalm International Film Festival (2019)
Winner Annual Queen Supreme for Best Short Love is Love, Queenpalm International Film Festival (2019)
Winner Best International Short Film, Regina International Film Festival (2019)
Winner Best Thriller, 13th Pentedattilo Film Festival (2019)
Winner Best Action/Thriller, 4th Trujillo Independent International Film Festival (2019)
Honorable Mention, 10th Wasteland Film Festival (2019)
Best LGBTQ Short, Open Window International Film Challenge (2019)
Best Movie of the Month (September), Vertigo Film Fest (2019)
Best Director (Gwenn Joyaux), Vertigo Film Fest (2019)
Best Actress (Daryna Butryk), Vertigo Film Fest (2019)
Special Mention Best Staging (Gwenn Joyaux), Festival Internacional de Cine Austral (2019)
Top Short Films of the Year – National Competition, CinEuphoria (2020)
Top Ten of the Year – National Competition, CinEuphoria (2020)
Best Short Film – National Competition, CinEuphoria (2020)
Grand Prize Winner – 5th Annual Stage 32 Short Film Program Contest (2020)
Best International Cinematography – Kinofilm Manchester International Short Film Festival (2021)
1st prize, Best Short Film, Prémio Sophia Estudante, Portugal (2018)
Best Performance (Daryna Butryk), 10th Watersprite International Student Film Festival (2019)
Winner Best Director Foreign Dramatic Short (Gwenn Joyaux), Hollywood Women’s Film Festival (2019)
Winner Best Student Film, Swindon Independent Film Festival (2019)
Winner GOLD Best Short – Love is Love, Queenpalm International Film Festival (2019)
Winner GOLD Best Actress (Daryna Butryk), Queenpalm International Film Festival (2019)
Winner SILVER Best Cinematography (Michael Tebinka), Queenpalm International Film Festival (2019)
Winner BRONZE Best Director – Student (Gwenn Joyaux), Queenpalm International Film Festival (2019)
Honorable Mention Best Supporting Actress (Mira Gaydarova), Queenpalm International Film Festival (2019)
Winner Annual Queen Supreme for Best Short Love is Love, Queenpalm International Film Festival (2019)
Winner Best International Short Film, Regina International Film Festival (2019)
Winner Best Thriller, 13th Pentedattilo Film Festival (2019)
Winner Best Action/Thriller, 4th Trujillo Independent International Film Festival (2019)
Honorable Mention, 10th Wasteland Film Festival (2019)
Best LGBTQ Short, Open Window International Film Challenge (2019)
Best Movie of the Month (September), Vertigo Film Fest (2019)
Best Director (Gwenn Joyaux), Vertigo Film Fest (2019)
Best Actress (Daryna Butryk), Vertigo Film Fest (2019)
Special Mention Best Staging (Gwenn Joyaux), Festival Internacional de Cine Austral (2019)
Top Short Films of the Year – National Competition, CinEuphoria (2020)
Top Ten of the Year – National Competition, CinEuphoria (2020)
Best Short Film – National Competition, CinEuphoria (2020)
Grand Prize Winner – 5th Annual Stage 32 Short Film Program Contest (2020)
Best International Cinematography – Kinofilm Manchester International Short Film Festival (2021)
“With a cold, yet cinematic feel, this short has the makings of a full-length feature film. Playful use of timeline gives the audience just enough backstory to understand the loving relationship between these two women, as well as the fear and uncertainty of the outbreak of war.”
FESTIVALS
* TIFF – Tirana International Film Festival. Tirana, Albania, 2018. Official Selection.
* PÖFF Shorts (Black Nights Film Festival). Tallinn, Estonia, 2018. Official Selection.
* Promofest Summer Short of the Year 2019, Special Jury Mention.
* Prémio Sophia Estudante. Porto, Portugal, 2018. Winner, 1st prize for Best Short Film.
* Festival Internacional de Cine de Guadalajara. Guadalajara, Mexico, 2019. Official Selection.
* 10th Watersprite International Student Film Festival. Cambridge, UK, 2019. Nominee for Best Script (Ana Falcon) and Best Performance (Daryna Butryk) Winner Best Performance.
* BFI Flare: London LGBTQ+ Film Festival. London, UK, 2019. Official Selection.
* Roze Filmdagen. Amsterdam, Netherlands, 2019. Official Selection.
* Swindon Independent Film Festival. Swindon, UK, 2019. Winner Best Student Film.
* Kinoki Festival Internacional de Cine Universitario. Mexico DF, Mexico, 2019. Official Selection.
* Fastnet Film Festival. Schull, Ireland, 2019. Official Selection.
* South Europe International Film Festival. Valencia, Spain, 2019. Nominee for Best Director of a Short Foreing Language Film (Gwenn Joyaux), Best Supporting Actress in a Foreing Language Film (Mira Gaydarova) and Best Hair & Make-up (Sigrit Villido)
* Andalesgai, Festival Internacional de Cine LGBTI de Andalucía. Sevilla, Spain, 2019. Official Selection.
* Hollywood Women’s Film Festival. L.A., United States, 2019. Winner Best Director Foreign Dramatic Short (Gwenn Joyaux)
* 4th QueerX Fest. West Hollywood, California, United States, 2019. Official Selection.
* 3rd Jim Thorpe Independent Film Festival. Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, United States, 2019. Official Selection.
* deadCenter Film Festival. Oklahoma, United States, 2019. Official Selection.
* Queenpalm International Film Festival. California, United States, 2019. Winner GOLD Best Short Film – Love is Love, GOLD Best Actress (Daryna Butryk), SILVER Best Cinematography (Michael Tebinka), BRONZE Best Director – Student (Gwenn Joyaux), Honorable Mention Best Supporting Actress (Mira Gaydarova) Winner Annual Queen Supreme for Best Short – Love is Love.
* 10th Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film Festival. Mumbai, India, 2019. Official Selection Student Competition.
* Hyperwave Film Awards – Spring Season. Carson, California, United States, 2019. Finalist.
* 2nd Hong Kong Film Art International Film Festival. Hong Kong, China, 2019. Official Selection.
* 3rd Buddha International Film Festival. Pune, Maharashtra, India, 2019. Official Selection.
* Festival Détours en Cinécourt. Saint-Geniès Bellevue, France, 2019. Official Selection.
* QMTY, 8va Muestra Internacional de Cine Queer. Monterrey, Mexico, 2019. Official Selection.
* Regina International Film Festival. Regina, Canada, 2019. Official Selection. Winner Best International Short Film.
* Lebanese Independent Film Festival. Beirut, Lebanon, 2019. Official Selection.
* Visioni Corte International Short Film Festival. Gaeta, Italy, 2019. Official Selection.
* Reeling: The Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival. Chicago, USA, 2019. Official Selection.
* Twin Tiers International Film Festival. Norwich, NY, USA, 2019. Official Selection.
* Linz International Short Film Festival. Linz, Autria, 2019. Official Selection.
* Festival Angaelica. Duluth, MN, USA, 2019. Official Selection.
* Iris Prize LGBT+ Film Festival. Cardiff, Wales, 2019. Student showcase.
* 24th Portobello Film Festival. London, UK, 2019. Official Selection.
* 10th Wasteland Film Festival. California, USA, 2019. Honorable Mention.
* 13th Pentedattilo Film Festival. Pentedattilo, Regia Calabria, Italy, 2019. Winner Best Thriller.
* 30th Tampa Bay International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. Florida, USA, 2019. Official Selection.
* 23rd QUEER FILMFEST WEITERSTADT. Weiterstadt, Germany, 2019. Official Seletion.
* 15th Early Bird International Student Film Festival. Sofia, Bulgaria, 2019. Official Selection.
* 4th Trujillo Independent International Film Festival. Trujillo, Peru, 2019. Official Selection. Winner Best Action/Thriller.
* Holebi Film Festival. Leuven, Belgium, 2019. Official Selection.
* 5th Brussels International Film Festival (FIFB). Brussels, Belgium, 2019. Official Selection.
* 6th West Nordic International Film Festival. Ålesund, Norway, 2019. Official Selection.
* Cuzco Underground Cinema Festival. Cuzco, Peru, 2019. Official Selection.
* 20th Mezipatra Queer Film Festival. Prague & Brno, Czech Republic, 2019. Official Selection.
* Alwar International Film Festival. Alwar, India, 2020. Official Selection.
* 11th Merlinka International Queer Film Festival. Belgrade, Serbia, 2019. Official Selection.
* Athens Marathon International Film Festival. Athens, Greece, 2019. Official Selection.
* Reggio Film Festival – International Short Film Contest. Reggio Emilia, Italy, 2019. Official Selection.
* 22nd Ícaro Festival Internacional de Cine en Centroamérica. Guatemala City, Guatemala, 2019. Official Selection.
* 8th Curta of Gênero – Mostra Internacional Audiovisual. Fortaleza, Brazil, 2019. Official Selection.
* 3er Festival Bendita Tú. Buenos Aires, Argentina / Bilbao, Spain, 2019. Special guest.
* 9th Africa International Film Festival. Lagos, Nigeria, 2019. Official Selection.
* Amarcort Film Festival. Rimini, Italy, 2019. Official Selection.
* Santo Domingo OUTFEST. Gazcue, Dominican Republic, 2019. Official Selection.
* XXV Caminhos do Cinema Português. Coimbra, Portugal, 2019. Official Selection.
* Sardinia Queer Short Film Festival. Sardinia, Italy, 2019. Official Selection.
* 20th Cortogenia. Madrid, Spain, 2019. Official Selection.
* Borrego Springs Film Festival. Borrego, California, USA, 2020. Official Selection.
* Open Window International Film Challenge. Kolkata, India, 2019. Best LGBTQ Short.
* Vertigo Film Fest. Milan, Italy, 2019. Best Movie of the Month (September), Best Director (Gwenn Joyaux), Best Actress (Daryna Butryk)
* Festival Internacional de Cine Austral. Cordoba, Argentina, 2019. Special Mention Best Staging (Gwenn Joyaux).
* Festival Internacional de Cine para una Cultura de Paz. Veracruz, Mexico, 2019. Official Selection.
* Radical Womyn Film Festival. Sydney, Australia, 2020. Official Selection.
* 15th IMMAGINARIA International Film Festival of Lesbians & Other Rebellious Women. Rome, Italy, 2020. Official Selection.
* Snowtown Film Festival. Watertown, New York, USA, 2020. Official Selection.
* WOMAN IN MEDIA – NEWARK’S 2020 WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH FILM FESTIVAL. Newark, New Jersey, USA, 2020. Official selection.
* Chhatrapati Shivaji International Film Festival. Pune, India, 2019. Official Selection.
* Chandler International Film Festival. Chandler, Arizona, USA, 2020. Official Selection.
* 5th INDIE LINCS International Film Festival. Lincoln, UK, 2020. Official Selection.
* 15th POPPY JASPER INT’L FILM FESTIVAL. Morgan Hill, CA, USA, 2020. Official Selection.
* 5th Annual SFC Women’s Film Festival. New York, USA, 2020. Official Selection.
* Vues d’en face – 20th Festival International du Film Gay et Lesbien de Grenoble. Grenoble, France, 2020. Official Selection.
* Intercontinental Film Festival. New York, USA, 2020. Official Selection.
* 2nd The Bush Films Festival. Brooklyn, New York, USA, 2020. Official Selection.
* 46th FILMETS Badalona Film Festival. Badalona, Catalunya, 2020. Official Selection.
* The Minikino Film Week 6 – Bali International Short Film Festival. Bali, Indonesia, 2020. Official Selection.
* Los Angeles Diversity Film Festival. Los Angeles, USA, 2020. Official Selection.
* 6th Lesflicks Cinema @ LFEST. London, UK, 2020. Official Selection.
* 6th Herat International Women’s Film Festival. Afganhistan, Islamic Republic of Afganhistan, 2020. Official Selection.
* 5th Annual Stage 32 Short Film Program Contest. Los Angeles, USA, 2020. Grand Prize Winner.
* Kingstone Film Festival. London, UK, 2020. Nominee Best Cinematography.
* Raindance Film Festival. London, UK, 2020. Official Selection.
* HollyShorts Film Festival. Los Angeles, USA, 2020. Official Selection.
* 2nd Paleochora Lost World Short Film Festival. Paleochora, SW Crete, 2021. Official Selection.
* 2nd Arizona Short Film Festival. Tempe, Arizona, USA, 2021. Nominee Best Director.
* 16th Kinofilm Manchester International Short Film Festival. Manchester, UK, 2021. Official Selection. Best International Cinematography.
CAST & CREW
Director: GWENN JOYAUX
Writer: ANA FALCON
Producer: SHRUTI SIDHAN
Cinematographer: MICHAEL TEBINKA
Production Designer: TERJE KÄHR
Costume Designer: NIINA ULFSAK
Hair/Make-up artist: SIGRIT VILLIDO
Sound Designer/Music Composer: GABRIEL GUERRERO SOLIS
Editor: ABDALLAH SADA
Writer: ANA FALCON
Producer: SHRUTI SIDHAN
Cinematographer: MICHAEL TEBINKA
Production Designer: TERJE KÄHR
Costume Designer: NIINA ULFSAK
Hair/Make-up artist: SIGRIT VILLIDO
Sound Designer/Music Composer: GABRIEL GUERRERO SOLIS
Editor: ABDALLAH SADA
Sveta: DARYNA BUTRYK
Ila: MIRA GAYDAROVA
Vlad: VITALI VASSILJEV
Sergeant: OLEG JASHININ
Young Soldier: JEGOR SEVASTJANOV
Ila: MIRA GAYDAROVA
Vlad: VITALI VASSILJEV
Sergeant: OLEG JASHININ
Young Soldier: JEGOR SEVASTJANOV