2019 Winners & Shortlists

Write a short summary of what happens in the film.

A Cosmolite falls upon hard times with a change in hands, as it finds itself in a cold anonymous city, with a gentleman who has clearly seen better times. We follow the two in a melancholic story as time and life do their best to wear them down.

Tell the jury about the casting process.

This film was shot in Ukraine and the casting process started roughly 40 days prior to the film. Over the course of 5 days, we auditioned close to 100 actors for the main lead before eventually finding the right actor. We found a theatre veteran in Kiev who was given a Cosmilite bag and 30 days to prepare for the role. When we arrived back in Kiev, 35 days later, we couldn't find the man we auditioned but could only see the character who stole the Cosmolite bag.