2020/2021 Winners & Shortlists

Write a short summary of what happens in the film

Shot in a strange and surreal manner, the film follows the story of a gamer waiting for his internet connection to load. Exaggerating the loading time when trying to boot up a game, a teenager turns into septuagenarians in a single cut. Darkly comedic, "The Gamer" watches in defeat as his avatar is stuck with a rotating wheel, caught in a lag time loop. He stares at the screen, entranced, and when he finally gives up he’s turned into someone’s grandfather. The loading sign haunts him through his house, appearing in a photo album, one someone's t-shirt, outside the window and even showing up under the wallpaper, a strangely haunting turn that leaves him breaking down.

Cultural / Context information for the jury

No matter your age, Jordanian's use the term "it's giving me gray hair" for all situations slow and frustrating, and often refer to the term while complaining to network providers about their slow or dropped internet connectivity on their social media platforms.