ACFNY Supported | Mama Screening at CineYouth Festival 2021
After his mother has a stroke, Karner drives to bring her some essentials. With his daughter in tow, Karner finds more than he expects in his encounter with his childhood home.
Directed and produced by 19-year-old Austrian filmmaker Simon Maria Kubiena, Mama will be streamed as apart of the Hi, Mom! short film program at the Chicago Film Festival’s CineYouth 2021. See the next generation of filmmakers in this week-long virtual event from May 6-13.
FILM SYNOPSIS
Father and daughter rush out of the city to his mother’s house on the snow-covered countryside to bring private items to the hospital after her stroke. After the eight-year-old daughter is roughly rebuked by the father after a question, the two separate a childish malaise and a paternal coldness. In the house of the mother that distance between them becomes stronger, as the father divides the daughter to the cleaning, while he takes over the packing of the objects. Only when memories of his childhood fall towards him in his rush, the rigor dissolves and the daughter recognizes the fear with which her father is struggling.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Simon Maria Kubiena, born in 1998 in Vienna, found his passion for filmmaking through acting, which he successfully demonstrated since the age of 8 with roles at the Burgtheater Vienna and national film productions. Since then, Simon has been working on short films and music videos, which have been widely acclaimed at national and European film festivals. In the summer of 2018 he attended a film workshop at the Prague Film School. Simon lives and works in Vienna. Since autumn 2019 he is studying directing for fictional films at the Filmakadamie Baden-Württemberg.
ABOUT CINEYOUTH 2021
Created in 2005, Cinema/Chicago’s CineYouth Festival is designed to encourage youth filmmakers in their creative endeavors. CineYouth provides opportunities for young filmmakers to articulate themselves artistically, and have their voice heard. Held annually in Chicago, CineYouth is a festival celebrating and fostering the creativity of filmmakers 22 years old and younger by screening officially selected work and encouraging their creative endeavors with workshops, discussions, and panels. CineYouth encourages the talent of young filmmakers and supports diverse youth voices by providing opportunities to have their work showcased, to learn from industry experts, and to network with peers.
Watch the CineYouth 2021 trailer below:
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Image credit: (banner) Germaine Haller, (right) Chicago Film Festival