Self-definition is the thematic thread of these shorts, which depict protagonists who are forced to imagine and choose between the many roads that their lives could take.

The Barnhouse

When an eight-year-old boy in a small Quebec town goes missing without a trace, a local woman begins to wonder if her young son might hold the key to the mystery. A tightly wound drama about social expectations and how kids and adults can be, on the inside, a million miles away from each other.

Burnt Grass

Sally and Jack, a young couple in the city, discover a strange phenomenon in their backyard that duplicates organic life. Sally quickly envisions its wild possibilities, while Jack suffers its consequences.

Fire

Following Water in director Raha Shirazi’s short-film trilogy, Fire offers a study in light as it follows village men who slowly congregate and pass torches to share the flame. Celebrating a ritual from Iranian culture, this beautifully composed film draws power from its illuminating landscapes and the elemental brilliance of its subject.

Godhead

Rendered mute by his autism, Gary spends his days racing remote control boats with his little brother — which creates stress for the boys' father, a single parent who just wants his eldest son to get a job. However, Gary’s condition conceals a powerful gift that goes beyond words. Connor Gaston combines humour and the supernatural in this offbeat comedy.

Me and My Moulton

A seven-year-old girl longs for a bicycle so that she can be more like the other kids in her Norwegian town, but her embarrassingly unconventional, modernist architect parents see things differently. Academy Award-winning animator Torill Kove weaves memory and fantasy together in this droll and charming look at the pain of childhood alienation.

Migration

Nostalgically emulating home-movie and vintage nature-doc aesthetics, this digital animation traces the journey of a whale-like herd as they wander through towns, fields and forests seeking refuge in the sea. Whimsical and technically brilliant, Migration imagines a species that you’ll wish were real.

The Underground

A young Iranian man struggles to fit into a new culture, his poverty and isolation leading him to imagine himself as an insect, absorbing the world through its senses. Inspired by Rawi Hage’s bestselling novel Cockroach, this visceral tale of alienation and delirium creates a magical-realist aesthetic that is both gritty and poetic.