Trains rushing into the distance, sleepy waiting rooms, chance encounters in compartments or on night trams, long journeys to destinations that can change one's life. This program of short films explores the world of rail travel, offering a diverse range of stories across multiple genres. The evening features a comedy about a shared sleeper train journey from Prague to Budapest, an Oscar-nominated Croatian drama based on a horrific crime committed in Bosnia 30 years ago, and a comedy-drama set in an abandoned train station that explores identity and prejudice. What happens when a passenger in a Norwegian film accidentally becomes the operator of a night tram? All films were created by talented filmmakers who demonstrate that trains and trams can serve as both impressive film sets and powerful storytelling tools.
The program was curated by iShorts, an organization that regularly organizes themed short-film screenings. The screenings will be in the original languages with Czech and English subtitles. The total length of the event is 83 minutes.
Home Sleep Home (Czech Republic)
Some people definitely shouldn't travel abroad, let alone meet strangers. Take shy Standa, for example, who meets the boisterous Broňa on a night train from Prague to Budapest. At first, they can't find common ground, but homesickness, a bottle of slivovitz, and a stick of salami loosen their tongues. Adam Koloman Rybanský / Czech Republic / 2018 / 23 min.
Your train will be delayed (Czech Republic)
A young man is forced to wait for a delayed night train while confronted by a mysterious figure at a gloomy train station. The figure soon reveals itself to be someone completely different than he initially expected. The peaceful wait thus turns into a terrifying, hallucination-like nightmare, where the young man's darkest fears are laid bare before his eyes. Antonín Uličný / Czech Republic / 2023 / 16 min.
The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent (Croatia, France, Bulgaria, Slovenia)
It is February 27, 1993, and the express train on the Belgrade–Bar route makes an unscheduled stop in the small eastern Bosnian village of Štrpci. All passengers soon realize that some of them will never reach their destination. However, only one of them will stand up to the inevitable. Nebojša Slijepčević / Croatia, France, Bulgaria, Slovenia / 2024 / 13 min.
It Must Be Painful (Czech Republic)
Two couples waiting for their train meet in the station waiting room. Their voices break the stifling silence. Young student Danny talks to his Spanish friend in Spanish, making the young gay couple look like two tourists from afar. Out of sheer boredom, the other couple, both middle-aged, begin to comment on the two young men, speculating about their intimate lives, and stereotypes and prejudices surface with surprising intensity. However, the man and woman have no idea that Danny understands them. David Semler / Czech Republic / 2020 / 15 min.
Night Ride (Norway)
It is a cold December night. What starts as a routine wait for a train turns into something Ebba definitely did not expect. Eirik Tveiten / Norway / 2020 / 15 min.
