Vilja Savio

Anniina ”Rousku” Routalahti
Assistant Director

Lenny Upton combines euthanasia with his used furniture business to provide suicide assistance to melancholy customers with a death wish. Armed with a briefcase full of weapons and an eye for antiques, he custom designs a personalized death experience for his one-time clients. All sales are final in this short film that takes a darkly comedic evaluation of the value of life and used furniture.

And On That Day, written and directed by John Henry Soto, is a quietly powerful short film about what happens when a lifetime of silence reaches its breaking point. Robert has spent thirty years doing what’s expected—showing up to work, keeping his thoughts to himself, and living within restraint. On his final day before retirement, a simple farewell speech becomes something far more personal, carrying the weight of decades of unspoken truth. Soto trusts subtlety over spectacle. Small gestures, pauses, and expressions create tension, allowing the audience to feel the pressure of time closing in on a single moment. The performance feels grounded and human, making Robert instantly recognizable rather than dramatic or idealized. Clean visuals and measured pacing mirror Robert’s inner state, letting the film’s final moments resonate naturally. At its core, And On That Day asks a timeless question: what do we lose—or gain—by staying silent for so long?

A young filmmaker has just unsatisfyingly captured the last shot for her film. While the crew encourages her to celebrate, she fears that the battle has just begun. Thankfully, she knows that worrying is never the answer. Instead, she turns to a traditional, evil-warding, garland-scattering ritual to direct all misfortune away from her film.

Marvin is an office drone approaching middle-age. Following the death of a close friend and long-time business associate on a business vacation, and while witnessing his young and ambitious coworkers coldly maneuver for the now vacant managerial position, Marvin faces some tough questions that can cause seismic shifts in his life.

An ambivalent meeting between two friends. Classmates Victor and Amanda meet at a cafe in Stockholm one afternoon before Christmas to study for an exam. Amanda wants to talk about what they read, but Victor steers the conversation into something completely different, and suddenly they both run the risk of losing their face.