Vertical Theater Program

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Vertical Theater Program

Now that watching videos on smartphones has become the new normal, we have established a new competition looking to the future possibilities of vertical video production in the film industry. You can experience the impact of the short films created in the new “vertical” format in the vertical theater app “smash.” *It will be necessary to download the smash.app (free) to view this program.

Click here to download.

Vertical Theater Competition supported by smash. Best Vertical Short Award
Smahorror

Masaki Nishiyama / 0:17:16 / Japan / Horror / 2021

One day, Rena discovers that in her high school, a female student had once video streamed her suicide in the past. The video turns out to be a fake, but Rena endeavors on a test of courage to the third stall of the third-floor toilet, where the suicide supposedly took place.
An innovative horror movie shot in vertical smartphone size.

Vertical Theater Competition supported by smash. Vertical Short Award
Notice

Masumi Nishibori / 0:22:33 / Japan / Drama / 2021

Akira signs his best friend Shun’s marriage registration as a witness in a family restaurant. But when he understands the true feeling behind Shun’s laughter, he storms out and leaves.
Does the smartphone screen capture what we normally would miss?

Vertical Theater Competition supported by smash. U-18
Mistakes

Kato Kota / 0:24:59 / Japan / Drama / 2021

It is winter of the third year of high school, and Yuta Sato was extremely bored. So he gets a shady part-time job, which is to take gossip photography. He loses faith in humanity as he continues working, but an encounter with a certain individual allows him to rethink his adolescence.

Vertical Theater Competition supported by smash. Encouragement Award
Peon

Syaz Zainal, Shaiful Yahya & June Wong, / 0:14:50 / Malaysia / Drama / 2019

Peon is a true story told through a delivery rider’s phone screen. An order comes in to deliver passports. On his way, he receives a voice message offering him money to deliver it to a different address. The passports belong to a group of Bangladeshi workers who want to return home.

Vertical Theater Competition supported by smash. Encouragement Award
Goodbye strawberry

Haroon Habib / 0:03:11 / Pakistan / Fantasy / 2019

A 6-year-old girl loves strawberries so much like she loves her sister. Her mother tells her the Strawberry Season is going to end soon and she wouldn’t able to eat strawberries until next year. She wants to say goodbye to the strawberries in a different way.

Vertical Theater Competition supported by smash. Encouragement Award
Living on an Island

Kuesti Fraun / 0:03:00 / Germany / Fantasy / 2016

Live everyday as if it were your last because someday you’re going to be right.’ (Muhammad Ali)

a short film about the beauty and uniqueness of our planet and the will, fate and desire of the individual man to explore this world

Vertical Theater Competition supported by smash. Encouragement Award
Run Girl Run

Anna Roller / 0:06:20 / Germany / Thriller / 2020

During the Lockdown in Munich a teacher gets a video call from one of her students at night. She notices immediately that somethings is wrong…

Vertical Theater Competition supported by smash. Encouragement Award
TOKI

Tatsuki Imaji / 0:05:07 / Japan / Drama / 2021

The protagonist’s significant other come out to their family one day.
The protagonist is shocked, hearing the news out of the blue but decides to face the problem that has been nagging them for a long time.

Vertical Theater Competition supported by smash. Encouragement Award
Standpoint

Juan Francisco Pérez Villalba / 0:03:11 / Colombia / Romance / 2018

A man and a woman meet on their balconies, entering into a conversation about pursuing their own dreams.

Vertical Theater Competition supported by smash. Encouragement Award
Girls Night

Jacob Salzberg / 0:08:01 / USA / Comedy / 2018

When Katie wakes up bald with a black eye, she must scroll through social media to remember WTF happened the previous night…and why she has a missed call from her ex.

Vertical Theater Competition supported by smash. Encouragement Award
2040

Nadin Alyekhina, Nikita Kashaev / 0:04:40 / Russia / Sci-Fi / 2020

2040. People, in their conquest of living space, have crossed a critical line. Finally, the balance upset the release of new chemical weapons, the use of which led to a rapid increase in the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. To survive, scientists invented air capsules, which have become the main value for people …

Vertical Theater Competition supported by smash. Encouragement Award
‘Cinematic’

Matthew Hitchcock / 0:03:44 / USA / Drama / 2021

Nick attempts to make a phone video more cinematic to fit his filmic, dreamlike view, but maybe it’s perfect just the way it is…

Vertical Theater Competition supported by smash. Encouragement Award
Serendipity

Kento Shimizu / 0:03:12 / Japan / Romance / 2016

A young man takes shelter from the rain. During that time, countless posts from all over the world are being uploaded to social media. Miraculous moments born by coincidence. He senses infinite connections and has a serendipitous moment of his own.