THE GIRLS WERE DOING NOTHING
"Love longs for closeness. Desire thrives on distance."
The Film
The Girls Were Doing Nothing tells the story of Marta and Jake, a married couple in their late 30’s. Working in senior professional positions, they live in a luxurious cosmopolitan home while spending much of their free time eating at expensive restaurants and exercising at private gyms. Their idealistic lifestyle is a grandiose means of concealing and deflecting the strains of their spousal dynamics. For Jake and Marta, communication has become an obligation; intimacy has become a rarity, and love itself has become a cliché. All of that is about to change when Andrea, their attractive and affable neighbor, asks Jake and Marta for a favor while she goes on holiday.
From the press:
“… Berenson’s latest affair is among the most memorable and outstanding concoctions of its type I’ve witnessed all year…an absolute knockout. This is guaranteed to be a surefire hit at festivals and with spectators alike… Such directly explains the hypnotic, subtle and clandestine tone of this erotically charged tour de force, this presentation calls to mind Stanley Kubrick’s underrated masterpiece Eyes Wide Shut (1999) and Lars von Trier’s same held Nymphomaniac Vol. 1 and 2 (2013). This parallel is visible in the sheer craftsmanship on display. It can also be spotted in its mature handling of carnal subject matter.… Despite this brave stylistic approach, another telltale sign of Berenson’s incredible risk-taking capabilities, the engaging plot thread is never lost. Even when we find ourselves unsure of why some sights are unfolding, Berenson forces our imagination to fill in the blanks. ” Andrew Buckner, Film Critic
Technical Details
Shot in July 2016 in London, U.K
Genre: Drama
Running Time: 17’ 30
Aspect Ratio: 1:2.39
Screening Format: 2K DCP, .mov, mp4 (HD)
Sound: 5.1 Stereo.
Shot on Red Scarlet,
Language: English
Subtitles: English, French, Italian
Festival Agency: aug&ohr medien
The Girls Were Doing Nothing:
Cinema of Love in Crisis
Festival Screenings and Awards
*BEST FILM - JURY* - 5th INDIAN CINE FILM FESTIVAL 2017 (Official Selection, Mumbai, India) September 10, 2017
16th GREAT LAKES INT'L SHORTS FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Erie, Pennsylvania, USA) September 21, 2017
5th TORONTO SHORTS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Canada) September 21, 2017
8th TWIN CITIES FILM FEST (Official Selection Minnesota, USA) October 18, 2017
12th ORLANDO FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Orlando, Florida, USA)October 19, 2017
14th INTERNATIONALES KURZFILMFESTIVAL „KURZ.FILM.SPIELE“ (Official Selection, Konstanz, Germany) October 21, 2017
4th PIGRECOZEN FILMFEST (Official Selection, Ancona, Italy) October 24, 2017
6th WINCHESTER SHORT FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Winchester, U.K.) November 3, 2017
THE LIVERPOOL INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL 2017 (Official Selection, Liverpool, U.K.) November 10, 2017
NORTH CAROLINA FILM AWARD (Competition, North Carolina, USA) November 16, 2017
26th EUROSHORTS YOUNG FILMMAKERS FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Warsaw, Poland) November 27, 2017
31st SCHWENNINGER KURZFILMFESTIVAL (Official Selection, Germany) November 27, 2017
14th BAHAMAS INT'L FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Harbor Island, Bahamas) December 10, 2017
*BEST FILM* 6th MUMBAI SHORTS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2017 (Official Selection, Mumbai, India) December 10, 2017
4th AUSTIN SHORT FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Austin, USA) December 13, 2017
7th IRVINE INT'L FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Costa Mesa, CA, USA) January 25, 2018
5th SNOWDANCE INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Landsberg am Lech, Germany) January 27, 2018
11th BOOMTOWN FILM & MUSIC FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Victoria, USA) February 23, 2018
3rd LAS CRUCES INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Las Cruces, NM, USA) March 7, 2018
18th FIRSTGLANCE FILM FESTIVAL LA (Official Selection, Los Angeles, CA, USA) March 8, 2018
15th CINEKINK (Official Selection, New York, USA) March 14, 2018
20th MECAL, BARCELONA INTERNATIONAL SHORT & ANIMATION FILM FESTIVAL (Barcelona, Spain) March 15, 2018
*LEAD ACTRESS HONOURABLE MENTION* - THE SOUTH FILM & ARTS ACADEMY FESTIVAL - March 16, 2018
*BEST ACTRESS* - 2nd INDIAN WORLD FILM FESTIVAL 2018 (Official Selection, Hyderabad, India) March 18, 2018
16th OAKLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Oakland, CA, USA) April 3, 2018
11th RINCON INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Honorary Finalist, Puerto Rico) April 11, 2018
*HIFF AWARD* - 6th HEADLINE INT'L FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Canada) April 18, 2018
3rd SILICON BEACH FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Los Angeles, USA) April 24, 2018
19th NEWPORT BEACH FILM FESTIVAL 2018 (Official Selection, Newport Beach, California, USA) April 26, 2018
*BEST FILM - JURY* - 8th DADA SAHEB PHALKE FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, New Delhi, India) April 30, 2018
13th ÉCU - THE EUROPEAN INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Paris, France) May 4, 2018
3rd INCA IMPERIAL INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Lima, Peru) May 17, 2018
4th LONGUE VUE SUR LE COURT - INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL - May 30, 2018
15th RIVER INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Padova, Italy) - June 15, 2018
6th SNAKE ALLEY FESTIVAL OF FILM (Official Selection, Burlington, IA, USA) June 20, 2018
41st ELCHE INTERNATIONAL INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Elche, Alicante, Spain) July 13, 2018
7th MADRID INT'L FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Madrid, Spain)July 20, 2018
14th SEATTLE TRANSMEDIA & INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Seattle, WA, USA) July 26, 2018
24th SAN ANTONIO FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, San Antonio, TX, USA) August 1, 2018
2nd KEW GARDENS FESTIVAL OF CINEMA (Official Selection, Kew Gardens, NY, USA) August 3, 2018
1st AMSTERDAM INT'L FILMMAKER FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Amsterdam, Netherlands) August 11, 2018
14th ANNUAL FILM FESTIVAL AND WRITERS’ CELEBRATION (Official Selection, Las Vegas, NV, USA) August 16, 2018
*BEST ACTRESS* 3rd NEW RENAISSANCE FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, London, UK) August 22, 2018
21st CALIFORNIA INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Moraga and Orinda, USA) August 24, 2018
15th ANNUAL SALENTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (International Short-Film Competition, Italy) September 1, 2018
11th ARIZONA UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Tucson, AZ, USA) September 14, 2018
13th MEXICO INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Mexico City, Mexico) September 5, 2018
2nd FILMPLAYA (Official Selection, Playa del Rey, CA, United States) September 21, 2018
8th CATALINA FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Los Angeles, USA) September 26, 2018
3rd GO DEBUT EUROPEAN FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Klaipeda, Lithuania) September 26, 2018
8th CRESTED BUTTE FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Crested Butte, USA) September 27, 2018
7th DUBLING INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM AND MUSIC FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Dublin, Ireland) October 5, 2018
4th MINIKINO FILM WEEK (Official Selection, Bali, Indonesia) October 6, 2018
3rd ROYAL STARR FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Royal Oak, MI, USA) October 11, 2018
18th KANSAS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Overland Park, KS, USA) October 12, 2018
5th SANFORD FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Sanford, USA) October 16, 2018
4th DURHAM REGION INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Oshawa, ON, Canada ) October 17, 2018
7th SOUTHHAMPTON INT'L FILM FESTIVAL (Official Selection, Southhampton, UK) October 17, 2018
10th World Music & Independent Film Festival (Official Selection, Jeffersonton, Virginia, USA)
For an up to date list visit this page.