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Title: Kamikaze
Runtime: 10 min
Country: USA
Director: Ray Smiling
Placement: Award of Excellence
Competition: June, 2025
Synopsis: Knives, an aspiring photographer, becomes embroiled in the unraveling relationship of Max, a self-absorbed influencer, and his girlfriend Lily, a controlling fine art photographer during a beach photo shoot. As tensions rise between the couple, their relationship begins to unravel in front of Knives, who documents their crumbling dynamic through her lens. What begins as a glamorous shoot descends into jealousy, betrayal, and emotional conflict, all captured by Knives’ camera, leading to a bitter climax. While wrapped in a tantalizing shell of fashion imagery and melodrama, the film explores themes of ambition, power, and the performative nature of image in the age of social media.