November Spotlight

Syncope

Directed by Linus von Stumberg | Thriller | 20 min

In November’s Spotlight Short, a dance troupe rehearses for a performance of a lifetime that requires absolute commitment and authenticity—and a fight against death.

German-born Linus von Stumberg was a dancer-choreographer before he became a filmmaker, and he brings all those experiences to his thrilling short film Syncope. He is not only the film’s writer, director and choreographer, but also the actor who plays the simultaneously magnetic and repellent instructor.

“Because we only had five days to shoot the entire film, I could never really look at my own takes,” said von Stumberg in an interview with MovieMaker. “But through this, a beautiful trust resulted between the crew, the cast and me.”

Syncope screened at the Three Rivers Film Festival and won the Audience Award for Best Student Film in 2024.