SHORT FILMS
Watch: Lovely Short Film 'Handheld' About an Old Handheld Camera
"Where did you find that?" "Upstairs in the junk room… It looks like it's from the 80s or something." This lovely, intimate short film is called Handheld and after premiering at film festivals earlier this year it's available to watch online. Made by filmmakers Pisie Hochheim & Tony Oswald, the film is about an old forgotten handicam that disrupts the chaotic bedtime routine of a single mother and her young son. Starring Jordan Gosnell, Emery Oswald, and James Gonzales. Our friends at Short of the Week say it "blurs the line between fiction and documentary to make for a relatable, moving watch." Agreed. A fantastic short.
› Posted July 30 in Short Film, To Watch | Comments
Watch: Amusing Animated Short Film 'Cyclists' from Veljko Popovic
"From the first moment… I discovered a whole world of stories and characters inside [of] Vasko's work." Another award-winning animated short has finally made its way online and it's a must watch. Cyclists is an amusing animated short by Croatian animation filmmaker Veljko Popovic, inspired by the art of Vasko Lipovac. This originally premiered at the Annecy Film Festival in 2018, and won Best Short Film that year. The cycling season is nearing its grand finale. During the final race, the two men in the lead are competing for more than the Grand Trophy; they are fighting for the affection of a lady and fulfilment of their erotic fantasies. Meanwhile, the small town prepares for the arrival of a large ocean liner and its dashing captain. Not only is there a unique style to it, the story is also poignant and brutally honest in its depiction of lust. One note: this gets raunchy and is NSFW, with lots of nudity and sex. But that makes it more of a must see.
› Posted July 29 in Animation, Short Film, To Watch | Comments
Watch: Alex Widdowson's Fantastic Animated Short 'Music & Clowns'
"I don't think he wants to be a clown, I think he likes what they portray: which is a nice and simple mime of life." What a gorgeous little film. British animation filmmaker Alex Widdowson introduces Music & Clowns perfectly: "My brother, Jamie, has a profound learning disability. Despite being close to nonverbal, he demonstrates charisma, a sharp sense of humour, and emotional sensitivity. I team up with my parents to discuss what it is like caring for someone with Down syndrome. We piece together fragments of insight to gain a sense of his inner life." And the result is something beautiful. There's a variety of animation styles in this, and some seriously funny natural comedy. Alex wants to challenge the stigma of the D word - disability. "I believe people should be able to base life-changing decisions on accurate information. But I also feel that a diagnosis does not reflect my brother’s human worth. This [short] attempts to complement the medical narrative with first-hand stories of what it is like to have someone with Down syndrome." It's worth a watch.
› Posted July 27 in Animation, Short Film, To Watch | Comments
Trailer for Horror Short Film 'Hunter's Cabin' from N'Cee Van Heerden
"I just got here now." Sizzle Snap Productions has released an official trailer for a horror short film titled Hunter's Cabin, the latest from South African producer-turned-filmmaker N'Cee Van Heerden. This is his second short following I.O. a few years ago, and before that he worked as a field producer on almost all of Neill Blomkamp's South African films. Now he's based in Vancouver, BC (same as Neill Blomkamp) and has moved into directing his own films. Hunter's Cabin follows a young father who withdraws to a remote cabin to face his curse alone. But he’s not the only one with a dark past in the woods that night. Starring Jedidiah Goodacre, Toby Hargrave, and Sam Spear. This is quite an entrancing tease. No idea when this short film will end up online, but we'll definitely keep an eye out and let you know when it debuts. Check this out.
Watch: Stunning Animated Short 'Simbiosis Carnal' Explores Sexuality
One of the best animated shorts of the decade is now available online. Simbiosis Carnal is a 10-minute animated short made by Spanish animation filmmaker Rocio Alvarez. This premiered at festivals back in 2017, and won tons of awards throughout its run in 2018, and now it's out to watch. "During this animated evocation of the history of desire, the emphasis will be on feminine pleasure, which was for a long time ignored, repressed, and then progressively revealed and liberated. Simbiosis Carnal is a call to the strength of life and to the uninhibited happiness of sexuality in the human being." Featuring original music by the band Why The Eye. It begins as a biological exploration of sexuality and reproduction, then evolves into a study of intimacy and pleasure with humans. It's a remarkably profound illustration of all the good and bad regarding sexuality, and all the controversy and confusion about sex, and all the restrictions modern society has put on (mostly women's) sexuality. Just watch out - this short is NSFW. But it is a must watch anyway.
› Posted July 23 in Animation, Short Film, To Watch | Comments
Watch: Award-Winning Short '-Ship: A Visual Poem' by Terrance Daye
"You know I love you, right?" Filmmaker and poet Terrance Daye from Long Island, NY put together this short film project called -Ship: A Visual Poem, which won the Jury Award at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. Terrance reveals the origins of his art: "Nearly all of my work is inspired by my experiences growing up queer in a conservative Christian household and the depression that I felt because of it. My work tends to reimagine traditional representations of black male identity while de-stigmatizing mental health within the black community. -Ship: A Visual Poem began as an experiment." He wanted to try fitting bigger themes into a small package - and the result is this 13 minute short. A young black boy learns contradicting lessons of manhood and masculinity on the day of his cousin's funeral. The film stars Antonio J. Watson as Jeremiah, Cheikh M’Baye, Jaime Lincoln Smith, Simbi Kali, Abebaw Edward Silver, Armand Rufen-Blanchette, Stephen Cofield Jr., and Karynrose Bruyning. Very subtle, nuanced storytelling.
› Posted July 22 in Short Film, To Watch | Comments
Watch: Julian Muller's Short 'Sickboy' Wandering the Streets of NYC
"You don’t know my name, do you?" No way out of that one. Sickboy is an impressive short film made by NYC-based filmmaker Julian Muller, who has been making shorts for years while working on productions in the city. "Even though he could've had everything, a man lives his life searching the streets of New York for anything." Antonio Magro stars as Jeff, a homeless man wandering the streets. Every day that passes in New York City, Jeff finds a way to get through it. The short also stars Sarah Wisser and Rachel Hale. This has the look and feel of a Safdie Brothers film, which Julian admits was a major inspiration. He wanted to share "a more personal, intimate journey of what that life might look like that wasn't judgmental in its portrayal." Part of what makes this so great is the way it handles a tricky person, someone who is just trying to survive and make it through each day. As one commenter on Vimeo wrote: "Both subtle and magnificent."
› Posted July 21 in Short Film, To Watch | Comments
Watch: Dystopian Vending Machine Animated Short 'Change Return'
How far are we from this kind of future? Much closer than you might think… Change Return is a funky animated short film made by filmmaker Robert Findlay and it's only 5 mins long. Set in an underground city in the near future, where services such as healthcare and law enforcement are delegated to local vending machines, a man finds a crafty way to buy a cheap meal. That's all you need to know going in - the best part of this is watching how it all plays out. It's impressive that this was made entirely independently by one guy. As always, just goes to show animated shorts are always some of the most creative and innovative. This is so good I didn't want it to end, I'd watch an entire film set in this world. Reminds me of Buy n Large in Wall-E.
› Posted July 17 in Animation, Short Film, To Watch | Comments
First Trailer for Jonathan Glazer & Mica Levi's Short 'Strasbourg 1518'
Dance to stay alive. Dance to be alive. BBC has debuted a trailer for the new short film made by acclaimed filmmaker Jonathan Glazer, who made it with dancers around the world while everyone was in lockdown at home. Glazer also made the short The Fall last year. His new short is titled Strasbourg 1518 which is a reference to the "dancing plague of 1518", described as "a case of dancing mania that occurred in Strasbourg, Alsace (now modern-day France), in the Holy Roman Empire in July 1518. Somewhere between 50 and 400 people took to dancing for days." The short features dancers from Sadler's Wells performing scary dance routines at their home, which Glazer put together for this short. It's premiering on BBC Two next week, but only in the UK unfortunately. Glazer also re-teams with composer Mica Levi for yet another chilling score.
› Posted July 16 in Short Film, To Watch, Trailer | Comments
Watch: Friendship Comedy Short 'Waffle' Directed by Carlyn Hudson
"Just act how you'd actually act." This is the kind of dark comedy short film we need more of! Waffle is a clever 10-minute short film directed by filmmaker Carlyn Hudson. This was supposed to premiere at the SXSW Film Festival earlier this year before it was cancelled due to the pandemic. The short is now available to watch in full online, and it's worth it. Grab some popcorn and friends and enjoy… Kerry is at a sleepover with the socially awkward, mysteriously orphaned heiress Katie. Friendship--in a society that grows ever isolating--is explored as Kerry learns the hard way that Katie always gets what she wants. Starring Kerry Barker and Katie Marovitch, with Raphael Chestang. I really appreciate how the short holds back on revealing anything until the right moment, and as it plays out you'll start to get more and more worried for Kerry. People are crazy! So frickin' crazy! Especially wealthy people! This is another outstanding short film that should launch careers; director Carlyn Hudson knows how to tell a great story and make it entertaining.
› Posted July 15 in Short Film, To Watch | Comments
Watch: Sci-Fi Short 'Dominant Species' Puts Aliens in 10 Male Bodies
"Light my way in darkness, so I may spread your seed." There have been a handful of films that play with how an alien being would act if it inhabited a human body. What would it make of our strange fleshy bodies? Would it know how to interact? Would it know how to speak? Dominant Species is a short film that also wonders about these questions. Directed by Joseph Sackett, it's described as a "coming-of-age story about coming to terms with the ways you're different." The plot is about 10 aliens in human host bodies learning how to be "men". Short of the Week explains "most of the film is an examination of these new hosts' process of familiarization with the peculiarities of humanity and education in masculine stereotypes." Starring as the 10: Francisco Carrillo, Justin Chiao, Julian Cihi, Marchánt Davis, Vasile Flutur, Zach Fifer, Julio Lousav, Matthew Faroul, Julian Elijah Martinez, and Will Seefried. Strange but compelling.
› Posted July 13 in Sci-Fi, Short Film, To Watch | Comments
Watch: Stop-Motion Animated Short Film 'The Basket' Set in Mumbai
Empathy always makes a difference. This superb stop-motion animated short film Tokri, aka The Basket, comes from an animation studio in India. The film is about a young girl who decides to make baskets and sell them on the street in Mumbai in hopes of making money so she can repair her father's broken pocket watch. Featuring a music selection of Bollywood songs. Animation filmmaker Suresh Eriyat was inspired after he had an encounter with a basket seller and shooed her away, only to think later about how he doesn't know what her life is or why she needs a bit of money for peace at home. Hand-made stop-motion animation is always nice to see. "Suresh wished to revive the popularity of clay animation through this film. Although clay animation is known to be a painstaking process… it's an art that gives life to inanimate objects, bringing with it an energy on screen that shines through, one frame at a time." A lovely father-daughter story that challenges us to think about other people's lives in a way we might not think of at first. View the film below.
› Posted July 10 in Animation, Short Film, To Watch | Comments
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