Worldwide Short Film Festival 2008 Day 6 - Sunday June 15/08

Sunday was the final day of the Worldwide Short Film Festival. Dare I say it was too 'short'? In six days they packed in a wealth of fantastic short films. Program of the day for me was about getting spacey with Sci-Fi: Out There. I'm going to put myself 'out there' and say this was one of the best programs I saw during the festival. Creative ideas, freaky stories and humorous to boot.

Homework / Le devoir
Dir: Ariane Lippens
7 minutes, Belgium

Completely bizarre film with a high creep factor and themes of captivity and survival. Freaky!

Primitive Technology
Dir: Bo Price
13 minutes, USA

This short takes a low budget idea to literally combat the techno-savvy world. From recruiting new members to device creation this has a tone of a DIY reality show with challenges as well as the unavoidable personal dynamics. A wild ride.

Rocket Science
Dir: Sam Morrison
15 minutes, UK

Fabulous short film that recreates the film noir feel in a black and white animated environment. Killer dialogue throughout this hilarious short, I was in stitches for most of the film. One of my favourites of the festival by far.


Dani Moreno director Martians go Home! with festival programmer Andrew David Long

Martians Go Home!
Dir: Dani Moreno
20 minutes, Spain

In this 80's themed science fiction tale of two friends and a historical music diva who was taken away by martians. What would it take to contact her, or the martians themselves? A very tongue-in-cheek film blends various scifi trends and cultural references to make a fantastic and funny journey. "Mollycoddles".

There was a lovely Q&A with Martians Go Home! director Dani Moreno where he discussed the rich 80's style that was visually achieved in the film. When asked about why he created a film with both martians and zombies, he shared that Ed Wood is on of his favourite directors who has his own way to make cinema.

Ascension
Dir: Stephen Irwin
14 minutes, Australia

Historical rituals meet the realm of the beyond in this campy short film that will keep you guessing and laughing throughout.

The Worldwide Short Film Festival runs from June 10-15/08 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.