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Images from: Pixels, Umbra and Yuri Lennon's Landing on Alpha 46
Sci Fi: OUT THERE
The Sci Fi: OUT THERE is one I always look forward to at the Worldwide Short Film Festival, and this years selections deliver yet again. From the humorous to the haunting, it's a great array of interesting ideas from the playful to the painful. Here's a look at several of the shorts in the program.
Pixels
Dir: Patrick Jean
France, 3 minutes
Awesome animation homage to old school Atari & arcade games transpixelled on city streets. Well crafted, funny and nostalgic all in one, I adored it!
Dissonance
Dir: Anne Leclercq
Cast: Anne-Cécile Vandalem
Belgium, 17 minutes
Wow. This one freaked me out. I love how it can tell it's highly conceptual scifi story with very little verbal language relayed, and how ironic that is considering our protagonist specializes in language. Haunting, lonely and resonate, Dissonance left me unnerved with it's beauty.
Peaceforce
Dir: Peter Gornstein
Cast: Cyron Melville, Henning Jensen, Anders Hoyt
Denmark, 19 minutes
Morally complex and easy-to-access this short film is set in 2032 Copenhagen and adeptly explores the greater complications of human nature and societies. Showing a hard and fast 'protective' agency and the people they are apparently 'protecting' is shows how little is 'clear' for anyone.
Umbra
Dir: Malcolm Sutherland
Canada, 6 minutes
Cute little creature that's doing it's best to figure out where it is and what it's doing. Short, stompy and to the point, this animated film is a mind trip and feels like a moments where it clearly shows how ideas in it of themselves can be truly scary. And, um... really cute. Loved it.
Yuri Lennon's Landing on Alpha 46
Dir: Anthony Vouardoux
Switzerland/Germany, 15 minutes
Yuri Lennon's Landing on Alpha 46 is really short filmmaking at it's best, using a great idea with limited points of view to explore a grander issue. Love that. The ideas fit the format, and in this case a space launch and investigation of a transmission. Brilliant short film.
SCI FI: Out There program screens at Worldwide Short Film Festival on Wednesday June 1, 2011 at 9:15PM at the ROM.
Images from The Legend of Beaver Dam and Ninjas
Midnight Mania - Creepy and Freaky Programs
Ready to stay up late and get all freaked out? You are in luck because with these programs you will!
Here's a look at several of the shorts in theMidnight Mania Creepy program:
The Legend of Beaver Dam
Dir: Jerome Sable
Canada, 12 minutes
Hilarious and totally messed up take on a camp fire/ghost story gone wrong. The Legend of Beaver Dam had me in stitches. It doesn't hold back on any level, pushing all the buttons and delivers equal portions of horror and humour. Really got a kick out of it! Actually, it would kick you if it could. Maybe it can!
Ella
Dir: Dan Gitsham
Cast: Anthony Head
UK, 9 minutes
Anthony Head (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Merlin) star in Ella and we follow throughout as we try to piece together the mystery, and the horror, of not only the story but also his characters involvement and actions. Haunting and unsettling, Ella kept me on edge.
Adder's Bite
Dir: Firas Momani
Canada, 10 minutes
I can't honestly say that I understand all (or any) of the story of (or if there was one) in Adder's Bite, but I can say that I was completely absorbed by the film and curiously looking in and around and all over the screen. Bizarre movements and unnerving tone provided a completely visceral viewing experience. Can't wait to see more from filmmaker Firas Momani.
Ninjas
Dir: Dennison Ramalho
Brazil, 22 minutes
Following the torment of a man whose wrestling with the pain of wrong doing, Ninja takes this premise and pushes it to further pain and torment with every step and without reprieve. Long, harsh and brutal, Ninjas is one of the few films that was so disturbing I wish I hadn't see it. Effective, yes but the disturbing imagery & ideas it contains was too brutal for me.
Midnight Mania Creepy screens at Worldwide Short Film Festival on Friday June 3, 2011 at 11:59PM at the Bloor.
Images from Martyris and Parasitoid
And now for a selection of shorts in the Midnight Mania Freaky program:
Martyris
Dir: Luis Felipe Hernández Alanís
Mexico, 8 minutes
Fascinating animated film that has a strong nightmare like feel following a wild collection of restrained creatures that are painfully unhappy and destructive. High creep factor but absolutely beautifully done.
Parasitoid
Dir: Martin Lotherington
Norway, 10 minutes
Great idea and nice execution as we see a parasite in search of and attempting to connect with it's host. Really engaging and great use of non verbal storytelling, Parasitoid really caught me.
Sticky Ends
Dir: Osman Cerfon
France, 6 minutes
Great comedy of errors and resilience as the bizarre fishlike man blows hovering bubbles that oddly protect people at the worst of times. Very clever and funny, even when you think you shouldn't be laugh it's hard not to!
Turning
Dir: Karni +Saul
UK, 10 minutes
Bizarre and birdy birthday party that for young Robert who has one heck of an imagination while accepting visitors of from three chatty old ladies. I loved how this one was fantastical and bizarre as well as being oddly comforting. Quite a treat.
Umshini Wam / Bring Me My Machine Gun
Dir: Harmony Korine
USA, 16 minutes
I'm a little at a loss of what to say about this one but I couldn't stop watching these wheelchair riding, ganster & ninja talking, hot-dog roasting duo. This short literally left me speechless & dumbfounded.
Midnight Mania Freaky screens at Worldwide Short Film Festival on Saturday June 4, 2011 at 11:59PM at the ROM.
The Worldwide Short Film Festival runs from May 31 - June 5, 2011 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Images from: Pixels, Umbra and Yuri Lennon's Landing on Alpha 46
Sci Fi: OUT THERE
The Sci Fi: OUT THERE is one I always look forward to at the Worldwide Short Film Festival, and this years selections deliver yet again. From the humorous to the haunting, it's a great array of interesting ideas from the playful to the painful. Here's a look at several of the shorts in the program.
Pixels
Dir: Patrick Jean
France, 3 minutes
Awesome animation homage to old school Atari & arcade games transpixelled on city streets. Well crafted, funny and nostalgic all in one, I adored it!
Dissonance
Dir: Anne Leclercq
Cast: Anne-Cécile Vandalem
Belgium, 17 minutes
Wow. This one freaked me out. I love how it can tell it's highly conceptual scifi story with very little verbal language relayed, and how ironic that is considering our protagonist specializes in language. Haunting, lonely and resonate, Dissonance left me unnerved with it's beauty.
Peaceforce
Dir: Peter Gornstein
Cast: Cyron Melville, Henning Jensen, Anders Hoyt
Denmark, 19 minutes
Morally complex and easy-to-access this short film is set in 2032 Copenhagen and adeptly explores the greater complications of human nature and societies. Showing a hard and fast 'protective' agency and the people they are apparently 'protecting' is shows how little is 'clear' for anyone.
Umbra
Dir: Malcolm Sutherland
Canada, 6 minutes
Cute little creature that's doing it's best to figure out where it is and what it's doing. Short, stompy and to the point, this animated film is a mind trip and feels like a moments where it clearly shows how ideas in it of themselves can be truly scary. And, um... really cute. Loved it.
Yuri Lennon's Landing on Alpha 46
Dir: Anthony Vouardoux
Switzerland/Germany, 15 minutes
Yuri Lennon's Landing on Alpha 46 is really short filmmaking at it's best, using a great idea with limited points of view to explore a grander issue. Love that. The ideas fit the format, and in this case a space launch and investigation of a transmission. Brilliant short film.
SCI FI: Out There program screens at Worldwide Short Film Festival on Wednesday June 1, 2011 at 9:15PM at the ROM.
Images from The Legend of Beaver Dam and Ninjas
Midnight Mania - Creepy and Freaky Programs
Ready to stay up late and get all freaked out? You are in luck because with these programs you will!
Here's a look at several of the shorts in theMidnight Mania Creepy program:
The Legend of Beaver Dam
Dir: Jerome Sable
Canada, 12 minutes
Hilarious and totally messed up take on a camp fire/ghost story gone wrong. The Legend of Beaver Dam had me in stitches. It doesn't hold back on any level, pushing all the buttons and delivers equal portions of horror and humour. Really got a kick out of it! Actually, it would kick you if it could. Maybe it can!
Ella
Dir: Dan Gitsham
Cast: Anthony Head
UK, 9 minutes
Anthony Head (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Merlin) star in Ella and we follow throughout as we try to piece together the mystery, and the horror, of not only the story but also his characters involvement and actions. Haunting and unsettling, Ella kept me on edge.
Adder's Bite
Dir: Firas Momani
Canada, 10 minutes
I can't honestly say that I understand all (or any) of the story of (or if there was one) in Adder's Bite, but I can say that I was completely absorbed by the film and curiously looking in and around and all over the screen. Bizarre movements and unnerving tone provided a completely visceral viewing experience. Can't wait to see more from filmmaker Firas Momani.
Ninjas
Dir: Dennison Ramalho
Brazil, 22 minutes
Following the torment of a man whose wrestling with the pain of wrong doing, Ninja takes this premise and pushes it to further pain and torment with every step and without reprieve. Long, harsh and brutal, Ninjas is one of the few films that was so disturbing I wish I hadn't see it. Effective, yes but the disturbing imagery & ideas it contains was too brutal for me.
Midnight Mania Creepy screens at Worldwide Short Film Festival on Friday June 3, 2011 at 11:59PM at the Bloor.
Images from Martyris and Parasitoid
And now for a selection of shorts in the Midnight Mania Freaky program:
Martyris
Dir: Luis Felipe Hernández Alanís
Mexico, 8 minutes
Fascinating animated film that has a strong nightmare like feel following a wild collection of restrained creatures that are painfully unhappy and destructive. High creep factor but absolutely beautifully done.
Parasitoid
Dir: Martin Lotherington
Norway, 10 minutes
Great idea and nice execution as we see a parasite in search of and attempting to connect with it's host. Really engaging and great use of non verbal storytelling, Parasitoid really caught me.
Sticky Ends
Dir: Osman Cerfon
France, 6 minutes
Great comedy of errors and resilience as the bizarre fishlike man blows hovering bubbles that oddly protect people at the worst of times. Very clever and funny, even when you think you shouldn't be laugh it's hard not to!
Turning
Dir: Karni +Saul
UK, 10 minutes
Bizarre and birdy birthday party that for young Robert who has one heck of an imagination while accepting visitors of from three chatty old ladies. I loved how this one was fantastical and bizarre as well as being oddly comforting. Quite a treat.
Umshini Wam / Bring Me My Machine Gun
Dir: Harmony Korine
USA, 16 minutes
I'm a little at a loss of what to say about this one but I couldn't stop watching these wheelchair riding, ganster & ninja talking, hot-dog roasting duo. This short literally left me speechless & dumbfounded.
Midnight Mania Freaky screens at Worldwide Short Film Festival on Saturday June 4, 2011 at 11:59PM at the ROM.
The Worldwide Short Film Festival runs from May 31 - June 5, 2011 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Images from Celebrity Shorts 1 films: White Other and Sergeant Slaughter, My Big Brother
I'm not always drawn to the Celebrity Shorts programs but this year had films starring Tom Hardy, Tom Felton, Joel Edgerton, Rosemary DeWitt, Colin Firth and directed by Rachel Weisz and Rupert Friend. I pretty much love all of them, therefore had to see them.
Taking a look at several of the shorts in the Celebrity Shorts 1 program.
PS Your Mystery Sender
Dir: Benjamin Wigley
UK, 9 minutes
This one is noted as both fiction and documentary, and to be honest if it isn't true I'm not sure I want to know! Following fashion designer Sir Paul Smith sharing his beautiful collection of regular object anonymously mailed to him over the years. This short is positively delightful.
White Other
Dir: Dan Hartley
Cast: Tom Felton, Imelda Staunton
UK, 13 minutes
Gripping short set in the confines of a hospital ward between nurse and one heck of live wire guy. Does the sterile setting allow for compassion and healing? Who needs understanding and honesty more? Will we be won over? Great questioning drama and fabulous acting in this short from Harry Potter almost-alums Tom Felton and Imelda Staunton.
Sergeant Slaughter, My Big Brother
Dir: Greg Williams
Cast: Tom Hardy, Ben MacLeod
UK, 12 minutes
Sibling kinship runs both strong and awry this drama centred on younger, bullied brother (Ben MacLeod) and older bully-like brother (Tom Hardy) who wants to go off and join the French Foreign Legion. The film does a great job of keeping the audience off balance on predispositions and judgment on the brothers and their family as we wonder if a clean break truly could be the best for everyone. Really top-notch short.
Animal Love
Dir: D: Mollie Jones
Cast: Selma Blair, Jeremy Davis
USA, 16 minutes
It took me a bit to warm up to Animal Love, which features two oddballs who hook up with a no-strings agreement but then start to seem to get a little sweet on each other. Really tender and beautiful, with lovely performances from Selma Blair & Jeremy Davis, this quirky romance completely won me over. And the cute animals helped, too.
Bunce
Dir: Peter Cattaneo
Cast: Daniel Roche, Milo Quinton, Stephen Fry
UK, 12 minutes
Autobiographical comedy of Stephen Fry's private school days that is witty and charming as it follows the story of how he takes a younger student under his wing, gets in and tries to get out of trouble with the headmaster (played by Stephen Fry) and the lovely power of friendship.
Celebrity Shorts 1 screens at Worldwide Short Film Festival on Thursday June 2, 2011 at 7PM at the ROM.
Images from Celebrity Shorts 1: PS Your Mystery Sender and An Act of Love
And now for a selection of the Celebrity Shorts 2 program:
Sexting
Dir: Neil LaBute
Cast: Julia Stiles
USA, 8 minutes
Crisp short film featuring Julia Stiles as the 'other woman' whose had just about enough! It's very monologue-like with a straight to the camera telling where we bear the brunt of her out pour of honest distaste and discomfort and she attempts to shattering the disillusionment of the her lover's wife.
Steve
Dir: Rupert Friend
Cast: Colin Firth, Keira Knightly, Tom Mison
UK, 16 minutes
Arguing with your partner can be bad enough, what happens when you add a random, persistent neighbour into the mix? Steve (Colin Firth) becomes the self-imposing, tea-thirsty neighbour that throws wrenches in the works of the everyday lives of the folks above him. It begs the question of how far we'll stretch for common courtesy and when enough really seems like enough!
The Thief
Dir: Rachel Weisz
Cast: Rosemary DeWitt, Joel Edgerton
USA, 14 minutes
Beautiful human drama between a thief (Joel Edgerton) who breaks into an unexpectedly occupied home where the owner (Rosemary DeWitt) displays something more powerful that fear. Gripping and wonderfully acted, I loved this short film. And a PS to any skeptics out there, it's based on a true story from Glamour Magazine’s Reel Moments project. Wow. That's truly powerful.
Celebrity Shorts 2 screens at Worldwide Short Film Festival on Friday June 3, 2011 at 7PM at the Bloor.
Images from Celebrity Shorts 2 films Sexting and The Thief
The Worldwide Short Film Festival runs from May 31 - June 5, 2011 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.