One of the joys of being a short film programmer is finding those films that deal with your passions. I have a lot of passions (even outside of film!) and it's easy for me to attach to documentaries that deal with them. I found two, surprisingly similar, that moved me beyond anything I had ever imagined. One, Italian; that other was Iranian. Both  dealt with things I love - the first food, and second with art in all its forms. 

AMÃRE, Italian for 'to love', is about what ssome consider to be the two major expressions of Italian love - cooking and Catholicism, and specifically the traditional methods of both. We're introduced to a traditional bakery making gigantic pizzas and loafs of bread in a traditional Roman oven, and to a grandmother who makes pasta the old-fashioned way by hand, to a group of nuns who live as they have for generations.  You'll notice I keep harping on the word 'tradition' and that is the word that best expresses the meaning of this short. We are shown the traditions, come to appreciate them as more than just a word used on Italian restaurant signs. The section on the nun and her music is very powerful, and while it does go a bit outside the realm of the rest of the film, it does bring tradition to the fore, and that is a beautiful thing. Even when she's playing a seriously out-of-tune piano, there's a sensation that this is what has been going on for generations. Amare one of those shorts that is so powerful, not only for the precise and fascinating cinematography, but for the way they deal with the topics. I see a lot of my favorite documentarian, Les Blank, in what Oksana Shumylo has managed here. It stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Garlic as Good as Ten Mothers, and I can't wait to find more from her. 

Hesam Dehghani's Five Senses of Art details five traditional Iranian art processes, each mapped to a different human sense. From rosewater making, to traditional Iranian music played on daf and an Iranian form of lute, to a magnificent section on traditional Iranian handicrafts, the shooting of this film was amazing, and it eschewed the use of voice-over or interviews in favor of letting the footage speak for itself, as if addressing the camera would break the spell created through the camerawork and music. This short flows like a river, from one topic to the next, never openly connecting these topics, but acknowledging they exist in the same world. There's no commentary about these being endangered ways of life, about modernity encroaching, a common theme among these kinds of shorts, but the fact that we go from a series of active concerns to a museum, may well speak volumes. 

Both these shorts are getting some play around the world at the moment. You can find out more about Amare at https://www.facebook.com/AMAREmovie
and about Fives Senses of Art at http://persianmagicartgroup.com/fivesensesofart.html

In For Life - RJ Roman
It's hard to make a movie these days with a drug dealer as the heavy. Well, it's actually easier than ever, which means that we've got a lot to compare. In For Life is a really good script, tightly written with smart dialogue, and a cinematographer who largely understood what they needed to do to make the film work, but it does suffer from some uneven acting in our villain. He's really good at times, and at other moments stiff, and not a character being stiff; this is an actor tying himself in knots. Some of that works, and the rest of the cast is dependable. I particularly enjoyed the sometimes jarring torque in the timeline. That's something I always enjoy!

Thrasherland - Joshua J. Provost
Disappointment; it's the greatest difficulty in life. We all have ways of dealing with it, from drugs to depression to distraction to running away. That last is what young Carpenter chooses in this incredibly well-constructed short. Carpenter is a kid who wants nothing  more than to be in California. As a native Californian, I get that, and when the vacation to Cali (don't call it that...) is cancelled, he decides to go it on his own... sort of. Well, exactly that, really. The cinematography is incredible, young Carpenter, played perfectly by Casey Likes, is a smart kid and one I totally relate to. Note - Thrasherland was an actual skate park in the 1980s and 90s, and I believe it's where a fair section of Bones Brigade 2 - Future Primitive was shot. I might be thinking of The Search for Animal Chin. You can find out more about Thrasherland at http://matterofchance.com/thrasherland.html (and I really should write more about Bones Brigade videos...)

We Want Some - Tamir Mostafaf
"You want me to lie here like a starfish while you get to work?" That line alone gets this short much love from a guy who just programmed one of the funniest comedy shorts programs I've ever seen, but overall, We Want Some takes a rather tired concept, the lack of sex in a marriage, and makes a good run of it. It's well-shot, the leads are both really good, not only in the way they interact, but in the fact that they actually appear to be the kind of couple that would suffer from the loss of sex, and the whole spiraling scenario is a lot of fun! You can find out more at their official Twitter - https://twitter.com/We_Want_Some

Bright Future My Love - Marko Žunić
Dark, heavy, heavy, heavy, hard, dark. Those are all words. Bright Future My Love  is a film that weighs so much. It's gorgeous in black-and-white, and the art direction is some of the best you'll find in short films. The story is odd, and I'll admit that I wandered off a couple of times, lost deep into the forest of the imagery. This is a dystopian future, though so many of the markers of modernity are there, staring at us. Make no mistake, this is a science fiction short in the tradition of European Avanta Garde filmmaking, and it is an excellent example of such. The commentary appears to be on the contemporary form of workplace and the flow of effort and dispair. This is also a "Love" story, though those quotes are there for a reason. It's a heavy film, strange and wonderful, a story told without words but through emoting reaction and sound effects; a story I can see playing well with those who understand the depths of films traditons. You can find out more at https://www.facebook.com/BrightFutureMyLove

Elements of Rehearsal in the Bleak Midwinter - Davide Abbatescianni

I've done my share of improv. I've been a theatre geek. I've done intensive workshops where we came together and 'explored' the space, found our characters, brought the inside out, and acted from a place of truth. I've also just shown up day-of, grabbed the script, said the lines, and cashed my check. This is an Estonian short about a group of actors preparing, exploring, sensing. As a document of that process, it's somewhat remarkable. It shows both the worst and the best of that process, and how silly it might seem to the outside world. It also explores the deeper possibilities and sensations that can be joined with this process, and that's what gets me. In many ways, this reminded me of one of my all-time favorite shorts, Tell Me Who Ruby Was, and not just because they're both black-and-white, but because both explore a space, and both do it so well.
You can learn more at https://elementsdoc.wordpress.com/

A Cup of Tea - Alessio Ciancianaini 
I love shorts that make you think you're watching a rather banal moment in the life of a pair of humans, and then hit you with something more. A Cup of Tea did that beautifully. A father, a son, a distrupted physics career and answers. Those are the keys to this short that I found myself enjoying more as time went by, and then the ending hit, and it made me re-think every else, and in a very good way. Alessio Ciancianaini has crafted a wonderful, and surprisingly intimate, short. 

The Hunt - Miranda Schrade
Simplicity. It's a good thing. In all reality, it is a positive concept to pare a thing down to the bare-bones and work with only the skeleton. Short films often work in that mode, and in The Hunt, we find a competent little picture of a young woman on a sort of scavenger hunt. It's nicely done, if a bit simple, and the story is clear, but it's also a bit messy, as if the story being told is something more than the story we're seeing. Still, it makes good use of less than three minutes. 

Nothing Without God - Keenan J. Robinson
This story is an absolute mess. I could barely follow it, I was lost, I was confused, I g​ot angry. And I also didn't care. This is an excellent example of what 1990s' film movements like Dogme95 have brought to the mainstream of cinema. The way it was shot, and the way the actors played within the frame and their characters, really made this feel like something special. There's a lot here that speaks of the future of underground, or at least regional, cinema. Films like this HAVE an audience out there, and while I'm not always in that audience, I can appreciate that this film will inspire some, and infuriate others. Me? I certainly thought that this was a film that gave me hope in a new voice for cinema. You can learn more at http://www.inspirationallifefilms.com/

Strings - 
Italian Science Fiction. Yeah, in the past, it's been rough. Some of the worst SciFi movies of all-time were made, or at least re-dubbed, in Roma, and it still burns having seen so many of them on Creature Features when I was a kid. Strings is far from those days. In fact, it's one of the more thoughtful and masterfully done science fiction films in decades. The idea is a classic: a mysterious orb gives the user the power to transfer between Earths. David, our hero, knows he shouldn't be tampering with the forces he's playing with, and yet, he has to. The script is incredibly well written, with the acting being some of the finest you're likely to find in SF today. This is a phenomenal film, one that you should actively seek out because it will reward multiple viewings!

Prairie Dog - 
Horror and I have issues. Smart horror films - I love 'em. Prairie Dog  plays out more like a small town family drama with elements of horror than as a horror film, but hold out for a  smart movie, incredibly well-made, exactly the kind of film you might find in a multiplex. It's well-acted, though never over-the-top in that respect, and it's clean. I found the movement a bit thatched, as it would move well, and build strongly towards what I found to be a satisfying, yet somewhat clouded ending. I really enjoyed it and hope this one goes far! You can find more at https://www.facebook.com/PrairieDogMovie

Axiom - Geoffrey Crete
This is a lovely, painful, paranoid, and dark science fiction film that envisions a future not entirely unlike our present. He has a mangled leg, but more importantly, there is a strange symbol scratched onto his eye. This symbol is actually the crux to the story, and part of why I connected to it so thoroughly. You may want to hold on, I'm going to do some strange mental gymnastics. You see, a film is an image scratched on to the eye. It opens up our vision to new possibilities, and we so often reject them until the absolute moment we must reject them, remove them, attempt to destroy them before they destroy us. This is an apt metaphor, and I can say that it is one of those films that made me think, and worry a little, because there was a little of myself in the main character. It maybe ran a touch long for the material, but there was no weak aspect in the production or acting. You can learn more at http://geoffreycrete.com/

If Robots Were Programmed By The Internet - Molly Brown
Fun fun fun!!! LOL! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! OK, now that that's done with, this is a series of four short segments that look at robots and internet cuolture, focusing on the impact of memes. That's the meta view, I guess. It's a fun animation, and it reminded me of those great early computer animation collages done in the early and mid-1990s. I really think this one is a ton of fun, and there's some thought to it too!

Kill, My Lovely - 
Noir's hard to do in color. I've always felt that without the black-and-white, without the stark shadows, there's no feeling that something is lurking beneath. In a way, a traditional Noir is more akin to a horror film than a police procedural. This film jumps around a bit, at least in my eyes, and I actually had a bit of trouble following at points. The acting is great, as the conflict comes through not only in the plot, but in the way our lead (played with a combination of reserve and reposte by Ross D. Seymour) and the love interest interact and react to the situation. I found this to be a very enjoyable view, even if it lost me a couple of times. By the way, I could problably write a helluva article about the poster design here. The elements of classic Noir posters are all there, but the updated feel is fresh, and the composition really striking. You can find out more at http://justinseibel.com/film/Kill,_My_Lovely.html

Spoilers: The Movie - Conner Williams
OK, if you've seen The Breakfast Club, you've seen Spoilers: The Movie. The thing is, you can say that about a number of movie pairs, and the material dealt with is a new update of that 30 year-old film, but there are some issues. It's as if the pacing is off, like the writing and editing wasn't mature enough to understand the film. The tools are there, but they're used without the experience to understand how to turn them into accents instead of support. Those points don't actually surprise me, the director is only 17 years-old! The raw material to be one of those great directors is there, and the acting in this is surprisingly fluid for a first-time director. The acting is, overall, decent, and the shooting is well-done, and I can't fault the way the plot flows out towards the sea. I am very much looking forward to further work from Conner Williams. 

Update - Franziska Brändle
This is a German short that examines technology's pervasive nature in the world today. The graphics here are incredibly well-done, beautiful, in fact, and they take over the film, becoming increasingly difficult to maneuver around in the viewing, which is EXACTLY the point of them. There's a dark message, at least to this Computer Historian, that when we attempt to get away from technology, when we are celebrating our independence from the buzzing, beeping, and bright shiny rectangles of plenty, we invariably are actually digging ourselves deeper and deeper into them. This is a phenomenally well-done short. You can find out more (In German) at ​http://update-der-film.de

Red All Over - John Wayne S. III
Red All Over is a fine example of what is happening in African-American family drama. This is a strong entry in that milieu and one that I enjoyed greatly. The cinematography is strong, helped by some wonderful editing and a strong sense of how to make music improve a beat in the plot or a character's development. There is a heaviness to this film, but it never bogs down. There is some fantastic acting, though at times, it seems as if an actor will get lost into the material. There are moments that the tech wasn't up to snuff, but I was impressed with the rhythm and the flow, and especially the pacing. That's a key in when separates a good family drama from a weaker one - the ability to make me want to wade through the thicker parts of the story to make it to the outcome. Red All Over did that expertly. You can find out more at ​https://www.facebook.com/RedAllOverFilm/

Sin and Illy Still Alive - Maria Hengge
The drug film can be a touch one for me to watch. It takes naturalistic performances, smart, and not overly slick, cinematography, and an understanding that it is as much the human using as the drug used that leads to the downfall. The cutting here is what sets this apart. It's deliberate, measured, and while that does give us occasional pause, it allows the full weight of events to pass through the characters and the viewer. The performances are very strong, and the script is even stronger. The entire film feels as if its slowly sliding into a downer, which for the subject matter is impressive. You can find out more at ​http://abadonproduction.com

Orphans of the Genocide - Bared Maronian
I hold a major interest in the Armenian Genocide. I've studied the facts, raged against Turkey's refusal to recognize, apologize, and make restitution for, the murder of so many people. The documentary Orphans of the Genocide, tells the story of those left with nothing following the Genocide, and the way it's told in the form of a video you might see at a museum dedicated to the events of 1915, with strong interviews, and a detailing of not so much of the events or causes, but of the effects on families and the individuals who came after that first generation. There is a fine look at art that came from the Genocide, including the world of survivor Arshile Gorky, a survivor. There are so few survivors of the marches, a century on now, but there is a nice interview with a 105 year old, which gives us a strong view from the ground. Just as important, and perhaps more so, are the stories told by daughters and sons, stories passed on from one generation to another. The video performs a duty to set these stories down in the stone that is digital video, which is so important to keeping these tales circulating. It doesn't feel like a theatre documentary, it's more of a television work, but it is so important that these stories, these traditions, this TRUTH, is recorded and dispersed. You can find out more about Armenoid Productions at http://armenoidteam.com
And for the best resource on the Armenian experience, check out http://www.armenian-genocide.org/index.htm

Sahro Hassan: Fashioning Her Future by David H. Wells
David H. Wells may be Klaus at Gunpoint's favorite documentarian now that Les Blank's done come and gone. This is another strong effort of an important topic. Sahro Hassan is a young Somali woman who has started doing fashion, creating the kinds of designs she would like to wear and putting them out into the world. She has an infectious personality, and as we see her discuss her fashions, we grow to love her even more.While this feels more traditional and straight-ahead than I am used to, the combination of the personality that streams from Sahro, and the beauty of the clothing, make this an impressive effort. 

13 Burmese Days - Garlen Lo
Myanmar/Burma is at a crossroads, and a difficult one at that. When Aung San Suu Kyi spoke at Oxford, she asked for students to come and visit her country, to experience what life there was like. In 2013, a group of 9 Oxfordians made their way there, and this is a combination travelogue/documentary of that journey. The first, and perhaps most important, thing to notice about this piece is not a persuasion piece, though at times it does present serious issues, it is more of a record of the students visiting the country. As such, it is at its best when the students are encountering the country as it is, not being presented to by groups on the view of homosexuality, sex work, or journalistic freedom. Shots of a soccer game, the ringing of a bell in Mandalay, an outdoor restaurant, glimpses of the tour, string being made from lotus, . Yes, we should be concerned for Myanmar the country, but it is when we encounter Myanmar the people, the culture, the way of life, that 13 Burmese Days is at its most effective. Simple scenes here are far more impressive than presentations and discussions, and perhaps that would seem to minimize the importance of those aspects, but to me, it says something even more important - that life moves, even under the weight. You can read more at ​http://www.garlenlo.com

Please Remove Your Shoes - Rob DelGaudio
It's odd. I support the TSA, but I understand that, at best, it's security theatre; it won't stop any but the least dedicated and intelligent issues from become disasters. This doc details the ways in which we are failed by the TSA, and the reasons for it. While this could be seen as a scare doc, it's far too artfully done to be dismissed as such. Yes, I believe the purpose of the piece was to get people thinking about how messed up the situation is, but I also think that was far from the only consideration. The way the thing unfolds is scary, but it's also thoughtful and artistic, which actually makes the landing that much more effective. 

Aside From That - Richard Tilkin
There is nothing I fear more than death. In fact, if I'm afraid of something, it's because I associate it with death. Thus, watching Aside From That  was a difficult thing for me, being a documentary about how we live knowing we're gonna die. The interviews are fascinating, and include some amazing stories with those who have stared closely at death personally, philosophically, and second-handedly. Also, it talks with fellow Emerson College alum Steven Wright! What was most remarkable to me was that I didn't leave my viewing depressed, and nowhere along the line did I find myself dwelling on my mortality. That's a task few films have managed! This is a wonderful doc that engages the brain, and not just the portion that is terrified of the big sleep.

XX - Yagmur Ekim Yilmaz
This is a highly stylized film in the vein of the allegorical art films of the 1970s. This is a series of symbols with a plot to keep them all from happening at once. The symbols seem obvious - apples (temptation, sin, the fall), women hand-in-hand (comfort, attraction, stability), a character who head and face were never shown (mystery, longing, shame?), walls (organization, defense, control) and more. Perhaps it is a cynical view, but I felt as if the story was about the acceptance of a romantic between two women as something potentially shameful, forbidden, damaging. Shots showing the discarded remnants of their interactions would seem to indicate that, though to be honest, I may be reading too deeply in some areas without consideration of other elements. 

Babel, Ltd. - Smari Gunn
The avant garde in film is usually represented by imagery, repetition, and staging. In theatre, it is via the absurdity of the scenario, most often. In that sense, Babel, ltd. is more of a stage piece, in that it is a straight ahead short in every aspect save for the content. The story is a business man orders his underlings to fix something. We're in the dark as to what, but we discover that that the three staff share no language, at least they don't seem to, but they go about working with one another towards some goal. The production was beautiful, with lighting and sound that was almost brilliantly normal, until it was time to not be normal. It was a subtle switch. Overall, this is a weird short that I think you'll love.  

Serial Killer films can be gross and hard to watch. A well-done and smart take, though, is a delight. Smiles the Devil is one such, and director ​Brandon Summers answered some of our questions!


You've given us a cannibalistic serial killer with a penchant for puns. What was your thinking while you were writing your main character?

I wrote the role of cannibal Eric Pankow for my friend, Ryan Henderson. He's a proper actor, and I wanted to see him go mega! The puns came easily. The challenge was tuning Eric so he was just silly and eerie when we first meet him, then ratcheting it up, pulling back, and finally having him go supernova! But without losing the logic of the character.

What films influenced the writing of your script?
An obvious influence is the Joker from The Dark Knight. That grandiose, but clear and articulate, lunacy. And Kevin Smith's Red State, how the narrative shifts focus without changing tone and still being engaging. Three people in a room just talking is boring, so what's actually happening has to keep changing. I know movies where people are captured aren't original, but even though I had a different agenda from Haneke's Funny Games, and more puns, I wanted to make sure I did nothing that was similar to his films or any other.

When you've got a character that is so over the top, it's hard not to fall into the hand-wringing evil-doer. How'd you avoid that?
The difference is malice. Eric doesn't have a particular malice. He's just having a good time. Everything he does is for his own amusement. His cruelest moments are as fun to him as his dazzling puns. There's no specific scheme he's accomplishing to celebrate.

I see that this is your first film. Why tackle this one first? What's next on your plate?
I love movies. I'd always wanted to make one. And it had to star my favorite actor. But I figured I would never have the money or resources to pull it off, so I focused on writing. As my skills grew I realized I could create drama and suspense just having three people in a room, and include puns and huge monologues and esoteric references. So I went for it! I called Ryan, Ryan called his friends, all legitimate stage actors, and we made it happen. The story works, I think, and it only cost $800.

It is an amateur effort, sure, but it's definitely my movie. That said, I'm fine with just writing.

If you had it all to do over again, what would you change?
I like my script and I love the performances. The production was a struggle. We shot the movie in six business days. I did it in Virginia, a state I'd never been to, and with people I'd never met. There wasn't time to fix some things. There are continuity gaffes, and the locations for the opening scenes were not the most desirable. But I pursued my ambitions, got an education, and met some truly good-hearted, supremely talented people.

In the end, it seems like the message is "We're all a bad turn of events away from being a maniac." Was that your intention?
Yes? I mean, life is filled with annoyances and disappointments. And we're all searching for something better, escaping to the things that make us happiest. It seems plausible that one guy can take that to a horrible extreme, enjoying life in his way. It's his motivation for all the nightmarish things he does, like torturing this young couple, both with puns and actual torture. More than anything, my intention was to make a horror movie that was fun and weird. It's the movie I wanted to make.

If anyone wants to see it, it's available via Film Freeway.
https://filmfreeway.com/project/435130

Redhanded - Edward Andrews
The darker the comedy, the more likely I am to attach my attention to it. Redhanded is one of those rare dark comedies that hits all the dark buttons. A jogger is running off the beaten path in an attempt to slim down a bit. He comes across a dead body, then he has to take care of business, which leads to him having to take care of the kind of business he just had to take care of. It'll make sense when you see it. The script is good, the lead is funny, the timing is dead-on, and the shooting is really good. Sweet as! You can find out more at http://www.redhandedshortfilm.com

22 Years - Fred Thomas, Jr.
There are some films that live and die on the back of their main character. 22 Years is exactly that kind of film, with the performance of Dawn Noel being the backbone. It is, in fact, an incredibly lucky thing that she is spectacular, and makes me happy she's a Facebook friend! She plays Avi, whose father attempts to come back into her life. He's not exactly father of the century material, a drunkard's more like it, but his call sends her into a tizzy. The performance of Dawn is exceptional, one of the best I've seen in ages, but more importantly, it so thoroughly gives the film it's color, life, and resonance. It's well-made, nicely shot and edited, but it all seems to serve as a stage, and one that is incredibly well trod upon by an exceptional performer!