Full Program for July 18 Screening

I’m happy to reveal the full program for our screening on Thursday July 18, 2013. We have once again searched the whole world to bring you this selection of excellent short films from Canada, France, Ireland, Croatia, Bulgaria, Germany, and the US. If you like what you see, why not save some money and get your advance tickets now?

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YOUR PLACE OR MINE

Dir: Jessica Joy Wise (Director will be in attendance for a Q&A)
Canada – 2012

Your Place or Mine is about the tentative first few hours of meeting someone. Annie and Danny meet, feel a spark, and it’s in those initial moments it could all go either way. These are big decisions determined by little moments; a glib comment, a simple gesture, a meaningful touch – can swing the outcome one way or the other. Short-lived lust or lasting love? One-night stand or soul-mate?

• Official Selection – San Francisco Independent Film Festival
• Official Selection – Williamsburg Independent Film Festival

Duration: 6:00

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PREMIER AUTOMNE

Dir: Aude Danset and Carlos de Carvalho
France – 2013

Abel lives in the winter and Apolline lives in the summer. Isolated in their “natures,” they have never met. They are not even supposed to meet. So when Abel crosses the border and discovers Apolline, his curiosity is overwhelming. Their encounter soon becomes more complicated than they could imagine. Both of them will have to learn compromise to protect the other.

Duration: 10:30

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THE DELIAN MODE

Dir: Kara Blake
Canada – 2009

The Delian Mode is a a short experimental documentary revolving around the life and work of electronic music pioneer Delia Derbyshire, best known for her groundbreaking sound treatment of the Doctor Who theme music.

• Best Short Documentary – Hot Docs
• Genie Award – Best Short Documentary

Duration: 25:00

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IRISH FOLK FURNITURE

Dir: Tony Donoghue
Ireland – 2012

An animated documentary about repair and recycling in rural Ireland.

• Best Animation Award – Sundance Film Festival
• Official Selection – Toronto Irish Film Festival
• Official Selection – Flickerfest

Duration: 8:00

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FATHER

Dirs: Ivan Bogdanov, Moritz Mayerhofer, Asparuh Petrov, Veljko Popovic, Rositsa Raleva, Dmitry Yagodin
Bulgaria/Croatia/Germany – 2012

When did you last talk with your father? Will you ever ask him about those things that hurt you?

The short animated documentary film Father features five parallel realities in which the impossible dialogue between a child and a father would take place. The film is based on the authentic experiences of several young people – interviewed by Diana Ivanova – and then put together in an animated documentary story by five unique animation directors.

• Official Selection – Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival
• Official Selection – Annecy International Animation Film Festival
• Official Selection – Flickerfest

Duration: 16:00

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A PRESENT FOR ROBERT

Dir: Patrick Aubert
Canada – 2012

Robert receives a very special gift for his birthday.

• Official Selection – Fantasia Film Festival

Duration: 3:00

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THE CHAIR

Dir: Grainger David
US – 2012

The Chair is the story of one boy’s reaction to an outbreak of poisonous mold in his small town.

• Nominated for Palme d’Or – Cannes Film Festival
• Official Selection – Sundance Film Festival
• Official Selection – South by Southwest Film Festival

Duration: 12:00

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Buy your tickets now!

Full Program for April 11 Screening

It’s time to announce the full program for our screening on Thursday April 11, 2013. We have scoured the world to bring you this selection of excellent short films from Canada, Sweden, Spain, Iceland, the UK, and the US. If you like what you see, why not save some money and get your advance tickets now?

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TYPESETTER BLUES

Dir: Hector Herrera (Director will be in attendance for a Q&A)
Canada – 2012

Beastly Bards is a collection of animated shorts featuring loveable monsters. Each short is a distinct piece, written in rhyming verse and inspired by the poetic styles of Edward Lear, Shel Silverstein and Robert Service. The animation features clean lines with a textural mixed-media approach and incorporates a classic mid-century modern esthetic. The shorts are narrated by some of the best voices of the Canadian stage and screen: Gordon Pinsent, Jayne Eastwood, and Kenneth Welsh.

Typesetter Blues is the first “chapter” of Beastly Bards and debuted at TAAFI 2012. Set in a printshop, it is familiar story of heartbreak on the job, with a humorous spin. Narrated by Gordon Pinsent.

• Official Selection – Toronto Animation Arts Festival International
• Finalist – Adobe Design Achievement Awards (Animation)

Duration: 3:00

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HALF-A-PANTALOON

Dir: Hector Herrera (Director will be in attendance for a Q&A)
Canada – 2012

Half-A-Pantaloon is the second “chapter” of Beastly Bards. In the style of a public service announcement, it warns the viewer of the perils of wearing shorts in professional situations. Even charming monsters can’t get away with sartorial blunders. Narrated by Jayne Eastwood.

Duration: 5:00

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VOICE OVER

Dir: Martin Rosete
Spain – 2012

I-will-not-tell-you-whose voice leads us through three extreme situations that are actually the same… Will you survive?

From Luis Berdejo, the writer of REC and REC 3: Genesis comes this ten minute epic, which has screened at more than 80 film festivals around the world and picked up more than 30 awards.

• Best of the Fest – New York City Shorts Festival
• Audience Award – Couch Fest

Duration: 10:00

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FRIEND OF FLIES

Dir: Emil Gustafsson Ryderup
Sweden – 2011

For want of friends, a little boy seeks fellowship among flies. Once he has gained their confidence, he finds himself in possession of endless power. But the power is not the solution to everything, and how is a child to master such responsibility? Using only three colours, black, white and red, Friend of Flies deploys a striking visual aesthetic to tell a melancholy tale about the loneliness of childhood.

• Official Selection – Fantasia Film Festival
• Official Selection – Chicago International Film Festival

Duration: 13:00

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LAS PALMAS

Dir: Johannes Nyholm
Sweden – 2011

A middle-aged lady on a holiday in the sun tries to make new friends and have a good time. The role is played by a one year old girl (the director’s daugher Helmi), the rest of the cast are marionette puppets.

• Official Selection – Sundance Film Festival
• Official Selection – Directors’ Fortnight, Cannes Film Festival

Duration: 13:00

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DRAGON BABY

Dir: Patrick Boivin
Canada – 2012

In this Kill Bill-inspired short short, the filmmaker’s son Romeo takes on a stuffed dragon with some awesome kung-fu moves. This has been viewed more than 26 million times online, but don’t go looking for it yet. You want the big screen experience!

Duration: 1:00

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BELLY

Dir: Julia Pott
UK – 2011

I can feel you in my Belly.

• Official Selection – Sundance Film Festival
• Official Selection – South by Southwest Film Festival
• Official Selection – AFI Film Festival
• Official Selection – Worldwide Short Film Festival
• Canal+ Award – Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival

Duration: 8:00

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THE PIRATE OF LOVE

Dir: Sara Gunnarsdóttir
Iceland – 2012

Daniel C, a truck driver, records an entire CD of ballads for Sherry. Can his music conquer his loneliness?

• Official Selection – New Directors/New Films
• Official Selection – AFI Film Festival
• Official Selection – Telluride Film Festival

Duration: 10:00

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PENNY DREADFUL

Dir: Shane Atkinson
USA – 2012

The story of a kidnapping gone horribly wrong.

• Audience Award – Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival

Duration: 17:00

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This will also be the first screening where we award one of our filmmakers with a $100 prize. Be there to have your vote count! Buy your tickets now!

Poster and First Films for April 11

Here it is, folks! The first of our specially designed posters. This one, announcing our April 11, 2013 screening, was designed by film writer Alex Kittle (she’s @filmforager on Twitter). In addition to writing about film, she also makes excellent movie posters which she sells on Etsy. Rumour has it that she might be selling a limited edition run of this poster, too, so don’t miss it!

In addition to confirming that our next screening will be held on Thursday April 11th at 7pm at the Carlton, I wanted to give you a sneak peek at a few of the films that we’ll be showing too. And just so you know, tickets are already on sale! Get yours!

Friend of Flies (Sweden, 2011, Director: Emil Gustafsson Ryderup, 13 minutes)

For want of friends, a little boy seeks fellowship among flies. Once he has gained their confidence, he finds himself in possession of endless power. But the power is not the solution to everything, and how is a child to master such responsibility? Using only three colours, black, white and red, Friend of Flies deploys a striking visual aesthetic to tell a melancholy tale about the loneliness of childhood.

Voice Over (Spain, 2012, Director: Martin Rosete, 10 minutes)

I will not tell you whose voice over leads us through three extreme situations that are actually the same. Will you survive?

Typesetter Blues (Canada, 2012, Director: Hector Herrera, 3 minutes)

Typesetter Blues is a 3-minute animated short starring a likeable monster named Harold. In this melancholy love story, Harold falls for a new coworker, who unfortunately falls harder for someone else. Voiced by Canadian legend Gordon Pinsent (Away From Her, Pillars Of The Earth) Typesetter Blues is written in the nonsense poetry tradition of Edward Lear and Shel Silverstein.

We have lots more in store for this screening, which we’ll be revealing in the weeks to come. I hope you will join us!

Canadian Screen Awards 2013: Shorts

I’ll admit that I could never keep the Geminis and the Genie Awards straight. Looks like the folks at the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television have gotten the hint. This year, they’ve combined the awards into a new format called the Canadian Screen Awards. These awards will honour Canadian work on all screens: cinema, television and interactive (ie. computers, tablets and phones). I was fortunate enough to attend this morning’s press conference where many of the nominations were announced. Unfortunately, that didn’t include those for short film. Though they were included in the full press release, I wanted to bring them front and centre here. Winners will be announced during the televised awards ceremony on Sunday March 3rd on CBC, but truly, it’s an honour just to be nominated!

Best Documentary Short

• The Boxing Girls of Kabul (Dir: Ariel Nasr)
• The Fuse: Or How I Burned Simon Bolivar (Dir: Igor Drljaca)
• Keep a Modest Head (Dir: deco dawson)
• Let the Daylight Into the Swamp (Dir: Jeffrey St. Jules)
• Three Walls (Dir: Zaheed Mawani)

Best Live-Action Short

• Chef de meute (Herd Leader) (Dir: Chloé Robichaud)*
• Frost (Dir: Jeremy Ball)
• Le Futur Proche (The Near Future) (Dir: Sophie Goyette)
• Première Neige (First Snow) (Dir: Michaël Lalancette)
• Throat Song (Dir: Miranda de Pencier)

Best Animated Short

• Bydlo (Dir: Patrick Bouchard)
• Edmond Was a Donkey (Dir: Franck Dion)*
• Demoni (Dir: Theodore Ushev)
• Paula (Dir: Dominic Étienne Simard)

Titles marked with an asterisk (*) have screened at Shorts That Are Not Pants. The others are on my radar!

Canada’s Top Ten 2012: Shorts

Note: We’ll be showing Chloé Robichaud’s very funny Chef de meute from this selection on Thursday January 17th at the Carlton Cinemas. Advance tickets are on sale already.

On Sunday night, TIFF Bell Lightbox screened all of this year’s shorts named to Canada’s Top Ten. Here are my thoughts on the films (including two I’d seen before, Lingo and Chef de meute).

Lingo (Director: Bahar Noorizadeh, 13 minutes)

Lingo uses a static camera and long shots to sort-of tell the story of a young Afghan boy who inadvertently starts a fire that burns down a neighbour’s house. A misunderstanding lands his non-English-speaking mother an uncomfortable interview with a police interpreter. I want to applaud the daring of the filmmaker, because some of the techniques used are pretty alienating to the audience, but the end result communicates a real sense of confusion and disconnection, even when someone is supposedly speaking your language.

Kaspar (Director: Diane Obomsawin, 8 minutes)

Quebec cartoonist Diane Obomsawin animates her 2009 book on the life of Kaspar Hauser, a mysterious young man found living in a German cave in 1828. The subject of several films, including one by Werner Herzog, Hauser’s mysterious origins were never discovered, nor were the circumstances surrounding his mysterious death. Kaspar presents the story in simple clean lines and its character as a trusting innocent. Telling the story in the first person gives the tragic tale additional poignancy.

Reflexions (Director: Martin Thibaudeau, 6 minutes)

An attempt to tell a story visually through reflected images is a clever gimmick, but Thibaudeau’s rather simplistic and heavy-handed portrayal of the funeral of a man who was not what he seemed was the least satisfying of the ten films for me. An interesting concept that needed more subtlety.

Paparmane (Wintergreen) (Director: Joëlle Desjardins Paquette, 19 minutes)

Remarkably similar in tone to Chloé Robichaud’s Chef de meute, but featuring a depressed cat instead of an excitable pug, this film was a delight. A lonely parking attendant is mourning his mother’s death, along with her melancholy pet. Things begin to change when he meets an exuberant telegram singer. Filmed near an amusement park closed for the winter, Paparmane uses its setting to great effect. I’m also a big fan of the way the film is able to find humour within its potentially gloomy situations.

Malody (Director: Phillip Barker, 13 minutes)

Strange things begin to occur inside a diner where a sick girl confronts herself as a little girl. Although visually impressive and full of stylistic flourishes, Malody‘s art film opacity left me unable to connect with its characters.

Crackin’ Down Hard (Director: Mike Clattenburg, 10 minutes)

Clattenburg explained to the audience that the idea for the film came to him and his co-writer/star Nicholas Wright when they were visiting Joshua Tree National Park in California. Conceived, written and filmed a scant two weeks later, Crackin’ Down Hard feels like a comedy sketch you’d expect to see on a show like Kids in the Hall. Terry is a guy who comes to the desert to get away from the hectic life he has in the city. While hiking one day, he’s confronted by a strange man who tempts him with hookers. It’s an absurd situation, and all the more hilarious as Terry gradually succumbs to the pimp’s high-pressure sales tactics. The film’s humble origins show in the rather muddy image quality, but the dialogue and comic payoff more than make up for it.

Old Growth (Director: Tess Girard, 5 minutes)

A man’s rural routine comprises this simple piece shot without dialogue. With his wheelbarrow, an old man walks along a windswept road to a forest where he chops firewood. Well-shot and with an especially good use of sound design, Old Growth is more of an experimental piece, since there is almost no focus on the man’s face.

Ne crâne pas sois modeste (Keep a Modest Head) (Director: deco dawson, 19 minutes)

Canadian-born Jean Benoit was the last member of the Surrealist group of artists. Using archival audio and film footage, dawson constructs a series of vignettes from the artist’s life using his own surrealistic style. Some of these techniques work really well (Benoit as a child jumping between houses and peering in rooftop windows) and some not as well (an almost endless series of zoom-ins on a painting), with the end result being a film worthy of admiration more than love. dawson spoke passionately about Benoit at the screening, and I felt disappointed that some of the quirk seemed to distract from the filmmaker’s clear love of his subject.

Bydlo (Director: Patrick Bouchard, 9 minutes)

Based on a musical piece by Mussorgsky, Bydlo is an innovative animated film that uses images of animals and faceless people to explore the cycles of life, death and labour. The word “bydlo” comes from the Polish word for cattle and is often applied to “the masses” of uneducated, lower-class people. The dramatic use of the musical source material along with the quite amazing animation technique makes this a sobering but fascinating big picture portrayal of the seeming futility of life.

Chef de meute (Herd Leader) (Director: Chloé Robichaud, 13 minutes)

In this comedy, the humour is dark indeed. When Clara’s spinster aunt dies suddenly, her family suggest she take in the older woman’s pug, since, as a single woman herself, she has time to take care of it. When even the dog seems to boss her around, she turns to a dog trainer for help. In a hilarious sendup of The Dog Whisperer, he encourages her to be more assertive. It’s a lesson she takes to her pushy family members. Ève Duranceau plays the put-upon Clara to neurotic perfection, and the pug turns in a pretty impressive performance, too.

Full Program for January 17 Screening

Christmas has come early! I’m happy to announce our full program for January 17, 2013. I am delighted to begin our second year of screening the best Canadian and international shorts with a very strong selection from Canada, Ireland and the UK. If you like what you see, why not save some money and get your advance tickets now?

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MIXTAPE

Dir: Luke Snellin
United Kingdom – 2009

Mixtape is a short short about making a mixtape for that special someone.

• Grand Prize – Virgin Media Shorts Competition
• Nominated – British Association of Film and Television Awards (BAFTA)

Duration: 2:00

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DEAR SCAVENGERS

Dir: Aaron Phelan
Canada – 2012

The eccentric owner of a used-appliance store is driven nearly mad by an unending stream of tween girls entering his shop in search of a clue for their scavenger hunt.

• Official Selection – Toronto International Film Festival

Duration: 9:00

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CHEF DE MEUTE (HERD LEADER)

Dir: Chloé Robichaud
Canada – 2012

Clara’s overwhelming family can’t understand her solitary life, wishing she would find someone to grow old with. Following her aunt’s sudden death, Clara is put in charge of her pet. Little does she know that these are the first steps to an unlikely, but empowering, friendship.

• Official Selection – Canada’s Top Ten
• Official Selection (Competition) – Cannes Film Festival
• Official Selection – Toronto International Film Festival
• Official Selection – Palm Springs Short Film Festival

Duration: 12:30

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LONG BRANCH

Dir: Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart
Canada – 2012

On a cold winter’s night, a woman’s quest for a one-night stand is complicated when the guy she goes home with lives two hours away by public transit.

• Best Live Action Short – Calgary International Film Festival
• Best Short – Canadian Film Festival

Duration: 14:00

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NOREEN

Dir: Domhnall Gleeson
Ireland – 2010

Two rural Irish cops find a body during a routine house call. Things are complicated by the fact that they are idiots. Starring Brendan Gleeson and directed and written by his son Domhnall. Oh, and very very funny.

• Official Selection – Palm Springs Short Film Festival
• Winner, Best Short – Galway Film Fleadh
• Official Selection – Toronto Irish Film Festival

Duration: 18:00

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DISCO

Dir: Luke Snellin
United Kingdom – 2010

July. 1997. The height of summer. England. Oasis reach number one with ‘D’you Know What I Mean’. Tony Blair has moved his stuff into Downing Street. Meanwhile Danny is trying to tell a girl named Pippa that he likes her. On this Friday we follow Danny through miscommunication, gossip, and a love triangle between Danny, Pippa and his best friend Greg. A follow-up from the director (and star) of Mixtape.

• Official Selection – London Short Film Festival

Duration: 15:00

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Special co-presentation with Toronto Animation Arts Festival International (TAAFI)

REQUIEM FOR ROMANCE

Dir: Jonathan Ng
Canada – 2012

A modern-day couple’s secret love affair comes to a bittersweet end during an evening phone call. Cell phone static creates distance between them as they anguish over details of their relationship. But the visuals of the film reveal something entirely different: the epic re-imagining of their relationship set in feudal China, where family influence, cultural pressures and their lust for adventure makes more sense.

• Canadian ShortWork Award – Whistler Film Festival
• Animasian Award – Reel Asian Film Festival

Duration: 8:00

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So what are you waiting for? Buy your tickets and join us! (Did I mention that tickets make a great holiday gift? You know, if you can’t make a mixtape…)

First Films Announced for January 17

If you follow us on Twitter or Facebook, you’ll know a few of these by now, but I wanted to officially announce the first batch of films screening at our January 17, 2013 edition. We’ll be back at the Carlton Cinemas, and advance tickets ($8) are already on sale. See you in the new year!

Noreen (Ireland, 2010, Director: Domhnall Gleeson, 18 minutes)

Actor/writer/director Domhnall Gleeson (True Grit, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) directs his father Brendan and uncle Brian in this gleefully madcap tale of two rural Irish cops who find a body during a routine house call. Young Frank is dealing with a recent heartbreak, while older Con is middle-aged and weary. What they have in common is that they’re both idiots. If you liked Brendan Gleeson in The Guard, you’ll love this.

Long Branch (Canada, 2011, Directors: Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart, 13 minutes)

The scenario of Long Branch seems like a great concept for one of those “punch line” shorts: a young woman’s quest for a one night stand is complicated when the guy she goes home with lives two hours away by public transit. But the film movingly transcends its humorous premise to find genuine romance.

(excerpted from my full review over at Short of the Week)

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I saw the next two at this year’s TIFF, so I’ve just copied my reviews from my post at Toronto Screen Shots.

Dear Scavengers (Canada, 2012, Director: Aaron Phelan, 9 minutes)

Pitch perfect casting and just the right amount of sympathy for its cantankerous main character make this one a winner. Hrant Alianak (Pontypool) plays Hector, the owner of a used-appliance store who’s used to a certain amount of solitude. When a seemingly unending stream of tween girls enter his shop in search of a clue for their scavenger hunt, it leads to a hilarious clash of generations and personalities.

Chef de meute (Herd Leader) (Canada, 2012, Director: Chloe Robichaud, 13 minutes)

In this comedy, the humour is dark indeed. When Clara’s spinster aunt dies suddenly, her family suggest she take in the older woman’s pug, since, as a single woman herself, she has time to take care of it. When even the dog seems to boss her around, she turns to a dog trainer for help. In a hilarious sendup of “The Dog Whisperer,” he encourages her to be more assertive. It’s a lesson she takes to her pushy family members. Ève Duranceau plays the put-upon Clara to neurotic perfection, and the pug turns in a pretty impressive performance, too.

Reel Asian Co-presentation: Once Lost, Now Found

I am very proud to be co-presenting (along with Asiansploitation) a program of short films at this year’s Reel Asian Film Festival. It’s on Wednesday November 7th at 7:15pm at Innis Town Hall, and it’s called Once Lost, Now Found. Here are some details about the five films in the lineup:

MAGICAL COINCIDENCE
Director: Keith Lock | Canada 2012 | 22:00 | Director in Attendance

Two lonely souls are brought together by strange and fateful occurrences. Ostensibly a romantic comedy, the production of this film is unique; using a coin toss to dictate specific creative decisions including writing, casting, and production. Winner of Reel Asian’s 2011 So You Think You Can Pitch? Competition.

GUANG
Director: Quek Shio Chuan | Malaysia 2011 | 14:00 | Mandarin w/ English subtitles

While his younger brother pressures him to find a job, autistic Wen Guang is on a quest of his own for a very special glass. His obsession drives him and derails his brother’s good intentions. While his brother’s real-world concerns are legitimate, we cannot help but share in Wen Guang’s joy when he finally finds what he has been looking for.

OBAKE (GHOSTS)
Director: Christopher Makoto Yogi | USA 2012 | 13:00 | English and Japanese w/ Eng. subtitles

In lush Hawai’i, an elderly Japanese man lives out his final days in his country home, as this film weaves in and out of his memories. In dedication to the Nisei and Sansei cultures of Hawai’i, past and present converge on the island’s beguiling shores and in the elegant majesty of a single tree. This unconventional ghost story creates a unique, otherworldly feeling all its own.

108 PRAYER BEADS (108 PHRENG RDOG)
Director: Han Han Li | Canada 2012 | 8:20

Chaos and peace, darkness and light, life and death among the dualities cycling through the dynamic animation of 108 Prayer Beads. Transformation and movement, along with a compelling score, propel the spiritually steeped images through what seems like many other worlds.

THAT WHICH ONCE WAS
Director: Kimi Takesue | USA 2011 | 19:50 | Director in attendance

In the not-so-distant future, eight-year-old Vicente struggles with residual trauma from flooding that has left him homeless and orphaned. Kimi Takesue’s beautifully shot and contemplative short explores Vicente’s chance meeting and unexpected friendship with ice-carver Siku, who helps him confront memory and closure.

Tickets are just $12 ($10 for seniors and students) and are available online or at the door. Use the promo code community16 to save 25% on tickets bought online!

Full(ish) Program for October 11 Screening

We’re waiting to hear back from one more filmmaker, but I figured you’d like to see the shape of our program, since our screening is just ONE WEEK AWAY! If you can’t figure it out already, I’m insanely excited about this particular slate of films, since I put it together all by myself. Normally, the core of our programming is the Future Shorts pop-up festival selection, but our quarterly screening and their selection are slightly out of sync at the moment. Look for more from Future Shorts in the new year. In the meantime, I got to put together a whole bunch of stuff that I liked. Two of our films came through our brand new submission process which makes me very happy. And one film is from local filmmaker Matt Brown, whom I’ve known for several years now. We’re also pleased to be screening for the first time at the very snazzy Carlton Cinemas, where they even sell popcorn!

Without further preamble, here is the lineup for next week! Please join us!

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THE SECRET NUMBER

Dir: Colin Levy
USA – 2011

The Secret Number is a short sci-fi psychological drama that was created over a period of two years by a team of young filmmakers from the Savannah College of Art and Design.

Based on the short story by Igor Teper, The Secret Number is about a man whose world is thrown into question. Psychiatrist Simon Tomlin (Daniel Jones) has a troubling conversation with one of his patients, a brilliant mathematician named Ersheim (Tom Nowicki) who intends to prove the existence of a secret integer between three and four. Ersheim’s delusion compels Tomlin to dig deeper, but he only uncovers more questions — about fate, connection, and the nature of reality.

• Best Student Film – Savannah Film Festival
• Jury Award for Best Short – Charleston International Film Festival

Duration: 15:00

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FOXES

Dir: Lorcan Finnegan
Ireland – 2012

Ellen and James live alone in a silent maze of uniform houses populated only by spectral shrieking foxes. James commutes to and from work each day, leaving in the morning, returning at dusk. Ellen spends her time photographing the foxes. Her pastime becomes an obsession. An obsession that alienates James. One day she flees the house, vanishing into the endless rows of overgrown gardens…

• Official Selection – South by Southwest Film Festival
• Official Selection – Tribeca Film Festival
• Official Selection – Seattle International Film Festival
• Official Selection – Montreal World Film Festival

Duration: 15:00

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THE CUB

Dir: Riley Stearns
USA – 2012

Everyone knows that wolves make the best parents. Right?

• WORLD PREMIERE

Duration: 5:00

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AFTERMATH ON MEADOWLARK LANE

Dir: David and Nathan Zellner
USA – 2007

Family secrets are spilled after a car accident on the way to a mariachi recital.

• Official Selection – Sundance Film Festival

Duration: 10:00

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THE BALLAD OF POISONBERRY PETE

Dir: Adam Campbell, Elizabeth McMahill, and Uri Lotan
USA – 2012

This animated Western from student filmmakers at Ringling College of Art and Design could be called The Life of Pie.

• Official Selection – LA Shortsfest
• Official Selection – Cartoon Brew Student Animation Festival
• Student Grant Awardee – National Board of Review

Duration: 6:00

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EDMOND WAS A DONKEY

Dir: Franck Dion
France/Canada – 2012

Edmond is not like everybody else. A small, quiet man, Edmond has a wife who loves him and a job that he does extraordinarily well. He is, however, very aware that he is different. When his co-workers tease him by crowning him with a pair of donkey ears, he suddenly discovers his true nature.

• Bravo FACT! Award for Best Canadian Short – Worldwide Short Film Festival
• Special Jury Award – Annecy International Animated Film Festival

Duration: 14:00

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WHO REMEMBERS HOW IT ENDS?

Dir: Matthew Brown
Canada – 2012

After a raucous bachelor party, one man recognizes another in an elevator. Or does he? It’s all got something to do with The Substream.

• WORLD PREMIERE

Duration: 3:00

TIFF 2012 Shorts: A (Generous) Selection

(cross-posted from my other blog Toronto Screen Shots)

One of the more unique aspects of the Toronto International Film Festival is that its shorts programme is all-Canadian. And it’s a great showcase for young Canadian talent. Some of these filmmakers may go on to make features, but as a lover of the short film format, I urge you to appreciate these films for what they are, tiny stories that can only be told in this way.

I’ve been able to watch a good selection from this year’s six programmes and my notes follow:

Lingo (Director: Bahar Noorizadeh, 13 minutes)

Lingo uses a static camera and long shots to sort-of tell the story of a young Afghan boy who inadvertently starts a fire that burns down a neighbour’s house. A misunderstanding lands his non-English-speaking mother an uncomfortable interview with a police interpreter. I want to applaud the daring of the filmmaker, because some of the techniques used are pretty alienating to the audience, but the end result communicates a real sense of confusion and disconnection, even when someone is supposedly speaking your language.

Lingo plays in Short Cuts Canada Programme 1

Life Doesn’t Frighten Me (Director: Stephen Dunn, 14 minutes)

The biggest achievement of this film might just be getting both Gordon Pinsent and Sufjan Stevens on board. Pinsent plays the grandfather of Esther, a 13-year-old girl who is mercilessly picked on, even by her “friends.” As her only caregiver, he’s not particularly good at expressing himself, especially when there are “girl things” to be discussed. Though the film began in the key of twee (all the characters dressed in Hallowe’en costumes), it quickly won me over with its relentless toughness, from the absurd cruelty of kids to the harsh advice Esther receives from Grandpa. I love that the end titles are accompanied by a Sufjan Stevens song, too.

Life Doesn’t Frighten Me plays in Short Cuts Canada Programme 2

Asian Gangs (Directors: Lewis Bennett and Calum MacLeod, 9 minutes)

Co-director Lewis Bennett revisits an incident from Grade 5, when after a schoolyard fight, his principal warned him to change his ways or he’d “end up in an Asian gang.” Years later, Bennett, as Caucasian as ever, tries to figure out the meaning of the warning. This type of non-fiction “storytelling” short film is very difficult to pull off, and Bennett struggles with the tone, veering from out and out humour to almost public service announcement territory. Re-enacting the fight with his actual opponent is inspired, but talking to a youth worker and a former police officer about gangs bursts the bubble a bit.

Asian Gangs plays in Short Cuts Canada Programme 2

Frost (Director: Jeremy Ball, 13 minutes)

A young Artic hunter sets out on her own to provide food for her family, but when she goes beyond a boundary, she finds herself in a post-apocalyptic city where everything is unfamiliar. Does food come in packages? Is the whirring and buzzing creature she meets predator or prey? Some very slick visual effects, but this felt somewhat light on story and characterization. That being said, I would welcome a longer version and perhaps a grittier visual style where the artic landscape doesn’t look so much like a well-lit soundstage.

Frost plays in Short Cuts Canada Programme 4

When You Sleep (Director: Ashley McKenzie, 12 minutes)

While I thought Ashley McKenzie’s last short film, Rhonda’s Party, was well-made, I found the story sentimental and slight. Finally directing her own script, McKenzie has made a very different film. Jessie is pregnant and lives joylessly with Sam in a run-down, rodent-infested apartment. The pregnancy is the thinnest thread keeping them together, and when a rat becomes caught in a trap, there’s a power struggle to see who will “take care of it.” Despite the grim subject matter, I found this quite powerful and I liked the rather horrifying shots of rats scuttling around at night. It’s a powerful image of the darkness that the couple can’t seem to face in the daylight.

When You Sleep plays in Short Cuts Canada Programme 4

The Tape (Director: Matt Austin Sadowski, 6 minutes)

The casting of Julian Richings (Hard Core Logo) led me to believe that this tale of a man searching for a VCR to play an old VHS tape would be much darker. Instead, the humour of technological obsolescence isn’t really enough to sustain it and the mawkish ending didn’t really work for me, either. But it’s well-made and it is a refreshing change to see Richings with a smile on his face, even if it is somewhat bittersweet.

The Tape plays in Short Cuts Canada Programme 5

Dear Scavengers (Director: Aaron Phelan, 9 minutes)

Pitch perfect casting and just the right amount of sympathy for its cantankerous main character make this one a winner. Hrant Alianak (Pontypool) plays Hector, the owner of a used-appliance store who’s used to a certain amount of solitude. When a seemingly unending stream of tween girls enter his shop in search of a clue for their scavenger hunt, it leads to a hilarious clash of generations and personalities.

Dear Scavengers plays in Short Cuts Canada Programme 6

Chef de meute (Herd Leader) (Director: Chloe Robichaud, 13 minutes)

In this comedy, the humour is dark indeed. When Clara’s spinster aunt dies suddenly, her family suggest she take in the older woman’s pug, since, as a single woman herself, she has time to take care of it. When even the dog seems to boss her around, she turns to a dog trainer for help. In a hilarious sendup of “The Dog Whisperer,” he encourages her to be more assertive. It’s a lesson she takes to her pushy family members. Ève Duranceau plays the put-upon Clara to neurotic perfection, and the pug turns in a pretty impressive performance, too.

Chef de meute (Herd Leader) plays in Short Cuts Canada Programme 6