Short of the Week
As the BAFTAs and the Oscars look to once again recognise the talents of short filmmakers as part of their ceremonies next month (March 2022), here at Short of the Week we continue our annual tradition of making short films the sole focus of our very own awards season.
With our team immersed in the worlds of filmmaking, festivals and distribution, I don’t think it would be too conceited to claim we are an authoritative source when it comes to recognising talent in short film and this is what the Short Awards are all about. For us, this prize-giving isn’t only about showcasing the exciting, innovative work we feature on our platform, it’s about championing the creativity behind them. If the next generation of filmmakers will rise from the world of short film, our awards are given to those we believe will take this next step.
On to the awards…it’s always a difficult but informative experience revisiting the films we feature over a year and 2021 was no expectation. From the 233 shorts we featured in 2021, each member of our editorial team selected a top 10, which resulted in a long list of just over 50 titles. From here we separated the films into categories and had (a lot of) discussions around worthy winners and special mentions. Many of those decisions were easy, with standout films in certain categories, others were much more difficult.
In the end, we narrowed it down to a selection of 14 films (seven categories – with a winner and special mention) that we’re proud to name as Short Award winners. Make a note of the names listed below, they should all have a bright future in the world of filmmaking – Rob Munday (Managing Editor)
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BEST ANIMATION
La Neige Incertaine (The Uncertain Snow)
dir. Marion Boisrond, Marie-Liesse Coumau, Ada Hernaez, Gwendoline Legendre & Romane Tisseau
Is it the painterly brushstrokes of its animation or the piercing portrait of love unrequited that has made us melt for La Neige Incertaine? All I know is that this film from students at the Gobelins school of Paris is a grand achievement—sexy, sensorial, and completely immersive. Following a wildlife photographer hunkered down at a base near the North Pole, she faces imminent mortal danger from polar bears and the elements, but it is a force that is equally powerful, mysterious, and brutal which she has made herself vulnerable to—the whims of romantic love. – Jason Sondhi
[READ THE REVIEW]
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Special Mention: Migrants
dir. Hugo Caby, Antoine Dupriez, Aubin Kubiak, Lucas Lermytte, Zoé Devise
A gut-wrenching and visually brilliant student animation, Migrants follows two polar bears as they’re forced to flee their homeland in search of a new beginning. Centred around important themes of both immigration and global warming, this eight-minute short from five Pôle 3D graduates serves its pressing message through an easily-accessible, cute animated style. A festival favourite and an impressive calling card for its creators, Migrants is a short that delivers on multiple levels – Rob Munday
[READ THE REVIEW]
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BEST COMEDY
A Puff Before Dying
dir. Michael Reich and Mike Pinkney
Funded by the National Road and Safety Foundation, this warped horror-comedy is a real Public Service Announcement that will make you think twice about getting behind the wheel stoned. An instant favorite of mine after its jaw-dropping premiere in SXSW’s Midnight Shorts program, A Puff Before Dying plays like a twisted parody of the over-dramatized road safety videos we were all forced to watch in Driver’s Ed. Utilizing incredible marionettes, cheeky dialogue, copious amounts of marijuana smoke, and blood – lots and lots of blood – this is a colorful hallucinogenic fever dream of epic proportions. The unanimous winner of our Best Comedy, sit back and get ready for the last ride of your life 😉 – Chelsea Lupkin
[READ THE REVIEW]
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Special Mention: I Love Your Guts
dir. David Janove
I Love Your Guts from director David Janove is a comedy, yes, but it’s also dark and weird and unpredictable. It somehow manages to take the tension of slasher horror and combine it with a coming-of-age tale about friendship that grapples with burgeoning sexuality. And, oh, yeah, it’s also funny. It’s a film that defies genre, treating both its characters and the violence it portrays seriously, while also not missing the moment for an opportune moment of slapstick (someone gets stabbed in the ass, people). Beyond that, it’s one of the warmest depictions of platonic female camaraderie I’ve ever seen in a short – Ivan Kander
[READ THE REVIEW]
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BEST DOCUMENTARY
Y’a pas d’heure pour les femmes (Ain’t No Time for Women)
dir. Sarra El Abed
Arguably, featuring one of the best characters to grace our screen in the past couple of years Hajja Fatma (the filmmaker’s grandmother), Sarra El-Abed’s cinéma vérité approach captures the bustling hair salon where the film is set with the utmost authenticity. I never thought I’d see the true essence of Tunisian women and its nuances captured so remarkably in a film, but amidst the flow of insightful and engaging conversations, we really do feel as if we’re spending time in the company of these strong, charismatic characters – Céline Roustan
[READ THE REVIEW]
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Special Mention: A Broken House
dir. Jimmy Goldblum
It’s been 5 years since I wrote about how filmmakers were tackling the immense humanitarian crisis of the Syrian War and the apathy of the Western world in response. Predictably, the war has receded from the news, yet the consequences for millions still reverberate. What new perspective can be brought to the subject at this point though? Filmmaker Jimmy Goldblum does a smart thing in A Broken House, resisting the spectacle of violence and deprivation in order to spend time with one single Syrian artist, living in exile, and pursuing Art that helps make sense of the shattered pieces of his former life. As an artist profile, it’s a reassuringly familiar formula, but with uncommon depth and superior aesthetics, as the film allows its subject to ruminate on the ache of what has been lost, and the fight to preserve it, even if only in memory. – Jason Sondhi
[READ THE REVIEW]
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BEST DRAMA
Are You Still There?
dir. Rayka Zehtabchi and Sam Davis
Rayka Zehtabchi and Sam Davis’ SXSW drama is a deceptively simple piece about a character being forced to grapple with the loss of her father. The incident that spawns her epiphany is purposely mundane (calling AAA and giving her father’s name on the account), and as such, reveals how grief never really goes away. It’s a simple journey about a young woman contextualizing her loss, but, as I’ve said before on the site, the film is not interested in displaying grief just to make you as a viewer feel bad about it. Rather, things build to a surprisingly warm place, showing a mother and daughter relationship that is compassionate and effecting. Yes, we may lose people, but we are so lucky to still get to spend time with those we love – Ivan Kander
[READ THE REVIEW]
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Special Mention: Bruiser
dir. Miles Warren
An unforgettable exploration of toxic masculinity, Miles Warren’s festival favourite lands its initial blow through its central scene of two fathers scrapping it out in a bowling alley, with their kids as uncomfortable spectators. However, it’s the aftermath of that fight that provides the resonating impact, as we witness Darious trying to process his father’s actions and how it affects his own behaviour it makes for a tense and emotional experience – Rob Munday
[READ THE REVIEW]
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BEST GENRE
Stuffed
dir. Theo Rhys
While I’ve never had a predilection for genre films, every year there’s one that instantly goes to the top of my yearly faves and in 2021 it was Stuffed. To say that Theo Rhys’ BAFTA-nominated short is wild, is quite an understatement! With fun lyrics, catchy tunes that stay with you once the film ends (the ultimate sign of a good musical) and a gorgeous visual aesthetic, the film subverts expectations with how emotionally effective it actually is. Who could have imagined that a musical about taxidermy would be so compelling? – Céline Roustan
[READ THE REVIEW]
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Special Mention: Sudden Light
dir. Sophie Littman
When award season comes around, the S/W team already has a pretty good idea of what films will get recognition, yet impressively, Sophie Littman’s Sudden Light slides into our runner-up spot despite only releasing at the very end of the year. Gorgeously shot on 16mm in the English countryside, this undeniably innovative psychological horror will spiral you into a nightmare with no way out, the elevated approach to storytelling subverting most expectations of the horror genre – Chelsea Lupkin
[READ THE REVIEW]
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BEST LGBTQ+
Yulia & Juliet
dir. Zara Dwinger
Love can make you do crazy things and for these two troubled teens, it’s finding out how to face the world together. In a modern reimagining of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Zara Dwinger’s Yulia & Juliet is a vulnerable look at young adulthood and budding feelings, ironically protected within the walls of a female juvenile delinquent detention center. A stunning portrayal of sensuality and destruction in the name of love, Dwinger’s LGBTQ+ drama has racked up almost 10m views on YouTube, becoming an instant hit online. Like everyone else who’s watched this short, I was completely sucked into this coming-of-age romance and was absolutely inspired by the triumphant ending – Chelsea Lupkin
[READ THE REVIEW]
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Special Mention: Sunday’s Child
dir. Maisie Richardson-Sellers
A welcoming hug of a film, Sunday’s Child immerses you in the world of its initially isolated protagonist as she ventures on a journey of discovery and finds a sense of belonging. Opening with a sense of solitude, the culmination of Maisie Richardson-Sellers’ directorial debut is brimming with hope and warmth as it shares its universal and topical message – the importance of community – Rob Munday
[READ THE REVIEW]
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The Trailblazer Award
Don’t Go Tellin’ Your Momma
dir. Topaz Jones & Rubberband
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a trailblazer is a pioneer. A more than accurate description of the director duo rubberband and Topaz Jones, if their co-directed short, Don’t Go Tellin’ Your Momma, is anything to go by. With an incredibly clever structure, they blend and juggle styles, enhancing the visual flair of their film while deepening its emotional impact. This allows the film to be a striking visual album for Jones’ latest record, but the true success of their collaboration lies in the fact that it also stands alone as a remarkably powerful documentary – Céline Roustan
[READ THE REVIEW]
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Special Mention: How to Raise a Black Boy
dir. Justice Jamal Jones
Inspired by Peter Pan, Justice Jamal Jones’ experimental fairytale playfully crosses the genre borders with a sense of freedom that feels like it could only exist in short film. A personal tale with a wealth of insight, How To Raise A Black Boy is an ambitious and unique piece of filmmaking that announced its creator as an emerging and exciting voice to keep an eye on in the future – Rob Munday
[READ THE REVIEW]
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