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Things heat up with Oscar voting around the corner, and a 'From the Archive' look at an early short from one of Hollywood's hottest young screenwriters.
Jason Sondhi
December 08, 2023
It’s a busy stretch for Short Film. High-profile releases are arriving online in great numbers, hoping to generate buzz in advance of next week’s Academy shortlist vote. As a result, Short of the Week is publishing at an unusual pace, with a new piece every day last week. We’ve got fresh picks and writing going out this weekend too, so there is no time to waste, let’s get to the films!
But first, the initial programming announcement from Sundance has arrived. Congrats to the teams selected, and specifically to our S/W alums with feature projects, including Sean Wang, Thea Hvistendahl, Haley Elizabeth Anderson, and Greg Jardin!
📅 This Week on Short of the Week
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Céline began the week for us by highlighting this joyful and life-affirming story about mortality. Filmmaker Tiger Ji channels his grandfather’s “insistence on never taking life seriously,” to craft a funny, yet earnest and moving, version of “Death Takes a Holiday”.
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Céline reviews this emotionally potent Jordanian short from Ahmad Alyaseer. By custom, the washing of a dead body should be performed by family members of the same gender, but this presents confusion and conflict for a couple grieving their deceased transgender daughter. Familial bonds, cultural tradition, and loss intersect in this short that won “Best Narrative Short” at Nashville—qualifying it for Oscar.
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Inspired by true events, Joshua Okwuosa crafts a tense thriller taking place over a single day. Our protagonist is helpless in more ways than one, separated by an ocean from the situation and forced to rely on others, Okwuosa aggressively focuses on the perspective of our isolated main character which “allows the audience to grasp the emotional toll, the pain, bleakness and despair,” of this nightmare situation.
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A highwire act of tonal modulation, this new comedy from S/W alum Joel Jay Blacker takes an altruistic act of kindness between friends and spins it in directions unexpected. While its absurdity makes it uncomfortable at points, Blacker coyly asks the audience, “why?”, noting to Rob in his review that, “We don’t often get films where two men just express their love for one another.”
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A fan-favorite on the festival circuit since winning the prestigious “Short Film Grand Jury Prize” at Sundance in January, Kayla Abuda Galang makes her second appearance on Short of the Week with this period-set film. Céline says “This slice-of-life short is an immersive trip into a family meal that leaves us just happy to have been invited!”
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In addition to the five featured short film picks this week, Short of the Week also published a pair of editorial pieces last weekend…
Rob highlights the return of this celebrated development program by speaking to executives Myah Jeffers and Georgia Goggin about the initiative's goals. Click to read their chat and how to apply. Submissions are open through the end of the year!
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Our monthly spotlight of the S/W programming team’s favorite picks. 19 featured shorts in Movember were whittled to three, Crack Shot, Cuties, and Puffling! Congrats to Alex Cohen, Theo W. Scott, and Jessica Bishopp!
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🍿 Shortverse releases you’ve been enjoying…
From Eugene Kolb, an animated short that won the Audience Award at the Brooklyn FF. Dani Bordelon was effusive in her praise, noting:
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A tonally interesting short from Nitzan Mager, it channels Wes Anderson circa Rushmore vibes before revealing something else up its sleeve entirely!
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A short, 3min experimental piece from Antonio Vasaturo. The combination of photography, imagery, and sound design is disturbing, and deeply affecting.
🎟 Coming soon that we’re excited about…
Of next week’s S/W picks I recommend you take care not to miss this one from the celebrated photographer Bertil Nilsson. A unique experience, the visual splendor of the photography eases one’s immersion into a fascinating concept that explores heartbreak via a floating and improvised narrative that blurs presence and absence.
🏛️ From the Archive: a Short by Samy Burch & Alex Mechanik
I adore the filmmaker Todd Haynes (I wrote a thesis on his work in college) and naturally I loved May December which hit Netflix last week. The internet has been effusive with praise for Haynes and the actors, but the breakout star of the project just might be the screenwriter of the film, Samy Burch.
We first encountered Burch almost 10 years ago via this short, co-directed with her frequent collaborator Alex Mechanik (who received a “Story” credit on May December). A no-budget effort, despite the limitations the integrity of the production and performances shone through at the time, with our former colleague, Bob the Moo remarking, “There is not an aspect of this that doesn't convince, feel real, and engage."
Burch is also the screenwriter of Dave Green’s shelved Wile E. Coyote film, which we’ve previously discussed, and which deserves, and hopefully will see, a release in the coming months. With an Oscar nomination likely in her future, check out this early effort that showcased her developing talent.
Thanks for reading!