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A note on the fires, Oscar nomination voting is here, a look ahead to Kickstarter's short film celebration, and a highly anticipated recap to the year in feature film
Jason Sondhi
January 13, 2025
Our hearts go out to the people of Los Angeles, the fires that have struck are a tragedy. I was in the city last week and witnessed that now all-too-familiar apocalyptic hue of the skyline. We’ve heard of numerous Short of the Week community members losing their homes. The business of entertainment is, rightfully, on pause.
The fires are not contained and it is impossible to say when normalcy will be restored, or if it ever will be. Here at S/W, we are fortunate that our team has not been affected so we will continue to publish as normal. However, expect a lighter volume as certain scheduled film releases are postponed to allow filmmakers time to deal with the damage.
If you’re in a position to help, please do. We’re not on the ground to vet, but Indiewire published a guide to major funds and non-profits active in the recovery, and Mutual Aid LA Network has put together the most comprehensive list of resources we’ve seen. Any of the orgs listed can use your donations of time or money. If you’re an alum and have GoFundMe campaigns to help support yourselves or loved ones, send them our way and we’ll do our best to signal boost.
No one needs a pep talk from me, and I don’t want to provide a cheery front for what is a miserable catastrophe. But, if there is a community uniquely capable of taking on the challenges of crisis it is the filmmaking one. After all, we’re used to coming together in collective action, balancing creativity and pragmatism, and working incredibly hard to make the impossible possible. I hope we all help to write a strong and uplifting next act to this story.
🔗 10 Things We’re Paying Attention To
A Voter’s Guide for Oscar Nominations - Voting has been extended to Tuesday due to the fires. I’m confident that the Academy voters are diligent and informed, but if they are at all susceptible to persuasion, this post details our official endorsements. What made our cut? Which category is this year’s weakest link? Read and find out.
Variety Makes its Oscar Shorts Predictions - I have no idea of the accuracy of these, I doubt Variety even does, but it’s an interesting data point for those obsessed, as increasingly I am, in trying to understand the awards race.
Apple’s Spring Film Shot on iPhone - These Apple seasonal films by acclaimed (and often surprising) cinema auteurs, are becoming quite the events. We featured one from Takeshi Miike last year as an S/W Official Selection, and this one, a 90s jukebox musical, comes from Michael Gracey, known for The Greatest Showman and the recent Robbie Williams-as-a-chimpanzee biopic Better Man.
Flickerfest Announces its Upcoming Lineup - One of my bucket-list festivals to attend is Australia’s Flickerfest, which kicks off its 34th edition this week. Screenhub covered the lineup announcement for the Academy and BAFTA-qualifying fest and teases some exciting premieres, including a new Nash Edgerton short and the directing debut of TV star, Yvonne Strahovski.
How To Get VFX into Your Sundance Film - The title of this podcast episode caught my eye and it’s a good listen! Ian Failes of the VFX mag before & afters talks to Alex Noble, founder of Wild Union Post about the many indie films the company works on. Noble then provides tips and tricks to filmmakers on maximizing the quality of their low-budget film’s VFX.
A New From Ground Zero Short on YouTube - We’ve mentioned this Palestinian short film anthology that is in the running for Best International Picture on a couple of occasions, and we hosted an exclusive short on S/W. A new short from the project has hit free streaming, Soft Skin, is available to watch on the Al Jazeera English YouTube channel.
Kickstarter’s Short Film Month is Coming Up
Long Story Short: Open Call - Kickstarter’s annual celebration of short films is back this March—if you’re thinking about running a campaign, now is the time to make plans. Between now and March 2025, Kickstarter will share resources for short-form filmmakers. Then in March, they’ll promote shorts in Kickstarter newsletters, on social media, and more. Learn more and apply here!
Bad Bunny Directs Short Film Introducing New Album - Sharing a name with his new album, the short film Debí Tirar Más Fotos (I Should Have Taken More Photos), is an interesting piece when compared to normal musician vanity shorts. For one, Bad Bunny writes and directs it himself (in collaboration with Arí Maniel Cruz Suárez), then casts a legendary Puerto Rican filmmaker in the lead role. I think it’s still just a piece for fans, but when the most-streamed artist in the world writes/directs a short film it is a newsworthy event.
Streaming Recommendation: Bring Your Own Brigade - With the LA fires on top of so many minds, it is only normal to seek out films that shed light on what we’re seeing in the news and feeds. There have been several good documentaries about recent wildfires, but my top recommendation is Lucy Walker’s 2021 Sundance feature, Bring Your Own Brigade. Walker is a gifted documentarian who moves fluidly between features, television, and shorts, winning top prizes in each medium. The first half of this two-hour film is visceral, hi-drama scenes from inside wildfires, including the 2018 fires that devastated Paradise and Malibu. But, the second half takes a journalistic approach, detailing California’s history of fires, seeking out experts to shed light on the disparate issues of fire prevention and land management, and using the power of storytelling to depict and dramatize the thorny political and human realities that make it difficult to enact best practices. You can stream the film for free on CBSN.
The 25 Best Films of 2024 Countdown - David Ehrlich, head critic for Indiewire, has made increasingly extravagant video supercuts of his personal Top 25 Films list for the past 13 years. I adore them, and they are a supremely fun time capsule of the year in film. Just out today, his 2024 video is his biggest and grandest yet. Go here to catch up on prior years and, if you appreciate David’s efforts, consider donating to the charity campaign that he has tied to the release which benefits The Palestine Red Crescent Society.
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