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- Introducing... "Shorts Weekly" đ
Introducing... "Shorts Weekly" đ
Meet our new weekly newsletter from Short of the Week + Shortverse
Well, this is a bit different! For 15+ years, weâve emailed a feed of Short of the Week selections as a âWeekly Recapâ. However, since the launch of our new short film platform, Shortverse, Iâve been writing another, non-automated, weekly email, and Iâve come to love itâmore casual than a film review or researched article, but more considered and impactful than screaming into the social-media maw, itâs a great medium for sharing news, industry insights, and updates from the world of short film.
So, starting today, weâre combining the two into one mega newsletter that combines S/W picks along with these bonus items. I think youâll like it, but your feedback is welcome!
âJason Sondhi
đ This Week on Short of the Week
Itâs an eclectic mix this time out as Chelsea kicks us off with a film she loved from Fantasia, Frank van den Bogaartâs taut father/daughter folkloric horror short, Darker.
We followed with a series of contemporary stories that interrogate power structures in America from minority perspectives. Adam, a New Yorker of some tenure, writes about Gladimir Gelinâs NYC tale, Itâs Snowing in the Summer, which utilizes a gentrifying Harlem as both a backdrop and metaphor to explore the diverging perspectives of two old friends.
Rob writes about Chester Toyeâs sly art-world provocation, Hangtime, and the filmmakerâs critique of how black trauma is commodified in elite spaces. Toye does not pick an easy target for his satire and instead âbrings the Black art worker, artist, and collector into one frame, critically depicting a broader artistic ecosystem.â Then, CĂ©line highlights Aisha Aminâs Rumi, which takes aim at the world of fashion. âMaking Rumi was my attempt to investigate the experience of being a Muslim woman in an industry built around appearances, performance, and tokenismâ
Lastly, Rob brings us the 2nd installment of our new series, Meet the Gatekeepers, which seeks to identify important individuals in the short film ecosystem who possess the power to fund, produce, program, or distribute your work. We ask them about what they do, what they look for, and how they discover and engage with talent. We thank Nicolas Schmerkin for joining!
đȘ Shortverse Collections

We have a number of tennis fans on the team and the ongoing Championships at Wimbledon have not only provided me with great background TV during the workday but they also inspired this silly playlist of 9 shorts that feature the sport in ways big and small. Featuring early work from Lloyd Lee Choi (whose Same Old was a Cannes Official Selection) viral animator Victoria âvewnâ Vincent, and James Gallagher, last seen at Tribeca 2023 with the acclaimed feature documentary, Songs About Fucking.

As part of Robâs interview with Nicolas Schmerkin, we asked the lauded producer to take the proverbial trip down memory lane and curate for us a selection of shorts that he thinks best defines his company. Stretching 16 years, the collection is a personal guide to one of animationâs most influential filmographies and includes iconic shorts like the Oscar-winner Logorama and work from Unicorn Wars director, Alberto VĂĄzquez.
đż New Shortverse releases weâve been enjoyingâŠ
đ Fun Stuff to Check Out
The LA Times ran a piece on short films streaming on the internet. â Iâm quoted a couple of times, but the piece mainly centers on our friends at Omeleto.
All of Irelandâs Oscar-nominated shorts in a single free collection â A lot of the highlights have been online for a while, like Fifty Percent Grey by Ruari Robinson but others havenât, like Cartoon Saloonâs delightful Late Afternoon.
Vanity Fair launches A-List Interview Series - Weâve got a lot of admiration for Franklin Leonard who is hosting the new video series. Stephanie Hsu is his first guest.
Kickstarter Campaign for Grace, a âBlack Southern Gothicâ short film - I already contributed to this interesting-sounding project from Natalie J. Harris that is peppered with S/W alums. Check it out.
Cheers to the actors of SAG-AFTRA as theyâve joined the writers guild in striking against the AMPTP here in the States. These things are never black & white, but increasingly the ability of new talent to enter and grow within the industry has felt unviable. With another guild in tow, perhaps negotiations can take on a new urgency.
President of SAG-AFTRA Fran Drescher's speech against the AMPTP was fantastic. A historical day.
â Todd Spence (@Todd_Spence)
7:49 PM âą Jul 13, 2023