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At Long Last
In which we debut a new shorts competition and recommend very impressive films
Jason Sondhi
August 25, 2023
A lot of “at long lasts” in recent days—at a Georgia county jail last night something happened that a lot of people have been waiting a long time to see. In Hollywood, the AMPTP and the screenwriters are finally negotiating again (though an end isn’t quite in sight). And on the internet, after more than a decade, we’re finally doing another shorts competition…
🆕 Introducing: The Unsanctioned Shorts Competition
We’re partnering with WeTransfer on a new short film competition called Unsanctioned! It’s a showcase for filmmakers shut out from submitting to festivals due to sanctions.
Let us explain.
Unless you’re a film programmer at a festival you’re likely unaware that filmmakers from countries like Iran, Afghanistan, Cuba, and 22 others are prohibited from paying the submission fees for many international festivals due to economic sanctions. While some films from these countries do manage to receive outside support and find their way onto the international scene, there are many who never get that chance. We believe great stories cross borders and transcend politics. These are perspectives we often don’t get to hear from and are often from young, emerging filmmakers making films at great expense and personal risk. For years, we’ve heard from many of these filmmakers and we want to do something.
The Unsanctioned Shorts Competition is a free international event dedicated to celebrating these filmmakers. If you are unable to access global payment systems you can submit for FREE via Shortverse, where it’s free to join, make a page for your film, and then submit to Unsanctioned.
We’re offering great prizes for finalists and winners that will get your short film in front of an audience of millions.
Submissions are open until September 10, 2023.
📅 This Week on Short of the Week
Role-playing is the game in Australian Sophia Banks’ psychological thriller Proxy, which Adam writes is “the kind of slick and propulsive entertainment that is actually somewhat rare on this site, as it feels like a work you’re more likely to catch on TV than at an indie fest.” With Proxy optioned for TV development by Anonymous Content, that observation may yet become a reality.
Then Céline takes us to Texas for an immigrant drama that stands out from the pack. Carlos Estrada mines his childhood fears to imagine a mother missing and two children left behind. By avoiding the drama of border crossings and raids, Estrada crafts something powerfully moving, as the enormity of this new circumstance is processed over the course of a day.
A novel visual approach spruces up an activist drama about residents of an estate in north England who face losing their homes to a redevelopment plan. An award-winner at Encounters and Aesthetica, Alfie Barker profiles these residents and their bond to their community while employing a visual metaphor so simple, but so striking, that it is sheer genius.
On Thursday Scott Lazer returned to Short of the Week for the second time with a genial documentary that offers a sideways look at the globally famous tennis tournament, the US Open. Singling out the ball people who scurry on the court to recover wayward shots, there is something cheeky about focusing on those you’re supposed to ignore, and Céline feels that it is a “breath of fresh air for the sports and competition documentary genre.”
Finally, we dipped back into our recent catalog for the week’s second YouTube selection, choosing Antonio Vasaturo’s provocative short Also the Heart is a Muscle which tells the story of a boy who, having recovered from cancer, becomes obsessed with bodybuilding, awakening dormant feelings.
Thanks folks! Until next week.