Short of the Week

Nuit Blanche

A passing moment between two strangers becomes unforgettable as this film shows us what love at first sight must truly feel like.

A new film from Spy Films is always an event. This is the house that brought us Alive in Joburg, which was adapted into an Oscar-nominated film, and Trevor Cawood’s Terminus, which, thanks to Film School Rejects, I recently learnt might follow the same path.

Nuit Blanche is unlikely to follow in its predecessor’s footsteps though. Thinner in concept and story, the 4 min film nonetheless is fat in style, featuring the customary groundbreaking VFX we expect from the house. Directed by Arev Manoukian, the film centers on a passing encounter by two people who share a charged moment. The B&W short faithfully reproduces a 50′s noir film effect that’s gorgeous in its own right before hyper-reality sets in.

I found this film via occasional SotW contributor Dek, who, after a long break, is back to publishing content at an inhuman pace over at No Fat Clips! He has a a 1080p version of the film you should check out. Also a making of is provided over at Vimeo.

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Sondhi approaches films from the perspective of an uber-fan, knowledgeable film academic, and occasional filmmaker. His tendency to over-think his film criticisms is due to a background in Philosophy, but he is putting useless intellectualizing aside for this site.
  • El Vez

    Appreciated this even more after watching the awesome making of video

  • http://www.polymixmedia.com Andrew S Allen

    This is a beautiful short moment perfect for the short film format. It’s always a pleasure to see what comes from Spy Films.

  • Jason Sondhi

    Word on the street is that Timur Bekmambetov (Night Watch, Wanted) is working with director Arev Manoukian to develop a feature film after seeing this. Damn S=short film is truly where it’s at now huh?

  • http://www.shortoftheweek.com/2010/10/09/vimeo-awards-2010/ Vimeo Awards 2010 « Short of the Week

    [...] Arev Manoukian, 4 min—Slighter than even The Raven, yet much more impressive visually as well. We featured this as a SotM earlier in the year. Definitely worth a viewing but is it substantial enough to win the [...]

  • http://www.facebook.com/jasondhi Jason Sondhi

    Arev and Spy Films recreate the style of Nuit Blanche for a Sony commercial.

    Regular:      http://vimeo.com/30402087
    3D:               http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9h0ZrMB1TI4