WE BUY GOLD - Short Film by David Huang & Albie Smith-Chang

Watching hundreds of short films each year, you’d be forgiven for thinking a degree of fatigue must eventually creep into the decision-making process. And while I can’t pretend that never happens, the world of short film is filled with such inventive and exciting work that it’s impossible not to come away from certain films genuinely energised. Every so often, a short comes along that feels unlike anything you’ve seen before. Heading to the Ouray International Film Festival to present the inaugural Short of the Week Award, that was exactly the kind of discovery I was hoping for – and exactly what I found in David Huang and Albie Smith-Chang’s utterly singular WE BUY GOLD.

A standout in a programme packed with exceptional short films – including work from Short of the Week alum’s William Lancaster, Jonathan Pickett, Kevin Xian Ming Yu, Julian Doan, Joey Izzo, Carter Amelia Davis and Pranav Bhasin – WE BUY GOLD possesses an energy that is instantly intoxicating. Shot entirely on an iPhone and framed to resemble covert footage – often filmed from hip level, as though the filmmakers are trying not to draw attention to themselves – the film blurs the line between fiction and documentary. In fact, it would be easy to mistake Huang and Smith-Chang’s short for a real-life slice of Americana and it’s this grounded, immersive quality that gives the film so much of its captivating power.

Huang & Smith-Chang take advantage of the iPhone’s small profile, “choosing angles and shots that utilized the iPhone’s ability to be placed in a lot of places where it would be difficult to get a cinema camera”

As we follow Huang (who also co-writes, co-directs and stars in the film) and his real-life friend David Ma on a frantic journey across New York City in search of an elusive gold coin, it’s almost impossible not to get swept up in the momentum. The film’s kinetic shooting style is perfectly matched by the infectious chemistry between its two leads, whose real-life friendship gives every exchange an effortless sense of banter and spontaneity. Along the way, a colourful supporting cast continually complicates their quest, with director Tennyson Bardwell stealing every scene he’s in as the unforgettable Kenny Nazi. Each encounter adds another obstacle to the pair’s increasingly chaotic mission, while also making Huang and Smith-Chang’s offbeat world feel richer, stranger, and completely alive.

A quick glance at the end credits of WE BUY GOLD tells you almost everything you need to know about its production. Just three screens, with around half the names belonging to the cast, confirms the film’s low-budget, run-and-gun approach. While that style was undoubtedly shaped by financial limitations, it also proves to be the perfect fit for such a high-energy, unpredictable story. The co-director’s filmmaking never feels compromised by its constraints; if anything, it’s empowered by them.

Speaking to Huang and Smith-Chang at Ouray – before they knew they had won the first-ever Short of the Week Award – they revealed that this wasn’t always the plan. Early on, they had considered shooting the film in a much more conventional fashion with a two-camera setup. While I’d be fascinated to see what that version looked like, it’s hard to imagine it having the same impact. The discreet, handheld cinematography doesn’t just capture the action, it becomes part of it, heightening both the immediacy and chaotic momentum of the film in a way that feels completely inseparable from its identity.

“We wanted to cast non-actors, we wanted to shoot in real environments, and we wanted to shoot super scrappily” – Huang & Smith-Chan on their production

That chaos is never more apparent than in the film’s final moments. As Huang and Ma run from the coin show after somehow managing to recoup some of their losses, their faces are filled with pure joy. Yet, moments later, as they sit together on the subway, the energy shifts entirely – they grow quieter, more sombre, reflecting on everything that has just unfolded. It’s a rare moment of calm in a film defined by chaos, and its impact lands with surprising poignancy. It feels like the perfect way to end WE BUY GOLD. The story doesn’t offer closure so much as release; it resists the idea that these characters’ journeys are neatly concluded, instead leaving their future escapades to play out in our imagination.

But if anything, it’s the future of Huang and Smith-Chang that feels most compelling. If this is what they can achieve with such limited resources, it’s hard not to be excited about what comes next for them as filmmakers – and we’re incredibly proud to play a small part in championing their boundless talent.

Think your film could be next year’s Short of the Week Award winner? Submissions for the 2027 Ouray International Film Festival are now open.