Short of the Week
If you’ve been keeping up with our weekly email, you might have noticed that April brought a wave of negativity to the filmmaking world. Amidst a series of ‘pessimistic editorials on the state of the industry‘, we received the unfortunate news that Encounters festival, a personal favourite of mine, has decided to cancel its 2024 edition.
Naturally, this announcement was disheartening and come September, I’ll obvious miss the opportunity to connect with the many familiar faces Encounters would attract. Nevertheless, here at Short of the Week, we always strive to maintain a positive outlook and despite the recent setbacks, it’s our opinion that the significance of short films has only grown stronger. During times of transition for the industry, it becomes crucial to demonstrate that filmmaking remains as vital, inventive, and thrilling as ever. Short films consistently excel in these aspects, as evidenced by our regular selections – which we hope are a testament to their enduring importance and innovation. – Rob Munday, Managing Editor
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Team Favorites
The 14 titles selected for S/W in April are a great example of the diversity that short film offers, with observational documentaries, pixel art adventures, sci-fi anthologies and a talking penis puppet all featured over the 30-days of the month. However, for the trio of films highlighted as our Best of the Month picks, the S/W team selected a period drama focused on performance and dialogue, a playful documentary exploring the routines of non-playable characters in video games and an experimental animation unravelling the creative process.
Guests by Timi Akindele-Ajani
A period piece tackling modern themes, Timi Akindele-Ajani’s Guests transports it viewers to ‘70s London as we join a Nigerian couple welcoming an English colleague, and his partner, into their home for dinner. With its focus on dialogue and performance, Guests unfolds as a gripping domestic drama, confined to a single location yet echoing broader societal issues.
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Hardly Working by Total Refusal
The reigning Best European Short, recently selected a Vimeo Staff Pick, and before that an online premiere in the New York Times. On the festival circuit, a winner of awards at Vienna and Locarno to name only a few. We have been fascinated by this piece for over a year, finding it provoking and captivating.
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Sit Down, Don’t Touch Anything by Frederic Siegel
Inspired by director Frederic Siegel’s own “struggles with creativity”, Sit Down, Don’t Touch Anything is a unique animated short that steers it viewers through four steps of creativity, with a freshly born face as a guide. Posing the question, “what happens when you reach a goal that you set yourself?”, Siegel’s five-minute combines an experimental narrative approach with an eye-catching aesthetic to create a truly thought-provoking viewing experience.
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Shortverse Best of the Month
Click on the image to see the short films our Shortverse team picked as their Best of the Month for April 2024
If you’re looking for more short films to watch, then head over to Shortverse, where the team has suggested a further 11 titles for your viewing pleasure. Featuring new work from S/W regulars Paul Trillo and Job, Joris & Marieke, an animated microshort featuring Zozia Mamet and a short penned by Neil LaBute, you’re sure to find something to suit your tastes in this collection.