Short of the Week
As we kicked of 2024 with a look back at all we’d achieved in 2023, in our Year in Review article, the rest of January has been spent looking forward, as we’ve hunkered down and made plans for the rest of the year. More of what we have planned will be revealed over the coming weeks.
In the short term, we aimed our gaze towards the near future and the Oscar ceremony in early March. Although they may not be the most respected of all the prize-givings in the short film world, nothing can match the buzz of the Academy Awards and once again our coverage has proven popular. When the voting opened, on January 11th, we proved a guide for the selectors, recommending our favourites from the 45 shortlisted films. Before joining the celebrations by helping to share the nominations, when they were announced on January 23rd – and it was good news for a number of S/W alums, who’ll now have their eyes on one of those illustrious trophies on March 10th.
January also marks the commencement of the festival season, and as always, it kicked off in Park City, Utah, with the latest edition of Sundance. As is often the case nowadays, plenty of S/W alums were in attendance with new films and we proved a round-up in our short-centric guide of the festival.
In terms of what’s coming-up…our YT channel is rapidly approaching the 1-million subscribers milestone, an achievement we’ll be celebrating in a number of ways (keep an eye out for announcements!). And our own annual prize-giving, the Short Awards, will take place in early February, where a hand-picked jury will select the best films featured on S/W in 2023 and you’ll all get a chance to vote for our Audience Choice award. – Rob Munday, Managing Editor.
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Team Favorites
In terms of the films featured on S/W in January, 14-titles graced our pages, ranging from bodybuilding fever dreams to inspiring docs about centuries-old subcultures. However, only three could make our Best of the Month picks and the team has opted for a documentary celebrating an unusual Inuit tradition, an inventive tale from a West African hair-salon and an insightful period drama about the first documented Chinese woman to come to the United States.
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Astonishing Feet by Maegan Houang
While delving into the shadows of Asian American history, Astonishing Little Feet emerges from a more optimistic perspective for Houang, with the filmmaker expressing an aspiration that the short provides Asian American women with “the same catharsis and insight” that she personally gained from reading Moy’s story.
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Nalujuk Night by Jennie Williams
The transportive quality of the film allows us the rare opportunity to be present at such a unique event and witness a community having fun with its cultural heritage. Yet Williams is also successful in effectively capturing just how enthralling the night is, to the point where we even feel the excitement of being chased by a Nalujuit and how that night brings everyone, of all generations, together.
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Precious Hair & Beauty by John Ogunmuyiwa
An inventive and surprising portrait of an eclectic community, shot from within the confines of a West African hair salon, this 11-minute short is an example of the filmmaking that makes Ogunmuyiwa one of the most promising talents in the UK scene . . . In its concise run-time, Precious Hair & Beauty expertly encapsulates tragedy, drama, comedy, and even a touch of science fiction, transcending its ostensibly straightforward premise to emerge as a truly enchanting and magical cinematic experience.
Shortverse Best of the Month
Click on the image to see the hand-picked collection of the best short films added to Shortverse in January
If you want more recommendations on short films to watch, head over to Shortverse where our team picked 14 short films as our Best of the Month selections for Janury 2023, including new work from Danish school The Animation Workshop, a dramatic retelling of an infamous copyright case and an inventive animation about an overworked woman.