It may not be Sundance or Cannes, but out of Nijmegen, Netherlands, the GoShort International Film Festivalan exciting, young European Short Film Festhas put together a rather nice online program in support of it's 3rd edition next month.

From now until March 31st, the festival will be showing 10 short films on its website, ranging from 2min to 7min30. Organizers have curated a lineup that is well-suited to internet audiences, full of short tearjerkers, outrageous comedies and pretty animations. You can rate each film after watching and on the basis of that a winner will be presented with 1,500 in a ceremony March 19th.

The initial highlight of the program is Suiker, which just a week or two ago took home the Best Comedy and Audience Award at the most important short film fest out there, Clermont-Ferrand. But is it my favorite? Read below as I give my thoughts on 5 of the 10 films in this post. I'll come back next week to take a look at the other 5. Follow the link at the bottom to watch the films.

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White Line, dir: Michal and Uri Kranot2min

White Tape explores the theme of boundaries; the frame, the space between brushstrokes and the implications of occupation.

You've heard of macro-photography in film right? Movies shot in perpetually extreme closeup, but how about in animation? That's what White Line does. Its pretty to look at, and while the intended metaphor is lost on me, at 2min I'm happy to indulge my time.

Kraddy: Android Porn, dir: Andreas Kronbeck & Tobias Knipf (Musclebeaver)4min40

Yellow. Sweat. Muscles. Official music video for Mochipets Godzillaporn Remix for Android Porn by Kraddy.

I had a big smile on my face when I saw the first images of this. Ludicrous in a distinctly European way. However the gimmick runs out of steam not even half-way through the 4min40 runtime. Music videos with no narrative have to be exemplary to gain my backing, and this one falls just short. The track was bangin' though.

Suiker, dir: Jeroen Annokkeé7min30

Bert's scantily dressed neighbour, Klaasje, comes by to borrow a cup of sugar. When she lets the cup slip from her hands, they both try to catch it. Their heads bang together and Klaasje falls downstairs.

The Clermont-Ferrand winner, and it is indeed pretty darn good. A bit racy, with some T and V showing, but it is a European short after all! This is one of those familiar films where things just keeping getting worse for our protagonist; but though there is death and blood, director Jeroen Annokkeé keeps the mood light throughout the film, so I struggle to call it a "Black Comedy" in the traditional sense.

Are You Leaving, dir: Cristina Molino7min

What is written behind those books of dragons, princes and princesses? Once upon a time the reality.

A very lovely and accomplished effort technically. Preparing to run away with her lover, a woman is found out by her abusive husband. Most of the film is comprised of a very lovely continuous steadicam shot, but its virtuosity is for no real reasoneveryone holds still like in recent freeze-time gimmick shorts inspired by Carousel ,(accomplished here by having the actors simply hold still) however the dialogue continues the timeline off camera, so I'm unsure of the point. The drama of an abused woman and dashed hopes of escape is powerful, but the ending is a bit of a mess as her (in)actions are never really explained adequately.

Ben Hora, dir: Nicolas Bianco-Levin & Julie Rembauville4min

A migrants' family arrives by boat in a fantasized new world. The movie stages the disappointment in front of the absurd laws of our society.

Well that was a bit of a surprise. Shadow animation over charcoal drawings sets one up for a rather somber or dark affair, however this film has some spunk to it, especially when the birds get in on the action. Basically an absurdist cops and robbers chase ensues, and though it lags in the middle, it ends up a fairly fun experience overall.

Check out the GoShort Film Festival Online Program