We’re nearing the halfway point of this year’s HollyShorts Film Festival, and while we’ve already seen so many incredible films, there is still so much more to go! Today’s blocks will include a look into the weird and wild as part of the Midnight Madness category, will include some romance, a bit of science fiction, some thrillers, documentaries and a big spotlight on Asian and AAPI filmmakers. Make sure to stick around as well for our interview with Lola Blanc, director of the film Pruning, which is a top pick for favorites of the festival. Let’s get to it!
You’re My Best Friend – A newly single woman tests potential matches by seeing how they deal with a very, very large cockroach. Directed by Chell Stephen and starring Romina D’Ugo and Blair Socci as Livvie the Cockroach. This is a hilarious and ridiculous film that is sure to leave audiences having the unfamiliar feeling of rooting for the success of a cockroach.
Pruning – Lola Blanc Directed, conservative asshole inspires a mass shooting, looks as if they’re going to reckon with their influence, doesn’t. Really, really good and painful film. Starring Madeline Brewer. Lola Blanc’s terrifyingly accurate portrayal of a conservative talk show host who shows a complete lack of empathy that her rhetoric draws is an easy favorite of the festival as it hits the wrong nerves in all the right ways, building up the proper amount of anger and disgust for these types of news grifters and their ability to ignore their own consequences. Madeline Brewer is excellent in this as the platinum blonde news anchor who justifies their actions in inexplicable ways.
Animus – A film that makes the viewer wonder whether this is innocence or delusion, it follows a Nobel winning physicist accused of the deaths of three of her husbands, and either has some incredibly unlikely but true reasonings for their deaths and her involvement in them, or is completely fooling herself and lying to the world. It’s a tense and esoteric film that has a lot to reveal, and a lot to hide. Directed by Delaney Bishop, written by Ron Osborn, with original music by legendary rock musician Serj Tankian and starring Angela Sarafian and Nancy Travis. This is a wild film that makes things really ambiguous in a very interesting way.
Death & Ramen – Starring Bobby Lee and Matt Jones, written and directed by Tiger Ji. A ramen chef spends his last night hanging out with the Grim Reaper after taking what should be a lethal dose of sleeping pills. Instead, the pair go on a wild journey of bonding and experiencing life in a way the ramen chef never has before, making it a darkly sweet film that is wonderfully acted by both main cast members.
Creating Things – Created by Bryan and Taylor Simpson, this short documentary is a love letter to their father, who passed away of cancer. Little did they know that their artist dad had been interviewed by Peter Lyngso about his work, his family, and his life. Roger Simpson was an incredible artist, and getting to see this film about his life and works is really heartwarming.
Big thanks and congratulations to all of he filmmakers in our highlights and to all of them that were able to showcase their talents at this year’s festival! Keep reading to see our interview with Pruning director Lola Blanc as part of our “5 Questions With” series!
What inspired you to start making films?
I started out as a music artist, and when it would come time to make music videos for my songs I always had really specific ideas for the worlds I wanted to create. And I’d always loved movies, but it had never really occurred to me that it was possible for me to be the one behind the camera—that just always seemed like something men did. But once I took that first leap with music videos, and then my first shorts, I loved directing deeply. It combined all the forms of art that I care about and it just became clear that this was what I was going to do now.
Were there any challenges in making this project?
I learned so many lessons on this project. We had a scheduling mishap and had to add a shoot day at the last minute, and we were already over budget, largely thanks to our night exteriors, so it was an incredibly frantic evening with my producers and A.D. trying to put that together the night before. But we problem solved and somehow it all came together. I can’t believe we pulled it off.
Is there any type of message or emotion that you hope the viewer takes away from watching this film?
Obviously my protagonist takes a path most of us will thankfully never end up on. But I still would hope it might inspire a viewer to consider their motivations for the way they engage with social media and the world in general. The algorithms reward our worst instincts, and I hope I can contribute to more of us interrogating that process in ourselves.
How does it feel to be able to screen the film at HollyShorts?
I’m thrilled to be back at Hollyshorts! My last project in the festival was a music video, so I’m excited to have a proper film to screen there–it’s such a great, supportive festival. Plus I live in LA and now I get to force my friends to come watch it.
What’s on the horizon for you?
I have a new song called Trust Me (out August 8th), and the music video for that will be a short film that I also directed—and Trust Me is also the name of my podcast about cults. And then: features! I hope these are my last shorts for a while, because it’s time for me to direct a feature. I’m ready.
Night four is finished, but we’re by no means done. Come back tomorrow for all of the highlights from day 5 of the HollyShorts Film Festival! All of these amazing films, as well as all others from the 19th Annual HollyShorts Film Festival will be available in person, at the TCL Chinese Theaters in Los Angeles on their scheduled nights throughout the festival. Tickets for the festival, as well as the screening schedule, can be found here. They can also be viewed digitally, with tickets available on BitPix.
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