It’s now the halfway point of the 19th Annual HollyShorts Film Festival! We’ve been through four days, dozens of films, and some great conversations, but we’re nowhere near done yet. Today’s slate continues the tradition of showing off some of the best projects that this industry has to offer, as day five delivers on categories such as Kid’s Animation, films focusing on the pacific northwest that have been selected in partnership with the Seattle Film Summit, Crime Dramas, Period Pieces, and short projects that celebrate the lost art of the Music Video. And don’t forget to stick around and check out the continuation of out “5 Questions With” series, this time with Deloping director Jon Olav Stokke!
Julia – Audrey Blanche and Adalynn Lam star in Emma Duvall’s film set in 1970’s South Korea. The titular Julia, a very small child at the time, is forced by the adults in the room to test her friendship with another girl at the same orphanage, causing even more stress and trauma in a place that is known to cause that already. Blanche and Lam are very good in this, with the child actors really delivering on all the innocence and emotion of a child living in this situation. A hard film to watch in moments, it takes you on quite a journey, and isn’t soon to be forgotten.
Daffy In Wackyland – This is a special treat, as this year delivers the first ever stop-motion Looney Toons short in history. We get to see the legendary Daffy Duck as he attempts to survive the desert, chasing a dodo to acquire an egg to keep Daffy sustained. It gets real wild from there, giving us some trippy visuals and the trademark physical comedy that fans of the Looney Toons know and love. It was directed by Max Winston, with Eric Bauza performing the voice acting for Daffy. And nailing it, it should be said.
Deloping – On July 21st, 1792 Mary and Emma decide to settle a dispute in the way that men of this generation did; in a duel to the death. In less of an angry decision and more because they’ll never be able to feel equal to men without being able to do it. What results is a comedy of errors and ridiculous scenarios as they argue and bicker and figure out why they’re even there in the first place. Starring Eleanor Morton and Lola-Rose Maxwell, this Jon Olav Stokke film is a delightful watch, with several laugh out loud moments.
Mundo – Bobby Soto writes and stars in this film directed by Charles Whitcher and produced by Eva Longoria that sees Soto play the titular Mundo, a young Chicano man who is finally out of jail after serving ten years for an act he didn’t commit. Now out of prison, he has to choose between building a new life, which could include reconnecting with his high school sweetheart, or rejoining the crime finally that lead him to incarceration in the first place but is welcoming him back with open arms. It’s a tough film to watch, overflowing with emotion and tension. Soto is fantastic as the lead in this, and it’s one of those films that really tends to stick with you, long after it finishes.
“REM Koolhaus” by Kajo – The Evelyn Lee directed music video is a beautifully animated piece that uses chalkboard-like drawings and a bit of a scratchy style to present some very cool visuals that accompany a pretty catchy song. This single, off the California musician’s album Cold Places is one that fans should really enjoy nodding their heads to during this screening, while enjoying some unique artistry while watching the music video.
That’ll do it for our highlights, but please give an extra moment of your time to read our conversation with Jon Olav Stokke. The highlights of her film were already explained, but now we’re grateful to hear her thoughts on her career and being here with us at the festival. Thanks to Jon for taking the time to speak with us!
What inspired you to start making films?
Throughout my time in the film industry, I’ve had many inspiring conversations with other filmmakers and encountered films which have opened my eyes to new ways of storytelling. Obviously, prolific films such as “Back to The Future” and “Jurassic Park” were major inspirations, but perhaps unorthodoxly, LEGO also played an important part in inspiring me to create films. I might not have had such an interest in film if I hadn’t enjoyed creating the worlds that LEGO in the 90s had to offer—from pirates to pilots, you could create and control any world you could imagine, naturally leading me towards storytelling. I made up my own little worlds and created stories for myself; the focus and the attention to detail were hypnotic. Eventually, film emerged as the perfect medium to bring these stories to life.
Were there any challenges in making this project?
Creating a self-funded short film undoubtedly comes with its fair share of challenges. Beyond the financial constraints, our biggest antagonist was Mother Nature—the f****** weather. Tom wrote a hilarious dark comedy set entirely outside, which relied heavily on sunny weather.
But there we were, in Wales, in the heart of October—a time and place not exactly known for its sunny disposition. The weather Gods were punishing us; torrential rain was predicted. The shooting schedule had been set; there was no moving it. Tom, displaying his genius yet again, rose to the challenge and penned a “rain draft” just a few nights before the shoot; in the case of rain, we could shoot two scenes without losing the story. As long as we spotted a few precious sunny breaks, we’d seize the opportunity to capture the rest of the film.
When you have a solid team put together, nothing will stand in the way; we were effective during the sunny intervals, and when the rain kicked in, we all sat in it and got soaked but shot the scenes we needed. Before travelling back to London, we filmed a final couple of sunny scenes, and we were done.
Despite my initial dread of the unpredictable weather, I must confess that Deloping benefited enormously from its whims. In fact, the unexpected downpours added an authentic touch, and we even sprinkled in some thunder for good measure, turning our challenges into creative opportunities.
Is there any type of message or emotion that you hope the viewer takes away from watching this film?
First and foremost, we hope to make you laugh. If we can evoke that joyous sound, we consider our mission accomplished. We playfully poke fun at the absurd and bizarre act of duelling—a historical phenomenon often portrayed by disagreeing men who duel over women or money; Chekhov’s ‘The Duel’ comes to mind here.
Additionally, the short film centres around societal expectations. Sometimes we desperately try to fit in, mindlessly following others because we think it’s “right”. Our characters, Mary and Emma, show us that we don’t have to live our lives unquestioningly following societal norms, doing what everyone else does. We don’t always have to try to fit in, fulfilling predetermined roles and, most importantly, we don’t make fun of other people’s flower arrangements.
How does it feel to be able to screen the film at HollyShorts?
Being able to screen our film at HollyShorts is an absolute dream come true!
It was an early ambition of ours; HollyShorts is a must-submit for any short film on the festival circuit. They’ve had an incredible 19-year run and now hold four Oscar-qualifying categories. We’ve been on our festival run for about a year, and we couldn’t be more excited to have HollyShorts as one of our last stops before going online. It’s an incredible way to finish this journey.
What’s on the horizon for you?
There are several exciting upcoming projects which aren’t yet announced. However, I can say that I’m writing a feature, a dark comedy set in Scotland, and am progressing with a couple of short films—comedy and sci-fi—that I aim to shoot next year. I believe making short films is important; it’s a wonderful medium, a great way to tell different short stories.
That’ll finish off day five! Thanks again to Jon for our chat, and to everyone who’s been following along thus far. Come back tomorrow for all of the highlights from day six 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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