We’re already nearing the halfway point in the 21st Annual HollyShorts Film Festival, but that just means there’s so much to go and so many more incredible films to see. Our day 4 slate is full of brilliant projects, from categories such as Midnight Madness, AAPI, Rom Com, Documentary, Sci-Fi and Drama. While an incomplete list, the recaps below will be a way in for those unable to attend, or who just want to read a recap of the films they’ve just seen. For those wanting to attend future days of the festival, tickets can be found here, with all of today’s films available shortly after their screening on BitPix. Be sure to read all the way until the end for our interview with Hippopotami’s JJ Lin, who is our featured filmmaker of the day!
MIDNIGHT MADNESS
Video Barn – Bianca Poletti’s film, with story by Poletti and Allison Goldfarb, is a wonderful short horror about two young women working at an outdated video store. When Julie (Grace Van Dein) goes missing after they finish up a shift, it’s up to Hannah (Reina Hardesty) to find out what happened. Supernatural, tense and a bit on the campy side, this is a perfectly encapsulated quick thriller, sure to be satisfying and enjoyable for anyone who gets a chance to see it.
AAPI
Nervous Energy – Evie Liu writes and directs this captivating film that stars Lucie Zhang and Sonia Yuan as Jay and Kiki, two aspiring filmmakers who finally make the choice to stop aspiring and start doing. Realizing that breaking up with their boyfriends to focus on their art is the only way, they go about doing so, only for a moment of indecision to lead to a conflict that sets them on a crash course. This film is wild, frenetic and fantastic, with Zhang especially showing off a manic energy that was both surprising and wonderful.
ROM COM
I Want To Feel Fun – Directed by Jessica Sanders and co-written by Sanders as well as stars Esther Povitsky and Avi Rothman, this film is a day in the life of a woman who is looking for love and connection, and maybe tickets to the Nicki Minaj show. It’s a silly, quirky comedy that seems right in the lane of Povitski and Rothman, who are both well known for working well inside that genre. Funny, relatable and a bit ridiculous, it’s an entertaining film that audiences are sure to love.
DOCUMENTARY
Livestreams with GrandmaPuzzles – Director Emily Sheskin gives us a glimpse into the life of Adele, an aging black woman who channeled her own feelings of loneliness into a burgeoning life online as a streamer who goes live doing Twitch sessions of her favorite hobby: puzzling. From a way to bond as a family to a way to bond with everyone, Adele’s story of doing puzzles as a way to bring people together and to highlight people of all sorts is an inspiring and beautiful story.
DRAMA
Hippopotami – JJ Lin writes and directs this fascinating short film about a young girl who just wants to go to the zoo and see the animals, and is taken on a journey with her parents and a stranger that will forever change her life. Set in the suburbs of Northern China, it stars Zhang Zhiyong, Wang Zixi, Xu Ge and and Wang Zenhua, and tells the story of this little girl as she gets a lesson in what the real world is like and the world that her parents present her as to protect her innocence, but in an odd and absurd way that only comes from the unique perspective of Lin and how they approached the film. It’s engrossing and really sucks you in, and the performances are terrific all the way through.
And now a big thank you to today’s featured filmmaker, JJ Lin for taking the time out to talk to us! Check out their interview below.
What inspired you to make films?
JJ: To decipher human existence and understand the world around us.
What message were you trying to communicate with this film?
JJ: Hippopotami is an absurd comedy which looks at the dark reality the adults have built through the innocent gaze of a little girl.
What kind of challenges did you face when making this film?
JJ: Casting the lead was a big challenge. Many came to audition and read the lines I wrote which in my head were funny. But I did not laugh at all when I heard those lines coming out from most of the kids’ mouths, until a week before the shoot I met this girl.
How does it feel to be a part of this year’s HollyShorts?
JJ: One of my shorts from NYU was part of HollyShorts years ago. Now I have made a feature that went to Sundance and Hippopotami was born as a passion project — I’m thrilled to come back again, as if HollyShorts witnessed my growth as a filmmaker.
What’s next for you?
JJ: I can’t reveal too much but it’s something wild and fun.
That’s Day 4 in the book! Be sure to return again tomorrow for Day 5 and more incredible films!
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