The 22nd Annual HollyShorts Film Festival is officially underway, and today begins the first full day of screenings for all of the incredible films that have been submitted to this year’s festival. This season, the second day of screenings will feature selections from Animation, Drama, Dark Comedies, Shot On Film and Horror, all of which are full of incredible films. The follow are just a few highlighted selections, though every single film is worth a look. Be sure to check out our coverage of Day 2 as well as every other day of this year’s festival, which will be live and in person at the TCL Chinese Theaters in Los Angeles (tickets available for the rest of the festival or a single day here) or on BitPix following the screening. Thanks for being with us for this wonderful event!
Animation
Acid City – A film by Jack Wedge and Will Freudenheim, this animated short is all about the future, where the environmental impact of today is being felt in a fictional setting. Using audio from interviews conducted with NYC citizens, environmental scientists, first responders and a few invented characters, this gorgeous film shows what it’s like to live isolated and surrounded by acidic water that is hard to traverse. The documentary filmmaking style of the animation really lends a lot to this, each little glimpse into Acid City feeling real and lived in, bringing a lot of heart and empathy towards those who inhabit it.
Drama
Can I Put You On Hold? – James Cutler directs this film that was written by him and Matt Cutler, in which the later stars as himself. Matt and fiancée Dangmo (who also plays herself) are attempting to find a way to get her a visa so they can be together, only for a setback to knock everything off course. Matt, in learning the news, attempts to contact his immigration lawyer, only to be put on hold and doing what he can to pass the time while in wait. The film is a great exploration of doing what needs to be done for those you love, and how something like this can put your entire life on pause, as Matt and Dangmo are unable to start the life they want together until this can get resolved.
Dark Comedy
Doctor Death Grip – Amber Schaefer is a force in this film, writing, starring and directing the story of an autofiction author and her partner. Yoni Lotan co-stars as Elijah, a six-fingered man with a debilitating porn addiction that is really affecting his relationship with Anna, especially when the semi-autobiographical essay she wrote about him and their relationship goes viral and becomes a huge societal talking point. With their relationship already struggling, the addiction and the strain from the publicity of it only further weakens them, despite attempts to fix things. It’s a dark and funny film about relationships, addiction, sex and all the ways in which things can get messed up.
Shot On Film
Million Dollar Man – Written and directed by Riley Scott and stars Hans Heilmann, this is a wild and hilarious film that sees Heilmann as Sydney, an incredibly timid and non-confrontational man who gets trapped in a violent situation as the dry cleaners he’s trying to pick his clothes up at gets robbed at gunpoint. This forces Sydney, whose closest relationship is with his mother (Alison Boole), to make some courageous, split second decisions when the heist gets dangerous. A movie that, despite the timidity of the main character, gets treated with a hyperactive and frenetic energy that makes it pass by in a whirl that’s sure to leave the audience entertained. Or at least wondering what the hell they just watched.
Horror
Banshee – A bit of a period piece from filmmaker Peter Vass, this Irish film takes place in the countryside of Ireland in the late 19th century, where Róise (Eileen O’Higgins) and her family are haunted by a supernatural force. After finding a comb, Róise’s life changes dramatically, as a banshee begins to stalk and harass those in her village, leading to several of them losing their lives. It’s definitely a tense and scary horror piece, with the entire cast really bringing it with their performances.
As an additional treat, we got a chance to chat with filmmaker Amber Schaefer about her film Doctor Death Grip! Big thanks to Amber for taking the time to talk with us!
What inspired you to make films?
I think it started with a desire to make people laugh. And to get out of my homework. I would make comedy videos with a hi8 camera anytime a special presentation was assigned in class. I thought I was cheating by taking the “easy route” but I put a lot of hours into those videos, probably more than the kids making a slideshow. Turns out if you love something, it’s actually kind of fun.
What message were you trying to communicate with this film?
I don’t want to be an elite piece of shit when I say this, but I do think it’s sort of up to the viewer to make this interpretation. I think when film leans too heavy into “messaging” it becomes something else. It becomes propoganda.
What kind of challenges did you face when making this film?
Countless challenges. I love Key West because the people are so interesting — I mean it’s Florida– and I wanted to take advantage of that with street casting. All of the extras we found on the street were incredible, but we did have one dude that showed up in the same clothes from the day before because he was on a bender and had stayed up all night partying. He kept drinking through the shoot and we had to ask him to leave. He was a polite drunk honeslty, but he was getting increasingly confused. Damn. When I started telling this story I thought it was a funny anecdote but actually it’s kind of sad. Hope he’s doing good. And shout out to all the incredible extras that did agree to be in the film for pennies. Every single one of them made it so much richer, including bender dude.
How does it feel to be a part of this year’s HollyShorts?
Awesome. I live in LA and I’m on a job right now here so I feel lucky I get to go right from a tech scout to the screening. And it’s at one of my favorite movie theaters in the world- the Chinese theater. It will be an honor to see and hear my film on that screen.
What’s next for you?
I don’t know, I’m thinking about getting a boyfriend but they’re so much work.
That’ll do it for today’s coverage! Come back tomorrow for more from the 22nd Annual HollyShorts film fesitval!
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