We’re officially about halfway through the festival, and with that comes another great day of short films. Today’s schedule is packed with projects from some incredibly talented people, all of which are deserving of their place among the best of this year’s entries. With more family oriented animation, period pieces, fantasy, crime and even music videos, the blocks for today’s screenings has a lot to offer. And of course, for anyone who can attend in person, tickets for the rest of the festival will be available to attend at the TCL Chinese Theaters in Los Angeles, with online screenings of the films available on BitPix after they’re shown in person. And now, it’s time to get on with today’s entries!
Family Animation
Braving The Night – Joshua Adam Kushner and Luisa Carranza bring us this beautiful animated short about a father suffering from Alzheimer’s, struggling to remember his beloved daughter. Through a piece of medical machinery he’s able to link to her, going through the nightmares she’s suffered as a child and implanting himself into them, heroically helping her along the way. It’s a bittersweet but gorgeous piece, bringing all the emotion and pain and triumph a story like this would need. James Tyler Johnson and Katja Glieson do excellent voice work as well in the film.
Period Piece
King Of The Iron Will – Scott Vickers directs and co-writes this film (alongside star Liam James Collins), bringing about the story of a man on a quest for revenge, deposing the tyrant that killed his family and crowning himself instead. Collins plays King Baron, a brave and idealistic leader who’s come to personally depose the evil King Draven (Charlie Creed-Miles), whose rule has lead to the deaths of many. their confrontation is less a battle of steel and more of words as the two discuss revenge, power, leadership, and the corruption of rule. It’s a fascinating film about the price of power and all that it can do to a person faced with difficult decisions.
Fantasy and Magical Realism
The Spectacle – Bálint Kenyeres writes and directs this film about a young Roma boy (Vilmos Jonas), who has a very special skill; he can fly. This feat is present through acts of movement and levitation, bringing potential notoriety to his poor village. When a TV crew arrives to see it in person, his anxieties get in the way, putting a stop to any potential fame. It’s a film that’s message seems to show how talent isn’t always enough, and how quickly opportunity can pass by. Beautifully shot and directed, this is a film that while a bit fanciful, has a terrific cast and delivery.
Music Video
Wet Leg “Pokemon” -Elliot Arndt directs this quirky music video for the British rock band, complete with all their indie charms and a terrific song. Featuring musician Alice Longyu Gao and Wet Leg frontwoman Rhian Teasdale, this is a fun and kind of silly music video that really fits the style of the band.
Crime
A Crime Across Four Landscapes – Aidan Weaver’s film, which was co-written by William Christopher Stevens, is an incredible non-linear crime story told through four different perspectives. As the scenes track from one to another, the story of a car crash and the fallout of it begins to unfold, told out of sequence in a way that is both gripping and thrilling, letting the audience do what detectives do: put together a story of events out of time and allowing them to put it all into one cohesive story. The film doesn’t just hand you the narrative, you have to figure it out as it reveals more, piece by piece. It’s a truly fascinating film, using the different locations and timing to tell a thoroughly engaging story.
As an addition in our coverage of A Crime Across Four Landscapes, we got the chance to talk to filmmaker Aidan Weaver! A bit thanks to him for taking the time out to talk to us!
What inspired you to make films?
I grew up in rural North Carolina, outside of town, so I had a lot of time on my hands. I spent most of it drawing, reading, and watching old movies on VHS tapes. When I was in middle school, my history teacher started a film club, and that became my first real introduction to film as an art form. I got obsessed pretty fast and started experimenting with a camera however I could. By high school it was a full-blown obsession and I made a lot of films. They were bad, but I didn’t know it at the time, so I kept going and never really stopped.
What message were you trying to communicate with this film?
For me, this is very much a film about observation and the way we gather meaning and fill in the blanks when we don’t have the complete picture. I’ve always been drawn to films that ask the viewer to become an active participant, and I wanted to make something where the audience is constantly searching the frame, making connections, and gradually assembling the story for themselves.
What kind of challenges did you face when making this film?
The biggest challenges came from working with pace and structure to strike the right balance in how information is revealed. It was important that the audience had to work to gain meaning from the film, but at the same time, the pieces needed to be presented in a way where that was actually possible. A lot of the process was figuring out exactly how much information to give away, and when, without tipping the scales too far in either direction.
How does it feel to be a part of this year’s HollyShorts?
It’s so exciting to be part of such a beloved festival, especially alongside so many incredible filmmakers. Having our film screen at the Chinese Theatre makes the whole experience particularly special.
What’s next for you?
I’m currently developing a feature film. It’s a darkly comic domestic thriller with some big formalist swings, which has been a really exciting world to dig into. I’m hoping to carry some of the same interest in structure and audience participation into a much larger story. More soon!
That’ll do it for us here at Day 5 for the 22nd Annual HollyShorts Film Festival! We’ll be back tomorrow with more from Day 6 and throughout the rest of the screenings! See you there!
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