2024 Hollyshorts Film Festival: Five of the Small Projects,Big Impressions
Hollyshorts Award Ceremony. Photos by Juan Ramirez (Juansolophoto)
The 20th Annual Hollyshorts Film Festival has concluded! Many shorts were watched, and now it is time to share some of it. Some because there was just so, so very much to check out. It was daunting to narrow it down to just five shorts to discuss but these left a strong lingering memory even days after watching them.
What is the Hollyshorts Film Festival? In the briefest of explanations, it’s a short film festival. These short films are roughly around to 10 to 30 min long but not over than two hours. Since these projects are in short form, this is how the festival showcase such a large number of works. These works are from creators all sorts of genres so they’re been loosely sectioned up in screening blocks that share a common theme such as the science fiction and horror. Audience members attending in person will expect to enjoy a two hour screening block of films. These films may change their perspective, challenge boundaries, expand the horizons, and all of the feelings of seeing a passion project. For more information on the festival please go to https://www.hollyshorts.com/hollyshorts
It has been years overing the film festival from the years of operating as a Fangirl Nation Senior Correspondant and now as Squeedar, It’s wildly different every year but his year proved to be the most challenging to cover. There must have been an explosion of creative energy in the past couple of years. There was just so many fantastic works that were showcased. A heartfelt congratulations to all those that were selected to screen during the festival.There is a reason that out of thousands of entries, these films were selected to be screened to audiences.
As a note: even though the festival has concluded and you may not have been able to attend, many of the films are available for viewing on Bitpix I would also encourage to follow the social media of the filmmakers and their respective projects. Many of the projects need more attention to obtain more funding or credit to keep the project going.
The Short: WITH LOVE, CHARLIE
IG: @withlovecharliefilm
The “Never Saw That Coming” Short
Synopsis: “In 1951, North Korea initiated a sweeping invasion of South Korea with the intent of reunifying the nation under communist control. Jae, a South Korean fluent in English, found himself forced to enlist in the northern army due to his unique skill as an interpreter.
Across the globe, Charlie is one of 1.5 million Americans who were drafted to fight in the Korean War against communism. The convergence of their paths on the battlefield culminate in a fateful encounter, where the lives of Charlie and Jae's families undergo an irreversible transformation—forever changed; forever linked”
Review:
WITH LOVE, CHARLIE was one of the first shorts watched and it really set the bar high on impactful films. Personally, films that are set in a historical or fictional war is not a preferred viewing choice. There’s only a couple of outcomes for a war story and it’s usually at the cost of trauma, pain, struggles, and devastation. The curiosity as it to why this short was chosen to feature in the festival overruled that preference.
The short is an unsurprisingly typical set up of a parallel story linking two young couples. These couples may not share the same culture and are separated by countries but both couples share the same emotional burden of fear and anxiety. As their wives plead for their respective partners to stay, we see that both couples are also on the brink of welcoming a new child.
We watch the couples embrace, hear the sad melody, so can easily tell that something horrible is going to happen to one couple. But which one?.
Then you see it happen. It’s shocking but not expected. That’s the twist. There is more than one type of horror in a war story and the most horrific of all originates within people themselves There is so much damage that war can do to the body and soul. One of which is to distort foundations of ethics and integrity. Sometimes it is all just too much to deal so skewed reasoning is relied upon. The short is no longer a simple story. It cleverly disguises the aftermath of an unraveling.
Jaws were dropped. It began as a historical drama and in less than twenty minutes, completely amazing thriller was delivered.
The short is directed by Jaren Hayman and produced by former NBA champion Metta World Peace.
The Short: DR NO MEANS NO
IG: @pantera.pictures
The “Hilarious and Want More” Short
A James Bond style action comedy, told from the perspective of the Bond girls..ff
Review:
You don’t need to be a James Bond or spy film fan to enjoy this short. Just need to enjoy some great fight scenes and fun sequences.
A circle of the usual spy and enemies sit around a table, possibly playing poker. It’s hard to tell what game or even if they are playing a game as the men puff out their chests to one up each other in swagger and danger. Quietly by their sides, is their respective lady friend. The American lady slips out and we quickly learn that she is the powerhouse behind a mission to obtain a super powerful artifact. Surprise, surprise the other “quiet” women have the same mission. No punches are held back and crotch shots are open game as the women showcase their fighting skills and agility to obtain the artificat.
Not only is the audience treated to fantastically entertaining fight scenes, nuggets of positive female empowerment are sprinkled about. It was hard not to smile and tear up when one of the characters firmly stated, “it is a big deal”, and then continue to be spy-awesome. It was just so much fun to watch that it truly is a shame that it’s less than fifteen minutes. Here’s to crossing fingers that there will be more on the way!
Director and Screenwriter credit goes to Kestrin Pantera. The short is produced by Pantera Pictures and Resting Bitch Face Productions
The “laugh and learn, period” short
Synopsis: “It’s England, 1813. Miss Estrogenia Talbot gets her period in the middle of a long-awaited marriage proposal. The dashing Mr. Dickley mistakes the blood for an injury, and it becomes clear that his very expensive education has most certainly missed a spot”
Review:
The giggles doesn’t stop rolling as we go from high end spy thriller to picturesque fields of the Regency Era. JANE AUSTEN’S PERIOD DRAMA has so many double layers of puns that it would even make Lady Whistledown swoon with glee. Beautifully shot and acted, the short seeks to answer a question that many regency romance lovers have probably thought of at least once: what happens when the heroine gets her period?
There is just so much cute witty humor to enjoy during the short but two things stood out. Firstly, how deeply educational it was and second, how gorgeous it all was. It sets the tone for period piece with the main characters strolling upon rolling hills full of grass that beckons to live that idyllic life. As with any regency love story, a marriage is about to be had. Until the sudden arrival of menses causes uproar with everyone doing what they can to prevent sabotaging the engagement.
The short pokes light fun at the cluelessness of most of the characters as they chase about trying to figure out what t do so that Ms. Talbot’s marriage chance is not ruined by her period. Once all of the feathers have stopped ruffling, the film showcases the power of listening and communication. It is a kind lecture that encourages everyone, whether rich clueless heir or just a family member, that it’s never too late to listen and learn. Just leave the chicken alone.
The production was so well done that .it would be no surprise if viewers were fooled for thinking they stepped into the wrong theater and was catching a period movie. They’re not completely fooled. They are catching a period drama. Get it? Because it involved menstrual cycles? Cue offstage laughter.
The short was written and directed by Steve Pinder and Julia Aks (who also played the leading role of Miss Talbot).
Fun note: it should be no surprise that Julia Aks would deliver such a delightful comedy since she already has a viral video under belt with the video: 7 RINGS - Julie Andrews feat. the Von Trapp Queens (Ariana Grande Parody).
The “No Turning Back Now” short
Synopsis: “A mother struggles to cope with her son’s bombshell news that he has elected to undergo a cutting-edge medical procedure that will irreversibly change the very core of his identify.”
Review:
WE/US is an honest delivery of a "thought provoking” short with a science fiction lens. With even a possible slim layer of horror?
A young man is returning home to his family as he is on the brink of a major lifestyle change. As viewers watch them returns to home, full of anxiety and uncertainty and the audience expectation is clear. The young man will experience hardship and emotional heartache. Except, the reason is not for what we believe.
The details are not shared but it’s not that hard to pick up that the previous family gathering was a pretty bad one. Slight twist, this return visit is not about his sexuality. While his family struggles to adjust to this new norm, the young man is determined to also share that he has made the decision to undergo a medical experiment that will require him to be legally dead.
Immediately after understanding what the experiment is, immediately leapt to comparisons of the anime PSYCHO-PASS. In the short, the experiment involves a neural chip that links the brains of multiple people together in one brain.. The pod of humans joined by the chip will cease to be an individual and are transitioning to be “us”, addressing themselves as “We.” This echo’s the reality of pronoun usage as a linguistic tool on how the individual want to be addressed. Declaring ones pronoun usual as it has sparked numerous vitriolic and demeaning commentary on the queer community. The short just adds an unsettling layer of also losing ones individuality in the process
There is just so much to unpack with the idea of sharing a brain space with others. If this idea sounds compelling, then all it would take is to be chosen as a canidate, undergo surgery, and then forever be connected to others sharing the same chip. Sort of like moving into an apartment complex that you can never leave. Who want to undergo such a drastic and invasive procedure? Maybe someone who has felt extreme loneliness and desperate for support.
Where the slight layer of horror comes in is from the perspective of the distraught mother. She is already failing to cope will with her son’s lifestyle choices. Now, she learns that in order to maintain this new shared brain existence, he would have to legally be declared dead. From her view, her son is dead in more ways than she can imagine.
At the core, WE/US is a story of a queer persons anxiety-ridden second homecoming experience. It's a shared memory experience that many have unfortunately been forced to endure. Letting oneself be vulnerable and honest in the face of anger and hate is beyond tough. Especially when those negative emptions are coming from those they call family
Production credts: Oliver Warren (writer/director) and AJ Vaage (lead actor/director)
The Short: Spaceman
The “Geez, That Was Gorgeous” short
Synopsis: Mime, stop motion, classic animation, and theatrical elements, are used to explore one artist's loss of creative passion and his journey to get it back.
Review:
Sometimes, there’s a project that just makes you lean back, release a breath, and just absorb it all in. This is the kind of short that condenses so much passion and art into a few scant minutes that it just oozes right off the screen and sticks right onto you. There were big names attached to this short such as Mena Massoud (Disney’s Aladdin, The Royal Treatment) and J.K. Simmons (Spiderman) which amped up the curiosity. The short most definitely hit the mark.
Trevor Copp is the spaceman thas travels through the looking glass and into the inner complexity of his internal artistic world. His life passion being a mime. The constant criticism and worries dampen his drive until he falls under the pressure of depression. It is only when he takes a raw journey through his creative worlds that he is able to let go and take off.
The short is not a metaphor or subversive. It aims toto physically manifest what we cannot see: the diverse and beautiful ideas that live inside an artist. As mime, he would be extracting that inner grand vision and condense it into performance art. It is a visual journey of an artists struggle with imposter syndrome.
It is really a beautiful piece of art. There is so much mixed media visual goodies that viewers cannot centralize it into a central focus. So much is happening, so much to experience, so much to enjoy.
SPACEMAN is produced by Ali Mashayekhi, Mena Massoud, and Dan Abramovici.
These were just five of the hundreds of shorts that were screening through the festival. These are the kinds of projects that truly inspire and leave a mark. The festival is also really a snippet of a promise of what is to come. Keep the art strong and check out Hollyshorts Film Festival on how to keep up with the shorts and the festival.
