ShortStick

The Fisherman , dir. Calvin Brown From the opening moments of The Fisherman , a portentous bible quote from the book of Job in an old-timey font over a screen of ominous static, it is clear that this is not the usual animated film: no cutesy anthropomorphic animals will be learning the power of friendship here. The Rankin and Bass-styled characters belie the dramatic hardships and evangelical yearning that is about to overcome this animated world as a devout fisherman has his

As the end of the year and the Oscars draw near, we have a few more festivals we are honoured to be covering, including the always stellar AFI FEST! The programmers have curated several thoughtful blocks spanning animation, narrative and documentary containing some of the best short films of the year, including Oscar hopefuls previously covered here in Snow Bear, The Singers and Shanti Rides Shotgun as well as other favourites of ours like Nervous Energy and Pavilhão. Robin,

Without Perfection , dir. Vega Moltke-Leth Historically, women have suffered immensely from societal pressure upon them. Each century represented a different degree of expectations, ranging from the necessity of raising children as their sole function to the pursuit of immaculate visual beauty as a means of aesthetic appeal. Therefore, the late-stage capitalism increased the pressure and the beauty patterns, influenced by social media and the urging of advertisement. The goal

The Song of Drifters , dir. Xindi Zhang The Song of Drifters  is a poetic and experimental animated documentary that captures the voices and emotions of a generation constantly in motion, of young people who drift between places, unable to settle, yet carrying with them an evolving and sometimes contradictory sense of home. Through the overlapping voices of eight interviewees and an evocative hybrid visual style, the film explores what it means to belong when permanence is el

I Remember, dir. Jane Deng From New York University the 52nd Student Academy Awards winner Jane Deng brings us her documentary film I Remember . On the surface the student short film is a COVID-19 documentary shot largely on ground zero, at the homes and hospitals of the Wuhan population - where the director was “lucky” to have perfect timing; With a masters degree and a new husband in her trunk she traveled from the UK back to China towards the end of 2019. At the time the p

Dad's Not Home, dir. Jan Saczek A birthday notification buzzes on Kuba's phone, but it goes unmentioned. He and his younger brother Bartek stir awake in their bunk bed and begin the familiar routine of the day. This is not a typical household, though. Their father, David, is suffering from some form of dementia, and the boys share the burden of caring for him while also preparing themselves for school. As they cook, dress him, and keep the house in order, the implication is c