ShortStick

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

This past weekend Josh attended Ottawa International Animation Festival and took in some of the best the animation world has to offer. Here are three shorts that stuck out as some of the best of the bunch! States of Matter , dir. Marvin Hauck An experimental journey unfolds in Marvin Hauck’s enigmatic short film States of Matter,  a strata-cut animation, born from the alchemy of wax and paper. The film echoes the mysterious cycle of metamorphosis: molten wax, once fluid and f

Confession , dir. Rebeka Bizubová Documentaries have the formal capacity of emanating truth and reality. Hence, the possibilities are infinite. An example of the limitless power of the medium is Spoved' (Confession) by Rebeka Bizubová. The Slovak director portrays her personal story of a sexual assault that happened a few years ago and still echoes loudly in her mind. The director analyzes her personal pain in two different scenarios: confessing to her best friend and confess