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Pedro's ShortStick Picks 2024

Brandon MacMurray

Shortstick has completed its second year of existence, and I could not be more grateful for its beautiful experience so far. We have covered festivals online, and my site friends have gone to in-person ones; I was the only one who didn't attend an in-person festival in 2024. But I anticipate this new year will also bring me my first in-person coverage for the site. Writing for ShortStick is an immense joy and honor. We do it for the love of shorts, and maybe our schedules are tight, but watching the films, writing about them, and discussing them with you make it so worth it. Thank you for reading, listening to our recently released podcast program, and discussing the films. 2025 will bring us more shorts and festivals, and I am excited to work on our podcast with interviews from diverse filmmakers. It has been two lovely years of ShortStick, and I cannot wait for another joyful cycle with all of you. 


-Pedro Lima



A Short Film about a Chair, dir. Ibrahim Handal


Ibrahim Handal observes and experiments from his balcony about the daily life of a… chair. Using the cinematic possibilities and the limitations of the COVID-19 pandemic, he thrives in delivering a hybrid documentary about a simple chair on someone else’s porch. 


Apnea, dir. Natalia Bermúdez


The talented director Natalia Bermúdez constructs an intense sports thriller about a swimmer and her coach who have a secret relationship. Bermúdez’s abilities to create ambiance and urgency provide a unique film on sexuality, abuse and ambition. 


Being John Smith, dir. John Smith


We are always convincing ourselves of how special we are in this world. Filmmaker John Smith wears the vulnerability jacket and makes a thirty-minute essay on how he is just one more John Smith. It is a fascinating study of our insignificance. 


Boléro, dir. Nans Laborde-Jourdàa


Nans Laborde-Jourdáa explores dancing as a religious catharsis in a small town and how the people admire the artist's figure as a messianic entity. The camera and music dance together to compose a kinetic experience. 


Bolero is now available to stream on MUBI


Eu Não Nasci para Isso (I Wasn’t Born for This), dir. Erik Ely


Erik Ely dives into a performative investigation of the racial, sexual, and ideological divergencies between Black and mixed Brazilians and the army institution. It is a fresh inquiry into the problems within the Brazilian forces and its rooted racism. 


Mau por um Momento (Bad for a Moment), dir. Daniel Soares


Mau por um Momento is a funny clash between the upper class and those who are exploring it. It is a clever observation of the rising gentrification currently happening in Portugal.


Minha Mãe é uma Vaca (My Mother is a Cow), dir. Moara Passoni


Minha Mãe é uma Vaca uses a magical realism structure to set a political refugee story and the distance between a mother and her daughter. It is an engaging effort by Moara Passoni, known for her nonfiction work, including the Academy Award nominee, Edge of Democracy. 


NEA, dir. Nelson G. Navarrete & Alex Ulises


It is a funny and heartfelt mafia film about a cab driver who tries to provide for his daughter while living in the chaotic and dangerous reality of Medellín, Colombia. It feels like a conversation with someone who is a third-party agent in the violence of that city, a pawn playing amidst the kings of crime. 


Lovesick, dir. Alexander Saul


Lovesick narrates the story of a young man in a psychiatric ward as he deals with hallucinations and feelings for his nurse. Mental illness can be so stigmatized and isolating but Alexander Saul aims to open the viewers’ eyes to the daily life in a ward as he weighs in on how people with mental issues deal with relationships and being loved. Although bleak at moments, it is a realistic remark on the adversities of mental illness. 


David Again, dir. Adam Elliott

Adam Elliot narrates a beautiful story of a friendship that is apart but never ends. It is a heartfelt telling of two grateful individuals who reflect on how crucial their friendship was for them. It is also such a beautiful elegy for David. 


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The short end of the stick: The inferior part, the worse side of an unequal deal

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When it comes to cinema and the Oscars it always feels like short films and getting the short end of the stick. Lack of coverage, lack of predictions from experts and an afterthought in the conversation. With this site we hope to change that, highlighting shorts that stick with you, predictions, and news on what is happening in the world of shorts. 

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