SHORTS: FROM FAERIES TO FATALITIES
SURPRISE / FAMILY
Total running time 88 min, Age 13+
This year’s collection of peer-reviewed, youth-produced short films showcases an international cohort of storytellers whose work spans genres. After a long, locked-down year, it’s unsurprising that some of these young filmmakers have leaned toward darker themes, with a fair amount of murder, death, and dystopia—balanced by a dose of social justice, a dash of fairy dust, and a bit of scatological humor. It’s a wild but worthwhile ride!
My Best Friend
Director Benji Tucker, US 2020, 6 min
Niko is determined to bring his best friend Oli back from the dead but discovers that reanimation might be harder than it seems.
O.range
Director Sunday Derham, Australia 2020, 5 min
In suburban Australia in the ’70s, a lonely teenage girl feels trapped between her overactive imagination and the obsessive boy next door she despises.
Beyond the Model
Director Erin Kökdil, US 2020, 5 min
In response to the anti-Asian hate that has surged during the pandemic, this film shines a light on what it is like be a “model minority” in an increasingly divided America.
The Black Collective
Directors Roxy Morris, Shiva Kansagara & Sophia Lee, US 2021, 3 min
Three businesspeople of color discuss the Black Lives Matter movement, supporting black businesses, and the small shop in Encinitas, CA, that showcases their products.
Jasmine’s Book
Directors Ashley Kumar & Chloe Meyer, US 2021, 8 min
Feeling lonely as Valentine’s Day approaches, a young woman falls in love with a book and becomes convinced that her soulmate is among the list of people who’ve checked it out.
Conjugal Revivification
Reed H. Sharp, US 2021, 10 min
In the late ‘60s, a young couple experiencing problems in their relationship turn to a marriage therapist who insists on some decidedly nontraditional techniques.
Down Seafaring Way
Directors Roxy Morris, Sophia Lee, Shiva Kansagara & Meia Voss, US 2021, 8 min
Sisters Maeve and Anna take a nighttime stroll down an empty street, revealing both painful and pleasant memories as their true reality slowly unfolds.
Distanced
Director Cassy Callari, US 2021, 1 min
A young filmmaker endures quarantine by reviving past memories of times spent hanging out with friends through rotoscope animation.
The Puppet
Director Will Nordstrom, US 2020, 2 min
A strange puppet encounters an old laptop that influences him to make a fateful decision.
The Fairy Tale
Director Seung jae Lee, Korea 2020, 15 min, in Korean with English subtitles
After a classmate asks out Eun-jung, she gives him a handmade book with a fairy tale of her own design that helps him to gradually understand the real reason she has rejected him.
Faery Houses
Director Marabee Barry, US 2021, 3 min
This short documentary explores the charming phenomenon of tiny fairy houses that have popped up around the town of Point Richmond, CA.
Distortion (Verzerrung)
Director Samuel J Punto, Germany 2021, 7 min, in German with English subtitles
Masked figures wander through a surrealistic world, their actions influenced by a central screen. Any resemblance to our society is entirely intentional.
Spud
Directors Will McDonald & Gavin Bell, US 2021, 5 min
Potatoes become anything but bland when two roommates discover they have a magical microwave.
Closing Night
Director David Camilo Cuevas, Canada 2021, 5 min
This cinematic tribute chronicles the final hours of the historic Bytowne Cinema, a Canadian theater closing its doors after 32 years as a community gathering place.
We will be joined in person for an onstage conversation with Jasmine’s Book co-directors Ashley Kumar & Chloe Meyer, Distortion director Samuel Punto and actor Charys Schuler, and Faery Houses director Marabee Barry.
Community partner
GET TICKETS
IN-THEATER
Sunday, Oct 17, 11:00am, Smith Rafael Film Center
$10 All admissions
ONLINE
$6 Member | $8 General