Shorts
Often treated as a cinematic stepchild, shorts must fight a Lilliputian's battle to be seen and respected. Four dedicated programs of shorts are presented at T/F. In addition, we found eight more short films — and four audio shorts presented by our sister, the Third Coast International Audio Festival — that help to give shorts their due. They pack more ideas, imagination and brio than movies many times their size — and demand to be seen.
- 18 Ans
- Raised lovingly by her father, Morgane has turned 18 and faces a crossroads. Her struggle to reconcile her feelings about her absent mother is captured with beautiful tenderness.
- Arsy Versy
- Lubo watches over the bats, while his mother watches over him. A quirky portrait of a man who follows his own spirit, even if it's a bit "upside down."
- Big Birding Day
- A bromance involving a particular genus of American men, homo competitivus.
- Born Sweet
- Oscar-winnng director Cynthia Wade returns to T/F with this moving film about a 15-year-old Cambodian boy who dreams of being a karaoke superstar despite suffering from arsenic poisoning.
- Darkness of Day
- Using found footage, Jay Rosenblatt weaves a stark yet poignant look at people's choices to end their life. Haunting and beautiful, the film handles a very difficult subject with grace and humanity.
- Dock Ellis & the LSD No-No
- A hilarious, animated anecdote from Dock Ellis, who tried a little LSD, played a little baseball.
- Goldthwait Home Movies
- Take a journey behind the scenes of the Goldthwait Home Movies, as Bobcat and his siblings run their commentary on the making of these family moments.
- Herd
- A brief portrait of a deer who thinks he's a cow.
- Kinda Sutra
- Interviews and animation explore our naïve notions about baby-making. (Plays with The British in Bed.)
- Listening to the Silences
- A poignant, intimate portrait of a Welsh man who hears voices, featuring his simple and powerful voiceover. "Two people inhabited my head; one was me and one was not me." (Plays with Antoine.)
- Loop Loop
- A colorful layering of images, this experimental film delivers glimpses of life in Vietnam like a slot machine before our eyes.
- Monkey Business
- Director Matthew Killip travels the globe, introducing us to some of our furry relatives. (Plays with Cowboys in India, Circo and Greetings from the Woods.)
- Mr. Hypnotism
- The hard-to-believe story of Ron Dante, con man, outlaw and quite possibly mad genius. (Plays with The Invention of Dr. NakaMats.)
- My Name is Sydney
- 16-year old Sydney is articulate in ways she can never express — a complex woman inside a severely autistic body. Levy captures the sensitive care-giving of her mother and Sydney's artistic musings.
- Notes on the Other
- Who was Hemingway? This carefully constructed piece looks back on Hemingway's creation of the adventurous writer, inspired by an experience in Pamplona.
- One Day After the Tenth Day
- From Narges Abyar in Iran comes a brief time in the life of Reza Abdolbab, an old man who cares for a camel. We see street scenes in the old city, a religious ceremony, and a climactic and dramatic processional reenactment of Persian battles.
- Photograph of Jesus
- A photography archive gets inundated with the strangest of requests, and this film illustrates them with a massively clever animated style. (Plays with Disorder.)
- Pockets
- In which we finally find out what's lurking in your pants' pockets. (Plays with Antoine.)
- Prayers for Peace
- Dustin Grella uses stop-motion animation to reflect on the loss of his veteran brother. (Plays with Rachel Is.)
- Quadrangle
- Love knows no boundaries — even for your parents, as Amy Grappell learns in this subtle, artful reflection.
- Quarry
- A portrait of kids hanging out at a swimming hole in 1967. (Plays with It Felt Like a Kiss.)
- The Dwelling
- On the banks of a Japanese river, engineering men have built makeshift homes. Striking imagery and humorous moments provide insight into their unique lifestyles.
- The Space You Leave
- A heart-breaking look at the parents of disappeared children and how difficult it is to "understand missing."
- Trash Out
- A mesmerizing look at the workers who enter foreclosed homes. (Plays with Secret Screening Orange.)
- Wagah
- Spectators flock to the India-Pakistan border to watch the countries' flags lower. Three children take advantage of the crowd, hawking DVDs in this stunning slice of life.