This year’s VC Film Festival at Los Angeles had a lot of short films to showcase, and presented here are my top picks after seeing more than just a handful of animations. There’s live action works which makes my list of top ten best presentations. They are presented in alphabetical order, and if I had to say which is number one, it’s a tie between The Queen’s Flowers and The 7th Night. As this event has wrapped up its week long celebration, I can finally get to add to my notes as I look back at what I liked the most. This top ten is different from my picks before the event.
A SHADOW’S GLOW
This work by Cole Fourqurean and Josh Mizrahi has a premise that I’m sure Don Bluth would admire. I particularly love the animation style because it’s one of contrasts. Here, the screen wonderfully plays with what defines light and shadow. The character designs are rather wicked, as what’s rendered feels like what PIXAR’s Elemental would motion-capture/storyboard out before sending the files to the render farm.
Here, the story is simple: it’s about a lost flame who wandered away from home. And if I’m to assume this being is a she, this cute soul has strayed too far into the world of darkness where are a lot of creatures are eager to destroy it. However, there’s one shadow figure who believes otherwise and saves the light from being extinguished.
What’s important is the study of yin and yang. Both elements need each other in order to support being able to move forward. Everything that’s presented shows why both are complementary rather than distinct opposites. The personality that’s imbued in this non-verbal narrative makes me hope this student film can find traction elsewhere. I like to see more of this world get expanded upon as it gives a sense that this work is inspired by The Dark Crystal.
ALL THE TIME
Anya Zulueta may well be writing about her own experiences of losing a beloved cat to illness in this short film. It’s a very sombre work that offers viewers how to embrace the memories one has with loss. Here, Tohru is taken in by a loving unnamed family, and although he’s timid at first, he soon adapts and demonstrates just how scrappy he is.
The other pet we see around (Jiji) is indifferent towards the interloper. I was amused at how the two bond. However, when the human knows the cat’s days are numbered, to remain close is this work’s greatest strength. The love that’s put here is strong and despite knowing the outcome, that sniffle is okay.
BIRD DRONE
Out of all the animated shorts I’ve seen at this year’s festival, I believe this piece by Radheya Jegatheva is the most PIXAR influenced. It’s evident in the story. Here, the focus is on a misfit seagull who finds a battered up drone. Though this bird has a bit of measured sentience, the other is pure machine—the relationship that’s struck is joy. Little does the fowl know that there’s a human nearby. Although the connection between this creature of nature to man made is bittersweet, I’d love to see more narratives from this filmmaker.
BUCKETS CITY
Duck hammer (Kyle Blanton Ross) and Kid Squirrel (Dave Quion) are just two kids who love b-ball, but they aren’t really all that good in the game. They have to learn how to pull off some quintessential moves, like the slam dunk, if they’re to be effective on the courts. Although all they got is the concrete park in a big city, any place is fine. But in order to face their challengers, they certainly need a quiet area to practise.
It’s tough especially when there’s Statler and Waldorf out to humiliate them. Technically, their names are Rinokill and Geksniper, two bullies who rule the hovel where locals play in. Although there’s nothing punk about this tale, that’s more of the vibe I get than to understand what makes up the hip hop world. The music helps put it all together, and I’d be willing to give this newcomer a chance at producing the next TMNT.
KALYAN
This short by Adnan Hussain is a magical meditation that I feel is more like a creation myth unfolding before my eyes. Here, Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai’s Sufi poetry is vividly brought to life in pictures. What’s presented is a mixture of images of the cosmos at its infancy and what may be planet formation. Some of it is CGI and other bits with paint, and even digitising the world to a computer so that it can be rendered in 16 bit or less. As a result, the way this presentation shows off how technology can evolve makes this work rather cool in itself.
NO ESCAPE
This hilarious horror comedy deals with the most fervent of fears that most couples face–approval from their parents. For Nisha (Leena Kurishingal, who also directs) and Jim (Mike Monreal) who are out on a weekend vacation, they thought they could escape from it, but somehow mom appears! This somewhere in the forest and cabin in the woods scenario isn’t about running away from responsibility. That’s because the woman is of South Asian origins, and they have a lot more weight placed upon their shoulders than the man from Irish descent. There are some pokes at cultural differences, and that’s what makes this work a laugh a minute. I won’t give away too much, but it’s worth the time to catch it at any festival screenings.
THE 7TH NIGHT: MAOMAO REVISITS
This brightly coloured supernatural film by ahLoong will hit viewers as hard as Marona’s Fantastic Tale in its narrative centred on the Chinese belief that all souls come back to visit the living in one form or another. Without spoiling too much, what we see is the happiness that a young child has upon adopting a cat left behind by its previous owner. His narration keeps the spunky action going, and they bond.
But when MaoMao, the name of the feline, runs out on the street day, and he’s mourning her fate, who knows what else would transpire. It’s not as tragic as one assumes, but wow, when you didn’t think that was coming, you’ll cry too.
THE QUEEN’S FLOWERS
No prior knowledge is really required to understand the joy presented in Ciara Lacy‘s ode to life and longevity. In the Queen’s Flowers, what we see is more than a simple story of a time a young girl would regularly get to see Queen Lili`uokalani. Emma lives in the priory next door, and she would often notice this former monarch simply enjoying the outdoors while she and her friends play. However, she was the odd schoolgirl out, and would go out of the way to do things that would upset the people running this church.
While there is a lot of historic context nestled in the title cards and in the film, what I enjoyed was the soundtrack that complemented every frame. From the simple strum of the Ukulele to an instrumental cover of “He Inoa No Ka’iulani” and hearing it sung by Kamehameha Schools Children’s Choir during the closing credits just knocked it out of the park for me. I don’t think they are often asked to contribute to movie soundtracks, and when they do, I pay attention. I was introduced to their sound through Lilo & Stitch, with “He Mele No Lilo” and am absolutely hooked. Their meles (chants) are typically quite uplifting.
While there probably wasn’t a lot of historical record concerning how frequently these two interacted, I’m sure Lacy can help fill in the blanks when this piece gets used in broader markets to recognise Hawaiian culture.
WALK WITH THE DEVIL
The Reaper, or he who waits at the crossroads, must count the number of souls who pass by him, and it’s his duty to escort that individual to what’s next. But when he finds a young child taken away too soon, what he discovers is heartfelt, and it shows that even in the Afterlife, those appointed guardians were once human too. It’s a beautiful student project by ZuYe “Joey” Liu which deserves expansion since it doesn’t follow any theology. While I can recognize a few motifs, this one is not rooted in a particular culture. It’s worth not passing by when listed at film festival screenings.
WEATHER FORECAST: AUGMENTED!:
In what may be the only computer animated piece in the VC Film Fest’s catalogue, this work by Pei-Lun Hsieh is a cute ode to silent films and the future. As the title suggests, a wannabe wants to be the next newscaster to report on the weather. I think she’s the janitor, and one night, she can’t help but want to play with the green screen. But as she tries to figure out the tech that’s been recently installed, it becomes something a lot more; she’s often immersed in the illusion and just how she plays with it is remarkable.
Although today’s technology is capable of crafting that, is it something we need in today’s news? Most likely not, but I like how this short presents the possibility of virtual avatars becoming the next generation of weather girls.
Runs Sept 26 – October 6
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