For two weeks, starting 09:00 CET on Monday 25th May 2020, Indy Film Library will be streaming some of the best student short films we have received over the last year.
Films have been selected on the basis of both their storytelling and the technical skills exhibited by their cast and crew, in a celebration of the often under-appreciated world of student cinema.
All the films will be free to view via the Indy Film Library website – before the Best Film and Best Director in the Narrative and Documentary categories will be announced. Meanwhile, viewers will also have the opportunity to select the winner of the Audience Choice Award ( via the voting form at bottom of the page).
*UPDATE: Following the declaration of award winners for the Showcase, The screening period is now closed, and the films have been taken down. For more information on the films, or if you represent a festival and would like to invite one of the filmmakers to submit to your event, please contact Indy Film Library via this form.*
Short Documentaries
ASCONA (2019) – 4 stars
Director: Julius Dommer
Director’s statement: “The idea of Ascona or rather the approach was to touch the memory level of the audience. Almost everyone has played mini-golf at some point in their lives and almost everyone has a personal connection and memory of it. It’s the places you find in holiday resorts or the green belt of the cities, framed by a hunter’s fence, you find a small kiosk, sit on plastic garden chairs and discover a wealth of 1950/1960s myths. You can say that the people are bourgeois, conservative, but warm, which perhaps reflects the general German society quite well.”
The Angel of History (2019) – 4 stars
Director: Eric Esser
Director’s statement: “A border in Europe. A painting by Paul Klee. A poem by Walter Benjamin. A film about yesterday and today, and how difficult it is to recognize one behind the other.”
Short Narrative Films
A Trip to the Store (2019) – 4 stars
Director: Mason Bosworth
Director’s statement: “In the midst of this pandemic, it’s easy to overlook the very real epidemic already afflicting people in the United Kingdom. Approximately six percent of people in the U.K. deal with a mental illness. This number increases for those who identify as LGBTQ+. Our goal was to help destigmatise mental illness by portraying in what we hope is a humorous and relatable way, but also by showing how relentless, debilitating and absurd it can sometimes be. To convey this delicate tone, I looked to emulate the work of Spike Jonze, Paul Thomas Anderson and Alfonso Cuarón. As an American obsessed with British comedies, it was a dream come true to make this film. I think it’s my proudest achievement of my life thus far. Thomas Jenkins, the writer and star, was a dream collaborator. He trusted his script in my hands and delivered the most insightful and nuanced performance I have ever been witness to. Liyaan Sarwal, Emily Simmons and Alex Smith not only gave me the opportunity but also provided me with everything else a director could possibly need from his producers. We hope you enjoy!”
Blaze Beat Jitters (2019) – 3.5 stars
Director: Nico Fulton Lavachek
Director’s statement: “Blaze Beat Jitters is a short film that has an identity composed of two important elements of my life: my love for eighties music and my struggle with panic disorder. Throughout my life, I have turned to the iconic music of the eighties to ease my anxieties, so I made a film inspired by that relationship. The most rewarding part of production was seeing my dreams become a reality. Making the words of the script become real was a surreal experience that cannot be compared to any other art form. The original song that was made for Blaze Beat Jitters was written and performed by George Esteban, who could not have done a better job. “Lean on Me” is a magical song that always warms my heart and brings me joy. My love for this short is immense and I would like to thank Elwood Quincy Walker, Eden Ashkenazi, Jeremy Sporn, and George Esteban for supporting my dream of creating an eighties chart TV show disaster!”
Gilbert (2020) – 3.5 stars
Director: Xavier Wehrli
Director’s statement: “Gilbert is an exploration of a break in consciousness I once experienced after surgery. For several hours, my body continued to engage with its environment without the guidance of rational thought. Capturing this traumatic experience through film was challenging, as the expression of this horror required more than a simple narrative. My use of semi-experimental cinematography was an attempt to capture the free association of a mind recalling repressed memories, shifting along a gradient between concrete imagery and abstract feelings. In this confusion, the potential for violence becomes more frightening than violence itself.”
One Minute to Midnight (2020) – 3 stars
Director: James Brammer
Director’s statement: “In One Minute to Midnight, I wanted to explore a possibility of our future in terms of how we advance as a civilization, and the potential consequences, and to emphasize the need for those who choose to do good over their own fame and fortune. I decided to date the film in 2063 and 2064 to show viewers that the reality Dr. Hugo Laar finds in 2064 could become our reality in our near future, and that we must proceed with caution, especially in terms of weaponized technological advancement. Many viewers will walk away from this short contemplating this message about how delicate our future is. Not just in terms of weaponized technological advancement, but also in terms of global warming, political instability and global pandemics that threaten our way of life and the prosperity of our future. One Minute to Midnight pushes the boundaries of high school student filmmaking while delivering an important moral that will leave viewers thinking deeper, and one that is especially pertinent now.”
Trespass (2018) – 2 stars
Director: Jonathan Foulston
Director’s statement: “With ‘Trespass’, I aimed to question traditional gender archetypes in film and challenge genre conventions and audience expectations. Why is it presumed that a female character is doomed to die when she is met with danger? Why is it assumed that she is incapable of defending herself? As this trope is the norm in the Horror genre, I adopted this preconceived notion and attempted to subvert it to the nth degree.”
Our Song (2020) – 3.5 stars
Director: Sophie Fazio
Director’s statement: “Hans Christian Anderson once said, ‘When words fail, music speaks.’ Our Song demonstrates the power of music to transport us to a moment in time, and in contrast feel the loneliness and pain of silence.”
Parallel (2019) – 4 stars
Director: David Mahmoudieh
Director’s statement: PARALLEL explores the dichotomy between two students’ sexual assaults within the school system, and how their contrasting reactions to it affect not just themselves but the safety of those around them… The icing on the cake was a cameo by Corey Feldman, a man whose own harrowing experiences brought a wealth of wisdom and authenticity to the film’s final message. It was also Corey’s idea to include his #Kids2 call-out in the film and the kids and I were more than happy to use the short as a platform for that. I am both humbled and honored to bring this powerful and timely story to life for the kids who conjured it, and raise awareness that while progress is being made there are still millions more victims out there needlessly suffering in silence. This one’s for them. For more info on Kids In The Spotlight and their work with foster youth, please visit kitsinc.org