ADFF Short Film Competition

With a selection of nearly three dozen shorts from twenty five countries all around the globe, this year’s short film competition programme has something for every taste. Consisting of documentary, narrative and animated short films (as well as a number of cross-genre examples), stretching the notion of short from a couple of minutes up to over a half an hour, the selection might be a challenge to judge, but it’s certainly a treat to watch.

Traditionally seen as a platform for emerging talents making their first steps into the industry, this year’s competition is a reminder that the short film is a genre on its own. Award-winning actress Hafsia Herzi presents her directional debut Le Rodba, while established feature-film director Carlos Cuaron needs less than ten minutes to tell a playful story of a couple making an attack on a fast-food restaurant to save their marriage. The cast as well has some acclaimed names and is a special treat for those interested in Tunisian cinema scene, as Mouna Noureddine plays a leading role in the Wave and Anissa Daoud appears in The Album.

In contrast with the documentary competition, the majority of the short films address less widely-discussed issues, drawing attention to subjects underrepresented in the current media. UK director Peter King presents an insightful story of the isolated Karosta region in post-soviet Latvia. The film combines a photographic approach to filming the half-demolished city together with short encounters with its inhabitants. As we are guided through the place by one of the young residents of Karosta, the story becomes more personal, thus more universal, allowing each viewer to relate to the subject.

On the contrary, the animated short films selected for the festival tend to follow the recently established practice of addressing the socio-political issues in the genre of cartoons. Made in China is a motion-painting comment on the recycling of world history into a range of mass-produced goods. Esterhazi looks at the events related to the fall of Berlin Wall in 1989 from the perspective of a rabbit who makes a curious comment that ‘without the Wall Berlin it is not so cosy anymore’. Tussilago tells a story of the West German terrorist Norbert Krocher’s ex-girlfriend from the time they met until the day she was arrested.

It is fair to note that the festival presents a fairly diverse selection of short films from around the globe, giving a broad overview on the different film schools and cinematic trends. I was pleasantly surprised to see a high number of Iranian shorts united by their innovative and brave approach to filmmaking. Predictably enough, the majority of them address questions of social injustice and womens’ rights. However, by offering a fresh perspective on those issues they invite us to join the discussion on the current socio-political situation in Iran. The creators of The Pool Party use the metaphor to talk about social inequality, while Ask the Wind is set up as a detective story in which a carelessly loosened veil leads to a murder. It is interesting to see that many Iranian filmmakers create highly conceptual artistic pieces, and even though there is enough room for further development, I believe that those films are promising sketches for high future achievements.

With such great diversity, I found it curious to see that at least half a dozen of films present the world from the perspective of a child. A Gentle Push is a metaphor for a series of tragic events that collapse on little Robbie one afternoon, but turn out to be an essential step in the boy’s growing-up. An image of a whale dying on the seashore is beautifully incorporated into the film soundtrack, gradually building an atmosphere of upcoming tragedy. The story of a Richard rebelling against his sister’s dream to become a bodybuilder, Muscles offers an intimate look at femininity from a perspective of a little boy.

Fabio Yamaji whose short Divino Freestyles was included in the festival selection affirms that “short films are a great opportunity for experimenting, taking risks and being creative”. Each film presented at the festival is a confirmation of this statement.

By Tina Remiz