That’s a wrap on our Short of the Week series for 2021. If you’re looking for indie alternatives to add to your holiday break watchlist, why not dip into our archives? The following Top 10 countdown is comprised exclusively of films that were submitted to our Short of the Week series in 2021.
10. APPETITE | Directed by Xuemeng Li & Katrin Larissa Kasper
Steph is a predatory dater. She likes to indulge on an assortment of hapless men and women, whom she overawes, out-orders and out-eats. What‘s more, she insists she likes to pay. But Steph‘s dating habits are running away with her, just as she is running away from a terrifically large bill. Steph, it transpires, is a serial dine-and dasher. Wearing different guises and personas, each more elaborate than the last, she believes she can slip away from the table and not suffer the consequences. But everyone has to pay the bill in the end.
9. A SICKNESS | Written & Directed by Guy Soulsby | Produced by Jennifer Gelin
Stephen lives a solitary life. A loner. A man who keeps himself to himself and is governed by routine and order. All things have their place and for good reason as a dark secret lurks beneath his feet.
8. WE | Written & Directed by David Yorke
A tour of the development and unravelling of a relationship. A beautiful and hypnotic visual representation and journey of the make up and break up of a relationship.
7. RETCH | Written & Directed by Keir Siewert | Produced by Alix Austin
A visceral horror rollercoaster in which a young woman's illness takes a disturbing turn...
6. OASIS | Written & Directed by Andrew De Zen
Set in the deserts of 1935, a pilot finds himself in a place that is ready to destroy all ambitious men.
5. THE WIDOW | Directed by Ailish Castillo & Nicola Morris
A young mother's cry for help in a man's world where silence is a virtue.
THE WIDOW was an Official Selection at The People’s Film Festival earlier this year, nabbing the award for Best Production Design.
4. DAVID FRENCH IS A PIECE OF SHIT AND I WANT HIM DEAD | Directed by MARK VAN HEUSDEN
Up and coming rock band Bad Penny are doing their first headline tour, but they have a problem. The support band French Kiss, fronted by the charming David French, is becoming more popular than them. In addition to that James, the singer/guitarist of Bad Penny, seems to have lost inspiration. Dean and Anthony, fraternal twin brothers and the two remaining band members of Bad Penny, devise an evil plan to help James find new inspiration and make their band gain popularity again.
3. QUIET CARRIAGE | Directed by BEN S. HYLAND
A comedy about a passive man with an overactive imagination.
Starring Amit Shah and Emma Sidi.
QUIET CARRIAGE was the Audience Award Winner at The People’s Film Festival 2020, and also brought home the award for Best Performance in a Comedy for Amit Shah.
2. THE PLUNGE | Directed by Simon Ryninks | Written by Omar Khan | Produced by Tibo Travers
After a night of passion Emily tells Jay that she’d like to use a strap-on. Scared of losing a girl he has a connection with, Jay reluctantly agrees.
The Plunge won Best Comedy Short, Best Sponsored Short & Best Ensemble Cast (Comedy) at The People’s Film Festival 2020.
1. RUMORI | Directed by Sämen
Watch the short film that swept The People’s Film Festival 2021, taking home 4 awards including: Best Director, Best Cinematography, and Best Drama.
Visually exploring the emotional complexity of a breakup, Rumori has at its core how the lack of understanding and communication between two people can destroy a relationship. Introspective, subtle and beautifully melancholic, the short film stands as a summary of the endless conversations and sleepless nights experienced as two people gradually drift apart and disappear from each other's minds.
Set in a house in the Italian countryside, we find the characters in the film, played by Andrea Arcangeli and Matilda De Angelis, stuck in a loop of internal arguments. They share the same space, yet they are unable to see and perceive one another. They live for each other, yet they are blind to each other's needs. Feeling trapped and alone within this space, the house becomes a metaphor for their stagnant and decaying relationship.
As a true reflection of our world, Rumori argues that to stand still is to disappear. The only way out of a toxic dynamic is to embrace change, transform and move forward.
Honourable Mentions
Even though this films didn’t make our Top 10 we still think they’re pretty great and well worth a watch.
Lesson 7
Ballet & I
A Present for a Good Girl
