ED'S FAVOURITES - 5
Four more short movies that pull everything together into perfection.
It takes a long time, talent and dedication to make shorts this good.
A Morning Stroll by Grant Orchard (2011) (UK) (7m) *
A Morning Stroll claims to be based on a true story, as unlikely as that seems! Nominated for an Academy Award as well as winning a BAFTA, it is a clever and enjoyable romp through the decades and different styles of animation starting off in the 1950s. It seems there has been a chicken living and going about his business in New York for many years. Orchard mainly works on television spots, which is perhaps why he can turn his hand to various styles.
Gridlock by Dirk Beliën (2001) (Belgium) (7m) 
Written by Johan Verschueren, Gridlock (Fait d'hiver) was nominated for an Academy Award in 2003. It is a comic drama in which a businessman stuck in traffic (gridlock) decides to call his wife on his new mobile phone. However, he is told by his little girl that mummy is in the bedroom with 'Uncle Wim'. On hearing this news, our hero gives instructions, which have amusing and tragic consequences.
Yearbook by Bernardo Britto (2014) (USA) (11m)
Yearbook is a comic animation written and directed by American filmmaker Bernardo Britto. Although comical, Yearbook has a deep heart, questioning what we value as noteworthy. The story centres around a man who is asked to compile a yearbook for man's time on planet Earth. He is given seventeen years in which to create this document as this is how long it will take an alien missile to reach and destroy us. However, he has a finite amount of space...
Jet by Jordan Chesney (2012) (USA) (8m) *
Joint winner of the 5th FILMSshort competition, Jet takes its place amongst the very best short films ever made! This dialogue-free film is a gripping thriller in which a man who plans to use a handgun on himself sees a girl being snatched from the curbside and decides he must take action. Jet was a remake of a film Jordan made less than a year before but on a lower budget and tighter shoot. A kind of dress rehearsal for this more polished version.
