FILMSSHORT WINNERS - 5
Below are four of the winning films from the 12th FILMSshort competition.
Best Man by Freddie Hall (2016) (UK) (4m)
Best Man won three awards in the 12th FILMSshort competition, including the Grand Prize. It tells the story of the newly engaged Donald, who wants his good friend, Patrick, to be the best man at his wedding. The caveat is that, if Patrick is to be his best man, his first task is to get Donald out of the marriage by getting rid of his fiancée, which, as well as being somewhat contradictory, leads Patrick to believe that Donald has in fact lost his mind. When the bride-to-be turns up, Patrick faces a problem.
White Awake by Alex Kyrou (2015) (UK) (14m)
White Awake has won the best BAME Short Film in the 12th FILMSshort competition. White Awake - which is a great title! - tells the story of Joshua, a successful black man, who is having therapy to overcome his current problems. During today's therapy session he is recalling his somewhat unusual childhood in the 1980s as the black son of a white couple with marital problems. The look of the 1980s scenes is very evocative and the overall quality of the film and acting is very high.
Thirst For Fury by Wiebe van den Ende (2016) (Holland/Brazil) (6m)
Thirst For Fury (Sede de Furia) is a brilliantly simple black comedy. A woman, having returned home from a successful business trip, is eating a celebratory dinner with her boyfriend. Unfortunately, the boyfriend has a rather brutal confession to make regarding her sister. Worse, the woman has been witholding a dark truth too. Yet all is not as it seems in this unconventional relationship.
HIVE by by Adam Ciolfi (2016) (Canada) (10m)
HIVE is an impressive stop-motion animation about a dying colony. Apparently taking inspiration from the collapse of global bee colonies, but laden with philosophical ideas, HIVE follows the last few survivors of a dying world as they search for meaning in their final hours. It can be hard for non-animators to appreciate the amount of time and effort that goes into making a stop motion film, but this is very well done, with smooth moving shots giving it a great cinematic feel.
