The winnner of the 9th FILMSshort competition, Conrad And The Steamplant by Dustin Cohen proves that a short documentary can be just as engaging as fiction film. Conrad & The Steamplant tells the story of Conrad Milster, who has worked in a New York college's power plant most of his life. Starting as a mechanic in 1958, he became one of only four chief engineers in the plant’s 127-year history, taking over in 1965. He’s been there ever since. Cohen's film provides a beautiful and intimate insight into the man and his world.
Plastic Bag, by Ramin Bahrani, is actually probably a drama short film but I include it here because it's my website. It is the story of a plastic bag travelling the world searching for his maker and coming to terms with his immortality. It is narrated by the mad veteran German filmmaker Werner Herzog, who also recently made the 3D documentary Cave Of Forgotten Dreams. Bahrani had previously made the critically acclaimed feature film drama, Goodbye Solo.
Made for Amnesty International, The Other Interview is a short documentary telling the horrific story of one woman's flight from North Korea: having made it from the Stalinist state to China, she is then forced back, where she faces a life of torture and hardship. Alongside the testimony of Ji-hyun Park, there are drawings of the scenes she describes. This short is called The Other Interview in reference to the controversial 2015 feature comedy The Interview.
Majorettees In Space (Des Majorettes Dans L'Espace) was written and directed by French filmmaker David Fourier, who vanished from the scene after making several shorts. Majorettes In Space won a BAFTA for Best Short Film in 1997. It is a comical - and very French - lambasting of the policies of the Catholic Church - then headed by Jean-Paul II - which insisted that contraception was against God's will despite the continuing spread of AIDS.