My first day at AFIFest presented by Canva was filled with the arts. Of course film is a artform itself (which pulls together various other arts). For example, a short video playing on screen prior to each film at the festival celebrates AFI Conservator—one of the...
The title Once Upon a Time in the Middle East may sound like a fairy tale, but it is instead a grim reminder of how war is often death of both innocence and innocents. Directed by Wen Muyue, the film is a story of food and family, but also of loss and devastation....
What happens when you sense that the American Dream is not really available to you? Mouse, from writer/director Kenny Riches, take us into a world of small-time criminals who try to justify their actions as a response to lack of access to that dream. Denny (Riches)...
Culture and tradition help to form who we are, as individuals and as societies. Sometimes, however, the outside world can overpower the traditional teachings, causing personal and community conflict. In The Condor Daughter¸ written and directed by Álvaro Olmos...
Every so often news media report the death of the oldest person in the world, which elevates someone else to that title. Director Sam Green spent ten years meeting those long-lived survivors. The Oldest Person in the World, though is more than just the super-aged. It...
Whether its about life and death emergencies, or the world’s loudest burp, short documentaries help us meet interesting people and discover things about our world and perhaps ourselves. Here are some of the short docs playing at HollyShorts Film Festival. A New...
Among the films showing at HollyShorts Film Festival are those that seek to have a social impact. Here are some that speak in differing ways about social issues. Habibi (16 minutes), directed by Alexey Evstigneev, is a deception based in desperation. In some Muslim...
There are many options to choose from at HollyShorts Film Festival. Today I decided to sample some of the crime and sci-fi genres. Tadji (19 minutes), directed by Mahdi Borjian, is about a husband-wife relationship more than about crime itself. Tadji, is the factory...
Here is another round of animated shorts from HollyShorts Film Festival. In this group I draw from various screening blocks, one for kids animation and some for more adult audiences. They (8 minutes), directed by Renée Zellweger, wonders if we can get along. The main...