cinéma vérité
Aug. 14th, 2023 12:05 pmEvery summer I can, I attend a short film festival I have nearby. It lasts four nights, and it's always a good time.
This year the films themselves have been 50/50. The ones that were good were REALLY good; the ones that were bad were mind-numbingly boring LOL. The best was definitely saved for last, on Saturday night. My favourite ones were the last three, all covering heavy topics in quite interesting, sometimes new ways. I don't know how likely it'll be to find them online, especially outside Spain/with subtitles, but I'll link their IMDb pages just in case:
Another one I liked was "NO HAY FANTASMAS" ("there are no ghosts"). It wasn't as good as the other three, but it might've inspired an idea for a story LOL (I'm not saying the primary reason I go to this festival is for inspiration but. It doesn't hurt that often I get the embryo of an idea out of a small moment in them!). It's about a young woman who can hear the "echoes" left by the dead, and tries to help those they leave behind to move on with their lives; all while, obviously, she fails to do the same in her personal life. The idea of doing something with the barebones of that premise has started to knock around my head... that + a comic I read last week that has me thinking about clones are fighting for my attention (among many, many other plotbunnies).
This year the films themselves have been 50/50. The ones that were good were REALLY good; the ones that were bad were mind-numbingly boring LOL. The best was definitely saved for last, on Saturday night. My favourite ones were the last three, all covering heavy topics in quite interesting, sometimes new ways. I don't know how likely it'll be to find them online, especially outside Spain/with subtitles, but I'll link their IMDb pages just in case:
-"SOLO UN ENSAYO" ("just a rehearsal"). Two sisters, seven and eleven years old, are hiding inside a closet in a house. THe little sister thinks they are rehearsing for a game but the older one knows that a terrible threat lurks outside. Domestic violence. This one won the technical prizes (editing, sound, direction), and they were more than well-deserved.
-"TU TIJERA EN MI OREJA" ("your scissor in my ear"). Desperate for a last minute haircut the night before his wedding, a fancy client enters a cheap barbershop. But he'll get more than he bargained for when the barber recognises him as a very important person from his past. Bullying, internalised homophobia. This one only won best script (REALLY well-deserved), but I also wish either of the guys had won best actor. They were incredible.
-"ACTOS POR PARTES" ("acts in parts"). Four ormer cancer patiences retell/reenact humourous annecdotes from experiences they lived at that time. This one was a shoe-in for the audience's prize: incredibly hilarious AND quite emotional. For once I didn't know which short to vote amongst these three, but this one earned it.
Another one I liked was "NO HAY FANTASMAS" ("there are no ghosts"). It wasn't as good as the other three, but it might've inspired an idea for a story LOL (I'm not saying the primary reason I go to this festival is for inspiration but. It doesn't hurt that often I get the embryo of an idea out of a small moment in them!). It's about a young woman who can hear the "echoes" left by the dead, and tries to help those they leave behind to move on with their lives; all while, obviously, she fails to do the same in her personal life. The idea of doing something with the barebones of that premise has started to knock around my head... that + a comic I read last week that has me thinking about clones are fighting for my attention (among many, many other plotbunnies).