Winter Dunn gets everything perfectly right in her latest short, Dear Mama … Grief comes in all forms, and Dunn capably shows us just how complex that feeling is. An emotional and powerful film that is tremendously led by its two talented leads.
Category: HollyShorts Film Festival
Aurinko in Adagio ★★★★★ HollyShorts Film Festival
A rather beautiful look at honing a craft and being lifted by the support of your family, Aurinko in Adagio is a joy. Elisee Junior St Preux has a wonderful touch as a filmmaker, with his film hitting you close to the heart with its effectiveness. Director: Elisee Junior St
MINK! ★★★ 1/2 HollyShorts Film Festival
MINK! is an open and informative documentary that is well worth 20 minutes of your day. We need more documentaries about people like Patsy Takemoto Mink for it shows the good that there is and that progress never stops. You can watch it below in the link provided at the
Moshari ★★★★ 1/2 HollyShorts Film Festival
A never ending sense of dread envelopes Moshari, & never lets go. Wonderful filmmaking from Nuhash Humayun that has you immediately standing up & taking notice. A must watch from a filmmaker on a fast ascent. Director: Nuhash Humayun Cast: Sunerah Binte Kamal, Nairah Onora Saif IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt17499740 It’s the end of
Skin & Bone ★★★★ HollyShorts Film Festival
Weird and wonderful, Eli Powers atmospheric Skin & Bone is an unsettling short that isn’t afraid to hold its card close to its chest. Amanda Seyfried & Thomas Sadoski excel in a film that commands your attention. Director: Eli Powers Cast: Amanda Seyfried, Thomas Sadoski, Nick Verdi, McCaleb Burnett IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt20783516 After taking
Return to Sender ★★★ HollyShorts Film Festival
Return to Sender is a strong thriller that grabs onto our fears of being watched. With the increasing dependency on the digital world, Russell Goldman shows how we are losing the control we crave for our own lives. Director: Russell Goldman Cast: Allison Tolman, Emma Pasarow, IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15225028 When recovering alcoholic Julia
Kickstart My Heart ★★★★ HollyShorts Film Festival
A film that isn’t afraid to kick some ass, Kickstart My Heart is everything you want it to be. Kelsey Bollig has made a film you never want to end – a fantastic short from a highly promising filmmaker.
Paper Thin ★★★★★ HollyShorts Film Festival
An excellent short film, Paper Thin, focuses on the feelings that run through you when you are losing a loved one. Running at a mere six minutes, Neil Dua and Thomas Archer have made a pitch-perfect and faultless film. Director: Neil Dua Cast: Thomas Archer, Jimi Hernandez IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21415680/ An intimate exchange between two unlikely strangers
Love, Dad ★★★★ HollyShorts Film Festival
For 13 minutes, you are heart-wrenchingly moved in Diana Cam Van Nguyen’s Love, Dad. Told through voiceover and paper animation, we are struck by how affecting her film is, as if we are seeing a form of therapy bared before us on screen. Director: Diana Cam Van Nguyen IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14972316/
Bainne ★★★★★ HollyShorts Film Festival
Stunning, that is really all you can say about Jack Reynor’s director debut Bainne. A near-wordless stunning piece of cinema. Atmospheric in its desolation of the time period, what a beautifully haunting film.
Work ★★★★ HollyShorts Film Festival
Breakups can be messy endeavours, and for Marisela Zumbado’s Gabi, she needs to shake things up in April Maxey’s relatable film Work. This melancholy piece explores that longing for a connection with another person. Director: April Maxey Cast: Marisela Zumbado, Darlisa Ali, Star Amerasu, Elaine Whae, Jay Dathorne, Sarah Gordon
Elsa ★★★★ 1/2 HollyShorts Film Festival
Cameron S. Mitchell’s documentary Elsa perfectly captures a woman who will not be defined and forces you to take her seriously. Elsa engrosses and becomes a shot in the arm to make representation in the world fairer. Director: Cameron S. Mitchell Elsa Sjunneson is a DeafBlind professor, media critic, skilled
How Do You Measure a Year ★★★★ 1/2 HollyShorts Film Festival
How do you measure a year? is fabulous, a brilliant love letter to the relationship between a father and daughter—a beautiful look at the experience of growing up. Director: Jay Rosenblatt Cast: Ella Rosenblatt IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15026956 From the time she was two years old, and until she turned 18, they had
Triggered ★★★★ 1/2 HollyShorts Film Festival
A powerful and tough watch, Tara Westwood’s Triggered is a shattering look at loss and its painful consequences. A film that lingers with you long after the credits have rolled. Director: Tara Westwood Cast: Isiah Whitlock Jr., Caitlin Mehner, Robert John Burke, Tara Westwood IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15301336 A US Senator faces
Troy ★★★ 1/2 – HollyShorts Film Festival
Troy is a film that you cannot help but love, a wonderful breath of comedic fresh air for one reason: we would most likely (almost definitely) be like Thea and Charlie. Mike Donahue’s film knocks it out of the park.
Elevate ★★★ 1/2 HollyShorts Film Festival
A sombre and considerate piece that showcases the importance of compassion and the human touch, Elevate is a striking short that works on you emotionally, accumulating in a powerful ending. Director: Dylan Boom Cast: Tracie Thoms, Jason Butler Harner, Rickey Eugene Brown, Gwyn LaRee IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15699084 Tiffany (Tracie Thoms) works the
Act of God ★★★★ HollyShorts Film Festival
Act of God ‘s authentic charm is what drives this excellent observational short. Unexpectedly funny and poignant, Park Smith and Spencer Cook have made a refreshing and welcome film that shows disability in all of its complex forms. A disabled man’s commute is interrupted by a $100 bill lying on
Shark ★★★ 3/4 HollyShort Film Festival
Shark is a dark comedy that knows when to pull the rug on our fun having newlyweds. Nash Edgerton’s latest short is a deliciously dark delight.
Bump ★★★★ – HollyShorts Film Festival
Rory Keenan’s debut film, Bump, is a rounding success, ably bringing some biting comedy while finding the perfect chance to wipe that smile clean off our faces. A strong start to a promising career as a director. Director: Rory Keenan, Cast: Gemma Arterton, Macy Nyman, Nylah Sweeney IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12435324 Heavily pregnant