Shorts Block 10: A Big Assortment of Short Films
The final group of short films at the 18th Annual New Hampshire Film Festival were screened at the 3S Artspace on Sunday afternoon. This was the biggest bunch of short films at the festival and showcased a dozen diverse films for the excited audience, with representatives from Cherish, Incandescent, and Monkey in attendance as well.
In the first film of the block, Spacesavers, director Sarah Ginsberg documents a day in the life of Boston residents. Homeowners eager to keep their parking space occupied during the snowy winter months will put anything in replace of a car, including chairs, cones, trash cans, and even golf bags.
In the next film, All Happened Before, young teen Amanda, played by Maia Costea, enjoys spending her last day with her babysitter before she is sent off. Amanda learns a valuable lesson to growing up, and how she’ll carry on living an independent life.
In Candace, two lifelong friends are looking back at their years together, right before Charlie leaves for college. Her best friend Nina, struggles on how to act in their remaining days. Both want to remember each other, but struggle with finding common ground.
The following film, Cherish, presents a young boy growing up in the rural south is intrigued with catching fireflies and his dream of flying. As the film progresses the audience is shown how his dream could be a reality.
The block’s next drama was Somewhere in July, which stars Emma Wiederspahn as ten-year-old July, who is struggling with a family clash. July’s father is facing the social challenges that come with transitioning from a man to a woman, and the film presents how those changes affect the family and July’s childhood.
Next up was Roadside Attraction, a documentary by Patrick Bresnan and Ivete Lucas about an “attraction” that doesn’t come by too often. The sudden appearance of Air Force One has created a mass of roadside tourists eager to get a photo next to the famous aircraft.
Rabbit Tracks was the block’s sole animated film. Luke Jaeger directs a memorizing piece of art, containing lively animals and beautiful landscapes. Travel through the mind of the creators, and how they managed to relay their image into an extravagant animation.
In the comedy/drama, 86’D, directed by Alan Palomo, a man just wants to order his sandwich at the city deli. The multiple stories he overhears behind him lead to a series of confusing and stressful thoughts, that leave the man different than when walking in.
Incandescent was the next film of the block and was directed, written, and produced by Alfred Thomas Catalfo, with Gina Catalfo Nelson co-producing. In this science fiction short, an alien species visits earth after receiving info from a Voyager spacecraft. The intelligent species look after an elementary teacher, played by Amanda Dane, who is at a crossroads with how she wants to make a difference for the human race.
The documentary, Aloha For This Place allowed the audience to explore the interesting and exotic lives of the people of Hawaii. Through the lens of the burgeoning industry of aquaculture, this documentary, directed by David Jackel, presents the concept of what it means to “be Hawaiian”. In this film, one learns how marine life is integrated into the mass economy of the island, and how the effects of climate change are altering everyone who lives there.
In Housekeeping, Kate Boladian plays a common housekeeper, who gets a flirtatious hint from a resident of the hotel. However, as she learns more about the special guest, her opinion of him changes and leads her to make a risky decision. The film was directed, produced and written by Tracy Kleeman.
The last film of the block, Monkey, tells the story of a high school backup quarterback’s envy of the new-in-town star that took his rightful place. With a plan set in motion to injure him for the season, he learns something about himself that will teach him a lasting lesson.
By Will Derian