There were four Oscar-qualifying awards at the HollyShorts ceremony. The main Best Short Film Grand Prize went to Trapped by Sam Cutler-Kreutz and David Cutler-Kreutz. The film also won the Best Drama award. The Best Live Action short went to A Son and a Father by Andrés Ramírez Pulido. In the Best Animation category, the winner was Hurikán by Jan Saska. Finally, Voices from the Abyss by Irving Serrano and Victor Rejón won for Best Documentary.
Trapped had its world premiere in 2024 at the prestigious SXSW (South by South West) festival. In fifteen-minute it follows another working night of Joaquin, a high school janitor. Joaquin works at a prestigious school Academy. Finishing up one early morning, he hears voices echoing through the empty halls. This leads him to the gymnasium and a group of senior boys assembling an ambitious prank. Inevitable tensions arise when he attempts to shut down the prank and send the boys home. Suddenly, he is caught between the boys, the school’s head custodian and his own moral dilemma.
Trapped is certainly a compelling film, and by winning two awards was undoubtedly very popular. The lead character is excellent as is the performance by his omnipresent young son. Moreover, it succeeds in creating tension out of an otherwise seemingly mundane situation.
A Son and a Father by Andrés Ramírez Pulido was reviewed to indifference by Black and Paper. It was therefore somewhat surprising that it progressed to the main Oscar Shorts competition.
Colombian director Andrés Ramírez Pulido certainly has his credentials already as both a screenwriter and director. Following two short films that played Berlin and Cannes, in 2022 The Pack was his first feature. It would win the Grand Prix and SACD Award at the Cannes Critics’ Week. While his previous films concerned violence in rural areas, the latest film is a minor departure. A Son and a Father analyses anger but contains more humor in a domestic family situation. However, it seems suspended between short and feature-length status, like a section from a longer film.
The Czech animation Hurikán was directed by Jan Saska. In fact, it is a co-production of Czech Republic, Slovakia, France, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Hurikán takes a humorous but unglamorous snapshot of the off-tourist Prague underbelly at night. Moreover, it manages to convey a great deal in thirteen minutes. The title character is represented by a pig who regularly frequents a food stall. He has a big stench for beer and a bigger crush on the stall manager. This is authentic Prague in the side streets of the Zizkov neighbourhood. A repressed local ambience is as omnipresent as the towering backdrop of the futuristic Zizkov TV Tower. With inimitable Czech anarchic humour, influences ranging from comics and action films also blend seamlessly.
Voices from the Abyss is the 23-minute Mexican black and white documentary short winner. Directed by Irving Serrano and Victor Rejón, personal testimonies and poetry juxtapose and compliment stunning photography. Such images of majestic figures immerse us in the world of this unique passion. Off the coast of Acapulco one will find the La Quebrada cliffs and its divers. They plunge from dangerous, jagged cliffs into the sea below in their daily public shows. This involves diving from 30 or 41 meters (98 or 135 feet) high. Despite the dangers, this pastime has been proudly passed down for generations. The photography and editing is as awesome as the plunges it encapsulates. With almost transcendental and meditative effect, the film is a testament of living to the limits.
Other films not eligible for the Oscars were still winners of prestigious awards at HollyShorts. Two of these short films were already appraised in Black and Paper. The Best International film was The Painting and the Statue by Freddie Fox. The Kodak Best Shot on Film (16 mm) award went to Ragamuffin by Kaitlyn Mikayla. Both were commended for different reasons as they were very different films. However, it is no surprise that they also won an award. In common was a conspicuous and uniquely individual creativity that also entertained and captivated.
There were notable films in HollyShorts that did not win an award but deserve a mention. One was Boyfighter, directed by Julia Weisberg Cortes, a Mexican director based in Los Angeles. An intriguing entry, it looks at the emotional side of an otherwise brutal pastime.
A retired bare-knuckle street fighter called Mondo confronts the legacy he passed down to his son. Regret and remorse, poignant personal images of past and present all intertwine. While not so linear in its projection, the simple premise creates a still understandable scenario. Through sparse dialogue the director creates a solipsist and melancholy atmosphere of pain and hope for redemption.
An entry from Morocco, Aicha was written and directed by Sanaa El Alaoui. Taking a docu-fictional approach, the story focuses on individuals who still suffer from abuse. Alarmingly, many of these cases are still not reported. A 17-year-old girl struggles with an emotionally distant mother. This becomes more prominent when her life takes a tragic turn. In a redemptive attempt, the mother joins a mystic ceremony. In this tries to face the grief and mend the lost bond with her daughter. Like Boyfighter, the film has a non-linear perception of time. This encourages the viewer to see existence through images in a more fluid, cyclical way. For the director it was the only way of translating the horrific experience of the young girl. The chance to be reborn explains the mother and daughter bonding again at the ceremony.
By Steven Yates
Steven Yates is a British Film Critic and Journalist. He has been based in Berlin since 2008 and attends the Berlinale (Berlin International Film Festival) annually. He is also a member of FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics).
All films were screened online.
The 21st HollyShorts Film festival took place August 7th to August 17th in Hollywood California.