Blogging Tribeca 2009: Short Films

"Love Does Grow on Trees" screened at Tribeca 2009.

There’s no doubt that the Tribeca Film Festival exudes star power and red carpet glitz – at least in the mainstream media. And yet, somewhat more quietly, Tribeca has gathered a diverse selection of short films ranging from experimental animations to personal stories – for a variety of documentary and narrative gems from across the globe. Granted, there was a short film directed by Kate Hudson and a disappointing directorial debut from actor Tom Everett Scott, but many of the short films came from first-time ‘no-name’ directors. In fact, the two festival winning short films – home (Best Documentary Short, directed by Matthew Faust) and The North Road (La route du Nord) (Best Narrative Short, directed and written by Carlos Chahine) – were both directorial debuts. Here is a sampling of several short films that deserve another look.

home (Winner of Best Documentary Short, Directed by Matt Faust, Documentary, USA, 6 min) Hurricane Katrina inspired a bevy of documentary films, but home shines as an ordinary story told with a haunting soundtrack over the shots of cut-out family photos and blurry home movies. The images of the home how it was lived in and loved by this family are juxtaposed against the images of its devastation post-Katrina. The film is a truly remarkable personal story that artfully captures the loss of home.

Gefilte Fish (Directed by Shelly Kling-Yosef, Israel, Narrative, 10 min) A comical charmer, this short film tells the story of a young woman torn between her pre-nuptial family tradition to kill and cook gefilte fish versus her sympathy for the live carp swimming in her bathtub. This story resonates in a universally appealing way, like a short Israeli version of My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Watch the trailer.

Small Change (Winner of Student Visionary Award, Directed by Anne McGrath, Australia, Narrative, 8 min) This Australian short film manages to balance the height of family drama (the aftermath of a mother abandoning her husband and three young children) with the hopefulness of a six-year-old who believes in the tooth fairy. A big story for a short, but the final shot of a look between father and son manages to pull an impressively acted ending from the film.

The Bather (Directed by George Griffin, USA, Documentary, 4 min) This simple and lovely piece shows a showering woman obscured behind a curtain alongside a flipbook of a woman dancing. It ends as the flipbook comes to life as an animated woman dancing across the screen. However one interprets the film, it’s a beautiful short and wonderful that Tribeca showcased such an unconventional and experimental film. Watch it online.

Love Does Grow on Trees (Directed by Bevan Walsh, UK, Narrative, 11 min) This short film from the UK portrays a young boy on a desperate quest for some girlie magazines - but when his wildest dream come true, he comes to realize he might not want them after all. A simple, sweet coming-of-age story, the film compactly, and with little dialogue, presents a lovable character in some hilarious and awkward moments. Watch it online or watch the trailer.

Wu (Directed by Cécile Vernant, France, Narrative, 13 min) Told nearly entirely through the inner thoughts of the characters, this film from France offers a cruel and comic depiction of a marriage gone wrong (or maybe it never was right, after all). The stream of consciousness cleverly contradicts the actions and spoken words of the characters, making for a simultaneously funny and truly depressing film.

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