12. The Shape of You (2020) by Goh Ming Siu and Scott C. Hillyard
Having to shoot and produce the film remotely, due to quarantine restrictions, not much could be done about its visuals. To deal with this issue, the directors turned their attention to sound, with Golden Horse Award-winner Teo Wei Yong doing a great job in both sound and music, in a style that has the events implied eloquently, instead of actually presented, a tactic that works quite nicely. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
11. Gelora (2019) By Adam Taufiq Suharto
“Gelora” is a near perfect short film, particularly for fans of atmospheric horror (like myself). I really adored this production, and each project of Adam Suharto shows him thriving within different concepts and genres. Undoubtedly, Suharto is a unique talent within the realm of short film, and his work begs to be explored by fans of the genre. (Adam Symchuk)
You can read our interview with director Adam Suharto here.
10. Rong (2019) by Indira Iman
Visually, the short is impressive. Teresa Silla's cinematography has captured all three settings with utmost artfulness, implementing a documentary-like approach in the first, an almost noir in the second, and a fantasy one in the last. Her work is highlighted by the impressive coloring, with red hues dominating for the most part, the ominous lighting and the excellent music by WAHONO. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
9. She Dyes Her Hair Pink (2019) by Viv Li
Viv Li's approach is bold and unusual, but is quite intriguing, particularly through the sense of disorientation it emits, thus resulting in a very interesting short. Furthermore, the quality in the production shows that Li has the control of the medium, and it would be interesting to see her directing something longer than the eight minutes “She Dyes Her Hair Pink” lasts. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
8. Suraya (2017) by Zulaikha Zakaria
Given the subject matter, “Suraya” is not a short that will speak to a wider audience. However, the film is still well executed and performed, allowing it to be enjoyed on a technical level, even if the narrative does not click. Overall, Zulaikha Zakaria proves a talented filmmaker in approaching his subjects with a sincerity and a visual flair that highlights both the beauty of dance and the solidarity created through practicing religion. (Adam Symchuk)
7. Nina Wu (2019) by Midi Z
Stylistically “Nina Wu” is an eye candy, beautiful to watch and impossibly cool, and it's not just an effect of the fashionable set; Midi Z has the ability to find extreme beauty even when narrating about abused factory workers. The maddening red is used by cinematographer Florian Zinke with lavish extravaganza to outline Wu's strong angular features and her ardent performance. The precise camerawork supported by Lim Giong's unsettling electronic and strings score,traps the protagonist inside the cinematic frame in the same way her own alienation does.
“Nina Wu” gives a very tangible shape to the harmful male gaze and power play, making it an uncomfortable and cringing watch at times, and certainly a forceful depiction of their effects on the victims. (Adriana Rosati)
6. Neko, Kaeru: Cat's Home (2019) by Shinobu Imao
The sole flashback in the film is well-placed and the ending gives a sense of closure to both, Rina and the narrative, and in that regard, I can easily say I did not find a single fault with this short. I would definitely like to watch Shinobu Imao directing a full feature, with cats or without. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
5. Miss Man (2019) by Tathagata Ghosh
The presentation of the aforementioned comments is excellent, with the film benefiting the most by Ghosh's direction and production design, Amir Mondal's editing, which induces the film with a rather fast pace that suits its aesthetics quite nicely, and Avishikta Chatterjee's costumes that become a part of the narrative from the beginning. Regarding the presentation, the only aspect that seems a bit off is the extensive use of music that occasionally makes the film seem like a music video, somewhat detracting from the impact of its comments. Lastly, Arghya Adhikary's performance highlights the (inner) struggle of the protagonist in the best fashion, if with a bit of excessiveness occasionally, which suits, however, the overall aesthetics of the narrative. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
“Hey There!” is streaming on MUBI Europe
4. Vandals (2019) by Suzie Kang
I would like to think that “Vandals” is meant to be a statement on the importance of humbleness and ingenuity that goes into creating great art, presenting a cycle of an artist drawn in through popularity, then brought back to his origins through an innocent and kind gesture. However, the film may just be a wonderful series of serene moments captured within a vibrant art style, since a dialogue free story is always bound to favor self interpretation in audiences. Regardless of Suzi Kang's intent with her work, the end product is a beautiful and poetic short animated film. (Adam Symchuk)
3. Pay Phone (2019) by Yurugu Matsumoto
Naoya Ikeda's cinematography in cinemascope is quite good, with his framing of the empty streets at night adding much to the overall atmosphere of the film, and particularly the one where father and daughter are crossing a street being quite memorable. At the same time though, the coloring, especially inside the restaurant, could be a bit toned down, since the red and orange hues are almost unrealistically intense. This, however, is not as significant as to ruin the overall great work done in the production of the movie. Mitsuo Suzuki's subtle piano music is also quite fitting, while it induces the narrative with a sense of nostalgia that works quite well, as it mirrors the sentiments of both father and daughter and a sense of flimsiness, that is another of the main elements of the narrative.
“Pay Phone” is an excellent short, both in terms of context and technical execution, and a testament to the fact that Yurugu Matsumoto is ready to take the next step in his directorial career. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
2. Stranger By Fiction (2020) by Roufy Nasution
The combination of a totally surrealistic story, the frequent and fast cuts that transition into totally unexpected scenes, the rather fast delivery of dialogue, and the constant change of very fitting music result in a film that is quite entertaining and funny, while also highlighting all of its technical aspects. In that regard, DP Insan Burhansyah's framing is excellent, as much as his composition, which result in a number of impressive images in the film, both in the exterior and the interior shots. The same applies to Idan Firdaus's editing, whose frequent and abrupt cuts communicate the overall sense of quirkiness that permeates the narrative in the best fashion. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
1. Life's Pedal (2020) by Arvin Alindogan Belarmimo
“Life's Pedal” highlights the life of the poor in the Filipino slums in a fashion that manages to be harsh, realistic and artful at the same time, while avoiding the reef of the misery porn with flying colors. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
