The standout short from the A Thousand Suns anthology, Bug delivers a chilling glimpse into a vision of the near future where a very believable threat could spell the end of humanity. Directed by S/W alums Tim Hyten and MacGregor, the four-minute film combines contemporary concerns with some impressive FX work to create a brief yet deeply resonant cinematic experience. Inspired by Korean cinema, the directorial duo set out to “shoot something small” with a “very specific tone”, a “simple set up” and a powerful payoff. Anchored in a single location,  ..read more

A period piece tackling modern themes, Timi Akindele-Ajani’s Guests transports it viewers to ‘70s London as we join a Nigerian couple welcoming an English colleague, and his partner, into their home for dinner. With its focus on dialogue and performance, Guests unfolds as a gripping domestic drama, confined to a single location yet echoing broader societal issues. “I wanted to make a film that challenged our contemporary way of telling stories about racism” Originally inspired by a drawing by Marie Harnett, titled Windows, Akindele-Ajani developed the narrative of Guests over several years ..read more

After a one night stand, Sonya wakes up hungover and in a desperate need of Plan B. Getting to the pharmacy will prove slightly more challenging than expected, even with Tom, her companion from the evening before, doing his best to help. In My Eyes Are Up Here, director Nathan Morris crafts a romcom with two characters that initially don’t expect a connection. The inclusion of a romantic lead with a disability is also really important in terms of representation, offering a fresh perspective beyond typical tropes, while still being effectively cute and making us root for them.  Written by ..read more

A format that allows emerging talent to showcase their work, the short film anthology has become a popular method for introducing exciting new worlds, and cutting-edge filmmaking techniques, to an eager audience. In the realm of science fiction, the likes of Love, Death & Robots and the Oats Studios series has proved popular programming for Netflix in recent years. Hoping to follow in the footsteps of both of these anthologies, A Thousand Suns is a collection of six short films (with more to come) serving up “visions of humanity’s future, shaped by the actions of our w ..read more

The reigning Best European Short, recently selected a Vimeo Staff Pick, and before that an online premiere in the New York Times. On the festival circuit, a winner of awards at Vienna and Locarno to name only a few. I have been fascinated by this piece for over a year, finding it provoking and captivating. Yet I still cannot fully answer why or, frankly, whether it is even that good at all. Before the psycho-drama of my critical compass being scrambled, some context—the film is Hardly Working by Total Refusal, an Austrian artist collective made up of media theorists, culture scholars, artists ..read more

The monoculture of the post-mass-media but pre-internet society feels positively alien sometimes when looking back. The instigating event of Sam Benenati’s new short film, a made-for-TV movie that dramatizes nuclear war, really did air on US television in 1983. And it really did cause hysteria—with counselors manning 1-800 hotlines throughout the program and 100M people tuning in live. Carl Sagan debated Henry Kissinger on TV afterward and President Reagan was quoted as saying the film “…left me greatly depressed.” While it has largely faded from cultural memory, its existence as a massive sh ..read more

If you’re one of the many people who has, or still is, falling victim to imposter syndrome, then today’s film pick – Invasive Species by Annie Ning – is one that is bound to resonate strongly. The story of a young artist (Maggie) attending her first residency, this immersive short employs the enclosed nature of its location and the specifics of its protagonist’s practice, as a sound artist, to trap us in her headspace. Introducing us to Maggie, and the space she finds herself in for her first ever residency, as she listens to a talk about “communal living values”, Ning’s short instantly provi ..read more

It’s already April, Spring is here and the Summer has never felt closer. To help with the two-month wait, let director Joanny Causse take you camping, immersing you in the hazy energy of a campground, with all its daily activities and families enjoying their vacation. Summertime camping is a staple of French culture, a ritual Causse grew up with and wanted to honor with his short documentary Cigales (Cicadas). Having spent his own family summers on the campsite, Causse is very familiar with that environment and was inspired by the way these “gated” sites create “temporary ..read more

For film fans, the highlight of March is undoubtedly the Oscars and for those of us immersed in the realm of short films we were particularly keen to see where the Academy lands in selecting the “best” short films of the last year. As the awards were announced, on March 10th, we were excited to see S/W alum Ben Proudfoot walk away with the Best Documentary Short Film award, again, after winning it with his film The Queen of Basketball in 2022. If you’re yet to catch up on all the short film winners, we put together a round-up shortly after they were announced. March is also an exciting time i ..read more

Feelings of jealousy can drive someone to act in a rash and impulsive manner, compelling them to engage in actions – such as snooping through a partner’s phone messages or shadowing them during an evening out – that violate the foundation of trust within a relationship. Máté Boegi’s 17-minute short, Svømmeren (The Swimmer), captures the story of one such individual – a sound recordist grappling with trust issues who surreptitiously listens in on his partner as they spend a day at the beach. “The film is a deep dive into the psyche of someone who lets their imagination and insecurities get th ..read more