68 shorts films will be screened across eight different shorts programs, and play before features at this year’s 2017 Calgary International Film Festival. The 11 Alberta short films selected this year will vie for a $2,500 cash prize for the Best Alberta Short. The festival has also added a new Audience Award for the Favorite Alberta Short.
The Calgary International Film Festival is an Oscar-qualifying event for short films. The recipient of Calgary Film’s annual Best of Shorts Award is eligible for consideration in the Animated Short Film/Live Action Short Film category of the Academy Awards, without the standard theatrical run that a film typically needs to qualify for an Oscar nomination.
2017 Calgary International Film Festival Shorts Programs
(1) INTERSPECIES AND INTERGALACTIC
ANIMAL (Heyvan) – Iran – 15 min – Bahman Ark / Bahram Ark
A man becomes a beast in an attempt to cross a border. This deftly crafted Iranian student short questions a man’s worth within a flawed human system.
THE NOISE OF LICKING (A Nyalintás Nesze) – Hungary – 9 min – Nadja Andrasev
Every day, a cat watches a woman taking care of her exotic plants, but their voyeuristic ritual comes to an end when the cat disappears. The next spring a peculiar man pays her a visit.
ANNA & THE ASTEROID – United States – 25 min – Scott Sherman
Your classic “girl-loves-boy, boy-loves-girl, four-mile-wide talking asteroid also loves girl” story. When you only see the woman you love every 17 years, annihilating her and everyone she knows is sometimes on the table.
LABORATORY CONDITIONS – United States – 16 min – jocelyn stamat
A physician’s investigation into a missing body leads to the discovery of an unlawful experiment. Marisa Tomei and Minnie Driver square off in a battle about death and what lies beyond.
PILLOW TALK – United States – 10 min – Tony Yacenda
Rapper Lil Dicky’s post-sex conversation covers vegetarianism, aliens, dinosaurs, God as played by John C Reilly, and whether it is possible to compare fruit, among many other topics.
SPIRITUS LEPUS – Sweden – 20 min – Kristofer Kiggs Carlsson
Six rabbit-humanoid surgeons obsessed with the human spirit operate on a damaged soul in a grimy room hidden within a mythical forest.
SEA MONSTER – Canada – 15 min – Dan Rocque / Kassandra Tomczyk
Aria’s monstrous pain has become too much to digest, lurking in the depths of her subconsciousness until now. In a seaside motel, she transmutes trauma into empowerment.
(2) FRAME BY FRAME
THE LEGEND OF THE BUNNY PHANTOM – Canada – 5 min – Simon Chan / Vinson Chan
In a race against time to save his city from imminent destruction, the Bunny Phantom must face his greatest challenge, Turtler.
AMALIMBO – Estonia/Sweden – 15 min – Juan Pablo Libossart
When a young girl’s father dies, her grief takes the form of a surreal limbo state in this beautiful and surreal short.
NIGHTHAWK (Nocna Ptica) – Croatia/Slovenia – 8 min – pela Cadež
A badger lies motionless on a road, and when a police patrol approaches, they soon realize that the animal is not dead; but dead drunk. A surreal cutout animation and multiple award-winner about the experience of drunk driving.
UGLY – Germany – 11 min – Nikita Diakur / Redbear Easterman
An ugly cat struggles to coexist in a fragmented and broken world, eventually finding a soulmate in a mystical chief. Inspired by the internet story ‘Ugly the Cat’.
THE OGRE (L’ogre) – France – 9 min – Laurène Braibant
An insecure giant politely holds back his appetite at a business banquet, in this colourful gluttonous fantasy of huge portions.
POLES APART – United Kingdom – 11 min – Paloma Baeza
In a harsh Arctic landscape, a hungry and solitary polar bear (voice by Helena Bonham Carter) has to decide if a naïve Canadian grizzly bear is her food or her friend.
WICKED GIRL (Kötü Kiz) – France/Turkey – 8 min – AYCE KARTAL
Expressed in exquisitely drawn line animation, this Annecy Award-winning short captures the free-flowing imagination of an eight-year old Turkish girl. Her seemingly carefree memories build to a darker picture of time spent at her grandparents’ village.
AMONG THE BLACK WAVES (Sredi Chernyh Voln) – Russia – 11 min – Anna Budanova
This stark and beautifully crafted award-winning animation is based on an ancient northern legend in which the souls of the drowned people turn into sea animals. When a hunter takes seal-girl’s skin, she can’t turn back into an animal – she becomes his wife, but still longs for the sea.
SKIN FOR SKIN – Canada – 15 min – Carol Beecher / Kevin D.A. Kurytnik
A visually stunning dark allegory of greed and spiritual reckoning, set during the early days of the fur trade. In man’s brutal world of profit and loss, animals are slaughtered to the brink of extinction, until the forces of nature exact their own terrible price.
(3) REAL LIFE, REALIZED
SEVEN DATES WITH DEATH – United States – 11 min – Mike Holland
The story of Moreese Bickham, the oldest living survivor of Death Row in the United States. Committed to Death Row for the murders of two clansmen, Bickham’s story is one of justice, that captures a humble man’s inspirational view on life following almost four decades in prison.
THE COLLECTION – United States – 11 min – Adam Roffman
A joyous portrait of two women who discovered a unique collection of movie memorabilia, comprised of over 40,000 printer blocks and 20,000 printer plates used to create the original newspaper advertisements for virtually every movie released in the United States from the silent period through 1984.
LOST HORIZONS: THE PHOTOGRAPHY OF GEORGE WEBBER – Canada – 18 min – Laura O’Grady
Internationally renowned Canadian photographer George Webber delves into the little-known lives and stories of vanishing Western prairie towns. Returning to the same areas over several decades, Webber has created a remarkable black and white archive of Canada’s changing landscapes.
AFTER LIFE – New Zealand – 15 min – Prisca Bouchet and Nick Mayow
A compelling glimpse inside a New Zealand funeral home – a place where the daily work deals with our deepest fear.
UMBRELLA – United States – 15 min – Rhys Ernst
Four transgender individuals share their struggles for identity, validity and equality. Whether serving their country’s military, building successful businesses or advocating for policy advancements, they push for representation.
VOICES OF KIDNAPPING (Voces Del Secuestro) – Canada – 14 min – Ryan McKenna
Family members of kidnapping victims being held deep in the Amazon jungle attempt to reach them by submitting messages to a radio program that has served this purpose for more than 20 years.
STATE OF (THE) ART – Canada – 20 min – Chris Dowsett
Four Calgary-based artists (Mandy Stobo, Curtis Van Charles, Katie Green and Daniel J. Kirk), share their outlook on emerging technology and how it influences the creation of art, finding a balance between an analog mind and a digital skillset.
(4) PROS AND CONSEQUENCES
FRY DAY – United States – 16 min – Laura Moss
In January 1989, Ted Bundy is set to be executed in Florida. As crowds gather for the last night in the life of America’s handsome nightmare, an adolescent girl comes of age.
BALLET JAZZ – Canada – 16 min – Maxime Robin
Two wannabe ballerinas share a dream: to dance in the musical Cats on Broadway. But every great adventure ultimately has bumps along the road. When a trip to New York goes awry, the ambitious dancers must use all their creativity to make curtain-up.
LES MISERABLES – France – 15 min – Ladj Ly
A new cop learns abusive policing practices while shadowing two veterans. When a young boy records them going too far, the community threatens to explode.
ONE WEEK IN APRIL – United States – 9 min – Matthew Palmer
On average, in America, a toddler shoots him or herself or someone else once a week. Some weeks are different. In April 2016, four American toddlers accidentally shot and killed themselves over the course of six days.
DEAD COOL – United Kingdom – 19 min – Simon Ross
Romance is in the air as Maurice hosts a dinner party for new friends, but when the police show up for a routine search, it becomes clear that all is not as it seems.
DOLLAR KING – United States – 15 min – Andrew Pollins
Three incompetent robbers attempt to hold up the Dollar King on Halloween. As the heist goes horribly wrong around them, the boys are ultimately confronted with a choice: accept the status quo they’ve been stuck in since high school, or finally make a change.
DEKALB ELEMENTARY – United States – 20 min – Reed Van Dyk
This multiple award-winner was inspired by a 911 call placed during a school shooting incident in Atlanta, Georgia.
(5) ROCK BOTTOM BLUES
BREATHING THROUGH A STRAW – Canada – 18 min – Leigh Rivenbark
A closeted gay man discovers an internet craze that might provide relief to his despair. A surprising text message puts him on a path of reflection, discovery and redemption.
MORNING HAS BROKEN (Kobieta Budzi Sie Rano) – Poland – 15 min – Olga Chajdas
The morning after a woman stabs her husband and drowns her daughter, she starts her daily routine.
CANCEL THE F—ING INTERNET – Canada – 12 min – Ryan Kayet
Gerald is a ruthless retention agent at an internet provider who does not hesitate to leverage his knowledge of Dan’s browsing history to meet his quotas.
CONSUME – Canada – 18 min – Michael Peterson
A residential school survivor struggles to feed his family and protect his ancestral land as he fights against the evil impulses of the wendigo spirit that wants to bring about his destruction.
THE CEILING (Katto) – Finland – 14 min – Teppo Airaksinen
A middle-aged man on the brink of divorce finds the ceiling of his cabin is becoming as restrictive as his mental state. An old friend may have the solution in this recipient of Special Jury Distinction at Cannes 2017.
INDIAN GIVER – Canada – 10 min – Trevor Solway
After a 15 year absence, a deadbeat dad goes on a journey to win back his lady’s heart, with a prized jingle dress.
RETOUCH – Iran – 19 min – Kaveh Mazaheri
When an accident puts Maryam’s husband between life and death she must make a decision that will forever alter her reality.
(6) FAMILY FIRST
UPSET BODY (Corps Contrarié) – Canada – 20 min – Delphine Le Courtois
A young, independent woman believes she is in control of her life. Unexpected news changes her outlook and forces her to make difficult decisions
THE LICENSE (Die Lizenz) – Germany – 10 min – Nora Fingscheidt
Adam and Ella’s application for a license to procreate is in the final stages of review. The only thing standing in their way is the bureaucratic license clerk, and a spot-on performance.
FRIGID – Canada – 14 min – Joe Kicak
In the blurry, exhausting first days of motherhood, a woman’s maternal instincts sense a sinister threat to her newborn in her own home.
THE CAMERAMAN – Canada – 16 min – Connor Gaston
Filmmaker Connor Gaston adapts his father’s novel in a story of two brothers coming to terms with their abusive father who suffers from Huntington’s Disease. The youngest brother Ed records their dysfunctional lives with his Super 8 camera.
LUNCH TIME – Iran – 15 min – Alireza Ghasemi
In the wake of her mother’s death, a 16-year-old girl from a crime-ridden family with no legal guardian must identify the body.
THROUGH THE SUPERMARKET IN FIVE EASY PIECES – Finland – 8 min – Anna-Maria Joakimsdottir-Hutri
Parenthood is an elaborate dance, as a family tries to manage the weekly grocery shopping without disintegrating.
A GENTLE NIGHT – China – 15 min – Qiu Yang
A mother’s guilt spurs her to keep searching the night for her missing daughter. This taut and deceptively quiet drama from China was awarded the Cannes 2017 Short Film Palme d’Or.
BONBONé – Lebanon/Palestine – 15 min – Rakan Mayasi
A Palestinian couple reunites during a visit to the Israeli jail where the husband is held. The journey is far, dangerous, and infrequent, and the bold couple is determined to make the most of their visit.
(7) SMALL VICTORIES
BIRD – Canada – 11 min – Molly Parker
When Sam, a woman mired in regret, goes to visit her aged parents, the disappearance of her mother’s pet bird threatens to unravel her tenuous hold on life. The nuanced and poetic directorial debut of Canadian actress Molly Parker (HOUSE OF CARDS).
GLAMOROUS GLADYS – Canada – 11 min – Michal Lavi and Berkley Brady
93-year-old Gladys has an unfailing passion for music, and her life has been a consummate performance. An eternal optimist, her story is a testament to the indefatigable spirit of life.
FACING MECCA – Switzerland – 25 min – Jan-Eric Mack
In this poetic, multiple award winner from Palm Springs ShortsFest, a retiree comes to a Syrian refugee’s assistance when he is faced with the burial of his wife. Together they navigate bureaucracy and misconceptions in their small Swiss town.
CALGARY “UGLY” – Canada – 13 min – Guillaume Carlier
Calgary painter Chris Flodberg sees beauty in banality. Paintings of the often ugly city he calls home feature landscapes of pavement, desolation, and abstract inspiration.
40 WINTERS – Canada – 11 min – Simon Donato / Drew Goldsack
In this exquisite Alberta short set in the iconic landscape of Banff National Park, three adventurers attempt to post the fastest time for a traverse of 11 peaks on Mt. Rundle’s ridge in a single winter’s day. It features interviews from mountain legends like Chic Scott, Charlie Lock, Will Gadd and Jack Firth, and breathtaking landscapes from our own backyard.
RUBY FULL OF SHIT (Ruby Pleine De Marde) – Canada – 18 min – Jean-Guillaume Bastien
Denis finds himself spending Christmas dinner with his lover Carl’s fiercely Catholic and traditional family. The family is completely unaware of their relationship, except for Ruby – a spoiled six-year-old.
FIX AND RELEASE – Canada – 15 min – Scott Dobson
An Ontario turtle trauma centre fights for the survival of turtles facing habitat loss and motorized vehicles. This visually stunning film shows turtles in a way that few have seen before, and how the centre is working to save the world one turtle at a time.
(8) LOVERS IN A DIFFERENT TIME
STATE OF EMERGENCY MOTHERFUCKER! – Belgium – 5 min – Sébastien Petretti
In a society where police violence has become routine and banal, two young men focus on what’s really important – screwing on Valentine’s Day.
NO DROWNING – France – 17 min – Mélanie Laleu
In a pay-per-use future, it might just be love when a stripper mermaid and a thieving diver meet.
TIME IS A PLACE – United States – 8 min – Tim Nackashi
Katie loves Daniel, a man she’s never met. A surreal story of finding the love of your dreams.
MEMENTO MORI – United Kingdom – 19 min – Scott James Bassett
A blind dinner date takes an unexpected turn in this dark comedy about the notion of “til death do us part”. Featuring Joel Fry from GAME OF THRONES.
STANDBY – Canada – 16 min – Daumoun Khakpour and Travis Pulchinski
A man hopes smuggling his wife inside his luggage will lead to a better life. When the luggage does not arrive, his journey takes a detour to the surreal.
#SELFIE – Germany – 7 min – David M.
A boyfriend obsessed with selfies curates a picture-perfect online relationship while on vacation with his girlfriend in Berlin. Outside the lens, not everything is as it seems.
COMPANIONSHIP – Canada – 16 min – Alex Loubert / Zach Ramelan
A frustrated career woman tries a new dating app that promises the perfect match. But a perfect passionate relationship is a hard thing to manufacture.
TRY A LITTLE TENDERNSA – United Kingdom – 10 min – Michelle Craig
Marion is looking for love in all the analog places. She believes in the old-fashioned method – a mix of desperation, drastic measures, and dating without an online profile.
SHORTS BEFORE FEATURES
EINSTEIN-ROSEN – Spain – 9 min – Olga Osorio
It’s the summer of 1982, and Teo claims he has found a wormhole. His brother Óscar does not believe him… at least, not for now.
ICONOCLAST – United States – 5 min – Alex Haney
In this magical realist take on coming out, a teen must navigate the intersectional identities of being African-American, Jewish, and gay.
IMEDIUM – Spain – 6 min – ALFONSO GARCÍA
iMedium is an app that connects you directly with dead people. What it reveals is not always comforting.
MADRE BUENA, LA – Mexico/United Kingdom – 5 min – Sarah Clift
A Mexican mother embarks on an epic journey through the countryside to find a Donald Trump pinata for her son’s birthday.
PUNCHLINE – Switzerland – 8 min – Christophe M.Saber
Two wannabe gangsters can’t decide on the coolest thing to say before shooting Michel.
STORIES OF THE HIP: ONE NIGHT IN KINGSTON – Canada – 6 min – Braden Dragomir
Three fans of the Tragically Hip take separate journeys to Kingston to be among the 30,000 there for the culmination of the band’s Man Machine Poem tour, a concert tuned into by almost 1/3 of Canadians.
THE GOATMAN OF KANANASKIS – Canada – 8 min – Tristin Deveau
A group of campers gather around the fire with scary stories about the legendary Goatman of Kananaskis.
TRAIN TO PEACE (Zug Nach Peace) – Germany – 9 min – Jost Althoff / Jakob Weyde
While travelling on a Berlin subway, a man’s recollections of his past in Iraq are drawn out by the sights and sounds around him.