The film opens during a rushed morning for Maya, while her daughter Dia too heads out for her exam. On the table, a biology textbook lies on the sidelines as Dia sketches into her notebook. 

The tone of the film immediately establishes a mother-daughter equation marked by love and affection. Though this sentiment comes to define the entirety of the relationship unfolding before us, a crisis arises in the form of a crucial disagreement between the two characters. A debate on the larger idea of being an artist versus following a more pragmatic career path, like that of becoming a doctor, and especially what it means for a first-generation immigrant family, further positions itself within the plot. 

The characters bring to life notable performances that are defined by their easy chemistry. The entirety of the storytelling takes place within the confines of a single house, using it to the fullest to evoke a sense of intimacy. The viewer is eventually left with an uplifting story, alongside a reminder about the importance of honest and well-meaning communication.

Butterscotch | Short Film Nominee

The film’s reality is one of complexities and nuances, and yet, the ideas are presented to the audience with unmissable ease and clarity. The narrative straddles a sense of the past and the present. 

A woman is swiftly losing her grasp on her memories, forgetting more than she can remember. The fear and heartbreak that this flow of events ushers in is mapped against a beautiful, bright summer where a young woman is the constant companion of the older, ageing one. 

Through the interactions of the two, perhaps the woman’s interactions with her own self, we are presented a thoughtful realm of stories, the pain of separation even if sometimes it is the very cost of existence itself, and the pressing, urgent need to let go, if one is to truly accept the inexorable movement of time. All of this is constructed with a visual landscape that is evocative and skilled in its control and in all that it conveys. The screenplay and the performances only serve to strengthen it further, alongside a tonality and approach to writing and storytelling that should definitely be engaged with further in more such endeavors.

Everything in This World Is Exactly What It Is | Short Film Nominee

The short film shares an entire array of events and emotional realities within its capsule-sized realm. It presents to us a couple about to close in on a deal for a new house when some shocking new information is brought to light. Alongside this development, a quiet observer also makes herself known, but not in a manner the viewer would expect. The conversation progresses, and another dark event of the recent past nestles itself within the story, one that can potentially alter the course of this deal. 
The film exhibits potential and investment of thought at the level of story and the manner in which the two sets of narratives, the observer and the couple, come to overlap. It also utilizes the same physical space to let it all unfold, presenting all its intentions with efficiency and an economy of resources. In the future, longer projects with this approach to storytelling would surely soar higher.

Closing Day | Short Film Nominee

Fiona has arrived at her son Dalton’s house to spend time with him and his new partner, Bram, after nearly three years of little to no contact. Dalton has not only recently separated from his wife of five years but has also given up custody of his two kids. 

Despite the distance or resentment that may have crept in the three years, however, or the emotional travails of a recently failed marriage, it is something else entirely that preoccupies Fiona, who soon realises she has far bigger fish to fry. While Bram, at first glance, might have come across as a distant but mostly harmless presence, the ensuing narrative leaves Fiona with a more disturbing realisation. The short film ropes in all of this, and some more, with humor and an unmissable antagonist in Bram, whose portrayal becomes a notable strength of the film. 

The humor intrinsic to the film is further brought to life with writing and storytelling that both exhibit promise and potential. Though not entirely without rough edges, the end result of the film is colorful and entertaining in equal measure and paves the path for more such endeavors in the future.

Bram | Short Film Nominee

The film maps a competitive driver’s journey after a traumatising accident that leaves her at her lowest. We meet Melissa in a state of inactivity on her bed, barely engaging with those around her. Despite the well-intentioned and sincere efforts of her loved ones, she is unable to shake off the all-consuming and overwhelming shroud of gloom. 

The ensuing narrative, in the process, becomes an exploration of what it feels be rattled, but not broken, as Melissa declares, to eventually find herself again. While the trauma continues to creep up on her in the most unexpected ways, she is able to accept her heartbreak and the ravages it left in its wake. This articulation allows her to once again go back to the very source of all her pain, where it all began, and then move ahead on the path of healing. 

Though not entirely seamless in its narratorial progression, the film is an earnest endeavor in painting this spectrum of emotions. The end result exhibits potential in terms of storytelling and intimacy of voice, one that should definitely be explored and engaged with in more projects.

Reignite | Short Film Nominee

Right from the get-go, the film invokes a heady world of ambition, hustle, and the blinding glimmer of Tinseltown. However, underlining it all is the reminder that all that glitters is not always gold. And yet, our protagonist is ready to play alchemist, turning into gold the little bit of darkness he has accidentally stumbled upon. 

While desperately sending in auditions, Logan also works as a paparazzi. One day when he comes across a big Hollywood star caught in a terrible, and possibly career-destroying, act, things take an unexpected turn. The film portrays all of this with characteristic style and personality, ensuring that the ambiance and aesthetic invoked by the screenplay and plot progression stay with the viewer. 

Though the story in itself might be an age-old one, about the cost of dreams and the extent one may or may not be willing to go to to fulfill them, the manner of its communication remains singular and well-defined. This, in turn, allows the various components of the film to be tied together as an expert whole.

Overexposed | Short Film Nominee

The film opens at a moment of extremely high tension, introducing us to the broken arguments of Jess and Jacob. Every scene presents a new argument, a new conflict, always defined by Jess’ quieter approach, while Jacob’s aggressive proclamation alternates between accusatory yelling and pleas to help him. 
There is a sense of rawness that the film endeavors to invoke, alongside a twisted equation in a household where the portrayal of chores like cooking is always marked by Jess, while Jacob remains either indifferent to the practical tasks at hand, or adds to them by angrily hurling objects around. Overlooking a slight roughness of narratorial progression, there is something to be said about the notable camerawork which weaves together the thoughtful visuals to portray this sense of oppressive overwhelm. 
In this realm, which is defined by an absolute breakdown of communication and stunted adulthood, when things truly come to a head, whose fault is it really? The film’s title gets echoed at the climax when a horrific development positions itself in this household of frequent, heated exchanges.

It’s Your Fault | Short Film Nominee

Dressed in red, and ready to celebrate her special day, Daisy constantly calls her partner, Jim to confirm his plans. However, when he remains unreachable, she becomes despondent, blaming him for his indifference and lack of effort. A defeated Daisy, lies in bed, completely unaware of what is keeping Jim out of her reach. 

 The scene now shifts to a different circumstance. The narrative makes the viewer privy to new information by taking us into Jim's workday where complications entirely out of his control keep him tightly tied up. 

The subsequent narrative, marked by the chemistry of its actors, thus explores whether the two characters will be able to navigate the many obstacles in their path to find their way back to each other, or if they will crumble under the overwhelming demands of life, making their love a casualty of it all.

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