<i>Trigger warning: This film includes strobe lighting effects that could be triggering for some viewers with photosensitive epilepsy. Viewer discretion is recommended. </i><br><br>

The film presents a singular union of ideas about the duality of the self with unrestricted, unbound appetites. The thematic exploration further asserts that the two, in fact, are intrinsic to each other. When a dark, denied self finally rises from the deep pits where it might have lain dormant and forgotten for a long, long time, it unleashes upon the world an inexorable, unstoppable hunger, underlines the film. If one self stays in the light, the other continues to grow and expand in the dark until it reaches a point of no return. <br><br>

The film talks of a monstrous being, an ever-consuming, ever-hungering woman, and the endless darkness that she encompasses. She could very well be the monster within us all, the monster of our denied selves. She could be every human with their greed and lust and forever increasing desire to consume more and more. <br><br>

The narrative ties its artistic and creative intentions with artificial intelligence to realize its vision, and in the process, presents to the viewer a phantasmagoria of images about a scheme of the inner self to let itself be known through a conspiracy with appetite. This destructive hunger that reigns free remains meticulously imagined and executed throughout.



The Belly Conspiracy | Short Film of the Day

Set in a world that is dominated more by shadows than light, by an all-pervasive sense of despair than prosperity, and by a potential crumbling of a familial structure as opposed to the intimacy one might associate with the space, 'Cera' takes you headlong into its world right from the word go. When the film opens, a violent event has already occurred. <br><br> Our protagonist, John (Jason Isaacs) is in a desperate frenzy to get urgent medical aid for his wife who lies on the floor, bleeding profusely. Amidst it all, the overpowering presence of Cera never truly leaves the viewer even though she is absent from the visuals unfolding before you so far. The story develops gradually to reveal its dystopic world of artificial intelligence gone terribly wrong. <h2>Of the film's setting and casting, director John Robinson Irwin says, "We shot outside of a small town, a couple hours north of Los Angeles. The logistics around getting a cast and crew of 20 people up there, finding a place for them to stay and keeping the budget around a level that wouldn’t break me, was quite a challenge. 

The fact that Jason Isaacs was delighted to be in the short was truly unbelievable. He was so humble and incredibly helpful throughout the whole process. It was marvelous to work with a true professional like him, someone with such an absolute love of the craft and a clear understanding of what makes a compelling story."</h2>

It is also worthy of note that though similar themes have been a subject of exploration previously in film and media, Irwin brings his own unique voice to the subject. 

<h2>When asked what are the motivations behind exploring its darker aspects, he replies,
"I have two kids and as I’ve watched them grow up, I’ve noticed how many apps, technology and devices we have to help our life feel a little more organized. There are all these new services and technology, but there’s also plenty of distraction keeping us from actually connecting with people. I realized I wanted to tell a high-stakes story of a family putting trust in the wrong places and only realizing the connection they’ve lost with those they care for the most."</h2>

It is indeed this dependency on technology that gets amplified and portrayed in John's young daughter Hailey's relationship with Cera, the AI caregiver of the child. As truly disturbing events come to be, perhaps orchestrated by Cera herself, the plot plants its feet firmly into the ground, ensuring the viewer has now reached a point of no return. 

<br><br>Interestingly, the film is intended to be a proof of concept for a longer project titled North End. 

<h2> Irwin describes the latter as being "more focused on this family who has built a life around avoiding relationships, but is then forced to connect with each other after being flung in such a traumatic situation. John and Hailey’s best hope for survival is to stay on the water and get as far from civilization as possible until they know the extent of what’s happening... He’s just gone through hell to get himself and Hailey to safety and the hardest thing he has to do now is forge a relationship with his own daughter. As the two head further and further up river, they start to piece together what’s happening, and what they inevitably have to do to stay together." </h2>

At its close, the film presents to you the visuals of a despondent rural space as the father-daughter duo make their escape against a horizon dotted with aircrafts, ensuring that the question about their fate never truly leaves you, even long after you are done watching the short film.

Cera | Short Film of the Day

A woman lies on the kitchen floor when the film opens. Her reaction on waking up ensures us that this is a safe space, perhaps succeeding a night of drinking or some such, but deliberately so, as the viewers' expectations are foiled with what follows next. 

Alongside her regaining consciousness, using her smart home assistant Nova, as a crutch throughout, we are gradually allowed a glimpse into everything that preceded the current circumstance. <br><br>
Neat, quick edits soon convey that the reality is far darker and violent than a simple night of drinking. Along with the sinister events unfolding before us, events that quietly hark back to the idea established in the title, there is also the suggestion of something terrible that had recently happened to the protagonist. It was precisely the discussion of this episode that has led to the current situation, one where the house assistant has decided to take its duties towards its owner more than a little too far. <br><br>

The storytelling shows potential, even if marked by a few uneven corners in its sound department. It would be interesting indeed to have the film expanded into a longer endeavor, and to witness more of the team’s voice and tonality in future projects.


Gaslight | Short Film of the Day

Neat visuals of a highly sanitized space are our first introduction to the world of M1das. A woman called Cybele has arrived in a hotel room to receive a prototype and supervise its activation process. However, due to unpredictable circumstances, she is left to her own devices to execute this activation in time for the introduction of the prototype in a tech expo the following day. <br><br>

Interestingly, the prototype is an artificial intelligence-powered child called Midas. Cybele is equipped with the right skills, tools and training to oversee the subsequent process until... things begin to take a course very different from the expected path.<br><br>

In the process, the narrative presents to you a devoted endeavor in exploring mother-child dynamics and the far-reaching consequences of an emotional connection one might have not even been aware of previously. The film further brings to life a sincere engagement with the many aspects of the relationship of technology to humankind’s existence, in turn, offering an involving, entertaining story for the viewer to participate in.


M1das | Short Film Nominee

The opening shot of the film immediately establishes the mood of the rest of the narrative - lighthearted and playful. A sudden alert on a mobile phone app reveals that a couple has only three years left in their marriage. While a technological presence in relationships is mostly portrayed in a dark, ominous manner in film and cinema, the short film chooses a fun approach instead to deal with the same. <br><br> The virtual assistant of the app called MarriageFit offers tools which the two characters can use to extend the duration of their marriage. In the process, the story offers sweet metaphors as well about what makes a relationship last. <br><br> As the assistant lists down activities to be performed together, from culinary to sexual, and reminds them to use words of affirmation, a checklist of what constitutes a successful marriage is prepared for the viewer in their own world which extends beyond the screen. When it comes to the two parties of this particular marriage, however, will these markers and signs lead them to the path of a loving and intimate relationship?

MarriageFit | Short Film Nominee

An Indian man in the UAE is constantly implored upon by his mother to get married. Tired, but amused by the same, he chooses to laugh it off, without giving much thought to it. However, one day, the mother calls to tell him of the positive astrological influences on his life in the succeeding days, and again, he pays little heed to it. This is followed by an unexpected amount deduction from his bank account that leads him to call the customer care service. <br><br> Met by a sweet and familiar voice called Madhu, the protagonist soon finds himself going down the memory lane of an old, college romance, and weaving consequent dreams around the same in his present. The love story develops slowly at his end, until when he finally chooses to visit the bank, dressed in all his finery and armed with a bouquet. And yet, the most unanticipated set of occurrences await both him and the viewer. How will technology, an old college sweetheart and a serendipitous event get all tied together to constitute this particular moment of the protagonist's life?

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