The scene is set for a Christmas party when the host realises that her mother has been missing for three hours. Additionally, the story of a recent engagement of a peer and clues about her whereabouts are explored parallelly. The film offers a convincing and sincere exploration of familial ties that consist of high-strung relatives, sibling tensions and identifying and locating familial dynamics of care and concern despite all conflict. It further does a notable job of providing moments of comedic drama despite the tragedy that might potentially be unfolding for the family. Additionally, it is refreshing to see an all-female space that makes no attempt to make its presence felt, but simply exists as an attempt to invoke a normative reality that an otherwise male-dominated screen space might unwittingly omit.

Kim Bush’s Abduction | Short Film of the Day

It is Christmas eve and George Peabody is already on his third nightcap when he is visited by the most unlikely visitor, Santa Claus himself. As the struggle begins to come up with a wish to ask of him, the plot develops alongside it. The approach remains marked by the union of ASMR with an audio narrative to bring the said reality to life. While tying itself with rhymes and poetry, along with humor, and ideas of sinning and atonement thrown in the mix, the story is presented thus. Though it may have suggested festive cheer with its title and establishment, the reality is far from that in the most shocking, albeit entertaining, ways. The end result follows another riotous adventure of a Peabody family member in a similar vein as the previous 'Dreamlands' instalment by Tom Mason, and takes us deeper into the life of the protagonist with its trademark, unique treatment of the storytelling form.

The Dreamlands Christmas Special | Short Film Nominee

The film is a sweet single-take narrative that presents to us a holiday romance, but brings in a fresh breath of air by taking flight from heteronormative love stories. As two women serenade, argue, disagree, only to find the inevitable way back to each other, the film presents its plot to you. 

It weaves together various elements and characters in a smooth, seamless take, ensuring that the plot misses no beats. The movement of the narrative swiftly continues from one point to another, presenting to you the comprehensive whole of the story, ensuring to keep the viewer engaged throughout. 

At its core, the film is simply about a lover’s tiff, and the efforts of both parties to address and resolve it. It is indeed the performances and the execution that bring to it a tonality that would ensure that A Very Girl Night Stand Christmas indeed succeeds at leaving the viewer with a sense of cheer and warmth, a la a true holiday romance.

A Very Girl Night Stand Christmas | Short Film of the Day

It’s Christmas eve and Allie’s mother is heading out for a night shift, leaving her young daughter alone at home. However, because it is a special night, she also leaves Allie with a gift card to buy herself a present. 

Our protagonist browses through different options online, until something finally catches her fancy. It is the option to buy another version of herself to keep her company during an otherwise lonely time. As science fiction attempts a union with horror and thrill, the plot comes into being. 

A swift end to the loneliness that can often plague one during the holiday season seems too good to be true, and it is certainly a dangerous path to tread upon in the case of the protagonist as well. The short film makes a sincere attempt to weave all of these elements together, while experimenting with the manner in which these details are shared with the audience. At the end of it all, the viewer is left with an entertaining, devoted end result.

Buy Yourself for Christmas | Short Film Nominee

‘The Fallen Elves’ is an interesting take on narratives around Christmas, and the general festive cheer they entail. Presenting to you only a smattering of this cheer, the film is predominated by horror and darkness instead. It weaves the story of a Christmas eve at the cusp of the new century in 1999 when a mother sits down to tell a story to her two children. As she opens a leather-bound book that has been passed down through generations in the family, the viewer realizes that the story won’t be what one might have expected from this supposed scene of domesticity.
 
Something sinister is slowly coming into existence, the viewer is made to realize, and matters soon come to a head. We now experience the narrative through the eyes of one of the two sons. There is further the attempt to employ animation coupled with a voiceover to embellish the story. The narratorial progression continues its forward movement, and when Christmas morning arrives, it brings with it some terrible, blood-soaked developments.

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