Set in a seemingly idyllic corner of Tunisia, the film deals with a subject that is far from it. It is as intense as some of its first visuals, those of a sheep that has violently been attacked by a wolf. A shepherd and his sons carry the carcass home to an unexpected turn of events - the return of one of their family members from Syria. However, it does not end there, he is accompanied with a young wife who refuses to remove her niqaab. One of the many successes of the film lies in the manner in which the viewer is introduced to a household in a part of the world they may perhaps have no prior knowledge of. Yet, even an outsider feels at home with the culture brimming with its complex familial equations, gender dynamics and the nuances they carry with them. Another notable aspect of the film is its approach while interacting with a hyper-localised experience. This ensures that it becomes universal in nature for the audience. The visuals are accompanied by masterful camerawork and a pacing that allows the story to stretch its limbs with just the right poise and sophistication, taking the form of a powerful piece of art that would stay with you long after you're done watching it.

Brotherhood | Short Film of the Day

It's incredibly difficult to pin down what this film truly means to a viewer. It is ethereal and visceral at the same time. It is extremely complex, nuanced, evasive, and yet, at its core, has a simple premise. While the subject it deals with is endlessly layered, its voice and tone is fairly straightforward. But wait, what genre does it belong to? Is it dramatic, surreal, violent in its execution of its story? Is it all or none of it? As you struggle with the questions and their answers, it is indeed in this compulsion you feel to engage with it that the success of the film lies. The body of the narrative is the poem of the same name by Olivia Gatwood. Though both Dani Pearce and Gatwood belong to different parts of the world, having first participated in the conversation around this short film virtually, Backpedal further goes on to exhibit the transcendence of art, the universality of an experience when it's treated with absolute honesty and sincerity. The story becomes a commentary on gender, the desperate need of adolescents to fit in with their peers, in general, and of young women trying to fit in with their male counterparts in particular. Violent images of a murder are invoked, as are those of grief, tragedy and loss. It's astonishing how much the film manages to convey in its short length. Further, it's unequivocally loud and clear in its message, one expressed in an experimental manner, ensuring that the story and its images will continue to haunt you, making you return to it over and over again after your first interaction with the world conjured by Backpedal.

Backpedal | Short Film of the Day

The title of the film is a wonderful prelude to what is to come - the delineation of the many aspects of a person's relationship with their hair, especially if they are fond of them. On the face of it, the story is a simple one - a little girl waking up on a special day, and excited about working on a favourite hairstyle. As she flips open an iPad, a video tutorial of the coiffure she has chosen awaits her. Soon, the father is also roped in into her struggle, accentuating the absence of her mother, leading the viewer to assume estrangement or a recent death. The narrative is effortlessly weaved, striking the right emotional chords with its audience, with just about the most balanced sprinkling of humour. However, it soon unfolds to reveal a darker reality, where a person's love for their hair comes to stand for several things - perhaps a battle with terminal illness, the road to recovery and eventual hope. It also represent's a woman's understanding of her beauty, with or without a beautiful mane, while also engaging with single parenting. Add to it a much needed, non-stereotypical portrayal of cats as being indifferent, but not devoid of affection as is in the case of the Satan spawns they are made out to be... and voila! The film becomes an endearing, touching and heartwarming experience.

Hair Love | Short Film of the Day

Engaging with a nuanced aspect of adoption, the short film strives for and achieves an adept exploration of sexuality. It foregrounds the supremacy of heteronormative structures of society refusing to budge from its fixed position. A young boy in a Brazilian orphanage is adopted by a family who soon sends him back to the orphanage. It continues several times until the viewer is allowed a glimpse into his life and the opportunity to find out for themselves the reason behind all the failed adoptions. The film offers the most delicate handling of a sensitive subject and portrays a boy's coming to terms with his sexuality in a skilful manner. The camerawork further enhances this as does the performance of the cast. The narrative manages to tap into the fierceness as well as the vulnerability of Jonathas with effortless ease and notable expertise. With its unique premise and honest storytelling, The Orphan becomes a poignant engagement with sexuality and a child's need to belong in the face of the hegemony of a cis-gender society that refuses to look beyond its monolithic foundations. In the process, it becomes a relevant comment on gender, the fluidity of sexuality and the pure innocence inherent to a child's approach to the world.

The Orphan | Short Film of the Day

There are not enough cliches that can be quoted with respect to simplicity and the extent to which it can strengthen an idea. However, they are as rife as they are for a reason - they hold true in many cases, and this film happens to be one such example. It does not attempt to make any loud noises about what it wants to convey. Neither does it paint itself as a pathbreaking narrative on gender, demanding all ears and eyes be turned in its direction. On the contrary, it is a quiet, objective delineation of one night in the life of a young girl, on the cusp of adulthood in modern-day Cairo. It is clear from the very start that negotiation with the many dynamics of gender and the manner in which they locate a young woman in society is at the very heart of the narrative. From attention from a boy she is confused about, and definitely uncomfortable with after a point, to simply walking around on a dark, lonely street. From the comfort of a warm bed, to the isolation that comes along with it irrespective of the family and friends the protagonist is surrounded with - the film engages with it all, and yet, does not make a clamour for attention. It is perhaps in this calm approach of the story and its execution that the success of Youth lies, allowing it to participate in the conversation on gender with its silently confident and impactful manner.

Youth | Short Film of the Day

It is a regular day for Rudy, an incarcerated felon in a high-security prison, who is behind bars serving a life sentence for brutal crimes against women. Without dwelling on the details, and simply working with suggestions instead, which do more than an adequate job of constructing the narrative, 'Prisoner #1616' presents itself to you. 

A researcher, Monica, has come to the prison to interact with Rudy, and confirm a theory she has been working on regarding human DNA. The dance of the power dynamics between the two characters, as they blur lines between the protagonist and the antagonist, is truly a joy to watch. 

The conversation that unfolds ensures the viewer’s attention is glued to the screen throughout, lest they miss even the slightest detail. DNA and music, a song, memories, and the past, science and reincarnation, all of them are invoked to conjure the world of the film, and what a world it is. Marked by smooth performances, neat visuals and a gripping storyline, the film refuses to let even a single moment slip, building tension and taking the viewer as well as the characters down a path of no return.

Prisoner #1616  | Short Film of the Month

The film opens on a lovely, light-hearted note, completely beguiling and leaving the viewer unprepared for the sinister plot developments that await them at the most unexpected corner. The laughter and giggles soon give way to an awkward unease that come to constitute the power dynamics of three teenaged girls. There is a suggestion of the threats that girls alone at night are left vulnerable to in a patriarchal set-up where their identities are often reduced to their sexuality. This is presented to the viewer in the form of three young men they soon encounter. However, the plot still continues to revolve around the discomfort that is growing among the girls, alongside the thrill and excitement of breaking a few rules - all three parties unequal participants in these emotions. The narrative manages to invoke a powerful delineation of the concern of a girl who is insecure and worried about her friend as well as the arrival of a new member that potentially threatens to shake the security of their duo. The plot finally comes to revolve around a single decision that would change their lives forever. It is perhaps also a remote comment on how, along with patriarchy, young women themselves can hurt each other while being preoccupied with a sense of competition with each other that society has conditioned them to internalise. There is also a reminder of the recklessness of teenage life which might result in rash decisions, while not always conveying at first the gravity of the consequences they are capable of leading to.

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