The short film attempts a lot of things and succeeds at all of them most gloriously. The narrative is an engagement with the transience and impermanence of things in so many ways. It foregrounds the inexorable passage of time felt in every moment of it, further emphasised by the voice of the narrator, overflowing with a gravity that will set the pace just right for the plot to develop. The film is also a visual feat achieved most effortlessly by the seamless weaving together of a sprinkling of live action visuals with stunning animation. Primarily using the location of a beach the protagonist grew up on, the sand in itself becomes a character, the medium of narration, taking the viewer by the hand on her journey. There is still so much more the film engages with - female friendships, the forever forward moving path of life from childhood to adulthood, an underlying strain of homosexuality, the relationship between the past, and the present and the unreliability of memory. Guaxuma does a stellar job of tying it all together, without making it look like a laborious task, and before the viewer can realise it, they have covered a huge distance within while seemingly partaking in the experiences of the protagonist.

Guaxuma | Short Film of the Day

Using Edgar Allan Poe's short story 'The Masque of the Red Death' as its parent text, the short film presents the viewer with a visual representation of the thematic concerns that Poe engaged with through his words. The narrative endeavours an animation style to bring the story to life on screen in a manner that is unique and demands viewer's meticulousness. As Prince Prospero confines himself to his castle with his healthy noblemen, the gates are shut to the outside world which battles a plague called the Red Death. It is finally on the fateful night of a masquerade when the crux of both the film as well as the short story arrives. The Prince finds himself face to face with the most unusual guest, and it is primarily this meeting that would carry with it the overarching message about the inexorable nature of time, the inevitability of death and the great leveller it has always proved to be, irrespective of the life its victims may have lead previously. Backed by a significant voiceover, the film is also marked by a constant ticking of a clock which, along with matching the pace of the story, also acts as a reminder of the eternal, forward motion of time. The story also gains more relevance in contemporary times where while a pandemic rages on in the world, the wealthy and privileged may have closed their eyes to its true consequences and chosen to instead collect behind closed doors for merry-making and recreation.

The Masque of the Red Death | Short Film Nominee

With the narration of Eliza Paul Gurney's Time as its pivotal point, the short film develops its narrative. It is simply an engagement with the poem, and thus the inherent ideas the parent text carries within itself. The same is mapped against visuals that mark the passage of time from one stage of life to another. While the piece in itself was written about three centuries ago, it goes to emphasise the relevance of the message it harbours within all these years later, perhaps further asserting the cyclical nature, as well as the inexorable, forever moving current of time. The metaphors and visuals it employs to convey it all are the usual suspects - an hour glass, falling sand, images of infancy and childhood, soon followed by those of a later stage in life. As they follow one after another in a smooth fashion, there is further an interaction invoked with the ideas of hope and how they come to define each of these stages, experiences and life as a whole. And it is in this intermingling of poetry and filmmaking that the viewer is presented with an enduring truth about time - the mute spectator at the margins, standing witness to all of mankind's successes, progress, and perhaps, an eventual downfall.

Time | Short Film Nominee

Anna and John were once lovers. However, the two artists, a dancer, and a writer, respectively, parted ways long ago when they felt the relationship had run its course. 

On the day the film opens, they are meeting again after all this time, to not only reflect on their failures and unfulfilled dreams, but also on the nature of time, and its inexorable, eternal movement forward. Alongside it, there's a discussion around the nature of their relationship that unfolds as well. The former lovers philosophize, ponder and somewhere along the way, find a moment of synchronized union amidst it all. 

The final result of the narrative is a sincere, dedicated endeavor, that portrays all of this for the viewer in a quiet, mellow manner. The performances remain notable aspects of the film.

The Pause of Time | Short Film Nominee

Your first introduction to the world of Worn Out is by way of a voiceover against the visuals of the hustle and bustle of a busy city. Amidst the rush of the activity, we are introduced to a boy who smokes by himself. A deeper look into his life reveals nothing unusual. He chats with his flatmate, goes about his daily business, and yet, the narrative seems to be building up to something amiss. As his friend heads out for a class on science fiction literature, followed soon after the voiceover's mention of the idea of time, plot points that would guide the narrative seem to be coming into their own.

 How closely is our sense of self and reality tied with the passage of time? The question locates itself at the heart of the story, as the protagonist continues to lose time, being shaken out of a stupor of confusion or panic by those for whom it is flowing at a regular pace. The final result wants to engage with all of these concerns, and makes a dedicated case for the same despite its limited resources.

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