NYICFF 2013: Shorts 2 and Heebie Jeebies

Saturday I saw two of the short film collections at the New York International Children's Film Festival- Shorts 2 and Heebie Jeebies. I was also supposed to see Flicker Lounge but the long day at the festival, I had been there over 6 hours by then, and having to wait over an hour for the start of the screening made me decide to cut my losses. and head home. The losses I speak about cutting was my absolute exhaustion. It was not a matter of fleeing bad films, actually I really liked all but one of the films in both collections, I was just too darn tired.

What follows are some quick thoughts on some short films all of which are worth seeing.

SHORTS 2

PISHTO GOES AWAY- the source of the worried cat on this years NYICFF poster  concerns a cat who is sick of his life and heads out on the road. A Sendak like tale of what one can find on the road.

ALIMATION- Amazing piece of animation via spinning cakes. This is really cool.

DANGEROUS MIGRATION ROUTE- all of the dangers of birds heading south...twisted fun.

SIBLINGS- The one dud in either collection. The story of the aftermath of a father's announcement at dinner. Too much heavy material for 8 minutes.

MANUFACTURED FORTUNES- People talk about fortune cookies while we watch them being made. An amusing trifle.

SUMMER BUMMER- Bill Plympton, a diver  and a swimming pool. Laugh out load funny.

JEANINE- Unhappy with her hippie parents a young girl wants regimentation and order so turns to gmymnastics,  An  amusing film about things not always being better  elsewhere.

CHOIR TOUR- A choir is chased around a hotel by the conductor. cool images and a wicked soundtrack collide.

LOLA- a doll gives chase around the world when the love of his life is sold. Way cool, I've always wondered if my stuffed animals did this.

VACUUM KID- documentary about  12 year old with a passion for vacuums....Great Great and great

BRUMLIK AND ANIMUK- a polar bear and an Inuit girl meet a narwhal stuck on the ice and plot to get him back in the water. Off center and funny.

The program listed FATA MORGANA but it didn't run as part of the series. A DROP OF HONEY about how small things can lead to big things is listed as running as part of this as well but it actually before A THE DAY OF CROWS.(It's great little parable)

Heebie Jeebies

HAPPY LIFE- A boy begins to lay eggs from which monsters come-so he drops them in the woods. Weird.

END TV- the end of the world is televised. Intriguing view of how we'd handle the end of the world...

(BABY) IT'S YOU-  Boy meet girl. Boy loses girl. Boy puts girls head on robots body. A weird music video.

A FURTIVE TEAR- A fish sings an aria as it's bought and prepared for dinner. Ghoulish fun.

RED- A dark unsettling take on Little Red Riding Hood. One of the best of the two collections

FRIENDSHEEP- A wolf gets a job in an office full of sheep. Damn funny take on surviving in an office.

KALI THE LITTLE VAMPIRE- Christopher Plummer narrates the heartbreaking story of a vampire who longs for a friend.

TASTES LIKE CHICKEN- A factory chicken becomes aware of it's situation and contemplates the future. dark, funny and moving story of all our lives.(warning it is fleetingly gory)

FLY MILL- really really strange story of a man making fly bread to feed to his ducks. A Quay Brothers like nightmare that is really strange.

LEGACY- A girl ponders how best to mourn her dead mouse. A funny look at funerals.

SWARMING- This made the audience audibly and visibly uncomfortable as a young boy finds something alive in something dead. Disturbing or so I thought until I saw....

M+A,MY SUPER 8- two girls move unnaturally in a dream or memory or are they dolls? I have no idea but my notes say :Weird and unnatural and f-ed up. Yes and yes.