This collection of shorts playing at Fantasia will rock your world

Shorts don't get any love. Sure most people don't mind seeing a short they've been told is great but they won't go looking for one on their own. Its not fair, there are great shorts out there even if  few people are actually looking for them.

Fantasia is a festival that loves shorts. They are running almost as many shorts as features with the result that a lot of good films are actually getting a chance to find an audience. Best of all since the Fantasia programmers have good taste you're getting a whole bunch of pre-selected great films.

This year I made a point of asking the Fantasia people to send me all of the shorts they had available for review. Amazingly they complied and sent me a long list of films. Additionally I asked them if I could post reviews of the shorts outside of the normal embargo agreement. They said yes. 

Now having seen a large chunk of the shorts screening I can honestly say that the shorts this year at Fantasia kick ass.  Seriously, they do.

Because they are not something you will search out unto themselves I'm putting it forward that all of these shorts are worth going to see on their own- and the fact you're either getting more shorts or a feature with each is bonus. Seriously some of these films are the best films of any sort and any length that I've seen all year and you need to see them

Do yourself a favor and look over the Fantasia Film List- find out when these films are playing and go see them.

(and if you're a short filmmaker wondering why your film hasn't been included-I just haven't gotten to it yet- I still have a lot more to get through)

INDAN CITRA
Mix of 3D computer animation and the shadow puppetry style of Lotte Reininger or Michel Ocelot tells the story of a young girl in a sneaker factory who gets lost in her dreams. Absolute visual delight and uplifting film. Its six minutes of pure wonder.

BLACK EYES
Young boy who loves ghoulish things and a knack for make up meets a young woman who it trying to kill herself with safety scissors. Its a solid little story with one hysterical moment

POINT OF VIEW
A coroner is stalked by the dead- only when she isn't looking, A scary eight minute gem- one of the best films at Fantasia

PULITIZER
As peace is declared a jaded photojournalist has ten minutes to get a bleak bloody picture of death to make her career before the shooting stops. Deeply troubling film hits the expected buttons but still leaves you feeling broken.

REUNION
A young girl talks about the people in her home town- and who is going to die. This is a really cool film with a couple of twists I can't  ruin for you-you'd hate me. What an absolutely great film. Another one possibly going on my best of the year (If not best, favorite) list

LE SEANCE (The Session)
Slow building film about a photographer taking a picture of a countess. The denouncement will chill you.

TRICKY TREAT
A grand ghoulish trick I dare not say a word about.(its only 3 minutes long)

YOUNGLINGS
On poker night in the future old Star Wars fans never shut up. Hysterically funny take on where today's geeks are going. The sad thing is I've seen too many variations of this happen.

WITCHING HOUR
What happens at witching hour and the monsters come out.
Set to Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns this is just beyond wickedly cool. Put this on the list of one my favorite films-ever. WOW.

For more info, show times and tickets go here.