Cannes Film Festival is one of the biggest and grandest events that brings the greatest and the best of feature films and short films together for two weeks in May.
Short films at Cannes are shown at the Competition, at the end of which the winning short film is awarded a Palme d'or by the short film jury. Whereas, there are also the short films out of competition that are presented at the Short Film Corner. Setup in 2004, Short Film Corner is a professional section for the short filmmakers and talent to present their shorts, meet with distributors and other industry professionals and make future decisions about their career in filmmaking.
As the glitter settles down on the Croisette, let's look at some of the short films from the Cannes Film Festival.
TIMECODE (Directed by: Juanjo Giménez Peña) - Spain
Winner: Palme d'Or - Short Film, 2016
This short film is inspired by the director's personal events; Timecode tells a love story about two security guards in a parking garage. The short shows the boredom in the life of security guards as seen through security cameras. Giménez shot the film with the help of film school students he teaches at the Reus film school. It stars Lali Ayguadé. It is the first time that a Catalan director has won the Palme d’Or.
DREAMLANDS (Directed by: Sara Dunlop) - UK
Finalist: Palme d'Or - Short Film, 2016
This coming of age short film by Sara Dunlop explores the time of life between being a child and being an adult. Dunlop has successfully created an imaginary scenario in teenagers lives and their exposure to sex in the current age. She explores how these factors affect the young adults of today. The film is unique but hauntingly familiar.
At its heart is 17 year old Pixie, a tough-talking, wild and beautiful hedonist, whose routine world get’s turned upside down by the arrival of an unfamiliar young boy. Dreamlands stars Emma Appleton, Callum Wilson, Joe Madley, Liam Gardner.
Out of Competition Films at the Short Film Corner
FINDING MY LEBANON (Directed by: Mark Abouzeid) Lebanon, USA
This short film is the director's personal discovery on the search for his Lebanese roots.
After his father passes away, Abouzeid travels to Lebanon. He was determined to learn more about his heritage and to learn more about the country, it’s culture and it’s church, as seen through the eyes of his father.
INTERVIEW WITH A DIRECTOR (Directed by: Ivana Noa) - Belgium
One of the youngest directors to ever present in Cannes, Ivana Noa, a 13-year-old filmmaker's inspiration to make "Interview with a Director" originated from her personal feelings regarding the harmful nature of war for everyone involved.
Mokhallad Rasem has been born in war, has survived two other wars, has lived in a bunker all of his childhood. Though the inspiration of his father and family have driven him to study and become one of the most prospective young theater directors in Belgium.
ROOTS (Directed by: Hasti Saadi) - Iran
The director Hasti Saadi made this documentary by having honest conversations between a young Afghan and an Iranian boy who work in a garden. They live in parallel worlds, yet these two young boys personality and views can easily harmonize as one.
They talk about various sensitive subjects: love, God, and their dreams.
MY FORELOVE (Directed by: Mor Dovrat) - Germany, Switzerland
This is her directorial debut in Cannes. The story revolves around two main characters meeting for sex without knowing anything about each other or the life of the other person. The plot is unique not only as an original take on a traditional love story but also because it combines facts from the real lives of the cast and director and blends them with fictional elements.
Dovrat leaves it up to the viewer to determine which aspects of the film are fact, and which are fiction.
SCRIBBLINGS (Directed by: Oscar Barby) South Africa
Oscar Barby's short is a psychological thriller that revolves around three characters who are in a love triangle. In order to pay the bills, a struggling writer takes in a sexy lodger. The lodger slowly starts to move in on his life and their relationship begins to spin out of control.
Scribblings has screened in film festivals in Kenya, Nigeria, and Johannesburg and has finally made its way to Cannes.
SURVIVING INTERNATIONAL BOULEVARD (Directed by: Sian Taylor Gowan) - USA
“Surviving” follows one woman’s plight to get her daughter off the streets in Oakland, California. This film touches the sensitive topic of sex trafficking and packs an abundance of raw truth and emotion into every single scene that allows it to leave a heavy impact on its viewers like a full-length documentary film would.
BLACK MOVIE NIGHT (Directed by: Sterling Milan) - USA
This short captures the mood of the recent protests of the Oscars. #OscarsSoWhite
Two actors decide to celebrate a night of black cinema instead of the Oscars and are caught between their right to protest the lack of diversity and their own ambitions.
BODAS (Directed by: Alexia Maltner) - Brazil
A Brazilian masterpiece by director Alexia Maltner - Bodas, a Portuguese title which translates to "Between Them" in English is about a couple who are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. Guided by her innermost desires, the wife decides to act in a way that will change the course of their lives.
LUCY (Directed by: Alex Giannoulias) - Greece
A touching drama about an elderly childless couple. Their lives come to a complete standstill when their pet dog Lucy dies out of natural causes.
Lucy shows the love for a pet and the void it creates when it passes away. The couple finds themselves all alone having to deal with his guilt and their love for Lucy.
A LITTLE SOMETHING (Directed by: Brett Eichenberger) - USA
Award-winning filmmaker Brett Eichenberger’s latest short film, A Little Something. It follows Douglas, a time-travelling salesman who is about to make the most significant sale of his life. The only thing standing in his way is himself.
THE LAST SHOW (Directed by: Roberto Flores) - Peru
Jorge works as a clown in a small circus. Being a clown is all he knows and wants to be for the rest of his life. Suddenly, one day his boss informs him he will have to sell the circus due to the small audiences they have. This news will make Jorge fight to prevent the circus being sold.
This short is made possible due to the support of the Peruvian organization Prom Perú, in charge of promoting Peruvian talent all around the globe.
MY FATHER'S HOUSE (Directedby: David Greenwald) - USA
In this documentary, filmmaker David Greenwald takes you through his boyhood home in Queens, New York to his father's boyhood home in Eastern Europe. The short film traverses through a multigenerational journey of family, community, faith, and the unspeakable horror of WW2.
For more information on short films at The Cannes Films Festival click here