Favourite Shorts of IFFR2009

Fall
Director: Visri Vichit-Vadakan
Thailand
5 minutes

Striking b/w experimental short loaded with sexual energy. A young woman and man meet in an American city. What follows is a quick, erotic runthrough of their relationship.

Suicidal Variations
Directors: Kim Gok and Kim Sun
South Korea
15 minutes

Typical cine-insanity from the brothers Kim. With what would surely need a pre-credits warning for epileptics, a young woman knocks the head off a mysterious intruder and then attempts suicide. A hyper-intense blast of flashing imagery and raucous sound follows.

The Presentation Theme
Director: Jim Trainor
USA
14 minutes

Very disturbing crudely-rendered animation of a Peruvian traveller who meets a blood-sucking priestess.

Myth Labs
Director: Martha Colburn
USA
8 minutes

A wild, animated ride through the introduction and impact of meth labs into America.

Coagulate
Director: Mihai Grecu
France
7 minutes

A visually striking exploration of man, liquid and physical space with imagery impossible to erase from the memory.

Six Apartments
Director: Reynold Reynolds
Germany
12 minutes

Formally bold tour of six apartments, their creepy occupants and the germs, filth and disease which surround us all. Firmly focussed on the earth’s dwindling resources and geopolitical instability.

Origin of the Species
Director: Ben Rivers
UK
15 minutes

Fascinating new short from former Tiger winner Ben Rivers which continues his interest in Darwin. A haunting portrait of a man who lives isolated in a forest.

Man and Gravity
Director: Jakrawal Nilthamrong
Thailand
10 minutes

Amazing new short from Jakrawal where a countryside worker rides along on his motorbike constantly defying the laws of gravity with his excessive load.

Viva Taiwan Moooooovie
Director: Zero Chou
Taiwan
12 minutes

A terrific homage to Taiwan’s film history and a downright entertaining piece in its own right. Zero Chou re-introduces the gangster into Taiwanese movie culture…

Next Floor
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Canada
12 minutes

Greenaway-ish, visually staggering short about man’s excessive consumption. A party of aristocrats continues to eat all manner of flesh, crashing through the floors of an abandoned building as they grow heavier.

Brises
Director: Enrique Ramirez
Chile/France
13 minutes

One amazing shot through downtown Chile as the ghosts of past repression hover just outside the frame. Incredible.

Purgatorio
Director: Lav Diaz
Philippines
16 minutes

From the king of lengthy running times comes a grungy, poetic short with strongly political overtones.

10,000 Copyrighted Images
Director: Richard Wright
UK
7 minutes

As the title suggests, a furious montage of 10000 copyrighted images.