The 2012 Toronto After Dark Film Festival this year as always has healthy assortment of short films in their program. Along with the feature length shorts program they also begin each feature with short film to start off the night this year dubbed “Canada After Dark”. Here are few highlights of this year’s festival. Some of them were so strong that many were better that the feature that followed, so make sure you catch these shorts at festival near you soon. Here are some of the highlights:
NOT TILL WE’RE MARRIED
Shannon Rae Hanmer, 8 min, Canada, 2012
A really funny take on dysfunctional online dating directed by Shannon Rae Hanmer and written by Chris Nash (My Main Squeeze, Liplock): a woman is ready to make a commitment to her boyfriend but finds out he has a deformed twin brother attached to his hip who is the one that is really in love with her. She very reluctantly takes on the relationship with disfigured lump of a boyfriend with hilarious results.
THE CAPTURED BIRD
Jovanka Vuckovic, 10 min, Canada, 2012
The storyline is more poetic than traditional narrative; The Captured Bird is about a little girl witnessing supernatural evil in a large palace. Winner of the Best Short Film, Fantasia Film Festival 2012, with its 60k+ budget and executive produced by Guillermo Del Toro. This is nothing short of epic its detailed special effects and is a very promising debut by director Jovanka Vuckovic.
FROST
Jeremy Ball, 13 min, Canada, 2012
A brilliant film directed by Jeremy Ball of a native woman being taught survival skills in a post-apocalyptic world. The tone and grace of this film is poetic and timeless. A brilliant achievement.
BIO-COP
Steven Kostanski, 5 min, Canada, 2012
Bio-Cop is the latest faux trailer that is really a short film from Astron-6’s Steven Kostanski. Kostanski is by trade special effect guru so his films always deliver in its messed up masks, gore and special effects. Like most of the Astron-6 work, Bio-Cop is a funny send up of early 80’s straight-to-video releases this time hamming up the buddy cop genre with a genetically modified cop that is basically melting all the time. You can check out Bio-Cop right now during its limited theatrical run with the Astron-6 feature Manborg.
EVICTION
Eviction was the great mystery film of the festival this year. Apparently the film was delivered in a brown paper bag with no labels or credits on the DVD. Once it was shown at the festival, it was revealed this week directed by Justin McConnell (The Collapsed). It's just one intense 10-minute shot. We see a priest (Robert Nolan) going through a demonic transformation. One of the most intense films you’ll see this year.
A PRETTY FUNNY STORY
Evan Morgan, 19 min, Canada, 2012
A short dark comedy, written and directed by Evan Morgan, A Pretty Funny Story is about a family of three that catches the neighbor doing a silly dance in the window. The neighbor realizing this, he evokes his revenge on the family in a very unusual and harsh way.
GAME
Josh MacDonald, 8 min, Canada, 2012
Directed by the writer of 2011’s The Corridor, Game is an interesting twist on the chainsaw touting rednecks chasing a young woman through a swamp. For those outside Canada you might not get the spoof of the “Hinterland’s Who’s Who” public service announcements from 1970’s/80’s in Canada. But to us locals? It’s priceless.
Sounds like a great selection there. Anywhere we can see them online?
A good short film is a wonderful thing. A bad one is a special kind of hell.