Hello ladies and gentlemen, Muldoon here with this week's fun selection of short films created and submitted by AICN readers like you and me. It feels like each week there's some famous film festival going on, somewhere not where I am/you are, but somewhere far - far away, right? Well they can have their fun, because each week we've got our own film fest right here on Ain't It Cool News: SATURDAY SHORTS. This weekly fest features visions from every corner of the globe and the price of admission is non-existent. While there's no cool badge to wear around your neck and you're not likely to bump into a famous face in the Talkbacks below (though who really ever knows?) here's a screening of shorts for you, folks like me who simply want to see cool films, shorts that are created by passionate people, not projects their agents suggested they do in order to get an award somewhere. The sheer volume of creativity out there is staggering, so it's with incredible pleasure I get to share these pieces with you all today, tomorrow, and hopefully well into the future, despite the highs and lows of my own life outside of AICN. We've got a wild lineup that I'm more than excited about, so let's cut the chit-chat and start watching some neat stuff, eh?
Go grab yourself some popcorn, lock your kids in a closet, kill the lights, relax and check out this little weekly film fest we've got ourselves here:
ABSENCE
TRT: 2:53
Director Rob Savage has our first film of the week, starring the 8th Doctor himself, Mr. Paul McGann "as a bereaved man with a dark secret." In just under three minutes, Rob's able to craft a film that will surely linger in your mind for days to come. There's some rather dark stuff going on here, some incredible cinematography, and a pace that keeps your eyes glued to the screen. The film's played at multiple festivals, but just became available online this past week, so it's a treat to get to share here. To see more of Rob's work, head over to his website and see what else he's done (hint: a lot)!
THE ADEPT
TRT: 9:08
"A scientist with a passion for magic gets more than he bargains for when performing a new card trick." Well hell, with a synopsis like that - how can you not give the film a shot? Writer/Director Adam Stern of Artifex brings us something that absolutely delivers on that promise. THE ADEPT is something truly special, a wild visual feast "that explores the connections between science, magic, and our understanding of reality." Solid short, so be sure to poke around the Artifex Website to see what other magic those guys are responsible for.
The Adept from Artifex Studios on Vimeo.
MAT ZO - "Sinful"
TRT: 4:03
James Chappell is no stranger around these parts, despite the fact that I rarely screen music videos. Chappell's latest music video is exactly what I've come to expect (and hope for) from the man. It's as if you took great visuals and boiled them down to a syrup of awesome. I'm dying to see the man's feature film is like... "A retro-futuristic 'Frankenstein' story follows a glittery cyborg that’s brought to life in a neon-tinged city. She makes her way into a futuristic strip club where attendees cover their faces in virtual reality masks. After watching the girls perform, the cyborg decides to give a dance of her own. Unexpectedly, she sheds her clothes and skin to reveal her true, shimmering form." I more than implore you to check out James's website to see what else the man's got.
MAT ZO | Sinful from James Chappell on Vimeo.
DREAMCO
TRT: 7:10
Next up is a film from Marc Grey. "The bible tells us that once every seven years, we should set our slaves free. But what if the slaves don't want to be free?" I love a good science fiction dystopian film and Marc's definitely created one here. Be sure to check out Marc's other films over at his Vimeo Page!
YE-KI-TZA (DREAMCO) from Marc Grey on Vimeo.
HOOT
TRT: 1:42
Boom! To wrap us out for the week we've got SATURDAY SHORTS veteran Patrick Rea. If you've casually followed this column at all in the last few years, chances are you've seen some of Patrick's work. Today he's got a fun short that's... well, it's a real hoot. Be sure to check out more of Patrick's work over on his Vimeo Page.
Kill that damn OwlThat stupid owl that keeps you up ALL night....
Posted by Crypt TV on Wednesday, March 2, 2016
That's it for this week's selection of interesting films from across the globe. I hope you ladies and gents caught something that stood out to you! As always, feel more than free to check out any of the links below to travel back in time to past articles!
SATURDAY SHORTS 2012
SATURDAY SHORTS 2013
SATURDAY SHORTS 2014
SATURDAY SHORTS 2015
Hank & Honey: A Holiday Horror; Black Christmas; Grammy; Pick Ups (1/2/16)
Lilitu; Auld Lang Syne; Chronoshred; Ash Vs. Lobo Vs. The DC Undead (1/9/16)
Believe; The Dragon's Blade; Native Immigration; The Problem With Friends (1/23/16)
Harbinger; Hyperthermia; The Chickening; Head (1/30/16)
Erebus; Boldly Gone; Cupcakes; City In Crisis; Vandalaze "Great Big Things" (2/6/16)
Blurry; American Virgin; Azarkant; The Homing Bird; Sex, Lies, And Terminators (2/13/16)
Connected; Terry And Brenda; Fuck Buddies; Audrey; BigHead Walking Dead Parody (2/20/16)
If you have a short and think it belongs here or are on the fence about whether to send it in, please do send it in - I'd love to see what you've put together. I've already seen hundreds of fresh new filmmakers' shorts and like any good addict, I need more!
Shoot me an email at "Mike@aintitcool.com"
In the subject line include:
“SHORTS” + “Your film’s name” + “The film’s genre”
Then, in the body of the email, please include a synopsis of the film and any contact information you might think I need or would want published. The more info you send my way, the more info there is to put with your short.
Please don’t feel the need to submit multiple times.
Remember, the filmmakers might still be in the audience, so feel free to share your thoughts in Talkbacks below. (JUST DON'T BE AN ASSHOLE). I picked them, so you know I think highly of all of these, but how about you fine folks? How'd you like 'em?
BY THE WAY: If you've had a short featured here, that means that I personally am a fan of your work, so feel free to shoot me any kind of news on new projects/films/whatever. I can't say I'll be able to help or in what capacity, but I'm interested in your work and am always down to see more! (Keep making cool stuff, everyone!)
- Mike McCutchen
"Muldoon"
Mike@aintitcool.com
