Norwich Film Festival presents BAFTA Shorts 2016

The good people of BAFTA have good taste. That should be expected if I'm honest, but it's always nice to have verification. Presented before me, as part of the Norwich Film Festival, were seven short films from this years crop, seven examples of the best of British film making; they range from animation to live action, studies of people to studies of culture, fictional tales to fraught moments of time captured and preserved. For those of you who'd like to watch along to the review, five of the seven shown films are available through the power of the Internet, so what're you waiting for?

Edmond

First on our tour is the short animation Edmond. Directed by Nina Gantz it is a strong start to the screening, showcasing a film with a mix of animation styles. While predominantly made as a stop motion piece, the mouths, eyes and other external elements are animated on a two dimensional plane; this choice may at first appear to be a shortcut around the ongoing issues in producing stop motion puppetry but in truth add character and distinctiveness to this darkly comic short. As an opening piece it starts strongly and builds an underlying theme of black comedy that runs throughout many of the other films. Technically brilliant, it had my mind whirring in anticipation for the director's future work - truly one to keep an eye on.

Samuel-613

An odd film, and the one I enjoyed the least. While it is interesting to see a portent of hasidic culture the film doesn't quite reach an appropriate crescendo and feels more like a Jewish state sponsored piece warning of the perils of Internet dating and bacon. The joke about the parrot is funny, however, and watching somebody enjoy bacon for the first time is something to be jealous of. Director Billy Lumby starts strongly but falters at the film's central point, the direction of the plot is undermined by its ending and I was left at the end feeling staggeringly underwhelmed.

Operator

The only short here with a recognisable cast, front and centre is Kate Dickie who many fans of television might remember as taking a tumble through the moon door in the fifth season of Game of Thrones. Dickie is cast in a role not unreminiscent of her role in 2006's Red Road, a link so minor yet so prominent in my mind that I can't seem to allow myself to ignore this odd juxtaposition between the parts - an interesting double viewing perhaps? The most interesting of the shorts yet also the most conceited, my inner cynic views it perhaps less of a piece for thought but an advert for the director who will go far within the realm of advertising. The film still works well offering a different perspective on a traumatising experience that earns it merit and the worth of a viewing.

Prologue

There isn't an animator out there who doesn't know the name Richard William. Writer of The Animators Survival Guide, director of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, his name is synonymous among the initiated and his reputation as one of the industry's best, and well deserved. Prologue is perhaps the most visually striking of the films presented, each frame hand drawn with immaculate detail, the camera in constant motion capturing in one continuous shot of a short but brutal battle. One can only hope that this short proves to indeed be the prologue to a much larger and grander film, I wait with baited breath. Sadly this film isn't available online so catch a screening wherever you can, this is one you can't afford to miss.

Mining Poems Or Odes

It's probably bad that I was glad this documentary short had subtitles; it appears I have a hard time understanding thick Glaswegian accents. This is the second film not available online which is saddening as this ranks among my favourites - an interesting and important look at philosophy, language and education. It is rightfully poetic in its depiction of the growth of culture within an environment where such a culture one might think wouldn't naturally form. This short is well in deservedness of its Scottish BAFTA.

Over

In viewing Over I thought it embodied the darkly comic tone that seemed to hang over the screening. It's premise is odd and the revelation of its story weird, but truth be told now knowing the truth to the events it is more tragic than comic. Shown predominantly through a series of wide shots and a timeline that runs backwards we see an event unfolding in reverse. The innovative style of execution builds to the surprise revelation at its close and I'm not quite sure what to think other than to chuckle - perhaps my heart is just that black? A creative use of the short film and a somber mystery, I feel as if Over is going to be with me for quite some time.

Manoman

Not quite animation, and more an offshoot from something within the crazed mind of Gerry Anderson, Manoman is the climax to the screening, fully embodying and solidifying the darkly comic vibe that Edmond established. The most openly funny film of the bunch it is shrouded in brutalist architecture and a distinct visual style that brings to mind the likes of Monkey Dust and much of the work of Terry Gilliam. There is no dialogue to the film, its acting being brought to life through puppetry and the primal screaming the puppets emit. It's a great achievement that bodes well for the film's director and producer. My favourite of the bunch, Manoman is worth a watch or two but beware - it might leave your sides split in two.