Fantastic Shorts

Welcome to our annual "something for everyone" block where, this year, you're invited to contemplate the myriad ways that nothing in this world is what it seems, and that the future is neither guaranteed nor fully predetermined. Join various lovelorn souls, disillusioned mortals, aspiring artists, and vengeful survivors as they jump head first into the mysteries of life and death.

*Please note: films listed in alphabetical order, not in order of appearance in the block.

DEAD ANGLE- Dir. Cristian Beteta

When Ramón agrees to meet his ex-wife Estela to discuss the wrongful death of their teenaged son, he has no idea that a revenge plot has already been set in motion. What you don’t know will destroy you in this cold-blooded Goya-winning thriller.

FESTER- Dir. Max Parr

Unchecked jealousy will swell and fester in our guts until it transforms us from the inside. Canadian dark humo(u)r done right, replete with toilet-based teleportation.

GOSSAMER- Dir. Federico Barni

A singer undergoes an irrevocable metamorphosis after seeking the help of a biotech firm to restore her lost voice in this Cronenbergian sci-fi that merges with a live progressive metal performance. Featuring music by Rolo Tomassi.

IS THIS DESIRE?- Dir. Apa Agbayani

A derelict mansion unlocks a woman’s deepest yearning in this erotic riff on Henry James. A modern Filipino gothic replete with beautiful boys, green lasers, and passion fruit.

JIMMY'S CUSTOM COFFIN- Dir. James P. Gannon

Jimmy has cancer and some grand ideas for his funeral, all in keeping with his trickster personality. James (documentarian and FF alum) turns his camera towards capturing the spirit of his friend Jimmy, in his final months.

RICHARD GOES ON A DATE- Dir. Johnny Frohman

This tone-perfect awkward comedy shows why dating today is a total drag. It's bad enough when he doesn't like your pet, and even worse when he has telekinetic powers.

SCRAPS- Dir. Emily Norling

In this quietly unsettling and disorienting coming-of-age, three teenagers take part in a regional holiday tradition called Skråbock, donning hideous masks and knocking door-to-door on neighbors’ houses, begging for Christmas leftovers. The friends soon find themselves yearning for more than just food.

SPIDERS ON MY LASHLINE- Dir. Grace Tan

When genderqueer pole dancer Ash seeks refuge in a church, a rush of memories rekindles their inner strength. Style is substance in this phantasmagoric meditation on sexual violence, femininity, and revenge.

THE WADDLES- Dir. Max Jenkins

Body insecurity makes easy marks of us all. This film delivers the lesson first as absurdist comedy, then permanently cements it as cosmic horror.