Science Fiction + Fantasy Short Film Festival 2013

I am sad to say that this past weekend was my first time attending the Science Fiction + Fantasy Short Film Festival even though it is now in its eighth year. Never again will I miss this local event if I can help it. The film festival (#SFFSFF) was four hours (plus a 90 minute intermission) of absolutely magical delight. I cannot thank the EMP Museum and SIFF enough for putting it on. The 21 shorts ranged from serious to LOL funny to downright frightening through formats including live action, animation, and puppets. Seriously, there was a short featuring puppets voiced by Christopher Lloyd and Elijah Wood. If ever there was a crowd that Dorkadia needed to spend time with, this was it. While the short films were all fantastic, I’ll go over a handful of my absolute favorites here.

 The Wheel

The Wheel is a charming film about a man that keeps the entire world in balance by monitoring a wheel in his home and making sure it continues to spin. It is also the story of that man’s jealous and mischievous sister. I loved the cinematography and the lively tone that the film manages to keep throughout. I was particularly tickled that the entire thing is narrated in prose from start to finish. The Wheel is whimsical, very steampunk, and very entertaining. I recommend getting out to see it if you have a chance to do so.

Small Time

Who hasn’t dreamed of time travel? Small Time follows a college student that discovers the secret of time travel and the professor that screws him over. Rule #1: do not screw over the guy that figured out time travel. Of course, since both parties now know how to traverse time, a horrible prank war is bound to ensue. I definitely laughed loudest while watching this short film. The exponential level of escalation is inspired. The writing in Small Time is spot on and the interplay between the characters is just fantastic. I need more positive adjectives to throw at this film.

The Narrative of Victor Karloch

Puppets! Not enough for you? Christopher Lloyd voices Victor Karloch, a scholar who has received a package from a colleague containing an artifact and the story of its finding. Elijah Wood voices the young man that delves deep into the sea during a salvage operation that leads to the discovery of the relic. For the most part, I got a major H.P. Lovecraft vibe from the film and I loved it. Besides the very dark ambiance of the film, the most disquieting thing was the puppets that never moved their mouths as they spoke, but certainly blinked in a way that lent them an amount of life. Check out the trailer here.

Foxes

Foxes is a supernatural thriller about a young couple, James and Ellen, living in an empty neighborhood plagued by shrieking foxes. This film is dark and disturbing as it follows the mental deterioration of the couple. Employment and money issues lead to stress and depression for Ellen. The real horror begins when Ellen becomes obsessed with photographing the wild animals that seem to be everywhere. It’s amazing how much suspense and mood can be built in such a short amount of time.

Cats in Space

A well needed burst of silliness during the second half of the festival. Look, it’s cats and they’re in space. This wasn’t complex or deep, just cute. Check it out here.

Posthuman

This one brought me back to the days of my youth when I would ravenously consume the animation found on Liquid Television. Posthuman is an over the top animated short about a woman rescuing her brother from hideous government experimentation. The excessive amounts of violence and gore were distracting at times, but I couldn’t help but love the underground hacker as protagonist story. Posthuman is fluid, kinetic, and colorful. I would be very eager to see a full length version of this short film.

Lucky Day Forever

Lucky Day Forever (which can be seen in its entirety here) won the jury grand prize at SFFSFF for good reason. The film follows Prole 514, a member of the poor class in a future where the wealthy live as shining white entities that fill all forms of media. In this highly divided world, there is a lottery that allows a winner to be transformed into one of the white elites and brings them into that society – making them instant celebrities and inspiration to other members of the poor class. This gritty animated film is a stark reminder of how our own lottery systems work to exploit the poor in our society by dangling the carrot of wealth and status elevation in front of them. LDF is a virtual manual on how hope can be used as a tool of passivization and oppression. Be warned that it does contain sexual themes and nudity (NSFW), but I highly recommend seeing this film and sharing it with others.

This still only covers a third of the spectacular short films that were screened. If you live in the Seattle area, I suggest keeping an eye out for this event next year. In the meantime, be sure to check out the page for this year’s Science Fiction + Fantasy Short Film Festival and scope out the entire lists of shorts for sessions 1 & 2. Many of the short films can be found online and are definitely worth searching for. I can’t even begin to say how much fun it was to spend a Saturday night at the Cinerama filled to the brim with other sci-fi and fantasy fans sharing an evening of indie short films.