With the North Bend Film Festival kicking off last week, a slew of shorts were unleashed unto the world during their Something Strange block, showcasing different shorts from different directors. Having gotten to see them all, I can easily say I was impressed and enjoyed the chosen selections, with each one different (yet similar) than the last. It was great to experience current works by familiar and new directors alike, allowing each one to flex their filmmaking abilities and show the world what they’ve got.
Varying from comedy to pure dread, North Bend’s Something Strange block presents diverse shorts, with a good chunk of them housing the landscapes and atmosphere of the Pacific Northwest, showcasing the lineup as follows:
Allen Anders: Live at the Comedy Castle – Circa 1987: directed by Laura Moss
End Times: directed by Bobby Miller
Lovely Legs: directed by Abby Thompson
Ovum: directed by Cidney Hue
Une Foret: directed by Thomas Greffier
Circle: directed by Martin Melnick
BFF Girls: directed by Brian Lonano
Each short demonstrates something different, portraying great filmmaking abilities from some rising (and already existing) talents. It opens strong and strangely with Laura Moss’ powerfully glitchy Allen Anders: Live at the Comedy Castle- Circa 1987, and ends just as strong (and strangely) with Brian Lonano’s comedically bizarre and seemingly out of left field, BFF Girls. I really enjoyed what each short had to offer, as they all demonstrate diverse key elements and plot points that fit greatly into the director’s creative path. The subject matters range from grief (End Times), to comedy (BFF Girls, End Times), to horrific decision making (Ovum) to even robotic girlfriends (Lovely Legs). While all different, most of the shorts throughout this block seemed to share the depiction of forested sceneries (Une Foret, Lovely Legs, Circle), which some of the plots ended up revolving around.
As a lover of shorts in general, it could be easy to say that enjoying this block was effortless, but I would greatly disagree with that statement. In particular, North Bend’s Something Strange block stands out on numerous levels, as the selected shorts sync up and flow together nicely, while allowing the audience to experience something new and to create a brilliant viewing experience. It’s a great feeling to switch between such different yet similar subject matters, all within the duration of eighty minutes. Be sure to check these shorts out if you can, as I highly recommend each one.
- Tribeca Film Festival Review: AAMIS (2019) - April 26, 2019
- Women In Horror Interview: Actress Suzanne Voss - March 25, 2019
- Women In Horror Interview: Director/Production Designer Laura Moss - February 28, 2019