Adventure

Au Poil! (English Subtitles)

Revolution is in the air and it's happening in your own bathroom! From the magical house of ESMA comes another animated wonder in Au Poil! (English sub-titled version) by Julie Duvernelli and Nicolas Perraguin. This short piece takes its place in the revolting human washroom where objects have been ranked into a caste system—the glamorous jobs and the filthy ones. When the toilet scrub and cotton buds try to overthrow the lipstick and perfume spray, a messy riot is bound to happen.

FriendSheep

Delivering just the right dose of fun, excitement and spice, FriendSheep revamps the well-known character of the big bad wolf. This shockingly good animation by students of Valencia-based PrimerFrame, prances along the elements of fairytales, unpredictable humor and the prey-predator relationship. It has already garnered a lot of recognition including a recent selection for the 2012 Goya.

Electroshock

Re-animating the thrill of old-school comic books and pulp adventure comes Electroshock, a spell-binding superhero parody created by Hugo Jackson, Pascal Chandelier, Valentin Michel, Bastien Mortelecque and Elliot Maren of ESMA (Ecole Sup�rieure des M�tiers Artistiques). The story revolves around Buck, a lovable loser who after an electrical shock discovers the ability to 'slow-down' time. With his newly found power, he poses as a superhero trying to impress the girl of his dreams.

Jack and the Dustbowl

Tired of the same old shows? Jack and the Dustbowl will not disappoint those who are looking for a good movie fix. Written and directed by Brandon McCormick, it tells the story of Jack Spriggs, a poor farmer from Alabama who intends to keep his family's land. Even during the time of the great depression and record heat waves, Jack refuses to leave and instead tries to dig for hope.

Mr. Morris Lessmore: The Fantastic Flying Books

Perfectly blending heart and humor, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore offers a one-of-a-kind heartwarming experience. This animated short was crafted by the talented hands of illustrator William Joyce and co-director Brandon Oldenburg under Moonboot Studios. It has already scored prestigious awards such as the Best Animated Short (Cinequest Film Fest), Audience Favorite Award (Palm Springs International Shortfest), Best Show (SIGGRAPH) and a nomination for Outstanding Film Achievements of 2011 in the 84th Academy Awards.

Escape from City 17 (Part One & Part Two)

If you were a big fan of the Half-Life video games, you'll certainly enjoy and find Escape from City 17 nostalgic. Created by The Purchase Brothers, part one of this fan film adaptation was released around February 2009. Now, over two years have passed and the company finally gave Half-Life fans an early Christmas present by releasing part two of the project. Armed with handy camera equipment and a $500 budget for both films, the Canadian duo set out to create an amazing adaptation that's critically acclaimed by many and even praised by Valve, the video game company responsible for the popular first person shooter.

Portal: No Escape

Valve has been getting plenty of great fan film renditions in honor of their games lately. First there was Escape from City 17, a short fan film created by The Purchase Brothers based on Half Life 2. This time around, it's Valve's Portal video game that's getting the treatment. Portal: No Escape is a short film directed by Dan Trachtenberg. Although he's been working on the project for a year and half, it's only in August of this year that he was able to release it. The movie focuses on what is believed to be the character of Chell (Danielle Rayne) as she wakes up and discovers that she's a prisoner. With no memory, she eventually discovers the Portal gun and uses it to escape.

The Legend of Action Man (Dingoman Productions)

For a $200 budget, independent movie outfit, Dingoman Productions has created a funny and very entertaining film. Now, the poster might not be much to look at but trust me, this one will be worth it. The Legend of Action Man is a 100 minute film about a guy who likes to dress up like a superhero. Everything would have been dandy if only he wasn't the one causing so much of the problem in the first place. Think Kick-Ass minus the Hollywood costumes, special effects and budget. Created by Derek Papa and Andy Young, the storyline was based on a short film that the duo created while they were still in highschool. With more time on their hands, they've turned their quirky idea into a hilarious, home made, short film that's worth checking out.

Heartless: The Story of a Tin Man

We all grew up with The Wizard of Oz. Some had the story read to them before going to sleep and some could not stay away from the television set while watching Dorothy and her magical red shoes. As much as we know about our little heroine, do we know just how the other characters in this timeless classic came to be? Whitestone Motion Pictures decided to do just that, and with their beautifully executed twenty minute film take us to the beginning on a journey through the life of Tin Woodsman.