Video

Alive in Joburg

Natalie
If you ever heard of or watched District 9, you should make sure to hit play and take a peek at a short that started it all. Alive in Joburg is a science fiction short film directed by Neill Blomkamp and released by Spy Films in 2005. Filmed in Johannesburg, South Africa it became known for its great visual effects and documentary-style imagery exploring the tension between the human population and extraterrestrial refugees whose spaceships (some of which are estimated to be one kilometer in length) can be seen floating right above the city.
Sci-FiVideo58 views 0

Everything is a Remix

Natalie
Everything is a Remix, for the few of you who still didn't get a chance to see it, is a four-part eye-opening and conversation sparking documentary video series. Produced by Kirby Ferguson, a New York based filmmaker, the series gives us a glimpse into the world of remixing - collecting material, combining and transforming it - as any new creation requires influence. Three of the four parts of the documentary have already been released (with the 3rd episode unveiled today!) and explore everything in music, from the Sugarhill Gang and Chic to Led Zeppelin, in Part 1: The Song Remains the Same, sampling and influences from earlier works in Hollywood hits such as Avatar, Star Wars, and Kill Bill in Part 2: Remix Inc. to Part 3: The Elements of Creativity. A definite 'must-see'!
DocumentarySeriesVideo20 views 0

The Bridge (2008)

Natalie
Directed by Sheldon Wong Shwartz, The Bridge is a captivating short film about the race and an ideal, about loyalty and a cause. The story takes us to 1945 Italy where deep inside the enemy territory, the Japanese-American soldier disconnected from his regiment regroups with an Allied American squad. As he joins the unit, however, not everyone is as welcoming given the tensions between Japan and US that followed the attack on Pear Harbor just few years earlier. Yet despite the differences the film sets on a mission to remind all of us that we are all one, we are all the same. In the words of Ronald Regan: the "blood that has soaked into the sands of a beach is all one color".
DramaShort FilmVideo293 views 0

His Girl Friday

Natalie
Yes, we live in the age of Iron-Man, Avatar, Harry Potter, Inception and a number of other cinematic hits that took over our movie theater screens. But that does not mean that the Hollywood classics are dead. In fact, as some of them have safely crossed over into the sphere of public domain they can be easily accessed and downloaded for free; just like His Girl Friday - called no. 13 best comedy film of all time by Guardian (and a 97% from rating from Rotten Tomatoes), a film that put journalism among the most glamorous professions, and most importantly a film with stellar performances from Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell. A treat for everyone.
ComedyVideo17 views 0

ARK (2007)

Natalie
Grzegorz Jonkajtys has already contributed as a visual effects artist for films such as Sin City, Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth, Blade III, Iron Man 2, and Star Trek, to name few. Ark, Jonkajtys' animation short, is an excellent representation of the level of skill and creativity that first led him inside of the Hollywood productions. Nominated for the Golden Palm for Best Short Film at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival and the winner of the main prize at the 2007 SIGGRAPH Computer Animation Festival, the short takes us to the time when an unknown virus has led almost the entire human population to extinction leaving the few survivors to flee on ships in search of safe new land. Simply another classic creation.
AnimationVideo10 views 0

Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty

Natalie
Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty, directed by Nicky Phelan and produced by Brown Bag Films, first came to the screen in 2008 and already has won a number of awards while traveling across vast lands of Ireland, America, and Australia. This wonderful 5 minute creation takes us inside of the little house where an old granny is telling a good night story to her grandchild. The story, however, does not come with a magical happy ending we would all hope for. Everything dressed in the stunning visuals is more than expected from an animation that found its way on the shortlist of 10 films for Oscar nominations in 2010. A definite little treat for just about everyone!
AnimationVideo56 views 0

Sebastian’s Voodoo (2008)

Natalie
There might be no dialog and the film might only be 4 minutes long, but you will be astound at just how much tension and action can build up in those very 4 minutes. Sebastian's Voodoo, first released in June of 2008, is a wonderfully crafted animation from Joaquin Baldwin and provides an excellent example of just how CGI has improved in the last decade. But outside of the magical graphics the true selling point of the animation is its story in which a voodoo doll must find the courage to save all of his friends from being pinned to death by the voodoo Priest.
AnimationShort FilmVideo13 views 0

Blood On My Name (2011)

Natalie
I have written about work of the team from the Whitestone Motion Pictures before, and I am pretty sure I will write about them again... and again. The reason? They create some of the most outstanding and visually stimulating short films I have seen coming from boutique film company. Their latest creation, Blood On My Name, is a masterfully crafted dramatic western, centered on the theme of forgiveness and redemption, with just a touch of singing that will surely generate some unexpected goosebumps.
Short FilmVideo20 views 0

The Tunnel

Kademlia
In 2007 the New South Wales government suddenly scrapped a plan to utilise the water in the disused underground train tunnels beneath Sydney. In 2008, chasing rumours of a government cover-up and urban legends surrounding the sudden backflip, investigative journalist Natasha Warner led a crew of four into the underground labyrinth. They went down into the tunnels looking for a story Ôø? until the story found them. This is the film of their harrowing ordeal. With unprecedented access to the recently declassified tapes they shot in the claustrophobic subway tunnels, as well as a series of candid interviews with the survivors, we come face to face with the terrifying truth.
Horror40 views 0