Hollywood
In a place and in an industry where new is inevitable, some things have survived for generations. That big name on that one hill, for example. And the TCL Chinese Theater on Hollywood Boulevard.
In a way, this old theater is the biggest screen offered by the United States. It’s its own thing, but it inevitably captures and displays our personal projections about American moviedom. Think Hollywood is dying? Just look at that aging theater—its name having changed, the unhoused walking past it apathetically—and you are vindicated. Or do you think American moviedom continues to evolve? Just look at that iconic theater and be warmed by its monument; look how it sits on a street tiled evermore with the big names and big brains of each successive generation. Still a haven of fun after all these years.
How fitting, then, that from August 8 – 18, 2024, the TCL Chinese Theater was home to the 20th edition of the HollyShorts Film Festival.
HollyShorts
The HollyShorts Film Festival devotes itself to “showcasing the best and brightest short films from around the globe, [and] advancing the careers of filmmakers through screenings, networking events, and various panels and forums”. It displays movies running 40 or less minutes, and had about 400 movies in this year’s program—culled from over 6,000 submissions.
A cool thing about this festival is that it has four categories that are Oscar-qualifying: Documentary Short Film; Best Short Film Grand Prize; Best Short Animation; and Best Short Live Actiom. This means that if a movie wins in one of these categories, it’s allowed to submit itself to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Oscar award consideration.
HollyShorts Screenings
Unable to attend in-person this year, I watched virtually. My tagline for HollyShorts 2024? Has more, with less gimmicks.
This is a beautiful thing. Some moviemakers seem to think that because a short is brief, they can make a whole movie built around just a gimmick. No meaning is necessary, the rationale goes, because there is a twist, and people enjoy twists.
This is bad logic. The very best movies—no matter their runtime—have sizzle that doesn’t fizzle. The curators for HollyShorts 2024 seem to know this, and their slate is full of varied movies that, from what I’ve seen, are as thought-provoking as they are fun.
Select Reviews from HollyShorts 2024
I did not watch 400 movies to make this list, but I watched a few. Here are some of the standouts.
The Dog (12 minutes)
The Dog follows Claire as she tries to hold herself together at the veterinary clinic. Who knows how many hours/bad reviews/nervous trainees/desperate owners/sick animals she’s had to deal with? Must be a lot; she seems to dissociate now and then . . . Anyways, a unique dog walks in, and the mood changes drastically.
This story is tight and gripping, with great editing. But most importantly, it’s moving. Maybe Claire just needs some time to process. Maybe we all do. Maybe we can help someone else do so, too.
Technicians (17 minutes)
At its simplest, Technicians follows David as he takes a gig job to install some nail-manicure machines. There’s more to it, though.
David is a trained software engineer with broken dreams, and you’d think he’d connect with Tippi at the nail salon, whose dream is to keep doing what she’s doing; but David has essentially been hired to replace Tippi and all her Vietnamese and Vietnamese-American colleagues who take pride in their work and in the moments that they can connect with (and make a difference for) their clients.
Some unnecessary directional flourishes add time to this story, but overall it’s touching and insightful. Though things may be changing faster than we’d like, there’s still great benefit to the pace of humanity—however inefficient some might argue that that is.
Audrey (16 minutes)
Audrey is a trainwreck of a dinner-party. You can’t help but stare at it, even relish as it gets more and more uncomfortable.
This is because Audrey shows up unannounced to the party. And Audrey, you could say, is very, very high maintenance.
The host couple doesn’t know how to react to this—which makes for an absurd and fun watch. There is also something deeper going on, though, begging to be let out. To be discussed.
Deal of a Lifetime (17 minutes)
Deal of a Lifetime follows a man as he tries to find affordable coffins. Just like everything else these days, the options are too expensive.
The man’s frustrated outbursts are just so entertaining to watch, and the lead shines bright in this role. So relatable.
As he interacts with his son and parents we learn that his care for economy is a shared family value; that underneath it all is love and support. Some quite touching moments in this one.
The Final Copy of Ilon Specht (18 minutes)
This documentary allows two people to share a bit of their story. One is Ilon Specht, who trailblazed in marketing and created the phrase “because I’m worth it”. Another is her stepdaughter.
The Final Copy of Ilon Specht rains love even as it touches on hate in the context of family and society. There is hate that some women have for misgyonistic, dehumanizing men, and then there is hate that some women have for each other, even mothers to daughters.
Are you worth it? Ilon believed that she was, and she changed at least two lives because of that belief, regardless of the fact that her phrase became a marketing sensation. What might happen if you recognize that you are worth it?
Indulge Me (14 minutes)
Indulge Me is a charming, tender journey. It follows what appears to be a priest living in a trailer, hearing short confessions that end with a buzzer ding.
With some impressive moviewriting and acting, we experience the past and new connections between strangers. And so, so impressively, this short has us asking ourselves why we are all looking for forgiveness. Is it so wrong to look for something good in the world, even if we have trouble finding it?
Anuja (22 minutes)
Anuja is a young girl who works in a garment factory. She lives on the streets with her sister, too, but when there is an opportunity to take a test for boarding school entry, she might have a way out.
The scenes in this one skew cozy. Time spent with a loving family is wonderful, even if the world makes things harder than they have to be. What would happen if Anuja and other children like her are given the opportunity to flourish?
Fun Fact
Seventeen minutes seems to have been a popular runtime for the movies I watched this year. Is this an industry standard? Are moviemakers talking, or coming to this conclusion on their own? Does this runtime work better than others for our brains to digest a new story?