The Holly Shorts Festival | London 2024

In the glittering world of film festivals, feature films are, of course, celebrated, while shorts—often created by emerging directors—can be largely overlooked. The HollyShorts Film Festival, therefore, plays an important role by shining a much-needed spotlight on these often-overlooked cinematic gems. Below is a brief roundup of some of my personal favorites from this year’s festival.

7 short films

Ausgang, Sofie, directed by Zoe Munlyn, offers a fascinating exploration of the mixed-race community living in Germany during the Nazi era. The fate of Black and mixed-race Germans is a subject often overlooked in portrayals of this period, making the story of the film’s central character—a mixed-race teenager—all the more compelling. The short focuses on her early support for the Nazi regime, only for her worldview to be shattered when she discovers that the figure she idolizes, Hitler, is building a society that will ultimately reject her. What makes this well-directed film particularly compelling is its shift through time, highlighting the role that Black and mixed-race actors played in the German propaganda film industry—an industry that, paradoxically, provided a means of survival for some who remained.

Anuja is a powerful and much-needed look at the plight of child labor. Sensitively directed by American philosopher-turned-filmmaker Adam J. Graves and set in India, the film was made with the support of the local charity Salaam Baalak Trust. It follows Anuja, a precocious nine-year-old orphan who quits school to work alongside her sister in a local garment factory. There, a former teacher tracks her down and offers her a place at a prestigious academy. Anuja is suddenly faced with a life-altering decision—one that will determine not only her own future, but that of her family as well. With the number of child laborers growing worldwide, Anuja addresses a pressing and timely issue.

Anuja | The Human Spirit | Indy Shorts Film Festival (eventive.org)

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