Next Floor by Denis Villeneuve (2008) (Canada) (11m)
After winning a disgustingly large number of awards, Denis put his film Next Floor on vimeo in late 2013. Being a vegetarian, my take on it may differ from others but in Next Floor we find eleven pampered guests gorging on all manner of beasts while a host of waiters stand by. Their gluttony has a consequence, captured in brilliant visual effects and defying the laws of physics. Denis has since made the feature films Incendies and Prisoners.
Mis-drop by Ferend Peek (2013) (New Zealand) (14m)
The brilliant sci-fi short film Mis-drop by Ferend Peek was a finalist in the 7th FILMSshort competition. Set some 300 years in the future, It is mainly told with one shot, which shows a new recruit taking part in his first "drop". His team are dropping from a spaceship onto an alien world they are colonising and mining. It is being watched back by a forensic accountant, who has to decide whether what went wrong was the fault of the rookie or not.
Soft by Simon Ellis (2007) (UK) (14m)
Simon Ellis won the International Short Filmmaking Award at Sundance and was nominated for a BAFTA in 2008 with his great short film, Soft. It is the gritty story of a son and father tormented by a gang of vicious, 'happy-slapping' youths, but with neither being brave enough to fight back. Simon Ellis went on to make the feature film, Dogging: A Love Story, in 2009 but scored less success with this film.
