Top 10 Short Films of 2016

2016 is gone, but not forgotten! We are thrilled to bring back our Top 10 selection of the last year. The list includes shorts that have touched us and inspired us the most, with either their stories, visual effects or originality. These are films featured on Film Shortage in 2016, not necessarily made in 2016.

Here are Film Shortage’s Top 10 Shorts of the year, enjoy!

10. Connected (United States)

Pamela Anderson surprised us all when she starring in a short film earlier this year. Luke Gilford‘s film hints at the future and how we will inevitably deal with aging, self-perception, and transformation in a technologically optimized world.

9. Thunder Road (United States)

Jim Cummings wrote, directed and starred in this wonderful and curious little short, shot in one continuous take. Jim’s performance is nothing short of memorable who dazzles us with his range of emotions and staggering dance moves. Be prepared to cry a little and laugh a lot.

8. Singularity (United States)

The production values are through the roof with Singularity, without over indulging on VFX and CGI characters, the bulk of the story revolves around the action sequence of a military rescue squad trying to retrieve the president. Of course, this is just an intro to something much bigger, directors Samuel Jorgensen and producer Jeremy Pronk are currently developing the feature version called ‘Zero’.

7. Goutte d’Or (Denmark / France)

The timeless art of seduction. Mainly, Goutte d’Or seduces us with the bareness of its main character, but we are soon mesmerized by the detailing and immense work involved to bring this stop motion film together. It took the team over 7 years to complete the film, but the end product is a shear masterpiece.

6. Nashorn Im Galopp / Rhino Full Throttle (Germany)

Creativity runs deep in this German romantic comedy. Erik Schmitt uses perspective in the most genius of fashions to fool our minds and illuminating the soul of a city. The shimmering and imaginative romantic style edges the type of film we are used to seeing by Michel Gondry. The charming film will lift you off your feet and make you fall in love with the space and perspective a city has to offer.

5. The Nostalgist (United Kingdom)

The Nostalgist twinkles with our minds and introduces an interesting perspective that near future could have to offer. An imaginative balance between steam punk reality and the idyllic dream world, a father and son struggle to stay synced.

4. Food For Thought (United States)

This is just a brilliant way to pass a message, the short film was made for the World Health Day 2016. Directed by Davide Gentile, the film thrives on the never ending rising suspense, smartly executed scene by scene. An unmatched lighting, setting and even cast performance sets Food For Thought on a high pedestal, but the cinematography and smooth motion of the film puts all the extra emphasis on the already entertaining storyline.

3. Embers & Dust (United States)

Embers & Dust is an incredible film mixing historical events with a child’s imagination. The film takes place during the infamous 1938 historical event of Orso Welles radio broadcast of War of The Worlds – a dramatic radio show that caused mass panic as people thought it was true. Director Patrick Biesemans brilliantly exposes the otherworldly fears of the 1930’s, mainly created by the rise of fictional stories heard on radio broadcasts.

2. Lost Boy (Netherlands)

A Post Panic signature is bound to end up on our Top 10 list (Remember Sundays, winner of the 2015 Top 10 edition, and making Top 5 in trailers in 2013 and 2014). This time we are sunk into a Sci-Fi punk marvel, where the population is zero and the year unknown, astounded with an incredible conceptual environment, in a rather unusual and almost unearthly setting.

1. Uncanny Valley (Argentina)

Behold, the mind blowing film of 2016! And mind blowing is an understatement, as we are placed deep into the future of Virtual Reality, where the thin line between reality and virtual becomes ever so blurry. Orchestrated by Federico Heller over at 3DAR (who produced ‘Shave It‘, receiving an honorary mention in our 2013 Top 10), Uncanny Valley ignites our imaginations with a documentary-like introduction to a new breed of virtual reality junkies, and smoothly transitioning to a science fiction war zone delight. You get to decide what’s real and what’s not.

Congratulations to Federico Heller and everyone over at 3DAR for creating this unforgettable masterpiece!

Honorary Mentions

Of course, picking only 10 films from the hundreds of featured films is quite a difficult task. Here are a couple of films that deserve an honorary mention and that just crazed the Top 10.