SHORTS BLOCK 5 | COMEDY

Animal Work

Animal Work | AUSTRALIA

Directed by Zak Marrinan

Produced by Bre Sims and Zak Marrinan

Nominated for Best Comedy Short, Best Actor in a Comedy Short (Mitchell Brotz)

An anxious young man goes to a group therapy session. However, the session takes a strange and unexpected turn when the other attendees get in touch with their wild sides.

Thorak The Powerful

Thorak The Powerful | AUSTRALIA

Written by Joel Stephen Fleming

Directed by Sian Laycock

Produced by Joel Stephen Fleming and Sian Laycock

Nominated for Best Comedy Short, Best Actor in a Comedy Short (Dave Beamish)

It's the first day on a 'big movie set' for indie actor Rob Thompson, his excitement quickly turns to confusion and frustration at the mercy of a maniacal director and the robotic, methodical and lifeless manner of modern filmmaking.

Social Fitness

Social Fitness | USA

Written by Anna Pakman, Jd Michaels, Josey Miller, Liz Simons, and Mary von Aue

Directed by Anna Pakman

Produced by Jd Michaels, Anna Pakman, and Liz Pritchard

Nominated for Best Comedy Short

Did you find it a little too easy adjusting to the new normal during the COVID-19 quarantine? Mimi (Maysoon Zayid) can relate. Now she finds herself having to teach “Social Fitness” in this short comedy movie about a post-pandemic world. Wearing pants, navigating grocery aisles, and dating can be hard, but Mimi’s got you covered (sort of).

Pete's Valve

Pete's Valve | USA

Written and directed by Katy-May Hudson

Produced by Samantha Slater

Nominated for Best Comedy Short

Prudence and Roger meet for the first time. After asking him a series of unusual qualifying questions, we see them begin a temporary "relationship”, leading to the saving of a life and the ending of another. Pete’s Valve is a kooky, dark comedy about duty under duress, missed connections, and the metaphorical, as well as physical placement of the human heart.

Rogue Seven: A Star Wars Fan Film

Rogue Seven: A Star Wars Fan Film | USA

Written and directed by James Martinez

Produced by Jessica Bikales and James Martinez

Nominated for Best Comedy Short, Best Actor in a SciFi (James Ham)

A young thief must save Rebel fighter pilots from an Imperial armada and an overconfident bounty hunter.

Bridge

Bridge | IRAN

Written by  Vahid Hassan Zadeh and Maryam Esmikhani

Directed by Vahid Hassan Zadeh 

Produced by Maryam Esmikhani

Nominated for Best Comedy Short

Trust Frank

Trust Frank | AUSTRALIA

Written, directed, and produced by Penny Moore

Nominated for Best Comedy Short, Best Actor in a Comedy (John Flaus), Best Actor in a Comedy (Brenda Palmer), Best Director (Penny Moore), Best Screenwriter (Penny Moore), Best Production Design (Joshua Collins), Best Editing (Malwina Wodzicka and Shaun Smith)

Neighbours for many years, Frank and Rose share a disdain for each other and have made a sport out of swapping barbed comments over the fence. Rose is fastidious by nature but as her dementia progresses, her tight grip on reality starts to fail her. In contrast, the bawdy Frank is a Vietnam veteran with lung cancer who has given up the fight for life.

When Rose has a bad dementia episode in public and latches onto Frank, the walls come crashing down and a friendship develops between them. Rose encourages Frank to fight cancer and Frank assists Rose to live at home unassisted. Together they find the strength and determination to go on living, but in the process of letting down their guard, they form a deep bond, proving it’s never too late to find love.

JACKS

JACKS | AUSTRALIA

Written and directed by Joel Stephen Flemming

Produced by Derek Griffiths

Nominated for Best Comedy Short, Best Ensemble Cast, Best Director (Joel Stephen Fleming), Best Cinematography (Connor Armitage)

A police officer's first-time undercover takes a series of surprising turns on the night he partakes in a gangland drug deal.