Carnivore: American Psycho meets Agatha Christie in an elegant and minimalist thriller
Constance Tsang, “Carnivore” (2018) Elegant in style and minimalist and understated in its narrative, this is a very wry satire on the culture of the cut-throat…
Short films
Future Boyfriend: a sweet sci-fi romantic comedy offering a second chance of life
Ben Rock, “Future Boyfriend” (2016) Adapted from a play written by A Vincent Ularich for a science fiction theatre festival, of which its full-length romantic comedy…
Psychosis: character study of techno-paranoia under computer surveillance
Ben Feldman, “Psychosis” (2019) The shorter of two films based on the short story of the same name by Matt Dymerski posted to the short horror…
Bad Peter: the panopticon police state controlling an individual life to an astonishing degree
Zach Strauss, “Bad Peter” (2017) At first rather amusing but then quickly becoming sinister and horrific, this nine-minute short presents smart-home artificial intelligence (AI) as an…
Metta Via: a story of personal transformation with a strange power and attraction
Warren Flanagan, “Metta Via” (2017) Visually stunning and ambitious in its concept, this Canadian short work is possessed of unusual power. Superficially it lacks an obvious…
Chinese and Chinese-language Films, Southeast Asian Films
The Masseuse: how to be human and to have free will in an oppressive society and culture
Tan Ce Ding, “The Masseuse” (2018) An intriguing film set in a not-too distant dystopian future in Kuala Lumpur, “The Masseuse” poses questions about the nature…
What if Wendy: a sparse and painful character study of denial and grief
James A Sims, “What if Wendy” (2017) Here is a sparse and minimalist character study of a woman in denial about her grief at the death…
French and French-language Films
On / Off: a film on identity, memory and the consequences of inattention
Thierry Lorenzi, “On / Off” (2013) This short space-exploration thriller film had been doing the film festival circuit for a number of years before DUST channel…
Aeranger: a meditation on how duty, self-sacrifice and love of one’s people have far-reaching consequences
Anthony Ferraro, “Aeranger” (2019) A twelve-minute film about an alien crash-landing somewhere in North America thousands of years ago when mammoths were still roaming the continent…
A Date in 2025: sci-fi romantic comedy short on human-technology interactions
Ryan Turner, “A Date in 2025” (2017) Goofy teenage romantic comedy about a socially awkward and self-conscious young man meets insidious panopticon nanny-state, courtesy of artificial…