Written/Directed/Produced by Lily Sun
A girl struggles to revive her beloved dead dog.
3 minSketchi
Archives
The Sacrifice
Directed by Stephen Jennings; Produced by Kathy Buxton, Tiffany Webber
Inspired by St. George and the Dragon, The Sacrifice is a moody retelling of the classic myth. A dragon nests in the well of a medieval village. Panicked and irrational the fearful villagers attempt to appease the dragon by offering a virgin to the beast. The dragon is satisfied, but not for long. One by one the women of the village vanish as they are offered to satiate the demon’s desires. This trade of women for water escalates until only a young Princess remains. Held captive, she is taken to be offered to the dragon. Forced onto the ledge of the well she awaits her doom as the dragon beats it’s enormous wings lifting it’s mass aloft out of the well. Is there no-one who would save her?
Visually unique with hand illustrated, pop-up book aesthetics and nightmarish undertones, the dark and moody atmosphere mirrors the fable’s themes of self-satisfaction, apprehension, fear and sacrifice.
2 minSelf-Inflicted
Written by Davey Sherwinter, Isabelle Carruthers; Directed by Davey Sherwinter; Produced by Luke Howard, Davey Sherwinter
A veteran detective, Carl Lambeth (Jerry Durkin) investigates a beautiful young woman, Leslie Renfrew (Sarah Karjian) about the brutal stabbing of her husband, Timothy Renfrew (Robert Axel). As she retells the day’s gruesome events in detail, it becomes unclear whether or not the crime in question was truly ‘self-inflicted.’
8 minHeartless: The Story of the Tin Man
Written by Brandon McCormick, Charlie Wetzel, Nick Kirk; Directed by Brandon McCormick; Produced by Brandon McCormick, Nick Kirk
“Heartless: The Story of the Tin Man” is an adaptation true to L Frank Baum’s original story from his book The Wizard of Oz. In this tragic story, a young ambitious woodsman falls in love and loses his heart in his work and to his own efficiency.
While trying to stay true to the source material, the filmmakers have re-imagined the world of Oz and its inhabitants with their own creativity and style.
21 minThe Hatter’s Apprentice
Written by Derek F. Meyer, David B. Whitmore; Directed by Derek F. Meyer; Produced by Laurie Bookhardt
William, a young and eager shop attendant, works in the magnificent world of chemicals and artistry as a hatter’s apprentice. His passion for hat making is only matched by his desire for Sophia, a local flower peddler.
Inspired by constant belittling from his off kilter master and the overly pompous Earl of Longford, William creates his own hat, directly defying the Hatter’s warnings.
At first, his creation seems perfect, as it gives him the confidence to approach Sophia. But when an unexpected side effect turns his fantasy into a nightmare, it’s a struggle to escape before the madness takes over.
16 minHappy Face
Written/Directed by Franklin P. Laviola; Produced by Franklin P. Laviola, Jack Lambert, Michael Gallart
“Happy Face” is a psychological thriller about a troubled Hollywood starlet named Katie who seeks to escape from the media spotlight by hiding out in a rehab facility on Long Island. However, when Les, her overbearing agent, tracks her down and attempts to whisk her back to LA, Katie must plan her next move, even if it means taking drastic measures that will affect the course of their twisted relationship and her own identity forever.
14 minSkylight
Written/Directed by David Baas
An animated mock documentary about the ecological plight of penguins in the Antarctic, possibly foretelling cataclysmic results for the rest of the world.
5 minSteeples
Written/Directed/Produced by Bryan Papciak
As I look back on my childhood in the late 1970s & early 80s, I realize that a religious up-bringing, and my love for “special fx” movies of the era have become conflated in my memory. This film is probably the result of that.
3 minFrank DanCoolo: Paranormal Drug Dealer
Written/Directed by Andrew W. Jones; Produced by Andrew W. Jones, Jeanette McNeil, Priscilla McEver
In the annoyingly sparkly future-scape of Neo-Mega-Ultra Tokyo, reporter Holly Malone tracks a murderous urban legend. She discovers that a chain of drug-related killings leads down a supernatural trail—a trail that ends with no average pill pusher, but Frank Dancoolo: Paranormal Drug Dealer!
A comedy featuring a goofy blend of computer generated overkill, cartoon physics, and stop-motion monsters.
8 minThe Elusive Man
Written by Marc Roussel, Mark Sanders, Mark Thibodeau; Directed by Marc Roussel, Mark Sanders; Produced by Marc Roussel, Mark Sanders, Ron Basch
Blaine Sutherland, an industrial chain manufacturer, is a newly rich man. Being filthy rich is not one of the Seven Deadly Sins, at least, so he thought. Suddenly he has a target on his back as well as his wallet vis-à-vis his gold digging wife, Angela, and her hunky “boy toy,” Lance.
Suddenly, Senorita Peligro and her ruthless band of international art thieves invade Blaine’s office and demand the whereabouts of a certain individual. Blaine has no idea! He just wants his severed body parts re-attached. Angela doesn’t care but certainly wants the reward. Who is the Elusive Man?
15 minStrike
Written/Directed by Jonas Klinkenbijl; Produced by Jonas Klinkenbijl, Floris van der Weijden
Pete Oldman enjoys his life in retirement. He likes to smoke his cigar, to drink his cognac and he loves his goldfish. When his apartment gets outfitted with a high-tech surveillance system to check upon its residents, Pete’s life takes a turn for the worse. All his guilty pleasures seem to be prohibited and with each transgression a mysterious progress bar is updated with a Strike. After a showdown Pete is subdued into cooperation with the new system. The camera decides he will not get away that easily and takes matters into its own hands.
12 minDesert of the Real
Directed/produced by Tal S. Shamir
The film is a short powerful manifestation of the Desert of the Real—a critical note raised by French philosopher J. Baudrillard in Simulacra and Simulation.
3 minDeath Row Diet
Written by Jonathan Katz, Tom Leopold; Directed by Mike Salva, Tom Snyder; Produced by Jonathan Katz, Mike Salva, Tom Snyder
Jonathan Katz is a man who is on both death row and Weight Watchers. With Tom Leopold. (It takes the “D” out of Death Row and puts it back in “Delicious” where it belongs!)
3 minSunday Punch
Written/Directed by Dennis Hauck; Produced by Aimée Barth, Dennis Hauck
Jill is on a first date with Arthur. She doesn’t know why. Looking at them together, you wouldn’t know either. Jill’s young and beautiful and Arthur’s not. But she’s bored and lonely and figures the internet couldn’t yield any worse crop of candidates than the guys she meets in her line of work. Anyway, the night is wearing on fairly painlessly until Charlie makes a point of running into her. Charlie’s a small time gangster that thinks Jill owes him a favor. That favor is to discretely drug a boxer that refuses to throw tomorrow night’s fight. Jill’s job is to walk through boxing rings holding up a sign that lets everyone know what round it is. Charlie thinks this will make it easy for her to get access to the stubborn boxer. It’s a stupid plan, but Jill isn’t in a position to argue. After that, the night goes from worse to absolute crap, until Jill decides it’s time to start pushing back. Hard.
18 minDemiUrge Emesis
Written/Directed/Produced by Aurelio Voltaire
A mummified cat is tormented by the skeletons of past meals. Directed and animated by MTV and Sy Fy Channel veteran Aurelio Voltaire and narrated by Danny Elfman.
3 minThe Cow Who Wanted to Be a Hamburger
Written/Directed by Bill Plympton; Produced by Biljana Labovic
“The Cow Who Wanted to Be a Hamburger” is a children’s fable about the power of advertising, the meaning of life, and ultimately, the test of a mother’s love.
6 minCornerboys
Written/Directed/Produced by Jamieson Ridenhour
“Cornerboys” is collaborative effort between writer Jamieson Ridenhour, artist Ali LaRock, and composer Kevin Smith. The short film tells the dark fairy tale story of Jennifer Lynn, who searches the night streets for home but finds only the rat-eyed and restless Cornerboys. Inspired in equal parts by Christina Rossetti’s Goblin Market, the fairy tales both of the Brothers Grimm and of later practitioners like Tim Burton and Brian Froud, and the gritty urban Gothic fantasies of the 19th century, “Cornerboys” began life ten years ago as a long poem published in the now-defunct horror ‘zine Whispers from the Shattered Forum.
11 minCharlie the Breast Fed Hamster
Written by David Haynes, Jeremy Rubin; Directed/Produced by Jeremy Rubin
Charlie, a cute, unsuspecting, little hamster ventures out to play on a bright sun-shiny day. He comes upon his friend Franco, a squirrel, eating lunch. Unfortunately for Franco, Charlie’s dark side gets the better of him when Franco declines to share. Charlie’s twisted aggressions are satisfied just in time for dinner from his big-breasted, human mother.
5 minTaylors Trophy
Written by Geoff Crackett/Jason McDonald; Directed by Jason McDonald; Produced by Laya Armian/Jason McDonald
A work shy wide boy, attempts to solve the mystery of his local pub’s burglary and claim a reward that will settle his debt with a threatening criminal. Through a series of flashbacks and voice-overs, we witness the fumbled investigation…
21 minBygone Behemoth
Written/Directed/Produced by Harry Chaskin
A day in the life of an unemployed B-movie monster, a lingering personified special-effect of the 1950s. Presented as a series of vignettes, “Bygone Behemoth” follows the title character as he putters around his house, laments being out of shape, calls his agent about work, reads the want ads, and contemplates the obituaries.
In an age where computer graphics are all too prevalent, “Behemoth” is a nostalgic tribute to the work of Ray Harryhausen, Willis O’Brien, and numerous other forgotten wizards. Like the Behemoth itself, the film needs stop-motion to exist; it seeks to capture the ephemeral quality of a dying art form.
5 min
