As 2020 draws to a close, the team here at S/W have already voted for their favourite short films of the year, “but what about December’s ‘Best of the Month’ picks?” I hear you scream (right?). Never fear, along with constantly hassling the team to select their top films from the last 12-months, I also spent the last week or so nagging them into providing their top films from the 12-month.

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Team Favourites

December was a case of last, but certainly not least on Short of the Week, as we served up another 21 short films, an interview with actor/director Jack Cooper Stimpson (Alex’s Dream) and a filmmaker update chocked full of news. For our favourite films of the month though, the team has selected a trio of Docs which include; an inspirational skate film, a warped retelling of the story of one of the first female weed smugglers in the USA and an honest & unadorned portrait of a family who doesn’t know how to talk to each other.

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Documentary Carol Nguyen

No Crying at the Dinner Table

One of the most heralded documentaries of the year, filmmaker Carol Nguyen interviews her own family to craft an emotionally complex portrait of intergenerational trauma, grief, and secrets.

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Documentary Matthew Salton

Patty Are You Bringing Weed in from Jamaica?

In 1968 Patty was a flight attendant, who realized she could smuggle primo pot in from Jamaica with relative ease. Now 77 years old, this is her version of what happened.

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Documentary Nicholas Maher

You And The Thing That You Love

A teenage Midwest skate punk on the verge of going pro has a freak accident and wakes up blind. This is a story of pain, grit, fight, uncertainty, fear, desperation, and most importantly — love.

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Most Watched

There were a couple of films battling it out for ‘Most Watched’ in December and though it was a close run thing (a handful of views separated the films in the end), the winner was Brett Cramer’s five-minute dramedy It’s Been a While. Beginning as a broad comedy before morphing into a melancholic drama about needing human connection, it felt like perfect 2020 viewing and we can see why so many of you were drawn to it.

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Drama Brett Cramer

It's Been A While

Kate calls her ex for the first time in three years. Comedy ensues, but then a devastating confession.

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Watch past Best of the Month Selections

Best of the Month

Best of the Month: April 2024

For the trio of films highlighted as our Best of the Month picks for April, the S/W team select a period drama focused on performance and dialogue, a playful documentary exploring the routines of non-playable characters in video games and an experimental animation unravelling the creative process.