As we approach the conclusion of 2023, you might find yourself inundated with an abundance of 'Best of the Year' lists. If you have an interest in film, music, video games, or any other entertainment forms open to ratings and reviews, you've likely perused numerous articles declaring the "best" already. Fortunately, when it comes to short films, these lists are a rarity.

In our own annual roundup at S/W, we opt not to dwell excessively on designating the "best" short films of the year, reserving that distinction for our awards. Instead, we let our knowledgeable team highlight their personal favorites — shorts that strike a chord with us, evoking laughter or tears, the ones we revisit repeatedly.

While there may be some overlap between these selections and our awards, we appreciate the surprise element that an external jury brings to the latter and look forward to announcing the winning films in February 2024. In the meantime, dive into the team's selections, which serve as both a tribute to short film and an acknowledgment of the remarkable individuals who contribute to making S/W the leading light in online short film curation. Feel free to share your personal favorites in the comments section below. - Rob Munday, Managing Editor

***

My Dudus

dir. Tom Krawczyk

Recommended by: Georg Csarmann

Sometimes I still wonder how My Duduś manages to be this affecting, even if cute animals and unlikely friendships always tend to strike a chord. I was immediately taken by this intimate NYT Op-Doc when I first saw it, and I know I'm not the only one. If nothing else, it again goes to show that you don't need a lot of resources in the short (documentary) space to make a simple, personal film. One that can be as heartwarming and touching as Tom Krawczyk's portrayal of his mother and the baby squirrel she found in her backyard.

READ OUR FULL REVIEW

***

The TOBOS

dir. Tobias Rud

Recommended by: Serafima Serafimova

I get so excited when I come across a film that successfully marries extraordinary craft with an emotionally charged story, and The TOBOS did exactly that, cementing it firmly in my memory as well as in my heart. The animation aesthetic might have been in danger of falling somewhere between the sensibilities of children and stoned adults, but Tobias Rud gives it a dark twist as he paints a sensitive portrait of vulnerability, loneliness, and self-deprecation. The film's themes even stretch further, however. In fact, I'd even go as far as to say that if you have ever been touched by sadness in your life, you will recognise yourself in the TOBOS and be moved (to tears in my case). It's no mean feat to achieve so much without a single word of dialogue and for that reason, The TOBOS is my film of the year.

READ OUR FULL REVIEW

***

Coming home

dir. Naim Naif + Margot Bowman

Recommended by: Céline Roustan

There is a joy and earnest pride in Naim Naif and Margot Bowman’s Coming Home that is rarely depicted on screen and has stayed with me ever since I first saw it. Filmed with gorgeous visual flair, from our seats we get to feel the power of their performance and its emotional weight. This love letter to the Palestinian cultural heritage and community is, obviously, even more poignant and urgent today than it was when the film premiered at the 2022 edition of SXSW.

READ OUR FULL REVIEW

***

Plum Town

dir. Kelly Yu

Recommended by: Irina Wirjan

Plum Town follows Xiao Li as he leaves Shanghai to visit his father in his rural hometown and while the film is rooted with such precise cultural specificity, it's easy to feel how its themes are universal. There's a particular thread to this narrative that really resonated with me, one in which Xiao Li pushes his father to want a better life without realizing that he's limited by his own definition of what that means. While Xiao Li seems to differ from his father at every turn (sushi vs bao zi or rap vs folk), it's a wonderful reminder that some bonds can never be broken.

READ OUR FULL REVIEW

***

backflip

dir. Nikita Diakur

Recommended by: Andrew Allen

2023 was the year that AI became real for many—a real thing, a real tool, a real concern. Nikita Diakur’s backflip takes us on a journey inside the world of AI to see if he can teach a 3D avatar how to perform a backflip. It’s funny to watch a computer try to behave like a human and all the ridiculous ways in which it fails. But, like AI, those laughs slowly turn into amazement as it slowly corrects each mistake until it figures it out. This generated film has a very human message: we’re capable of so much more than we think if only we try.

READ OUR FULL REVIEW

***

You Know Where to Find Me

dir. Sam Davis

Recommended by: Adam Banks

There’s a certain type of film that causes you to worry for the main character right off the bat. You get this foreboding sense of anxiety when you hit play, suggesting that the film may put this character through hell and you’ll forced to watch like a passive bystander in the crowd as a bully shoves someone’s head into the toilet. But once it’s over – and nothing particularly bad has happened to that character – you realize you’ve been led to expect this fate by your own prejudicial bias and societal assumptions, and it’s only on a second watch that you’re able to let that tension fade and feel good about it all. You Know Where to Find Me – a gentle, observational slice-of-life film about a young adult with special needs who moves into his first apartment outside his mom’s house and decides to throw a party to celebrate – is a reaffirming short about the essential goodness of the human race. It reminds us that a strong community is there to have our backs when we venture into the unfamiliar and that the only way to grow is to go outside our comfort zone in search of something new.

READ OUR FULL REVIEW

***

Hidari

dir. Masashi Kawamura + Iku Ogawa

Recommended by: Rob Munday

The samurai movie has undergone numerous reimaginings in recent times but never has it appeared as fresh as in Masashi Kawamura and Iku Ogawa’s stop-motion short, Hidari. A tale of revenge that follows a sculptor equipped with a mechanical prosthetic arm, this action-packed short seamlessly combines wooden puppets with expertly choreographed animation, resulting in an innovative six-minute film overflowing with energy and excitement. Initially released as a proof-of-concept for a feature, it stands out as the short film I've watched most in 2023, and one I’m yet to tire of.

Read our full review

***

Freelancer

dir. Rosco 5

Recommended by: Jacob Elias

Clever punchlines, cartoonish details, and vivid shots framed with Babak Ganjei’s art bring to life the world of a struggling artist and freelancer. This comic book-turned-short film honors its origins with interspersed animation styles, adding an extra layer of fascination. Though only eight minutes, Freelancer felt like a TV series I’ve been watching for years. Fun and funny, wrapped in melancholy. I’ve certainly found myself considering “the beans” quite a few times this past year.

READ OUR FULL REVIEW

***

Don't Go Where I Can't Find You

dir. Rioghnach Ni Ghrioghair

Recommended by: Jason Sondhi

Obsession is one of my favorite cinematic themes, especially in the face of mankind’s most intractable fear—death. The Fountain is still one of my all-time favorite films, and though Rioghnach Ni Ghrioghair’s film is quite different from that touchstone, it possesses a similarly operatic spirit, channeling swirling moods of stubbornness and passion, grief and regret which I cannot resist. These emotions are further elevated by stellar tonal direction and exquisite sound and production design. A lesbian gothic ghost story filled with grief and desire, Don’t Go Where I Can’t Find You is not a perfect film by any means but it summoned the most perfectly curated and inimitable atmosphere of any short we featured this year.

READ OUR FULL REVIEW

***

Rhyme or Die

dir. Max R Lincoln

Recommended by: Chelsea Lupkin

The music industry can get pretty competitive and toxic, so why not make a horror movie about it? In Max R Lincoln’s Rhyme or Die, players who have woken up in what looks like an abandoned nightclub with death collars around their necks must play a simple game of the film’s namesake. Fail to rhyme when the beat drops and you might just lose your head. Campy and high-concept, this is the kind of chaos I love in a horror movie. Two thumbs up!

READ OUR FULL REVIEW

***

CHECK OUT THE S/W TEAM'S FAVOURITE FILMS FROM 2022