As the quieter summer period at Short of the Week winds down, our calendar is quickly filling up, with films already scheduled as far out as Halloween. Though this lull has given our team a well-deserved break, we're eagerly anticipating the exciting times ahead, with both spooky and awards season not that far around the corner.

As usual, our alums haven't been taking it easy. If you follow our newsletter or social media, you would have seen us celebrating Fede Alvarez, who released one of the summer's biggest films, and Sean Wang, who impressed both audiences and critics with his indie gem Dìdi. Who knows? Perhaps one of the filmmakers we've featured this past month will be the talk of the cinema world this time next year. -- Rob Munday, Managing Editor

***

Team Favorites

In August, we curated an eclectic mix of shorts. While there were no summer blockbusters, we delivered a selection of dark comedies featuring eye infections, taxidermists, and telemarketers, along with a couple of insightful documentaries, thought-provoking dramas, and a fresh take on the vampire genre. Two of these docs feature in our Best of the Month picks, alongside the return Australian director David Robinson-Smith (his second BotM pick this year, after Mud Crab in May).

Strange Beasts by Darcy Prendergast

When it comes to selecting documentaries for Short of the Week, we’re always on the lookout for something different. While discovering a compelling subject is crucial for the filmmaker, the real challenge lies in presenting it in a creative and engaging way. Darcy Prendergast’s Strange Beasts masterfully achieves this by striking the perfect balance between narrative and technique, using a mixed-media approach – combining animation, archival footage, and live-action – to tell the remarkable story of the Bacchus Marsh Lion Safari.

[READ THE FULL REVIEW]

***

Stud Country by Alexandra Kern & Lina Abascal

When the film begins, it feels as if the directors have brought us directly to Club Bahia. Through Kenny Sulemanagich’s gorgeous cinematography and Luke Rihl’s steadicam work, we feel transported into the heart of the scene. Getting to feel the vibe firsthand, from its positive, fun and welcoming energy to the captivating beauty of the synchronized movements of the group. Between the framing and the camera movements, the image really creates an immersive experience, placing us there, on the dancefloor, soaking in that enchanting positivity.

[READ THE FULL REVIEW]

***

We Used To Own Houses by David Robinson-Smith

As rising housing costs, economic inequality, and other factors lead people worldwide to question whether they’ll ever own their own homes, governments are scrambling for solutions to the housing crisis. As the problem deepens, public frustration turns into anger – an emotional response echoed by Australian director David Robinson-Smith, who captures these sentiments in his surprisingly poetic tale of greed and revenge.

[READ THE FULL REVIEW]

***

Shortverse Best of the Month

[caption id="attachment_39667" align="aligncenter" width="720"]

Shortverse Best of the Month August 2024

Click on the image to see the short films our Shortverse team picked as their Best of the Month for August 2024[/caption]

If you're looking for more team favorites, then head over to Shortverse, where our screeners have selected their personal picks from the titles that caught our attention in August.

VIEW THE FILMS IN OUR SHORTVERSE BEST OF THE MONTH COLLECTION

***

WATCH PAST BEST OF THE MONTH SELECTIONS