Tag: HollyShorts Film Festival

Film Festivals, Film Review, Films, HollyShorts Film Festival, Live action short, Short Film

REVIEW: Where Beauty Turns to Dread: The Haunting Power of SKIN

In SKIN, writer-director Urvashi Pathania delivers a haunting, emotionally resonant short that cuts deep into the psychological toll of colorism and the pursuit of self-worth. Following its world premiere at Fantasia, the film makes a striking US debut at the 2025 HollyShorts Film Festival, standing out as a searing blend of genre and cultural critique. The story follows a young Indian American woman who accompanies … Continue reading REVIEW: Where Beauty Turns to Dread: The Haunting Power of SKIN

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Film Festivals, Film Review, Films, HollyShorts Film Festival, Live action short, Short Film

REVIEW: In the Quiet Corners of Childhood: RECESSES Confronts the Pain We Can’t See

Dylan Trupiano’s Recesses is a profoundly moving short film that offers a poignant and intricately layered exploration of hidden childhood trauma, delicately navigating the complex intersection of pain and repression. The story centers on Sherry (Solia Cates), a compassionate school secretary who stays behind with Bailey (Charles John Wilson), a young student disciplined for creating an “inappropriate” drawing. As their time together unfolds within the … Continue reading REVIEW: In the Quiet Corners of Childhood: RECESSES Confronts the Pain We Can’t See

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Female Director, Film Review, HollyShorts Film Festival, Live action short

REVIEW: Hannah Rose Ammon’s WE DO OUR BEST Captures a Mother-Daughter Bond in Flux

Making its debut at the 21st HollyShorts Film Festival, Hannah Rose Ammon’s WE DO OUR BEST is a sharply observed, emotionally nuanced short that navigates the fragile balance between protection and independence with striking authenticity. Set over one transformative night in New York City, the film reflects on the tender contradictions of growing-up for both sides of a mother-daughter relationship. Inspired by a formative night from writer-director … Continue reading REVIEW: Hannah Rose Ammon’s WE DO OUR BEST Captures a Mother-Daughter Bond in Flux

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Director Spotlight, Filmmaker Interview, Filmmaker Spotlight, HollyShorts Film Festival, Live action short

HOLLYSHORTS SPOTLIGHT: Interview with Julia Weisberg Cortés – Director of BOYFIGHTER

BOYFIGHTER feels deeply personal and emotionally charged. What was the initial spark for this story, and how did it evolve into a short film? I was walking through New York City in July 2024, coming up on the one-year anniversary of my brother’s passing. I remember feeling incredibly heavy; emotional in a way I couldn’t quite contain. Tears welled up, but I have this thing … Continue reading HOLLYSHORTS SPOTLIGHT: Interview with Julia Weisberg Cortés – Director of BOYFIGHTER

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Film Festivals, Film Review, HollyShorts Film Festival, Live action short, Short Film

HOLLYSHORTS SPOTLIGHT: LARGO – A Child’s Imagination as Resistance in a World That Has Forgotten Him

Salvatore Scarpa and Max Burgoyne-Moore’s LARGO is a film of haunting beauty and unflinching empathy, one that dares to tell the story of displacement not from the vantage point of policy or politics, but from the fragile, determined heart of a child. At just under 20 minutes, LARGO manages to feel emotionally expansive, focusing on what displacement feels like when you’re young, alone and still … Continue reading HOLLYSHORTS SPOTLIGHT: LARGO – A Child’s Imagination as Resistance in a World That Has Forgotten Him

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