Tag: HollyShorts (HSFF)

21st Anniversary, Female Director, Film Festivals, Film Review, HollyShorts Film Festival, Live action short

REVIEW: Mahnoor Euceph’s 11:11 Turns a Teen Wish Into a Sharp Reckoning With Assimilation

Premiering at the 2025 Oscar-qualifying HollyShorts Film Festival, 11:11 marks a striking new entry in the canon of diasporic coming-of-age cinema, one that dares to blend teen wish-fulfillment fantasy with the painful realities of assimilation and internalized identity loss. With sharp humor, an audacious high-concept premise, and a clear directorial voice, Mahnoor Euceph crafts a short that is as entertaining as it is quietly devastating. At the center of 11:11 is Noori, … Continue reading REVIEW: Mahnoor Euceph’s 11:11 Turns a Teen Wish Into a Sharp Reckoning With Assimilation

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Film Review, HollyShorts Film Festival, Live action short

REVIEW: Guy Trevellyan’s PLASTIC SURGERY Offers a Visceral Look at Our Plastic Dependence

In PLASTIC SURGERY, director Guy Trevellyan transforms a clinical setting into a crucible of dread, weaving a taut environmental thriller that resonates far beyond its 20-minute duration. With a filmmaker’s precision and a moral urgency that lingers like an aftertaste, Trevellyan’s short is a chilling parable for our times, one where the invisible costs of modern convenience are no longer theoretical, but coursing through our very … Continue reading REVIEW: Guy Trevellyan’s PLASTIC SURGERY Offers a Visceral Look at Our Plastic Dependence

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Film Review, HollyShorts Film Festival, Live action short

REVIEW : The Razor-Sharp CLOUT Offers a Powerful Mirror to Gen-Z’s Obsession With Online Validation

Premiering at the Oscar-qualifying 2025 HollyShorts Film Festival, Jordan Murphy Doidge’s debut short is as haunting as it is heartbreakingly real. In an age where “going viral” can feel like the only metric of worth, CLOUT arrives like a punch to the gut, a bold, provocative short that refuses to flinch as it peers into the emotional wreckage left in the wake of internet obsession. Written and … Continue reading REVIEW : The Razor-Sharp CLOUT Offers a Powerful Mirror to Gen-Z’s Obsession With Online Validation

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

HOLLYSHORTS 2025: Freddie Fox’s THE PAINTING & THE STATUE Blends Elegance with Inventive Charm

Freddie Fox’s The Painting & The Statue is a rare kind of short film – elegant and inventive, it manages to feel both intimate and epic at once. Set entirely in one room, yet spanning 250 years, it tells a love story between two pieces of art – a painting and a statue – who are aware of each other’s presence, but unable to connect. … Continue reading HOLLYSHORTS 2025: Freddie Fox’s THE PAINTING & THE STATUE Blends Elegance with Inventive Charm

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

HOLLYSHORTS SPOTLIGHT: Sam Rudykoff’s HALFWAY HAUNTED Flips the Script on Gentrification

In a medium where short films often meander before finding their hook, Sam Rudykoff’s Halfway Haunted grabs your attention immediately, drawing you into a world that feels deeply bizarre yet anchored in familiarity. Rudykoff’s cold open finds Jess (Hannan Younis) alone in a dingy apartment, practicing for a job interview – only to be interrupted by blood dripping from the ceiling and a fridge door … Continue reading HOLLYSHORTS SPOTLIGHT: Sam Rudykoff’s HALFWAY HAUNTED Flips the Script on Gentrification

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