We last brought you a curated list of short films back in November so I thought it was about time to take a look at some more. Of these five, four were released this year, and one is from 1977, so they should be an interesting look at how storytelling and formal tropes compare now to fourty years ago.

1. Krista (Danny Madden, 2018)

The nonlinear storytelling that relies heavily on subtext foregrounds the trauma suffered by the film’s eponymous protagonist. Executive produced by Jim Cummings of Thunder Road fame, Krista is now being adapted into a feature film having won awards at SXSW.

2. Flight (Laura Wadha, 2018)

I saw Flight while working at a film festival last year. Over ten minutes, the film covers three years and two continents as filmmaker Laura Wadha follows her cousins’ journey from war-torn Syria to Sweden. By utlising the participatory documentary mode, Wadha manages to address racism, identity, the refugee experience, and the privileges and pitfalls of her own mixed-race status.

3. LZ 129 – A Zeppelin Odyssey (Leonardo Dal Bo, 2018)

LZ 129 – A Zeppelin Odyssey historically contextualises the infamous 1937 Hindenburg disaster, which killed 36 people when the airship caught fire and crashed to the ground. The film makes the link between fascism and spectacle, suggesting that there is something sinister to gigantic, graceful, beautiful structures.

4. Powers of Ten (Charles and Ray Eames, 1978)

Looking at the world through micro and macro, this film uses the power of ten to simply illustrate the scale of human life in relation to the universe. The Eames’ films are well worth a watch for their innovative visual approach to education.

5. Heavy Weight (Jonny Ruff, 2018)

This one screened at the likes of London Short Film Festival and BFI Flare, and is a tender examination of masculinity and sexuality. The tension is built through looks, glances, and competition whilst the handheld deep focus creates a social realist aesthetic foregrounding the working class context.