Cinéfest Sudbury ’21 Movie Reviews: Short Film Offerings

By CHRIS HAMMOND

Here are just a few of the short film offerings at this year’s Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival:

An Uninvited Guest
Director: Richard B. Pierre
Starring
Franckie Francois – Carl
M.E. Lewis – George
Jamie Mac – Police Officer
Nola Martin – Melania
Hanneke Talbot  – Betty
Richard Walters – Echo

Runtime: 3 minutes
Year: 2020
Language: English
Country: Canada
Synopsis: Three White people and one Black man wordlessly enjoy dinner while in the front yard a disheveled Black man is brutally assaulted by a police officer.
Review: This powerful short on social Issues torn from the headlines is a hard watch (even for a three-minute film). It encapsulates the feelings of helplessness, morals, and the circle of violence.

Le Froid (The Frost)
Director: Natalia Duguay
Starring
Louise Portal – Mariane
André Lanthier – Claude
Chloé Germentier – Voisine

Runtime: 9 minutes
Year: 2020
Language: In French with English subtitles
Country: Canada
Synopsis: Mariane is in denial about the unexpected death of her beloved husband, and is secretly keeping him in their apartment. Harnessing the cold of winter, she preserves his body for as long as possible, until she is ready to let him go for good.
Review: This touching but somewhat disturbing short deals with the loss of a loved one and how hard it can be to let go of them. The shock of losing a partner is devastating and in this short director, Duguay does a good job of showing the different levels of loss. Mariane comes to the realization that she must finally let go of her husband Claude’s mortal shell. This is a touching story of love, death, and life.

Marked
Director: Matthew Avery Berg
Writer: Matthew Avery Berg
Starring
Eric Roberts – Alexei
Daniel Giacomini – Sasha

Runtime: 13 minutes
Year: 2021
Language: English
Country: United States
Synopsis: A tattoo artist is forced to confront his past when a client knows what his tattoos really mean.
Review: It’s nice to see Eric Roberts in a role he can excel at. The back and forth banter between Roberts and Giacomini really draws the viewers in and the 13-minute runtime feels like it flies by. With music by Richard Patrick (Singer for the band Filter), this has the feeling it could be expanded into a feature-length film in the same vein as John Wick.

With over 45 short films to choose from with varying themes, Cinéfest Sudbury Virtual 2021 is stack-packed with short film talent. Along with short films, Cinéfest offers a selection of Special Presentation films, Canadian-made films, and documentaries. There are also World Films and Documentaries, Indigenous or “Cinema Indigenized” selections also. These films can be enjoyed virtually or in-person at  SilverCity Sudbury. All the information for either option can be found on the Cinéfest Sudbury website. Be aware that if you plan to attend in-person screenings you may need proof of Covid-19 vaccination.

Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival Website
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