Above: still from Family First
Two new films in this week’s NSI Online Short Film Festival.
Family First is a delightfully awkward short film directed by Chris Hanratty. Rob and Ashley have a big announcement which brings a family dinner to a screeching halt. And it’s priceless!
Chris says, ”Family First is based on a true story. No, it’s not. I’m kidding.
It came from my desire to collaborate on a film project with the talented writer Mike McPhaden and it’s not based on either of our families. I promise.”
Chris’ comments will make more sense once you’ve seen the film.
And our second new film this week is the futuristic and unsettling Nede directed by Izabela Ciesinska.
At the peak of an overpopulation crisis, where the world is controlled by a technocratic one-world government, a couple wins the right to produce one child. They become pregnant with twins and are forced to choose which one they want to keep.
Gulp.
Izabela says, “I didn’t just want to make a film for the sake of directing. I wanted to make a film that even in its humble simplicity would hopefully reach out and connect with an audience.
In retrospect, I now realize that every limitation and challenge we faced on this three-year journey in some strange synchronized way contributed to the shape and nature of the final story. We only hope that it accomplishes what it set out to do in the first place – to make people feel.”
Yup.
