Roos Djaj (Chicken Heads)

From the Palestinian Territories, this short is about a young boy, Yousef, learning to take responsibility for his mistakes. While he plays with his pet gazelle in the mountains, it runs astray and murders his father’s prized sheep.

When his dad needs to sell the sheep to a customer, Yousef blames the death on his brother’s dog. Suspecting Yousef lied, his father threatens to put the dog down, forcing Yousef to admit the truth. Despite losing his friend the gazelle — whom the father sells instead of the sheep — Yousef learns the value of responsibility.

The story is well acted and subtle, which adds to the overall effect. The character development is remarkable because, despite the fact that it was only 15 minutes long, it was easy to connect with Yousef and feel sympathy for him.

old fangs (Ireland):

“”old fangs”” is an animated short about a wolf traveling through the forest with two of his friends — a fox and a cat — to visit his father whom he presumably hasn’t seen in quite some time. When they reach Wolf’s father’s house, Fox and Cat wait outside while Wolf goes in. Their reunion is short, but in that time it is easy to see how Wolf’s massive father scared his son away through anger and possibly violence. Wolf leaves unsatisfied, saying his father didn’t seem happy to see him. They walk back through the forest, but this time, Wolf runs ahead, back to all of his old haunts.

“”old fangs”” is a cool little short because it has a distinct and likeable style of animation that fits the mood perfectly. The voice-acting is neutral — aside from the father — but since the story calls for that, it works. All around, it is an interesting piece worth your time.

TV (Italy):

“”TV”” is probably the best short of the three. It is also the most simple, plot-wise. “”TV”” is about a man explaining why he is in so much debt and why he doesn’t care to the Italian equivalent of an IRS agent. He spins a tale about how he met his wife and was happy for the first time. They lived happily for a few years before she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. To make best of the time they had and make her last days enjoyable, they traveled around the world. She ended up dying somewhere in East Asia, where he buried her, before returning to Italy alone. By the end of the story, the agent is crying and she tells him he has a long extension to pay off the money he owes. He then leaves while she requests some paperwork.

“”TV”” is by far the most thought provoking of the shorts, and will leave you with a soft smile. The fact that such a simple short could be so powerful is proof that this is likely one of the highlights of the film festival.