SHORTS SHORTS SHORTS!

Here at Best Boy we’re always saying we wish films were shorter so they were more like instagram reels which we love to watch all day. That’s a joke, but we do love short films. Thankfully, Docs Ireland was chock-a-block full of great ones.

PLEASE ENJOY OUR TOP PICKS OF TOP SHORTS FROM A TOP FILM FESTIVAL:

A still from Tin City.

Tin City, dir. Fergal Ward (COMPETITION)

Let me describe a scene. The local pub full of Irish whiskey. The wee terraced brick houses on the street. The British army patrols looking out for masked armed men. Where are we? That’s right, a German forest! This artful documentary examines a largely unknown history. Weaved together of archive and found footage, we’re spun through the story of a British in Germany training facility made to look like an Irish town. This doc is insanely interesting and VERY well made to boot!

That Sanity Be Kept, dir. Michael Barwise (COMPETITION)

Winner of this year’s competition, and deservedly so, this film is made up of archive footage and still imagery, following a pub crawl through 90s Derry. The way the archive is utilised here is so unique, and so perfectly paired with the overarching story; it almost feels like filmed recreations, or like it was shot for a fiction film rather than simply archive footage. We love this film.

Relic, dir. Sam Howard (COMPETITION)

Often when we see docs about faith they can often come across quiter explotitaive, the filmmker maybe wants to other them or mock their views. This film is made in complete earnest admiration for someone who has dedicated their life to something bigger than themselves. In service of others. This beautifully shot documentary in made in that spirit of faith and it comes across in its impact.

Ultraviolet, dir. Susan Hughes (COMPETITION)

Is there anything more mystical than the thought of several men from Donegal in the 90s being testers on Thunder Mountain in Disneyland? What if we told you that really happened? Well, we don’t need to. This film goes into detail on that, and much more beyond it. It’s not easy to cover two narratives and unite them in a short film, but somehow here, that’s achieved perfectly. Pairing together the story of Donegal men building Eurodisney, and the folklore myth of the disappearance of a young girl, Áine. These co-existing worlds come together through the work of Patrick ‘Ringo' Cunningham, a Donegal native who had worked on Eurodisney, and now works as an artist, utilising techniques he witnessed there, to make ‘ultraviolet’ paintings. The real and the fantastical together, just like this wonderful film.

A still from Roma: A Film About Chips & Wonder

Roma: A Film About Chips & Wonder, dir. Conor English (SELECTION)

Funny, full of heart, and about chips, could we ask for much more in a film? With all seriousness, this film could fall into the new movement of highly stylised documentaries, with folk like Lance Oppenheim leading the charge. A good inspiration for all those who dare make short documentaries, they do not have to be shot in any way that could be considered basic or boring, they can be like this!

Tales Of Railway’s Past, dir. Daragh O’Shea (SELECTION)

A beautiful exploration of Ireland’s lost rail network, made up of stories from residents, the last few who have fond memories of the train. The train is reconstructed with hand-drawn animation, with a fairytale book-type style, a reminder of how this history has become that; just a story. It’s so important to gather these stories from people before they slip away, like the trains, and this film does that perfectly, all while remaining cinematically gorgeous.

Picture Me Gone, dir. Katie McFadden (SELECTION)

In this sparkling dream-like film, the screens that trap us humans are compared to the life of an animal born into captivity. Picture Me Gone is easy to get lost in, kaleidoscopic, dazzling imagery of an aquarium, mixed with a heartbreaking monologue, serving perhaps as a reminder that we’re all prisoners in a prison of our own making. This sounds depressing, but the film is so good you would hardly worry.

Nine Counties, dir. Penny McGovern (SELECTION)

Road movies often capture the mood of the landscape they trace, and this is no different. There’s serious beauty in the understated here; no voiceover, no interviews, and yet still extremely poignant. The state of the nation is instead captured in shreads of radio adverts and programmes, the patchwork of this layered soundscape tells the story here, paired with textured Super-8 visuals, to make for a sweet and touching film.

SALT, dir. Conall McCauley (SELECTION)

We have to wonder if boy wonder Conall McCauley licked the salty walls down there. We’re sorry for saying that but we know Conall well enough to know that yes he did lick the walls, and yes he made an excellent film, and yes we love him. Joking and loving aside, this film is wonderfully shot, wonderfully edited, wonderful overall.

Carcarel Jigs, dir. Eoghan Ryan (SELECTION)

Is history doomed to repeat itself forever? Maybe yes. But maybe if everyone could see this wonderful film, that could be different. Archive, recreation, 3D animation and beyond try to understand the confusing state of the world, more specifically, of Irish nationalism, and the twisting by the far right, of people in power weaponising it. This film rises and rises until you’re almost out of breath, mirroring the way people can be spurred on by these people in power for their own gain, politically and economically and everything else. As important now as ever, this should be seen by as many people as possible.

A still from Abortion Party

Abortion Party, dir. Julia Mellen (INT)

This was the first time ever Docs Ireland has had an international shorts showcase, and this film proves why one is essential to all future iterations of the festival. Hilarious and innovative and technically very cool as well as just overall very cool, this film blew our little minds. Julia Mellen might just be a genius.