In February the Bioscope Independent Cinema in Johannesburg screens
Unearthed, Shield and Spear as well as this year’s Oscar
Nominated short films in the Live Action and Animation categories.
Live Action short films
Parvaneh (25 minutes/Switzerland): In this film, directed by Talkhon
Hamzavi, a young Afghan refugee living in Switzerland asks a local woman to help
her wire money to her family.
Boogaloo and Graham (14 minutes/UK): Two young boys from Belfast
are delighted when their father gives them two baby chicks to care for. They are
soon faced with the reality of life with help from their new pets.
Aya (39 minutes/Israel): A girl is waiting to meet someone at the
airport and is mistaken by a Danish music researcher as his assigned driver.
Captivated by the chance encounter, she does not tell him of the mix-up.
The Phone Call (21 minutes/UK): A shy woman working at a helpline
call centre receives a phone call from a suicidal man and the encounter changes her
life.
Butter Lamp (15 minutes/France, China): A young photographer and
his assistant take pictures of Tibetan nomads in front of different backgrounds and
are able to find unique links between the villagers.
Animated short films
Me and My Moulton (14 minutes/Canada, Norway): This film tells the
story of a young girl and her sisters who ask their unconventional parents if they
can have a bicycle, knowing they will likely disappoint them.
Feast (6 minutes/USA): This non-dialogue short is set in a restaurant
and tells the story of one man’s romantic encounter through the eyes of his dog.
The Bigger Picture (7 minutes/UK): Two brothers argue over taking
their mother to an old age home, but she refuses to go. In a surreal world they try
to deal with what to do in the situation.
A Single Life (2 minutes/The Netherlands) In this non-dialogue film,
one girls life is showcased through a series of flashbacks when she plays a vinyl
single.
The Dam Keeper (18 minutes/USA): Without dialogue, this film tells
the story of a pig tasked with being the windmill dam operator in a small town. The
windmill dam blows poisonous clouds away from the town, but when a new student
joins Pig’s class, everything changes.
Unearthed
In a search to learn more about a controversial method of gas exploration in the
Karoo, South African director Jolynn Minnaar is sent to the US where she uncovers
the hidden truths about hydraulic fracking.
This film runs at the Bioscope until 5 February.
Tickets cost R45.
Watch the
Unearthed trailer.
Shield and Spear
Shield and Spear, directed by US filmmaker Petter Ringbom,
examines the impact of Brett Murray’s painted caricature of President Jacob Zuma
and looks at stories of identity, art, race, and freedom of expression in South
Africa.
This film runs at the Bioscope from 27 February.
Watch the Shield and Spear
trailer
