The winners of the first CineCina Short Films Awards are
The short film is engaging, funny, and well-directed. It is also exceptionally well-written and well-shot, with a simple but nuanced plot. The cast’s performance are mature and calibrated. The piece shows great skills and control from a director.
—- Tony Lin
Another beautifully shot film, this time from the rural ethnography genre. Lots of films like this exist; but that doesn’t take away from the intriguing protagonist the filmmakers chose and their convincing observational method.
—- Feng-Mei Heberer
The experimental short film gives a fresh take on the traditional LGBTQ-themed interviews. Only showing the eyes of the interviewees, the director intentionally leaves out most of the visual aids for us to identify the protagonists of the story–an old but effective technique for this piece. The concept is simple and thought-provoking.
—- Tony Lin
The short film tells a poignant immigrant story. The film well captures the loneliness and internal conflicts of a working-class single dad, with nuanced visual elements from New York’s Chinatown. The script is thoughtfully written and the 27-minute film can be further improved with a slightly faster pacing.
—- Tony Lin
Curious and edgy. I recommend screening, though the film doesn’t entirely work for me. Obviously it’s meant to be surreal but it’s often too over the top (dialog especially) and neither prompts critical distance nor emotional attachment. At times it seems this might be a better performance project than film project.Edit to add: After watching Lucky Day, I’d favor the latter over this work (which, in comparison, works even less).
—- Feng-Mei Heberer
The film tackles scoliosis, a rarely discussed topic in mainstream media. And the film is well shot and produced. The writing also has many highlights. The film can be further improved with more complexities and nuances in the writing.
—- Tony Lin
Curious and edgy. I recommend screening, though the film doesn’t entirely work for me. Obviously it’s meant to be surreal but it’s often too over the top (dialog especially) and neither prompts critical distance nor emotional attachment. At times it seems this might be a better performance project than film project.Edit to add: After watching Lucky Day, I’d favor the latter over this work (which, in comparison, works even less)
—- Feng-Mei Heberer
The short film is engaging, funny, and well-directed. It is also exceptionally well-written and well-shot, with a simple but nuanced plot. The cast’s performance are mature and calibrated. The piece shows great skills and control from a director.
—- Tony Lin
The film is a thoughtfully produced comedy, which is a rare find. The bold and witty script approaches the female sexuality issue with humor and nuances. The excellent production design is especially noteworthy, with the carefully designed scenes indicating the characters’ various struggles. With a motley collection of visual techniques, the filmmaker can further enhance the film with a bit more caution treading the line between experimental and comedic storytelling.
—- Tony Lin
Another doc focused on delivering an audience insight into the traditional rituals of (rural) China. In contrast to The Idyll, this one lacks the observational calm and opts for more sensationalism – and in so doing fails as a work.
—- Feng-Mei Heberer