The Island Dwellers

I am not sure quite how to describe The Island Dwellers but I have to add right away that it had quite an impact on me.  It is a history, as it were, of three creative souls who are sustained and inspired by nature, represented here by the sun and her daily cycle through the heavens. Yet when life is so interdependent, what happens when change comes?

Written, directed and animated by Christina Moliterno, watch this significant piece of film-making right to the end or you will miss the final piece of the jigsaw. It's the kind of ooooh moment you got at the end of the original Planet of the Apes.  Watch it and you will see what I mean!

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The Bombay Highway Code

This is a delightful and elegiac look at the sights and sounds of Mumbai, written and narrated by live action and creative director David Baksh.  It is all very laid back which belies the often frenetic way that the citizens of the great city of India travel on its streets and highways.

Yet in this open, poetic love letter to the city, Baksh evokes the essence of the place beautifully.

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London in Motion

We like to showcase and encourage new talent here at Kuriositas so here is something by tyro timelapser Lewis Symonds who is sixteen. Lewis has just spent his Easter holiday taking over 10,000 pictures of London and transforming them in to this rather good time-lapse. While it is not quite technically perfect it is a significant achievement for someone his age and bodes incredibly well for the future. What will Lewis be doing in ten years, we wonder…?

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Strange Fruit

A father and son’s day is interrupted when they encounter a boy of a different color.  What happens next is an extended visual metaphor around the phenomena of racism.  Is it an acquired cultural trait or do we each have responsibility for our conscience? This powerful animation is the Graduation short film by Shimi Asresay and Hili Noy from Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, Jerusalem.

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The Wonderful Barn: Ireland's Spiralling Storehouse

The Irish are often the first to admit they have an inclination to exaggerate. So, when a corkscrew-shaped barn built was built on an estate in County Kildare near the town of Leixlip in 1743 the locals quickly called this extraordinary structure The Wonderful Barn – note the use of the definite article. Yet in this instance their hyperbole was not unwarranted. This is indeed the most remarkable of barns.

Image Credit Flickr User Ilja Klutman

Sandbox

A group of battle worn soldiers stagger through a vast desert – a seemingly never ending, hellish sandbox.  They are lost but their enemy knows exactly where they are and soon the come under attack.  Yet nothing could have prepared them for the true nature of their mission or their adversary.  Written and directed by Daniel Carberry, Sandbox has made the Official Selection of a number of film festivals. Watch it and you’ll see why.

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Magical Europe - Timelapse

Stan Chang spent (what looks like the best part of) two years traveling around Europe with his wife and small son.  This is a compilation of time lapse videos that he created on his family’s sojourns on the continent and it is quite amazing.  I particularly enjoyed the transitions from day to night – but the most fun was trying to spot and name the places as this compelling video played. Have fun!

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Honor Is Everything

A young man finds an abandoned briefcase and its contents – a pair of gloves – enable him to stop and start time.  This science fiction short, directed by Mahmut Akay was created for the Sci-Fi London 48 Hour Film Challenge.

I have to say I am impressed with what is coming out of this competition, particularly as all the shorts were made in just two days…

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Dalek Made From An Egg - Eggsterminate!

How cool is this?  A Dalek made out of an egg – looks like a brilliant homemade present for a friend or a member of the family who just can’t get enough of the Science Fiction TV show Doctor Who.  But just how do you make one?  We just know you want one, right?

Image Credit Flickr User PugnoM

Here is a step by step guide, from egg carton right back to the egg carton - courtesy of Flickr User PugnoM.  Yes, you too can create your own species of Daleks from the original race, the Kal-eggs (ouch).  You won't even need a sonic screwdriver.

Everything's Not Lost

Sometimes life if about as desperate as it can be yet there is something about the human condition which often fails to preclude hope.

If you are having a bad time of it at the moment, this short film, written and directed by Tomasz Goralczyk may cheer you up a little. It is short and sweet, to be sure but the message is there for all of us – everything is not lost.

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Life is Beautiful

Life for Anton has been marred by a thousand little cruelties dealt to him because of his tiny stature.  He calmly decides to end it all, he is done with life. Yet as you will see, life is not done with Anton.  The subject matter is such that this could have gone very wrong but Life is Beautiful is quite delightful – especially when you get to the end. This wonderful animated short was directed by Ben Brand and made with support of the Dutch Film Fund and the NTR.

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Versatile

A young girl receives a letter and in an instant she feels that her life is no longer worth living. Fortunately there is a handy railway line nearby and she prepares to slip off her mortal coil with something of a squelch. However, as you will see in this animated short by Margaux Lahuppe which she made during her time at Supinfocom, life is simply a question of priorities. You just have to be... versatile.

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The Pyramids of Egypt

A dig outside of Cairo in 1920 and a single archaeologist, whose only company is a somewhat mystified camel, makes the discovery of a lifetime.  The secret of the ancients are about to be unlocked…

This very amusing animated short was created by the team of Nicolas Mrikhi, Corentin Charron, Olivier Lafay and Lise Corriol.  It was produced as a partnership between their university, Supinfocom Arles and the Museum of Marseille.

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Sahara el Beyda: The White Desert of Egypt

The word sahara means desert in Arabic so when you hear the name Sahara el Beyda you could be forgiven that it means one thing – sand, sand and more sand.  Yet the sight of Egypt’s Sahara el Beyda belies the traditional way one imagines a desert.  Are those icebergs on the horizon?

Image Credit Flickr User walidhassanein

Introducing Mona Lott

What is life like if you have four kids and a husband to take care of – plus a job on top of it? Hectic to say the very least! Steam has to be let off somewhere. Mona Lott has been entertaining her Facebook friends for a number of years with her stories of the funny side of everyday family life in the north of England and she has finally (after some persuasion) decided to unleash herself on the internet.

The website is very new and needs your support – you can say you were there at the very beginning! The site will resonate with you particularly if you know the travails of bringing up children but even if you are child free (as it were) Mona has plenty to say which will make you chuckle in the weeks and months to come.  Go take a look!

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The March

It’s quite amazing what people can come up with in just two days. The March, written and directed by Josh Fortune and his team was created for the Sci-Fi London 48 Hour Film Challenge, telling the story of a slave forced to march across the desert of the Planet Tarsus. The team had to squeeze four features (seen at the beginning) somewhere in to the story which they did with aplomb and created this thoughtful piece of science fiction.

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One Man's Loss

Just when you think it can’t get any worse – it does. Yet for one down and out stepping on a piece of glass turns out to be the best thing that has happened to him for quite a while. Written and directed by Philip Sansom, One Man’s Loss stars Belgian actress Hande Kodja, Tracy Feith as the vagrant and Jeremy Mitchell as the city boy. So, if you are feeling a little down and out today, watch this – and take heart!

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