5 INTERNATIONAL SHORTS KILLING IT @TADFILMFEST 2021

So it has been a minute since we were able to watch International Shorts at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival. After a year off due to the pandemic, we here at FERNTV were excited for the 2021 instalmment from their programmers. We are so glad you are back Toronto After Dark Film Festival after two long years. We definitely missed you!

Visitors (dir. by Kenichi Ugana)

Without further ado, we start with director Kenichi Ugana‘s Visitors which is one hell of a hysterical ride. Haruka, Nana, and Takanori visit their band member Souta’s house. He has somewhat has fell off the face of the earth and the other three want to know what might be the problem by paying him a visit. Everything just goes hysterical as heads starts to turn, puke comes out of the mouth and blood starts to pour. Just an average day for Souta but one of the four has to do the walk of shame. Ugana’s short is just madness but what do you expect right out of the gate of a pandemic. We might be looking at the next Sion Sono here.

Seek (dir. by Aaron Morgan)

Two sisters take a brake from driving all night long and find an abandoned park. Heidi (Allisyn Snyder) has to use the facilities and is kind of creeped out by the look of the premises. Her sister Jordan (Clare Grant) tells her to grow a pair which makes Heidi go on this spooky must do mission. Little does Heidi know that the something lurks inside the place. It is rather spooky and plays with Heidi’s and the audience’s emotions. Seek is one to watch especially with the work of two-time Academy Award nominee Arjen Tuiten. Director Aaron Morgan is on the money here and no doubt in the future he will be shown some more for further and future productions. There might be no need to do more shorts after this one.

Henchmen (dir. by Alistair Quak)

Set against a backdrop of a true undeground action movie, two Henchmen are set to do what they are supposed to do. Protect their boss. But this circumstance is different as one of his former employees who is a hitman is out to seek revenge. He is going to town on everyone that the boss is throwing at him. He closes on the henchmen who are trying as well to get out of this predicament and it looks like these two don’t have a prayer. Henchmen is like The Raid but with a funny twist to it. The formula does work but we never thought we would see this day. Director Alistair Quak does take this risk and its sure as hell amusing. We wish there were more shorts that were this clever.

Mashed Potato Face (dir. by Joseph Graham)

If this short film is based on a true fear then we are in for a ride in the future. Director Joseph Graham puts together this short film about a potato farming family. The daughter seems to be ungrateful for what she has in her life seeing she has to eat potatoes every single day. She lets her parents know until one day an intruder comes in and shakes the whole house upside down. Let’s just say this guy makes Hannibal look like a Disney cartoon as this guy goes for a four course meal rather than just an amuse bouche. Mashed Potato Face is strange but an enticing film from this band of shorts.

I, Adonis (dir. by Angelo Raaijmakers)

Nicky (Hein Van Rooij) is completely obsessed with becoming stronger and leaner. He monitors his body weight and food consumption to the point to where he absolutely no fat on him. Until he starts to remember some of his childhood memories where it starts taking him to an unhealthy direction. I, Adonis speaks volumes showing that men too struggle with weight. Finally a film from director Angelo Raaijmakers that shows this dark side of men.

Go to https://torontoafterdark.com to watch these shorts now!