This year, from September 19th to 29th, the DC Shorts Film Festival will screen over 150 international films in 6 theaters in and around Washington DC. This year’s 11 day event has a special focus on Russian filmmakers and has the largest collection of Russian shorts in the country. The festival will show shorts from 23 nations with genres including drama, comedy, documentary, animation, and more.
In the Comic Drama category the number one must see is Sandbox.
A film only four minutes in length, Sandbox delivers a heart wrenching tale of soldiers struggling for survival in the sand dunes. Sweat trickles down their faces as their radio picks up nothing but static, and soon there will not be any water left among them. As they pause in their journey, the most hardened solider smokes his cigarette with no hope left in his eyes; death, he knows, will be upon them all soon.
Death arrives sooner than though as gunfire opens up around them, two of his comrades explode before his eyes and everyone else is quickly shot. The soldier is shot as he tops a dune and rolls down the other side. With blood pouring out of him he looks up and sees a mysterious woman in red approaching him.
This is a tale that will make you quiver with anticipation and recoil with shock, and open up the horrors of war to your eyes. In only four minutes this film will evoke more emotions than many hour-long features do.
Must-Sees:
Sandbox
4 Minutes | Comic Drama | USA | DC Premiere
War is hell, even when it is not real.
Love in Our Time
11 Minutes | Comic Drama | USA | DC Premiere
After a one-night stand, a couple tries to figure out if they have met the loves of their lives, or made a huge mistake.
Zombi ("Zombie")
13 Minutes | Comic Drama | Spain | DC Premiere
Suffering from Alzheimer's, a grandfather prefers death to living like the undead.
Paulie
11 Minutes | Comic Drama | USA
A child prodigy goes on a quest to take down the school bully for cheating in a big essay contest.
Other Films in Comic Drama:
El Rastrillo Se Quiere Comprometer ("Rake's Commitment")
14 Minutes | Comic Drama | Spain | DC Premiere
Self-involved Rake needs to find something in life to commit to.
Diffusion of Responsibility
15 Minutes | Comic Drama | Malaysia
Diffusion of responsibility is a phenomenon where people are less likely to help a stranger if surrounded by others.
Ojos Que No Ven ("What the Eye Doesn’t See")
15 Minutes | Comic Drama | Spain
When Grandma passes away on Christmas Eve, her well-meaning children decide not to tell their ailing father.
The Garden of Steven
24 Minutes | Comic Drama | USA | World Premiere
A hapless missionary stumbles upon the road to salvation with the help of a Mayan girl, a magic woman, and a saint with a cigar.
Dans Le Jardin Du Nil ("In the Garden of Nile")
9 Minutes | Comic Drama | Germany | U.S. Premiere
An actress spends her free morning hearing about a romantic Paris weekend that did not work out as planned.
Première Neige ("First Snow")
13 Minutes | Comic Drama | Canada | DC Premiere
As a father is prepped for surgery, his children contemplate who will donate their kidney to save him.
König Ludwig ("King Ludwig")
5 Minutes | Comic Drama | Germany | U.S. Premiere
Friedrich and Ludwig look for a final resting place in the Bavarian forest.
Beyond Belief
19 Minutes | Comic Drama | USA | DC Premiere
An aging magician has a chance to transform his miserable life into a happy one.
El Último Consejo ("The Last Council")
12 Minutes | Comic Drama | Mexico
When the old guard passes responsibility to a new one, a small town's fortune is lost.
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DC Shorts Film Festival: Comic Drama
September 5, 2013
This year, from September 19th to 29th, the DC Shorts Film Festival will screen over 150 international films in 6 theaters in and around Washington DC. This year’s 11 day event has a special focus on Russian filmmakers and has the largest collection of Russian shorts in the country. The festival will show shorts from 23 nations with genres including drama, comedy, documentary, animation, and more.
In the Comic Drama category the number one must see is Sandbox.
A film only four minutes in length, Sandbox delivers a heart wrenching tale of soldiers struggling for survival in the sand dunes. Sweat trickles down their faces as their radio picks up nothing but static, and soon there will not be any water left among them. As they pause in their journey, the most hardened solider smokes his cigarette with no hope left in his eyes; death, he knows, will be upon them all soon.
Death arrives sooner than though as gunfire opens up around them, two of his comrades explode before his eyes and everyone else is quickly shot. The soldier is shot as he tops a dune and rolls down the other side. With blood pouring out of him he looks up and sees a mysterious woman in red approaching him.
This is a tale that will make you quiver with anticipation and recoil with shock, and open up the horrors of war to your eyes. In only four minutes this film will evoke more emotions than many hour-long features do.
Must-Sees:
Sandbox
4 Minutes | Comic Drama | USA | DC Premiere
War is hell, even when it is not real.
Love in Our Time
11 Minutes | Comic Drama | USA | DC Premiere
After a one-night stand, a couple tries to figure out if they have met the loves of their lives, or made a huge mistake.
Zombi ("Zombie")
13 Minutes | Comic Drama | Spain | DC Premiere
Suffering from Alzheimer's, a grandfather prefers death to living like the undead.
Paulie
11 Minutes | Comic Drama | USA
A child prodigy goes on a quest to take down the school bully for cheating in a big essay contest.
Other Films in Comic Drama:
El Rastrillo Se Quiere Comprometer ("Rake's Commitment")
14 Minutes | Comic Drama | Spain | DC Premiere
Self-involved Rake needs to find something in life to commit to.
Diffusion of Responsibility
15 Minutes | Comic Drama | Malaysia
Diffusion of responsibility is a phenomenon where people are less likely to help a stranger if surrounded by others.
Ojos Que No Ven ("What the Eye Doesn’t See")
15 Minutes | Comic Drama | Spain
When Grandma passes away on Christmas Eve, her well-meaning children decide not to tell their ailing father.
The Garden of Steven
24 Minutes | Comic Drama | USA | World Premiere
A hapless missionary stumbles upon the road to salvation with the help of a Mayan girl, a magic woman, and a saint with a cigar.
Dans Le Jardin Du Nil ("In the Garden of Nile")
9 Minutes | Comic Drama | Germany | U.S. Premiere
An actress spends her free morning hearing about a romantic Paris weekend that did not work out as planned.
Première Neige ("First Snow")
13 Minutes | Comic Drama | Canada | DC Premiere
As a father is prepped for surgery, his children contemplate who will donate their kidney to save him.
König Ludwig ("King Ludwig")
5 Minutes | Comic Drama | Germany | U.S. Premiere
Friedrich and Ludwig look for a final resting place in the Bavarian forest.
Beyond Belief
19 Minutes | Comic Drama | USA | DC Premiere
An aging magician has a chance to transform his miserable life into a happy one.
El Último Consejo ("The Last Council")
12 Minutes | Comic Drama | Mexico
When the old guard passes responsibility to a new one, a small town's fortune is lost.
