This is so daft, it's lovely.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

Ave Maria never ridicules the various religious traditions it references but gently makes sport of the hypocrisy around them.

~ Jennie Kermode -

The story is somewhat confusing, but quite artistic.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Although less than 11 minutes long, the film packs in a host of strange and eerie imagery that lingers long in the mind.

~ Rebecca Naughten -

There are too many points when misjudged perspective snaps the viewer out of it.

~ Jennie Kermode -

This short film's theme - of the errant quest for dignity and labour - represents a timeless European tale.

~ Anton Bitel -

Writer/director Vincent Hunter stays close to his actors, who respond magnificently. The mood is dark, the emotions muted.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

Scattershot, lurching, and with some moments that verge on racial caricature, this is perhaps best avoided.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Quirky and high quality.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

A set of moments.

~ Andrew Robertson -

While this is a short film it carries within it the seeds of dread, hope, and waiting.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Manages to create and sustain tension out of very little material.

~ James Benefield -

At the heart of this 25-minute doc is a serious study of a genuine problem.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

Purposefully constructed, and to this point well-made.

~ Scott Macdonald -

A provocative, well-acted piece.

~ James Benefield -

Compelling, intriguing, and brief.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Takes on a great deal in a small space, not altogether successfully.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Hérétakis has an eye for the details of street life and in chronicling the exuberance and angst of a generation who don't see why they should accept the world as it is.

~ Rebecca Naughten -

A bit like issues programming for young adults.

~ Andrew Robertson -

The film is beautifully photographed, spare but evocative.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Light, almost ethereal, despite the weight of its subject matter.

~ Andrew Robertson -

There's time to wonder if this might have played better as a sketch in some other show.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Insubstantial to say the least.

~ Scott Macdonald -

Don't think for one second you won't spot where this is going after five minutes.

~ Martin Gray -

Hugely imaginative.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

The animation is inspired, the script hilarious.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

This seven minute short was originally made to go with Gravity but it stands up very well on its own.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Visually appealing and consistently fun to watch - this doesn't feel like receiving a lecture.

~ Jennie Kermode -

This is an intimate portrait - and much the better for it.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Neatly done.

~ Jane Fae -

I found myself being drawn in by the charming “boys’ adventure” approach.

~ Val Kermode -

Wonderful acting, invisible and empathetic.

~ Scott Macdonald -

There isn't much to this wee film, but that doesn't mean it doesn't shine.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Neither beautiful nor inspiring.

~ Val Kermode -

A beautifully shot little film.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Darren Bolger and Caroline Campbell's film is a portrait of an individual crime lost amidst other tragedies.

~ Andrew Robertson -

A modest but important film.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Jed Berry delivers an assured performance that belies his age.

~ Jennie Kermode -

A pleasant hymn to old-fashioned simple memories

~ Scott Macdonald -

Striking stuff.

~ Andrew Robertson -

This is a lovely wee film.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Jeremy Hersh's astute little film explores the performances we all give in day to day life.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Vivek creates a personal but outward looking picture of shifting power, raising questions about ownership of the self.

~ Jennie Kermode -

For all its import this feels like stereotypical Iranian cinema.

~ Andrew Robertson -

It's a story which has been told many times now. But this short film finds a fresh way to tell it.

~ Val Kermode -

Well worth seeking out.

~ Rebecca Naughten -

The themes are delicately handled and confrontations don't develop in the ways you might expect.

~ Jennie Kermode -

The art itself just on the edge of real, the spectre of the special economic region, the consequences of colony.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Modest and unassuming, brilliantly composed, El Aguacate delivers a punch to the gut.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Even destruction on this scale can only be taken so seriously when our focus is on a fish pelting down the street on a tiny scooter.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Guaranteed to fuel the debate of what differentiates a short film from a visual installation, Nyerges’ film freely pushes the boundaries of experimentalism.

~ James Gracey -

The technical work is very good but more than matched only by the quality of the acting.

~ Jennie Kermode -

The fact that At Land works so well reminds us that Meshes was no accident.

~ Chris -

Irwin's film is populated by an assortment of creatures who seem not quite human in the first place.

~ Jennie Kermode -

For those with an interest in the history of special effects, it's compelling viewing.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Asylum Birds is one of those rare cinematic gems which marks the appearance of a truly remarkable new talent.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Served well by David Aston's sound work, the machinery and the small quantity of voicework, and by Peter Wright's music, it's technically excellent.

~ Andrew Robertson -

With an intense central performance from newcomer Dikshya Karki, this is a film about the people whose lives pass by unseen.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Crewe's success lies in managing all this uncertainty whilst maintaining a sense of directional narrative and keeping the film interesting to watch.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Alderson's film acquits itself better than some entries in the genre by dint of the fact that it has an idea of its own.

~ Jennie Kermode -

The deliberate, measured pacing and sparse dialogue contribute significantly to the film's emotional resonance.

~ Sandro Gudiashvili -

Addresses existential terror with a pleasing whimsy.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Despite a strong performance from Martin it feels a half-hearted black comedy, never quite finding its pitch.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Gorgeous to look at, and listen to.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Jane Campion’s debut short thrives on unpredictable rhythms.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Sara Marques’ editing … is simply brilliant. It’s this which elevates the film beyond conventional storytelling and makes it about living and breathing in the moment.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Wang’s affection for his subject matter is clear, but he also seems to delight in inviting the viewer to question what’s relayed.

~ Sunil Chauhan -

Delicately judged and interspersed with moments of gentle comedy, what may sound like a saccharine story of friendship against the odds manifests onscreen as something much more intelligent and nuanced.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Although we see the girls struggle, we also see their agency, their humour and their wit.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Barandich's down-to-Earth charm and brusque humour anchors a film which finds absurdity in the commonplace details of life.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Although Northern shows the powerful nature of Peterson's play, he is less successful at illustrating its impact on the prison itself.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

This is Angelou at her most magnetic.

~ Jennie Kermode -

As gentle and as enjoyable as a sunny afternoon in the park , but perhaps as ephemeral.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Although Denis Sinyakov’s camera takes an intimate position within the trip, there’s a constant sense of collaboration with all three generations that means although raw emotion is captured, the filmmaking never feels intrusive.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

There's real delicacy within the performances.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Asaad's performance is astonishing.

~ Andrew Robertson -

The animation used, accompanied by a zippy score from River Nason, fittingly takes its inspiration from superhero comic books.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

What makes the film interesting is that it goes beyond simply depicting Eng’s struggles to explore how far she’s willing to go to fit in.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Bradley has a feel for emotional moments, knowing when to push in close and when to step back.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

There’s a blatant challenge here to common expectations about the lives of Deaf and hearing-impaired people.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Splendidly put together.

~ Jennie Kermode -

The smooth roving camera work - occasionally broken with quick cuts - gives the film a dramatic edge, amped up by the Maurice Jarre's stirring and playful lorchestral score.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

A thoroughly enjoyable exploration of family life, without mum, and neatly encapsulates an era.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

From the colonial to the occupying, this is wide ranging as an exploration of something fundamental to cinema.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Benrath does an excellent job of building tension in double-quick time, also finding room for other, less easily evoked emotions, such as regret and doubt.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

This is experimental documentary that seeps, sidles, creeps, cannot be washed off.

~ Andrew Robertson -

The themes, while highlighting everyday prejudice many people with mental health issues face, are heavily handled.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

A rather crummy cop-out ending spoils the good-natured laughs

~ Scott Macdonald -

Masayoshi Nakamura's vibrant hand-drawn artwork - based on illustrations by Fiona Smyth - evolves in a fluid, dizzying fashion, playfully drawing out different themes.

~ Jennie Kermode -

The emphasis is not on the elephants but on the sisterhood, solidarity and empowerment of the women who patrol the parkland where they live.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The widescreen of Hanane Abi Khalil's camera manages an intimacy, one born of proximity.

~ Andrew Robertson -

The performance is everything.

~ Jennie Kermode -

The film is a love letter to the sort of women too often squeezed out of cinema.

~ Jennie Kermode -

It's easy to love this animated hound, with his bouncing and his cheerful barking and his wide-eyed affectionate glances.

~ Jennie Kermode -

There's something primal at work here that offers compensation for the lack of narrative structure.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Although Jonas describes his leg as rotting, we get only the briefest hints of what this looks like to him. For the most part, it just looks like an ordinary leg, and our understanding of his position comes from Singh’s performance.

~ Jennie Kermode -

It’s a simple film, but more powerful for it: a film in defence of words which doesn’t need many to make its point.

~ Jennie Kermode -

The delight of the drama stems from the well crafted characters, while its heft hinges on toxicity that may not be immediately obvious.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

An extraordinarily thorough film.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Writer/director Sandhya Suri - who has a documentary background - is keen to show that everyone plays their part in the prejudices and corruption of the legal system.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Once again, Guiraudie proves himself the master of setting up a mystery by the means of perfect script economy that functions strictly on “need to know” basis.

~ Marko Stojiljkovic -

The director shows how it’s not just Julie’s tennis skills that have been groomed by the coach but large aspects of her life.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Cat’s viewpoint predominates, and Zilbalodis has an acute understanding of how the world looks from its point of view, of what catches its attention and how its body follows instinctively.

~ Jennie Kermode -

It’s ironic that a film about a family who have built a perfect facsimile of a life for themselves should feel so overly constructed itself

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The difference here from more familiar selections allows us to appreciate different qualities in the art.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Lin and Sun studiously maintain the enigma around Shuo so that we are left guessing as to whether he’s just a disadvantaged teen trying to make his way in the world or a cuckoo in the nest.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

It doesn’t quite hit the mark, but that’s not to say that it isn’t a pleasant way to while away an hour and a half.

~ Jennie Kermode -