Daniel Robin demonstrates how bare images can conceal all manner of secrets about the past and lessons for the future.

~ Anton Bitel -

Fascinating and educative.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

It is visually perfect, the score so neatly integrated that it feels a natural fit.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Hyde's lingering camera shows us the heat, captures an eternity of stillness that threatens to be the whole of life.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Entertaining throughout, with moments of both wry amusement and vocal laughter.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Szymków interweaves her subjects’ testimonies to paint an image of ongoing loss.

~ Michael Pattison -

At times this appears to be a documentary about looking things up on Google.

~ Andrew Robertson -

The easiest way to hammer home a point is to keep it simple.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

If you are sick to the teeth of cutesy little ‘horror’ films, pine in your deserted dumptruck of a rat-infested geek-room no longer.

~ Chris -

Motodrom has no pretensions other than to demonstrate the skill and daring of the Wall of Death riders.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

The seeming inevitability of conflict in this claustrophobic situation is effectively conveyed, as is the helplessness of all the characters, their inability to interrupt the cycle of cruelty.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Is this writer/director Tsitsi Dangarembga’s statement on Mugabe’s legacy, or a satirical frolic, with insects?

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

Mosaik Mecanique can't escape the feeling that it would be nicer to just watch the original.

~ Andrew Robertson -

There is a place for film like this, and certainly short film festivals play host to them with a frequency that is not quite a parody of the genre, but if they are to your taste then you will know already.

~ Andrew Robertson -

The Moon Bird is original in appearance, but feels like the retelling of an unknown classic.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Mike Futcher's creation is atmospheric and individual.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

A truly odd little film.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Monkey Love Experiments uses a multitude of techniques to good effect.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Jana Prchalova's a talented artist, but the script is a little weak.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Marvin is a sympathetic hero, trying to do his best in the face of adversity, although a couple of minutes could have been shaved off this film at no great loss to produced a tauter result.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

A taut little thriller that does a lot with its two minute running time.

~ Jennie Kermode -

More contrived than Clarke's ‘pure dance’ shorts.

~ Chris -

True to tradition, the band in full play is intercut with children in white nighties running down concrete stairs and along corridors in dodgy light. What this means is anyone's guess.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

Big on atmosphere but low on specifics.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

It has plenty of imagination.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The landscapes of the film do a pretty good job of recreating the kind of scuzzy locales in which suburban teenagers resort to hanging out.

~ Jennie Kermode -

A horror film in the purest sense of the term.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Through a collage of footage shot by numerous brave protesters, she pieces together a statement about film as identity, in a country where the individual slowly fades away.

~ Sergiu Inizian -

The writer/director achieves impressively high production values for his short and is clearly a man who knows how to surround himself with additional talent.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Director Sayee Gogate and writer Alice Clarke have constructed something that shows a willingness to dig in, to dig deep, and harvest the results.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Morris keeps us guessing as to where the film is going.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Warren keeps the effects simple and trusts in Lincoln’s acting to do the rest.

~ Jennie Kermode -

With some striking composition, this portrait of a company town is well executed.

~ Andrew Robertson -

The great thing about it is the sense and maturity that they bring to difficult debates.

~ Jane Fae -

Though it is dialogue-free, memories whisper through the story like the wind we see rustling a weeping willow at key moments.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

It's blackly comic and joyfully radical, with some very entertaining moments.

~ Jennie Kermode -

An anthropological honesty and something that is a catalogue of intimacies.

~ Andrew Robertson -

It starts odd, and it gets weirder.

~ Andrew Robertson -

After a while, I started hallucinating, and developed a tumor.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Mother Of Many is full of little details, textures, sympathetic character design and beautiful use of pattern.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Both lead actresses are on superb form but Nieto's performance is shattering

~ Jennie Kermode -

A clear debt is owed to Ferne Pearlstein, whose cinematography is of such quality that the film appears to have fallen through some documentary vortex untouched by time.

~ Andrew Robertson -

The chemistry is there in the performances, enabling us to translate the physics.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Maikau uses the simple steps of a school to his advantage to emphasise distance between his two characters.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Kadykova has an eye for detail - from the car rubbish that mole has used to decorate his nest and fashion a set of scuba gear, to the menagerie of creatures she creates on the beach

~ Amber Wilkinson -

A stunning debut.

~ Andrew Robertson -

A genuine mixed bag of curiosities.

~ Owen Van Spall -

Both Rodriguez and Rohana deliver delicate, nuanced performances in a story that revolves in large part around friendship.

~ Jennie Kermode -

It's beautiful to look at, there is detail and delight in every stitch and stem.

~ Andrew Robertson -

The performances are predicated upon an excellent script.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Deren's most famous, complex and mature piece of cinema.

~ Chris -

It has the density of a well written poem whilst retaining that sense of space and whimsy.

~ Jennie Kermode -

This is a sweet little film about the dangers of caring too much.

~ Jane Fae -

The small details might include the tape on the tape-deck and the tape within the tape-deck but the big loud details include a quantity of effing and geoffing that sits somewhere between Tarantino and Scotland.

~ Andrew Robertson -

The film’s strength lies in its approach to capturing two different worlds and establishing, at a visual level, a sense of the culture clash that affects different family members in different ways.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Shortlisted for an Oscar, this film may finally give Martha the justice she deserves. Its ambitions, however, are bigger than that.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Oran Zegman uses the language of romantic comedies to create a playful atmosphere and persuade us that, one way or another, everything will work out in the end. Then she pulls the rug from under us.

~ Jennie Kermode -

A brief slice of life delivered through wonderful, fresh performances.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Through its quiet heroine, the film reflects on the experiences of millions of people around the world.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Slijepcevic is a documentarian by trade and he maintains a strong sense of realism.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The film is compellingly, playfully wayward, a documentary-leaning piece so sincere you might not entirely believe it to be a fictional construction until the credits roll.

~ Sunil Chauhan -

Mandisa's film conveys an important message and illustrates significant talent which one can only hope she lives long enough to make more use of.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Good, entertaining, verging at times on the self-indulgent.

~ Andrew Robertson -

In telling the story of a man hitherto forgotten by history, director Brian Vincent captures a side of that celebrated scene never seen before, putting all the rest in context and exploring the nature of fame from an unusual perspective.

~ Jennie Kermode -

This is not a film about saviours or the wonders of technology. It’s very much Makayla’s own story.

~ Jennie Kermode -

It’s not just technically brilliant – it’s deftly scripted, ably performed and great fun to watch.

~ Jennie Kermode -

John Williams' direction is good, managing to make stage magic look like stage magic while using screen magic to make photographs come alive.

~ Andrew Robertson -

To the extent that it's successful, this is thanks to McClatchy, who manages to make Maggie completely believable even in the most absurd situation.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Despite its polish, there’s an innocence about the film that is quite charming.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Now 83 but still looking good, with charisma which overflows the confines of the screen, Madelynn is as committed to making music as she always was.

~ Jennie Kermode -

It's a masterclass, an unfair degree of talent for a film-maker's debut, full of subtleties of sound and vision.

~ Andrew Robertson -

M-29 needs sharp dialogue and strong performances to justify its expositionary premise, but doesn't quite achieve either.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Both compelling and touching.

~ Andrew Robertson -

This is an impressive film, managing to imply and suggest with a graceful economy.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Nat Di Resta gives Polly a naive enthusiasm that makes her likeable even when it's clear that she needs to be locked up.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Enjoyable, adventurous and unpredictable.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Excellent performances and an intriguing script.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The storytelling is crisp, clever and doesn't waste a moment with superfluous plot.

~ Scott Macdonald -

While the acting is certainly competent, it can’t cover up the lack of plot development or character depth.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Informative, sympathetic and quietly impressive.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

The simplicity that illustrates such weird magic is oddly compelling.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

The Metamorphosis is brilliant, stunning, breath-taking.

~ Andrew Robertson -

A man and his son take a little donkey to market. Showing at EIFF - World Shorts 1

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

A heartwarming little portrait.

~ Andrew Robertson -

The soundtrack is loud, the picture crisp, the performances good, it's not to be faulted.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Brando takes it all in good spirits and you sense that he is always on top

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Sort of hints at a subsequent romance.

~ Andrew Robertson -

The footage itself is of some interest but Py's narrative grates over the top.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Martin McCormick's turn is a good one, Jackson's various interactions as he does his rounds a series of vignettes - life at the sharp end.

~ Andrew Robertson -

An excellent documentary, putting you so close to the action you can almost feel the sweat and taste the chalk dust.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The film is well-directed and beautifully shot.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

Educative and compelling - but it might well put you off sausages for life.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

There are smaller details of movement and interaction that illuminate as clearly as the brightness and noise of Habac's film.

~ Andrew Robertson -

A must-see film for fans.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Mackenzie has a terrific feel for comedy and the performances are beautifully understated.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

A gentle, touching, a portrait of a woman with a calling.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Crowe certainly dishes out mood in spades.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Reda's attitude is a testimony to resilience and aspiration even in the direst circumstances but also heartbreaking.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

This blackly comic tale works well enough.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Bartlett cleverly separates the ordinary from the introspective.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

Despite his problems, Toledano makes an engaging subject, full of life even when he's thinking about death.

~ Jennie Kermode -

Although things start well, everything peters out rather than building up.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Some picturesque moments in the film hint at good ideas.

~ Nicola Osborne -

There are moments where geometry creates something that's indistinguishable from magic.

~ Andrew Robertson -

There is little substance beneath this atmospheric top layer.

~ Rebecca Naughten -

The effect is like opening a Russian doll, with each successive layer further skewing what we might consider to be real and what imagined.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

An illuminating and funny compilation of 21 silent-era archival pieces.

~ Owen Van Spall -

It is the natural, often charming, performances that give this 12-minute film its heart.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

An enjoyable and romantic little short, with a good dollop of wry humour.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

Though charming in its way, the film walks a difficult course.

~ Andrew Robertson -

Pulsing with energy.

~ Amber Wilkinson -

The art direction is simultaneously gorgeous (beautiful lighting and well-crafted sets), yet lumpen, curved and ugly, as though exorcised from an exaggerated Expressionistic dream.

~ Scott Macdonald -

It is unquestioning and a little bit in awe.

~ Angus Wolfe Murray -

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 -

A very effective piece of low budget storytelling.

~ Jennie Kermode -

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 -

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 -