A Small Tale of Familial Love

Smash Cuts! Super Sci-Fi Shorts Fest

Host Scott Forrest presents a curated compilation of eight independent short films in this rapid-fire science-fiction feature. Genres collide, narratives twist, aesthetics clash, and even humor, both campy and dystopian, showcase the vast creative possibilities of each story's individual world, offering the viewer a brief glimpse into the lives of every character's attempt to survive the otherworldly chaos around them. Released in 2001, the selected shorts span original creation dates of 1997 to 2001; most of the featured filmmakers also appear as themselves in short video interviews to talk about their inspirations, creative process and motivations while working on their individual shorts.

SKY//BLUE

Two activist friends investigate into strange occurrences after they witness a man lose his mind in a bar. While they dig deeper into who the man was, sinister forces converge to control the situation.

Subsurface

Trapped and alone, a young man must confront the pain he's ignored when he finds himself face-to-face with consequence.

Citric Acid

A young artist is stalked via the internet by a mysterious online celebrity who harshly criticizes their artwork.

The Long Walk

An animated short based on a scene from "The Long Walk" by Stephen King

Billy Boy

A former football star turned real estate broker meets with rich, spoiled young Billy to close a deal on a mansion, and nothing goes according to plan.

The Dog of Sarandi Alley

In this 57-second short film, a dog-like doll faces another doll. It begins with an innocent, playful tone, but quickly turns dark and unsettling. Bach’s classical music adds a heavy, melancholic mood to the scene. The Dog of Sarandi Alley is a strange and brief story about violence, loneliness, and the secrets hidden behind the simple faces of toys.

House

Hoping to find a sense of connection to her late mother, Gorgeous takes a trip with her friends to visit her aunt's ancestral house in the countryside. The girls soon discover that there is more to the old house than meets the eye.

Fine

After a period of time where her hearing begins to overtake her sight, Casandra searches for the cause of her problem, isolating herself from society. She starts having visions that remind her of the past and promise an apocalyptic future.

The Paralysis

After waking up with amnesia on the beach, the protagonist is pursued by the police to face the consequences of an unknown past. This soundscape uses tension as a tool to explore how uncertainty, anguish and urgency mobilize a body that would otherwise remain paralyzed in time.

Parasomnia

After playing a guided meditation to induce lucid dreaming, the protagonist begin to experience strange phenomena inside his home. As the dream deepens, the boundaries of reality blur, leading him toward a terrifying encounter with an unknown entity.

Toxic Mango

Guima and Aras are star-crossed lovers in this sardonic tale of fruit and global genocide. One day, a black mango suddenly appears in Guima and Aras's tree. To eat or not to eat: that was their question. Toxic Mango is a silent, black-and-white film that ruminates on a dystopian future where the effects of the oil spill tragedy have reached nightmarish proportions.

Killing Sofia

A young woman comes home, thinking she’s alone.

A Love Letter to Cinema

An experimental sampled film which shows the pleasurable art of movies about movies through scenes inside of theaters.

Bei Ewald

A man sits at the table and eats his meal...with rather unusual effects.

Voyeur

Omen

“Omen, a dark and timeless traveler, emerges from the belly of a gutted sheep and finds himself in an unknown void. In this tormented space, a disturbing encounter awaits him: an Enchantress. Through silent revelations and hidden omens, a haunting and supernatural journey begins, in search of meaning beyond appearances.”

Wodo

"A vampiric Elf awakens in his eerie dwelling, where the arrival of disturbing figures through a mysterious portal unsettles the atmosphere. An enigmatic and mystical journey into the unknown."

GRIS

Drizzle in Johnson

A scientist obsessively seeking the answers of the universe is thrust into a mind-bending odyssey of grotesqueries and genitalia.