Close-Up Culture name our 30 favourite short films of 2023.
30. Cross My Heart And Hope To Die – Sam Manacsa
Mila struggles because she is still working for free and seeks solace in a love interest because of his persistent phone calls. However, a promise of optimism could also result in tragedy and depressing love ballads.
29. Twofold – Ella Greenwood
As New Year’s Eve festivities are underway on the floor above them, Allie and Erin have a chance encounter down below. But when Allie recognises Erin from over a decade ago, the past breaks the surface, and fireworks ensue.
28. Poof – Margaret Miller
Ruby and Paula are gearing up to be their own bosses through multi-level success magnet FYZZLE Cosmetics when a small dog, a medium amount of blood, and a box of loose powder conspire against them.
27. Area Boy – Iggy London
A poignant tale of one boy’s attempt to cut off a part of himself in the wake of his baptism.
26. Dive – Aldo Iuliano
Two teenagers get to an isolated beach to forget the world around them and spend time together. A story about friendship, perhaps about love but most importantly about life, challenges, and courage. A dive into an uncertain future.
25. Cousins – Karina Dandashi
Two cousins reunite in a Brooklyn bar, where a run-in with an ex makes the night even more chaotic.
24. Mast-Del – Maryam Tafakory
Two women lie together in bed. As the wind bashes against the window, one recalls a past date to the cinema. The narrated scene cannot be conveyed through images.
23. The Old Young Crow – Liam LoPinto
An Iranian boy befriends an elderly Japanese woman in a Tokyo cemetery in this short film that combines live-action and animation.
22. Dede Is Dead – Philippe Kastner
This is the story of a boy and his dog Dede, who passes away suddenly and the boy is left alone with his grief.
21. Passing Time – Terence Davies
Passing Time began with Uruguayan composer Florencia Di Concilio’s music and was completed with Terence Davies’ reading of his own poem about his late sister, delivered over a single serene shot of the countryside near his home in Essex.
20. Hole – Hwang Hyein
During a home visit, Jeong-mi discovers a young boy and his little sister living in a house with a large manhole in it. The children ask Jeong-mi to go down the manhole.
19. Nocturnal Burger – Remma Sengupta
Somewhere between fantasy, trauma, paranoia, precaution, and the promise of a burger, a night gets catapulted into an investigation of child abuse at a dysfunctional police station in Mumbai.
18. A Bright Sunny Day – He Yupeng
The appearance of a girl on a bright sunny day gently changes the life of a young man.
17. The Tobos – Tobias Rud
The Tobos tackles themes of vulnerability, feelings of unworthiness, and the connection that we truly crave with each other.
16. Tits – Eivind Landsvik
Following an unpleasant run in at the beach, teenagers Oscar and Iben are left behind by their friends. When one of them makes a friendly gesture, they experience what might be the beginning of an unexpected relationship.
15. Bogotá Story – Esteban Pedraza
In 1992, as Colombia faces an era of drug violence, car bombs, and daily power outages, a young mother in Bogotá receives an internship opportunity in New York and eventually must choose between her family and her dreams.
14. The Sidewalk Artist – David Velez and Brandon Rivera
A documentary film crew follows a contractor who leaves his mark on concrete sites throughout a North Texas town.
13. When You Left Me on That Boulevard – Kayla Galang
Teenager Ly and her cousins get high before a boisterous family Thanksgiving at their auntie’s house in southeast San Diego in 2006.
12. Et Si Le Soleil Plongeait Dans L’Océan De Nues – Wissam Charaf
On the waterfront’s construction site, security agent Raed must prevent passing-by walkers from accessing the seaside. Yet as the horizon becomes each day more stifled by the construction, Raed makes peculiar encounters—mere dreams, or symbols of his desires?
11. Nada De Todo Esto – Francisco Canton and Pato Martinez
Whilst a mother drives with her daughter through the wealthy suburbs of her home city, eyeing the houses of the rich, she accidentally drives her car into a beautiful flower patch inside the front yard of a mansion, bogging their car down.
10. Fár – Gunnur Martinsdóttir Schlüter
At a downtown café, business colleagues are discussing a future investment opportunity when a seagull hits the cafe’s window right in front of them. One of them – Anna – tries to ignore the event but is unable to shake off the incidents.
9. Lemon Tree – Rachel Walden
The story revolves around a young father who steals a magician’s rabbit to impress his ten-year-old son at a Halloween carnival. The thrill of the petty theft quickly dissolves into reality when the young boy is tasked with getting himself, his father, and his new pet home safe.
8. The Golden West – Tom Berkeley and Ross White
Having fled the Great Famine, two warring Irish sisters seek their fortunes in the gold rush. But with winter fast approaching and nothing to show for their efforts, their age-old feud soon threatens to become deadly.
7. Aunque Es De Noche – Guillermo García López
La Cañada Real, Europe’s largest slum on the outskirts of Madrid, has been without electricity for over a year. Toni and Nasser have made this place their playground. But one day, Nasser tells Toni that he is leaving for France.
6. Electra – Daria Kashcheeva
Electra rethinks her 10th birthday, mixing memories with dreams and hidden fantasies.
5. Sea Salt – Leila Basma
17-year-old Nayla in a hot summer day on the southern seaside of Lebanon is faced with the same dilemma as any other young person in Lebanon: to leave or to stay. Two men in her life who have set ideas about it might get surprised.
4. Dammi – Yann Demange
A man travels back to Paris while navigating his past experiences and weird glimpses of the present in an effort to reconnect with his estranged father. He is forced to face his fears and guilt while also reclaiming his lost Arab identity.
3. White Ant – Shalini Adnani
A man is summoned from Mumbai to his village to deal with a termite infestation threatening to destroy his childhood home.
2. The Meatseller – Margherita Giusti
The true story of Selinna Ajamikoko, a young Nigerian woman who dreams to become a meatseller like her mom.
1. Trenc D’Alba – Anna Llargués
The country house of a rural family is declared unfit for habitation. While part of the family fights to save the space their ancestors built, the younger ones imagine where they could go.