It’s been a while since I’ve attended a film festival, so an invitation to attend the Healdsburg International Short Film Festival after a radio interview with Festival co-founder Patricia Demorest got me back in the film fest mood.

The Festival began in 2011 as the Bodega International Short Film Festival, then moved to the now closed Raven Film Center in Healdsburg in 2012, and landed last year at the Raven Performing Arts Theatre in Healdsburg where it ran this year from September 27 – 29.

This year’s Festival screened 44 short films (out of 472 screened by the selection committee) from 18 countries. There were seven programs presented over the three-day festival with each program featuring from six to twelve films in about 90 or so minutes. The films themselves varied in length from 48 seconds to twenty minutes.

The great thing about short films if it they fail to pique your interest, they’re over in no time and your on to the next one. I’m happy to report there were no real clunkers in the programs I attended, though one short film felt like an extended advertisment for a local winery.

I attended two programs on the second day of the Festival. Both programs were comprised of mixed genres including comedy, drama, documentary, animation, and even a music video. Each program ended with a Q&A with some of the filmmakers whose works were shown.

Program C featured what was probably my favorite of the 18 films I saw, and it happened to be the work of local filmmakers.

Moving Day used a clever mixture of live action and animation to tells its story of the adventures of a smiley face. You read that right. While a couple is moving out, a smiley drawing on one of their boxes comes to life, falls in love with another drawing across the room and sets out on a box hopping adventure in the hopes of reaching their beloved.

Director/writer Sean Mirkovich’s genuinely sweet film accomplished a lot in twelve minutes.

Another film that stood out in the program was Catherine & Michael. This American film featured Molly Ringwald as one half of an unhappily married couple who find a very interesting way to restart their relationship while visiting some nauseatingly happily married friends.

Changing Rooms, from France, told the story of César, a 12 year-old boy whose sister was a victim of sexual assault. The fooling around in the locker room of his fencing gym doesn’t feel the same anymore.

Inhumane, from the Netherlands, was an amusing look at what a parent goes through when having to make difficult decisions about a family pet.

Dirt to Glass is the film I referrred to earlier. Labeled as a documentary, it really did come off as more of a promotional piece for the Gundlach Bundschu Winery.

Shortly after the end of the program, a Q&A was held with several of the filmmakers whose films were screened. Unfortunately, a bloviating attendee monopolized most of the time allotted, which is an all too regular occurence at film festival Q&A’s and certainly not unique to this one. Note to moderators: Never hand the microphone off.

After a short break and a few conversations in the lobby, the second block of mixed genre films got underway.

Program D opened with 48 Hours, a film from Iran about a political prisoner given a two-day leave from prison to spend time with his family. He valiantly tries to reconnect with his infant daughter, knowing full well it can’t really happen. This was a very powerful and sad film.

Puppy Love, from the USA, was an amusing look at the compromises one is willing to make to keep a relationship going… with a significant other’s pet.

Once More, Like Rain Man, also from the USA and featuring Joe Mantegna in a small role, was about a day in the life of a young autistic actress fighting against the stereotype through multiple auditions.

The program closed with another one of my favorites, Favourites. This wickedly funny Australian film begin with parents arriving at an outback health clinic with their two children near death from snake bites. Ah, but there’s only one dose of anti-venom… The film is a lot funnier than that synopsis sounds.

A Q&A followed this program as well, but my less-than-satisfactory experience on the first soured my desire to stay for the second.

The Festival continued Sunday with one program dedicated to documentary films and another to French films.

I appreciated the opportunity to return to my film festival-going ways, and certainly will keep the Healdsburg International Short Film Festival on my radar for next year.

Click HERE to visit the Festival website.

Click HERE to hear my interview with Festival co-founder Pamela Demorest

The Healdsburg International Short Film Festival ran from September 27 through September 29, 2024, at the Raven Performing Arts Theater in Healdsburg, CA.