Best of Fest
MSPIFF43 Best of Fest Fiction & Animation Shorts
Films are listed here in screening order.
Bluebird in the Wind – Animated Shorts Competition - Honorable Mention
Directed by Ellis Kayin Chan. Hong Kong. 2023. 5 min. Animated Short.
In a dream-like landscape, a girl journeys through her past and present in search of her own Bluebird. Is she pursuing a mere shadow, or has this Bluebird long been soaring within her heart?
Marisol Writes an Email
Directed by Matt J Weber. United States. 2023. 3 min. Animated Short. MN Made.
Marisol gets into a contest of wills with the AI software helping her write her emails.
The K-Town Killer
Directed by Vahan Bedelian & Healin Kweon. United States. 2022. Fiction Short.
Grace "The K-Town Killer" Cho is a professional kickboxer who fights in stadiums before sold-out crowds, but her mother, Sally, doesn’t even know she trains martial arts.
Mis-Alignment – Audience Choice - Fiction Shorts
Directed by Pablo Riesgo Almonacid. United States. 2023. 20 min. Fiction Short.
When an engineer who destroys malfunctioning androids encounters a shocking abnormality in a rebellious patient, she risks everything to save her new friend and herself.
Human Resources
Directed by Jay Ness. United States. 2023. 10 min. Fiction Short. MN Made.
A human resources professional must teach a timid new hire how to perform empathy. As she instructs him through a series of social behaviors, they form an unlikely connection.
LUKi and the Lights – Audience Choice - Animated Shorts
Directed by Toby Cochran. Netherlands, United States. 2023. 9 min. Animated Short.
LUKi, a charming and upbeat robot known for living life to the fullest, confronts a life-altering ALS diagnosis.
Tennis, Oranges – Animated Shorts Competition - Winner
Directed by Sean Pecknold. United States. 2024. 11 min. Animated Short.
A robotic vacuum suffering from burnout quits its job at a hospital and sets out to find community and a greater purpose on a quiet street where two lonely rabbits are stuck in perpetual loops.
Layaway > – Fiction Shorts Competition - Honorable Mention
Directed by Kaitlyn T. Busbee. United States. 2023. 13 min. Fiction Short.
Left by their mother to fend for themselves, two siblings in Iowa learn to live by their own code, until a choice becomes a secret that tests their trust in each other.
Muna – Fiction Shorts Competition - Winner
Directed by Warda Mohamed. United Kingdom. 19 min. Fiction Short.
British-Somali teen Muna (Kosar Ali) is desperate to go on the school trip - to have fun with her mates, escape the monotony of her household and, of course, provide the greatest playlist of all time (!!). But her parents aren't so sure.