'Birthday Present' by Markus Virpio, FINLAND

A pretty woman debates the purchase of a rickety sailboat in this intriguing short film. While her interactions with a blaze dockworker seem to be buried under a thick layer of subtext, filmmaker Markus Virpiö leaves you wanting more. Their disaffected communication is an honest glimpse of something yearning beneath the surface, offset in simple actions: like the salting of a hardboiled egg. 

'Lovefield' by Mathieu Ratthe, CANADA

In sixty seconds, a prairie cornfield goes from a site of sexual tryst, to would-be murder scene, to a birthplace of love and renewal. The lush evocative cinematography and stirring score jack up the short’s tension, teasing the viewer’s expectations in a clever takedown. While what you see may not be what you get, Matthew Ratthe’s film is true Canadian gothic.

'Naked Truth' by Robert Sveda, SLOVAKIA

It sure ain’t subtle, but Robert Sveda’s humorous depiction of modern romance tells it like it is. A frightened man lured into a singleton’s bedroom stares slack jawed as she explains her designs for their eventual courtship, sex life and shared casket. While it’s never easy to commit, Naked Truth turns the battle of the sexes into a war zone. Luckily, great performances make for an enjoyable viewing.

'Rahim Murge Pe Mat Ro' by Devashish Makhija, Rajat Nagpal - INDIA

The tumultuous life of “Rahim Le Cock”, a soon-to-be-slaughtered chicken is a fast-paced, exuberant retelling of the inevitable joys and frustrations of existence. Using a friendly voiceover and quick jump cutting to depict his environment, Rahim’s triumphs, desperations, and eventual death showcase a warm and deeply ironic humor. A standout in narrative mastery of the one-minute format, these filmmakers dispel a lifetime. 

'The Murder' by Cristian Smeu - ROMANIA

Sultry and unnerving, this Romanian film has the feeling of Almodovar playing Hitchcock. As a woman framed in low-slung canted angles cooks her final meal, she chews at her lips, in a telephone kiss-off to her ex lover. A vibrant color scheme and bizarre editing patterns wreak extreme tension: even when this femme fatale’s alive, she’s already dead.