The first edition of Daydream Fantasy Youth Film Festival took place this April at GMAC, Glasgow. With an exciting programme, this brand-new festival showcases a spectrum of what the future of independent science fiction might look like.
The schedule included animation, live-action, drama, comedy, documentary, etc. All the works brought something new to the table, interesting concepts and original ideas that broaden the minds of the audience as to what the term “fantasy” can imply.
However, the choice of venue and organisation were a bit unfortunate. While GMAC is an incredible place for festivals, a horizontal room with no tiers for the seats is not the ideal choice for a programme that features several different languages where reading subtitles is imperative to follow the meaning of the content. This setback could have been solved, placing the subtitles on the upper side of the screen instead of the lower. Sadly, spectators had to make do with leaning from one side to the other to read.
As for the organisation, this is not the first event that runs late, it is quite common in Scotland for happenings to begin about half an hour late. Nevertheless, the lack of efficient communication from the organisers, plus the image checks that took place after the audience was already in the room, made the beginning of the festival quite confusing.
That being said, the Fantasy Youth Film Festival was an enjoyable experience regardless. The films screened were, in general terms, interesting and engaging, and the sense of community was definitely there. The atmosphere was peaceful, comfortable, and enlightening, which, after all, is the basis of a good film festival.
Without further ado, here is the line-up of Fantasy Youth Film Festival, with their respective reviews:
Black Square
- Year of production: 2024
- Director: Shaochong Xu.
Synopsis
A mother tries to maintain alive the memory of her son by saving the last digital recording of his existence.
Source: Black Square (Shaochong Xu, 2024)
Review
Black Square presents a very innovative way to explore grief. Its unique style comes across as confusing or overstimulating at times, but it helps to communicate the shattered state of mind in which the protagonist finds herself. Grief is not a straight path, and the technical aspects of the animation in Black Square convey that feeling of unknown, that feeling of a foggy path ahead.
The story is jammed into a very short amount of time, meaning that, unless you are hearing it in a language you know, the speed in which the subtitles are run might make you loose bits of information along the way. Despite making it harder to fully understand what is going on, this doesn’t necessarily work against the story since it is more about what you feel while witnessing the tale than about learning every detail of it.
Apocalypse later
- Year of production: 2023
- Director: Florian Rudolph, Yueqi Wu and Kyrylo Alferiev.
Synopsis
A team of people have been tasked with finding a location for a safe haven for the end of the world.
(Florian Rudolph, Yueqi Wu and Kyrylo Alferiev; 2024)
Review
This quirky, hilarious shot film follows a team in their search for the perfect shelter location. Their adventure is recorded through interviews and inside conversations, the nature of which is surreal as it is hysterical. Despite being set in a world supposedly on the verge of ending, the film is carefree and leaves you in a great mood.
The line between documentary and fiction is blurred as most of the content is unscripted, which gives an even more faithful representation of humanity’s views on the possibility of an apocalypse.
(Florian Rudolph, Yueqi Wu and Kyrylo Alferiev; 2024).
The ending is superb. Logical but unexpected, funny but thought-provoking. The whole story shares the creator’s views on the current state of humanity and the inexplicable procedures of bureaucracy, as well as their amazing sense of humour and imagination.
The Spaceman
- Year of production: 2023
- Director: Maxwell Cutting.
Synopsis
A teenager with social anxiety is forced by his elder brother to go to a house party.
Source: The Spaceman (Maxwell Cutting, 2024)
Review
The Spaceman is a great example of how science fiction can, not only entertain, but make us fell more understood and connected to strangers. Through the metaphor of a space suit, very much a reality within the film, Cutting shares the feelings of anxiety and isolation in social environments at a very deep level. Anyone who has trouble in social gatherings will understand and feel seen through this story.
The visuals are gorgeous, the overwhelming circumstances of a house party blend harmoniously with the colours of the different props, lights, and people, creating a suffocating but hypnotic composition of muted sounds and bright colours that speaks volumes of the protagonist’s feelings.
Hourglass House
- Year of production: 2021
- Director: Yinghai Hu.
Synopsis
A kid learns about growing up and the concept of memories.
Review
Hourglass House is gorgeous as it is heartbreaking. The cinematography and special effects are impressive and precise. The technical aspects work beautifully with the message of the film, creating awe-inspiring images through which the narrative flows as smoothly as the sands in the hourglass.
Growing up and moving on is a necessary but hard part of life. This moment, along with the feelings and memories (or lack thereof) that come with it, is explored through art and perspectives, with colours and shadows. As far as coming-of-age content goes, Hourglass House is the most original, intense and charming I have encountered in a long time.
Source: Hourglass House (Yinghai Hu, 2023).
Echo from Deep Valley
- Year of production: 2023
- Director: Chunjing Wang.
Synopsis
A Tibetan boy wanders in nature and meets a girl that could be his grandmother, who passed away a long time ago.
Review
Echo from Deep Valley is a beautiful film that provides a window through which spectators can peak and learn a bit about Tibetan culture and landscapes. As far as story goes, the message gets lost among the never-ending shots of very slow actions.
It is hard to follow a non-linear narrative without any help or hints from the editing, and the task becomes even harder when one has no prior experience as to what is happening, since there is no explanation for any of the events that transpire.
Had the film been a bit more explanatory, or maybe forgoing the story in favour of the visuals and their documental interest, the impact on the viewers would have been different. However, the pace, content and narrative didn’t quite click together, resulting in a dull experience altogether.
Swimming
- Year of production: 2023
- Director: Gregory Randolph Jr.
Synopsis
A girl who wants to become a fish discovers a club of people with similar wishes.
Review
Swimming is a fantastic story full of inventive and twists that keep your eyes glued to the screen eager to know what happens next. Despite having a pretty depressing beginning, the tale talks about growing, evolving, and brings hope, promising that everything will be alright, even if your evolution feels isolating and uncomfortable at first.
The aesthetic of the film is spot on, the contrasts of bold complementary colours and the humour in the narrative produce a cosy vibe in which the audience wants to submerge itself. The use of the 16mm format, although not particularly necessary for the story, is a nice addition. All in all, Swimming is quite a unique, feel-good movie.
Beijing Zoo
- Year of production: 2022
- Director: Liang Guo.
Synopsis
A documentary about the Beijing Zoo.
Review
The appearance of this film in a fantasy festival is hard to justify. While Guo creates lots of metaphors and visual comparisons between humans and the animals at the zoo, the work is but a documentary about what goes on in the Beijing’s zoo, any connection to fantasy is, at best, faint.
Before reading about Guo’s intention, Beijing Zoo seems very much a critique about zoos, and specially this installation in particular. During the film, one can see the enormous amount of pollution from the city that suffocates animals and visitors alike, as well as how annoying people can be, hitting on the glasses and yelling around. This composition of cacophonies merges with very loud, sudden noises that take place at random rimes during the movie, helping the viewers understand how the animals must feel about being in those circumstances every single day.
However, after reading the intention, the confusion is very real. Even after mentioning how the animals are so depressed that they have stopped trying to reproduce (because they are essentially waiting for death at this point), Guo defends the existence of this establishment as well as its location. Perhaps the fact that the content of Beijing Zoo horrifies the audience even though the intention was the opposite speaks louder about the morality of its existence than anything else.
Advice to take from these short films:
- Always provide physical programmes so that anyone can learn about the author’s intentions without having to do research.
- If you are telling a specific story in hopes that your audiences will understand it, there IS such thing as too experimental.
- What you want to do and what you do aren’t always the same.
- Don’t worry about being lonely because you’re different, there is always someone willing to be different with you.
What’s your take? Have you watched any, or all, of these short films? Which one if your favourite? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, in my contact page or through my Instagram! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀
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