60 Second Short Film Fest

The City of Richmond's Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities Cultural Arts Division hosted the sixth annual 60 Second Short Film Fest on May 17. Out of 525 films submitted, 33 were selected. Topics included climate change, love, conservation, and adventure.

Filmmakers gave one minute thank you speeches or sent a letter of thanks.

Below is a list of the films that were screened, followed by the winners.

* Denotes Finalist

** 60 Second Short Film Fest Winners

*** Audience Choice Award

**** Honorable Mention

Youth

Student/Youth
1. You Talk To Us About…**
Director: 12Nubes
Spain
“You talk to us about..." is a collective critique of the educational system by a group of students.

2. My Superpower *
Director: Maxwell William Andrews
New Zealand
In his search for his superpower, nine-year-old Maxwell discovers that his words have power.

3. Please Mind the Gap *
Director: Märta Menne
Sweden
On the edge of a train station, a girl watches a stranger who seems to know exactly where she’s going.

Adult

4. Psycho: Environmental **
Director: Rajendra Thakurathi
United States
A woman gets reminded to save water.

5. Hygge: A 60-second screendance short, Live Action
Director: Allison Beaty
United States
Hygge explores a simple, yet contagious act of allowing oneself to find joy in an ordinarily dull task of waiting.

6. Action, Live Action
Director: Arne Körner
Germany
Slating is a very important step of the filmmaking process. This is a rhythmical montage that centers on the clapper and his clapper board.

7. Blinks of Belonging, Animation
Director: Sukriti Mehrotra
India
The film represents the feeling of belonging when you find a familiar soul or a person with similar roots in a completely foreign environment.

8. Knight's Sword, Animation
Director: Oksana Gavrilova
Russia
In a world where valor and bravery are valued above all else, a brave knight sets out for a mortal duel with a huge dragon.

9. As Night Falls, Animation
Director: Ksenia Kolesnikova
Russia
The night of this magical place sets its own rhythm of life.

10. Traditional Games, Animation
Director: Mauricio Delgado
Costa Rica
This fun video features the most popular traditional Costa Rican toys that hold cultural, educational and sentimental value.

11. Delivery, Live Action
Director: Colin Abrams
United States
A young delivery driver visits the wrong address.

12. Soulful, Live Action ****
Director: Callum Lloyd-James
United Kingdom
This film is a homage to the Northern Soul movement, a subculture born out of the underground music scene of the 1970s.

13. Portrait, Live Action **
Director: Ignacio Rodó
Spain
Your portrait can capture you. You decide how to shine in it.

14. The Sound of Music of the War, Documentary
Director: Vyacheslav (Slavik) Bihun
Ukraine
A soldier turns on his smartphone cam for a random minute to share what he's experiencing on the front lines

15. Swimming Through Glass, Documentary **
Director: Olaf Lawrence
United Kingdom
A story about the Cornish snorkeler and conservationist - Katie Maggs and her relationship with the place she feels most alive.

16. How Brazilian Art Portrayed World War I, Documentary *
Director: Jorge Rogelson da Silva
Brazil
During World War I the Brazilian press turned to artists to illustrate the events of the war.

17. A Glimpse of the Everglades, Documentary *
Director: Bryan Hiveley
United States
This personal ecological exploration of the Florida Everglades is an artistic film where color theory and wildlife videography collide in a celebration of the natural world.

18. AAO Park Chalen, Environmental
Director: Vijay Kumar Dogra
India
This film explores the growing disconnect between real-life physical activity and the allure of online gaming and social media.

19. Alive, Environmental *
Director: Maria Perez Carasa
Spain
This film is to remember human being's ability to maintain hope and produce positive change so future generations will enjoy Spring.

20. Diverse Carpathian Basin, Environmental *
Director: Levente Farkas
Hungary
In the center of Europe there is a rich, unique land filled with biodiversity of natural habitats, animal and plant species. While it has survived for millennia through adaptation, it now faces extinction from human encroachment.

21. trees in the water/arbolas en el agua, Environmental
Director: Anne Ciecko
United States
A poetic reflection on winter landscapes, homeostatic comforts, and global interconnectedness, with empathic awareness of the impacts of war and occupation on humans and nature.

22. Artistic Realization, Animation
Director: Juan Diego Carbajales
Argentina
Paloma is a young painter who battles with frustration and the self-imposed limits that prevent her from creating freely. Through her art, she crafts a reality where she can express herself without filters, ultimately seeking artistic and personal fulfillment.

23. Silence, Live Action *
Director: Joseph Fares Youssef
Lebanon
This film is about people who pass and leave their memories behind, where these memories speak in the silence and the emptiness of their distance.

24. Offer of a Lifetime, Live Action *
Director: Wiktor Józefowicz
Poland
A childhood memory stops a man in the middle of a crosswalk.

25. The Revenge of Rod Bunco, Live Action
Director: Rich West
United States
A caper goes awry.

26. Canvaship, Animation **
Director: Hossein Valian
Iran
When paintings come to life, would they be friends or enemies…?

27. Need a Light, Animation *
Directed by
Jillian Smith
United States
Joan can’t light her cigarette. Her friend Damien helps light it for her.

28. A poem to my Soulmate, Live Action
Director: Ani Grigoryan
Armenia
“A poem to my Soulmate" is a dialogue between two lovers, based on beautiful episodes of life and poetic breath.

29. Waves, Animation
Directors: Prasanth Chavali, Sayantika Chatterjee, Adee Pednekar
India
An experimental stop-motion film made by students exploring the motion of waves through sequences of images of nature, man-made objects, and scraps.

30. Crossing, Live Action
Director: Andrej Polukord
Lithuania
This is a demonstration of the traditional way of crossing a drainage channel.

31. Happy Hour in the Mile End, Animation ***
Director: Marianne Khayat
Canada
Two friends run away from work to enjoy a night of drinking in the Mile End one October night.

32. Last Summer Page, Animation
Director: Alina Kostikova
Ukraine
The protagonist embarks on a journey through the Ukrainian countryside, giving thanks for the wonderful summer season before turning to a new chapter.

33. The Present, Animation ****
Director: Ariel Toffler
Israel
A hand-drawn animation about two people falling in love
while flying.

* Denotes Finalist
** Winner
***Audience Choice Award
****Honorable Mention

Winners:

Youth Live Action:
Please Mind the Gap **
Director: Märta Menne
Sweden

Adult Live Action:
Portrait, Live Action **
Director: Ignacio Rodó
Spain

Adult Documentary/Personal Narrative:
Swimming Through Glass, Documentary **
Director: Olaf Lawrence
United Kingdom

Adult Animation:
Canvaship, Animation **
Director: Hossein Valian
Iran

Best Environmental:
Psycho: Environmental **
Director: Rajendra Thakurathi
United States

Audience Choice Award
Happy Hour in the Mile End, Animation ***
Director: Marianne Khayat
Canada

FILM JURISTS

Documentary Jurist

Kat Vivaldi (she/they) is an artist and filmmaker currently living and working in Richmond, VA. Their work spans across multiple disciplines within an audio-visual practice including animation, video, and projection mapping.
Their experimental films have screened at the New Orleans Film Festival, Richmond International Film Festival, and Portland Underground Film Festival, and dozens more. Kat has worked for the New Orleans Film Festival as a screener for 6 years, and completed their Programming Fellowship in 2023. Additionally, Kat acted as the Guest Services Coordinator for the Virginia Film Festival in 2022.
They are also working in the film industry with credits across several entities including BET+, PBS, TVOne, HBO, National Geographic, and varying indie projects primarily within the camera department.

Student/Youth Jurist

Hanna Kivlighan (she/they) is an artist, freelance filmmaker, and teacher currently based in Berlin, Germany. With roots in Virginia, Hanna has worked on a plethora of local projects ranging from music videos in Richmond, VA, to VPM documentaries. Passionate for movement and in a true "never-sitting-still" fashion, Hanna is currently teaching art in an English language immersion program in Germany, and plans to do freelance film work in the upcoming months, while also beginning to make a documentary alongside their cousin.

Animation Jurist

Max Gilmore (he/they) is a filmmaker and 3D artist based in Richmond, VA. With a background in film editing and animation, Max has created 3D motion graphics for clients including CoStar Group and Homes.com, and has contributed visual effects to numerous independent films. Outside of animation, he also coordinates stunt choreography for indie productions in the Richmond area.

Live Action Jurist

Bjorn Shawn Sorensen is a writer and school librarian out of Portland, Oregon. "Door to Door", a film he co-wrote and co-produced in conjunction with Blank Check Productions, won Best Oregon Film at the Oregon Independent Film Festival, while his mockumercial "BabyDowner!" was a finalist at the Attack of the Flix Film Festival. He is also a poet and travel writer. You can visit him on Medium, in an art museum or out on a trail.

Special Thanks To:

Diane Hayes for supporting the earth through the greening of Pine Camp and this film fest.

Matt Buckner for assembling this film fest for the past six years.