For the past two years, the renowned Oscar and BAFTA qualifying short film festival HollyShorts has also had an English edition, tucked away in the heart of Leicester Square. Having attended myself last year, I can tell you that there’s an incredibly intimate, almost familiar atmosphere throughout the avenue and inside the screening room where the short films are presented. Yet, it is easy to forget that we are right in the centre, in the beating heart of London, and that the festival’s reach is therefore much broader than its cosy setting might suggest. That said, HollyShorts UK (newly renamed this year), kicking off on Friday 13th November with a day of industry panels—including hot ticket You Made Your Short Film… Now What? featuring our very own MarBelle—before glamming it up at the Opening Night Reception is not simply an offshoot of its more famous Los Angeles counterpart. It has developed its own identity and substance over the years, with a selection of films that complements rather than mirrors the American edition.
Within a selection of 73 films, British productions are given plenty of space, but there is also room for international short films (US, Ireland, Denmark, Australia, Canada, Iran and more). The themes are varied and difficult to categorise, but what brings the films together is their consistently high production quality and, above all, the standard of the acting. This is perhaps what leaves the strongest impression, even when a film’s technical or narrative elements are less polished: the films are consistently carried by the strength of their performances. In our Best of Fest roundup for this third edition of the festival (following a 2025 piece and a 2023 one for the LA-based gathering), DN has selected 10 outstanding short films you can catch across Saturday and Sunday (14th & 15th). Some favourite titles have inevitably been left out as they feature elsewhere on our pages: A Little Death already got the BoF treatment back in September, and A Sisyphean Task, Purebred and Bedcrumbs have been explored through in-depth DN interviews.
Child of the Rouge – Taz F. Stark
The biggest punch in the stomach of this festival. A gut-wrenching story of a growing family destroyed by the horrors of the Khmer Rouge, told in a superbly elegant black and white. Taz F. Stark’s Child of the Rouge proves a very necessary point: making films about historical tragedies can be done without a polished look, but when there is one, the jackpot is hit. The reference to the colour red is intriguing and complements the look perfectly. A class act, with visuals that are not just a mere technical exercise, complemented by a good screenplay and calibrated acting.
The Two Week Wait – Olivia Grant
A theme that I found to be recurring in the Hollyshorts UK selection was the exploration of sexuality and fertility, with all their joys and complications. Olivia Grant took a deeply personal 30,000-word diary, written while undergoing isolation caused by IVF procedures under COVID restrictions in rural New Jersey in 2021, and turned it into this remarkable work. The Two Week Wait wants to shine a light on the scary data around fertility issues: up to 40% of individuals experiencing infertility develop a psychiatric diagnosis. Beloved actress Jessica Brown Findlay is simply the perfect cast for this one.
A Tail – Rosie Gaunt-Mathieson
Hayley Morris is by far one of my favourite creators on Instagram, so I inevitably gasped when I saw she was part of quirky short film A Tail by Rosie Gaunt-Mathieson (whose charming Dawn of a New Gay we picked out back in 2019), in which she wakes up with a mermaid’s tail (on the day of an important job interview). With no explanation of the meaning or the origin of the tail, all we see is a young woman trying to navigate the job world while trying to manage her beautifully looking, yet also slightly disgusting new extension. The look of freedom in her eyes as she finally goes swimming in a pool is worth the watch. What is our own tail? Time for reflection.
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APART – Pola Maneli
I wrote about the Spike Lee co-written APART some time ago, when it was set to premiere at Tribeca. Since then, I’ve been hopeful it would screen in as many festivals as possible. I am glad to see it at HollyShorts UK, and I felt like adding it to this list was the bare minimum I could do. APART stands out not only for its spectacular animation, particularly in its use of colour, with warm shades of orange, red and yellow beautifully integrated into an extraordinary palette, but also for its choice to tell a story set in a South Africa torn apart by racism. Pola Maneli directs in a very sensitive and discerning way, reaching both younger and adult audiences with equal narrative force.
Thick Skin – Helena Hawkes
I made the terrible mistake of watching this while eating something. If you’re reading this before watching Thick Skin, please don’t be as naive as me. Helena Hawkes’ body horror works so well that it really does impact one’s appetite. Using very strong visuals, the story describes what it’s like to deal with eating disorders as young women in a society where fitting into a dress matters more than being happy. The reference to Snow White with the apple biting and the greatly paced and frantic editing make it even more disturbing, as the topic it deals with should be.
Pigeons – Amos Sussigan
It wouldn’t be a Best of Fest carrying my signature without at least one animated short in it. But in this case, there had to be two. After having already expressed my love for pigeon-themed animation (see Pigeon Businessman in my Annecy Best of Fest), here we go again with Pigeons. In this case, Andy Serkis being the narrator was just the cherry on top. The parallel of the carrier pigeon losing its job to the telephone is a wonderful subtle parallel with the AI craze currently substituting jobs and replacing long-standing traditions. Amos Sussigan’s animation style, in the tones of blue and grey in the sketches of the misty city of London, is the ultimate delight.
A Family Woman – Anna & Linnea Arden
Being a child of divorce, Anna and Linnea Arden’s film hit close to home. The delicate portrayal of human relationships and the elegance in conveying them through both filmmaking and performances make this Danish short film a true lesson in cinematic style. The two sister directors manage to capture situations that many people can easily relate to, while exploring a daughter’s resentment towards a father who has chosen to have another child with his new partner. At the same time, we follow the story of an ex-wife trying to rebuild her romantic life beyond the success of her artistic career. Unlike her daughter, she seems to have already found her way to forgiveness, as she even takes care of the child of the very woman her husband left her for. It is precisely this emotional complexity, portrayed with such restraint and sensitivity, that gives A Family Woman its strength and elegance.
We Dream in Colour – Kane Wilson
Clearly inspired by a Nicolas Winding Refn aesthetic, with a touch of Last Night in Soho and a plot that reminds of some of David Cronenberg’s finest works, Kane Wilson’s film is one of the most disturbingly colourful I’ve seen. The often shaky camera and the various kinds of visual distortions make the short so lively and energetic that one can easily forgive some of its imperfections from a screenwriting perspective. Wilson’s atmospheres are very varied and, indeed, quite gloomy and dark, drawing on the influences mentioned earlier. Well done on using some inspirational directors, without having to mimic them cheaply. All in all, We Dream in Colour will certainly be remembered as the most eccentric film in this selection.
Sleep Call – Richer Huynh
It is no news that I also have a soft spot for films that deal with contemporary technologies and romance. In this regard, I have recently talked about Jens-Julius Gunderlund Dall’s Soulmate. In Richer Huynh’s attempt to portray Gen Z’s loneliness and unusual online behaviours, Sleep Call (as a Gen Zer myself, I can totally understand why this is such an appealing subject for filmmakers), what struck me most was the simplicity of the setup and the effectiveness of the idea. Genuinely creepy, this proudly no-AI-made short is the perfect example of kawaii gone wrong.
Rule, Britannia – Max Fisher
Max Fisher’s Rule, Britannia may be one of the most necessary films in the UK right now. Illegal immigration has rarely been portrayed in such a human way, using the good old trick of reversing perspectives and asking how someone would feel in the same position as the people they’re trying to keep out. Here, a pair of flag-waving Brits take to the sea to stop the refugee small boats. But something goes wrong, and as their plan sinks (quite literally), we’re confronted with the miserable hatred that fuels their actions. And, perhaps more importantly, with the humanity of the very people they set out to stop.
You can find more unmissable films like these in our Best of Fest collections.
