Almost through all the shorts!

DID YOU REMEMBER THE CAT? (2024): Directed by Daniel Foster, who wrote the script with Autumn Olson, this has Tara (Angelique Maurnae) and Mitch (Jonny H Lee) escaping a house party turned horror movie. But then they realize that they forgot the cat and not even a monster can keep a cat lover from going back, right? Unless Mitch wants to be single. A fun start to this block!

radiation (2025): Directed and written by Peter Collins Campbell, who said, “there’s something out there. radiation is a special little experiment I made with the help of a lot of amazing people all across the country, and my cat.” What a gorgeous film! If you have trouble with strobing, consider closing your eyes for this one. Some magnificent scenery and use of music.

Bananahead (2024): After her mother’s disappearance, Andi Sanger (Sally Maersk) tries to get the lead in the movie of her missing mother’s novel, Bananahead. However, her mother’s legacy — both in life and in the house her grandmother left behind — is filled with dread. If you find a key to a room in a family house and you’ve never been in it, you know that you don’t have to go inside it. Directed and written by Christopher Greenslate, this asks why a grandmother and mother would disappear and what damage that would do to everyone left behind. The closer Andi gets to understanding who her mother was, the further she drifts from reality. Also: major points to Andi’s Fugazi shirt.

Disfigura (2025): All I needed was Doug Jones as the host of this Twilight Zone-inspired movie, and I could already say that I loved it. Promising “a world of 1950s suspense,” this is all about Anya (Alexa Cappiello), who is forward-thinking for the time but worries about how her husband George (Alexa Cappiello) is acting. Directed by Toni Blando, who also wrote the script, and Jake Bradbury, this film features Anya being told she’s becoming too muscular and rugged. Just let the Light Trim tablets make you thin or she has to go to Disfigura. I don’t want to give much away, but this was just perfect.

Hi! I Just Moved Here (2024): New divorcee Kat has moved into a new home in the hills. Two things quickly happen: she bonds with her neighbor Hannah and finds a VHS tape outside her house. Kat has nightmares after watching the tape, which opens her mind to the horrible secrets of her house. Directed and written by Alessandro Pulisci, this grows dark and proves to me that if you find a tape in the street, you shouldn’t watch it. I have learned a great deal from this year’s CFF shorts. Great acting in this, the colors are gorgeous and it’s directed so well. It also has a shout out to Jack N. Green, who directed Speed 2: Cruise Control.

Your Husband Was a Good Man (2025): Orla (Jamie Alvey)’s husband William (Deaton Gabbard) died in a school shooting a year ago and she’s still taken by grief. She can barely raise their daughter together. But does she miss her husband enough to resort to magic to raise him from the other side? Directed and written by Jamie Alvey, this is primarily about the lack of consent that comes with reviving someone who didn’t consent to it. Haven’t we learned enough from movies that death can’t be screwed with? Guess not.

DESTROYER (2024): Directed by Judd Myers, who co-wrote the script with Kyle Montgomery, this film follows a man who is certain that his wife has a secret, as he attempts to uncover the truth, which soon leads him into a terrifying occult realm and perhaps something inhuman. I really loved how this was built, as well as the quality of the shooting and colors throughout. There’s a message in this, but it doesn’t hit you over the head. Instead, it slowly takes over and changes what you expect.

Any Last Words (2024): A crook trying to flee town, but he’s now staring down the barrel of a gun and in a room with multiple people who want him dead. Directed and written by Isaac Rathé, this taught me something very important: when confronted by people with weapons on me, make fun of their dick sizes.

The Girlies (2024): Antics! Estrogen! Escapades! That’s what is promised, as well as hijinks ensue! Oh wow! The Girlies are forced to face the unexpected in this short directed and written by Natalie Couture. This was so much fun and I could see it going on to be more than just this movie.

Get a Real Job (2025): The successes and failures of amateur non-profit fundraisers Sam and Yogi make up this film. Sam and Yogi would be Samantha Lochs and Yogi Paliwal, who directed and wrote the script with Ramona Donahue. You know, I had to go to New York City once and ask people to share their opinions on health care while we filmed it. You have no idea how much people swore at me during this experience. Maybe you do. This movie feels real.

You can watch this and many other films at CFF by buying a pass on their website. Over the next few days, I’ll be posting reviews and articles and updating my Letterboxd list of watched films.