In our modern times, more than ever, archiving our human experiences in storytelling form seems to be more important than ever. That's why I am such a huge champion of the 2nd Annual expansion event of the Dallas International Film Festival (DIFF) entitled DIFF Shorts.
What are Shorts? Think of film Shorts as Twitter versions of full length feature films. They are short, succinct, to the point and with passionate intention.
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| Dallas International Film Festival (DIFF) Shorts |
For the 2nd Annual version, DIFF is offering a full range of 100+ Shorts that are 4 minutes up to 22 minutes, categorized into thematic blocks. The block themes range from "Legacy" to "Relationships" to "Sports" to "Highschool Shorts" to "Latino Shorts".
The range and breadth of the films are as diverse as the lived experiences of what it means to live a life on this Earth.
DIFF shorts opened with a brilliant presentation by the Dallas Film Commission of which most Dallas residents doesn't even know exists. As Dallas (along with the Texas Film Commission) makes the case that we are one of the best destinations to film and we also have the infrastructure and incentives (backed by the Texas government) to attract top productions, their work becomes even more important in ensuring the people who write, produce, direct and work on films know of all the resources available. And to my suprise while listenting to their presentation: the resources are vast. And growing. As evidenced by The Chosen currently doing filming in Corsicana, TX as I write this article.
Day 1 of DIFF Shorts continued with blocks including "Echoes" and "Legacy". So what films define these thematic blocks?
Echoes
The films in this block ranged in an emotional rollercoaster of grief, hope, loss and navigating the turmoil of life experiences. Just to highlight a few of the films:
"Seeking Hwa Sun" (Denmark) was the first film I've ever seen that helped me gain insight into what life can be like living with a loved one with mental illness. The story unfolds when the main character Hwa Sun receives a letter from one of her daughters that forces her to re-live a time she thought had past. The scars she caused sends her into an "episodic breakdown" that she can't ignore.
"In Loving Memory of Our Transgressions" was shot locally in Ft Worth, TX and took the Director Jorge years to bring it out publically. Given the film short is only 10 minutes, that may seem illogical but when you see the film production capturing the grittiness and imagery of what life is like from the perspective of a teenage boy that is wrestling with his identity of wanting to escape the dim future of his Rock Island neighborhood, it draws you in to his world. And leaves you with an informed imagery of life of some of the people who seek hope beyond their transgressions.
just 14 minutes, the Director Christina Chironna uses every minute to show a film that looks as if it was put together from a family's personal archive of VHS recordings. The film shows several snap shots of a Dad recording life over a period of time (displayed within the film) leading up to the before, during and after September 11th. The Dad's 9/11 fire fighter efforts was insinuated from their home life viewpoint, with no views of him being actually onsite of the Twin Towers. The story arch is suspenseful in the emergency call he receives, the chest coughing and weazing weeks after being at ground zero for three weeks after the tragedy. One of the most poignant parts of the film was as a reminder (that was frankly shocking) of a paused screen saying more pople have died from 9/11 related illnesses than who actually died the day of the tragedy. I pray we don't forget all the victims.
Legacy
"The 21" hit me heavy as I'm sure Director and Screenwriter Tod Polson intended it to be of both impact and as a sacred memorialization. The film recounts, in an artistic animated way, the martyr killing of 21 Christian Egyptians by ISIS in Libya in 2015. I had vaguely remembered the news story but none of the news that I recalled was as confrontational as the film. Not confrontational as to be preachy of the Chrisitan faith or even critical of the ISIS regime, per se. The confrontation happened in how the film showcased a build up of time of what the Christian martyrs endured culminating to the violent tragedy on the beach. At many instances through outright torture, the Christian martyrs were given opportunities to deny their faith, even being killed one by one of the beach in the horror of each of their faiths to deny Christianity and save their life. But none of the 21 souls denied their faith even after days of torture and seeing the violence of their imminent doom. Whether you are a Christian or not, the confrontation of self and reflecting on what core values and beliefs you hold so strongly that you would stand your ground through torture and imminent death had the audience in absolute silence. I really belive we were all silently qustioning our own faith towards the things we hol so strongly that not even death can deviate us to stand firm.
"What We Wished We Could Be" is nother one of those films that gives the audience insights inended to be an artistic bridge of waht life is like for someone experiencing something very specific. In this case, it is related to the contaminated blood scandal. The 21-minute film shows a yound couple dating and the difficult decisions that in ful disclosure, the effects of dealing with a chronic disease and it's debilitating flare ups. It continues with their relationship and how the desire to finally have a glime rof hope to wellness risks life itself. A very pleasant surprise was a chorus shot in black and white where the main character embodies the hopes and dreams of all those who were infected by the virus. It was an espcially poignant moment in the film.
Day 1 of DIFF Shorts was grounding as a reminder of how many stories either haven't been told or are stories that we need to be reminded of to never forget. For in the rememberance or awareness, we are reminded of our shared humanity on this Earth. When the world seems too much, we all have a way of retreating back into our controlled bubble of existence but that's not necessarily a good thing because how else do we stay empathetically informed while maintaining the grace of gratefulness?
We need the stories of our lives to be told through art, film, culture and othe rmedia to serve as the archives for generations to come lest the historical accuracy lose its context.
I invite you to join us for Days 2 and 3 of DIFF Shorts as it continues to be a beacon the exact platforms and programs we need to not let us ever forget or become unaware.
Dallas International Film Festival
DIFF Shorts
October 17-19, 2025
Angelika Theater
Website: https://diffdallas.org/diff-shorts
Follow along on Instagram and Facebook: @wearediffdallas #wearediffdallas
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