The traditional kick-off for the festival, these shorts from around the globe are available to stream through the 29th of March, offering a taste of the programme.
The lone UK entry, I Hate Helen, is an amusing take on adolescent jealousy as Priya fixates on Helen, a fellow swimmer and classmate. But when Helen has to help her, Priya is forced to confront the root of her strong feelings. I didn't love the ending, but the film is well made.
Theo, from Brazil, is also a drama about school kids, this time set in 1986 as footie-mad Theo tries to find a way to live out a passion for the beautiful game without declaring a binary gender. There is one outstanding moment when Theo does declare a gender while handing over a piece of candy. Smooth.
The French film Room 206 is a short doc shadowing Clair as she ("at the moment") prepares for gender-affirming surgery. It seems to take place over one day, but that is not clear. There is a lot of chat about ice cream for some reason.
The Mexican doc Rag Dolls also takes place over a day as Rosita and Diana go about their business, navigating the streets of Puebla via wheelchair while giving an idea of how difficult life is for them without family or government support. That their date takes place at KFC is a bit of a surprise but to each her own.
The Vietnam drama Sweat is a languid two hander as Hung tells his friend Hoang he is leaving to cross the border. They also spend a day together but I did not understand the ending. Beautifully shot but confusing.
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