SURVIVAL OF THE WEIRDEST

Sometimes silly and sometimes straight-up nightmarish, this is a collection of films that defy easy description. A testament to the freedom offered by the short format, each of these films will leave you slack-jawed and scratching your head, in the best possible way.

THE GAME (dir. Josh MacDonald, Canada, 2012)

An innocent girl is being chased by a trio of madmen; well, that hardly seems fair. But the odds aren't always what they seem.

LAS PALMAS  (dir. Johannes Nyholm, Sweden, 2011)

There's one at every resort: Some jerk who can't hold their liquor and ruins everyone's fun. Somehow, it's much more fun when that someone is a giant baby.

A PRETTY FUNNY STORY (dir. Evan Morgan, Canada, 2012)

An example of extreme deadpan at its finest, this Canadian short shows why it's never a good idea to make fun of your neighbours.

BELLY (dir. Julia Pott, UK, 2011)

A beautiful, dream-like animation, Belly finds Oscar on a quest to save his best friend. But part of growing up is learning to live with loss.

BELIEVE THE DANCE (dir. Thomas Berg, Norway, 2012)

Plumbers, dentists, rest assured — no matter what you do, the dancer will find you. And yes, that is most definitely a threat.

THE PIG FARMER (dir. Nick Cross, Canada, 2011)

Finding his hen-house slaughtered is only the start of a terrifying downward spiral for our plucky porcine hero in this gorgeous, disturbing short.

BOBBY YEAH (dir. Robert Morgan, UK, 2011)

A compulsive thief, Bobby may have gotten in over his head in this deeply creepy stop-motion animation, an epic of nightmarishly Freudian production design.