BEST USA SHORT FILMS 2
Kitbull by Rosana Sullivan (2019) (USA) (9m) *
Kitbull was the best of ten short animations made by Pixar employees who would not normally get a chance to lead on projects. That it went on to be nominated for an Oscar shows there is obvious talent lurking within Pixar's ranks (to get a job at Pixar one has to be pretty talented anyway). Kitbull is a simple tale about a scrawny street cat who comes across an abused pitbull. Initially afraid of the bigger animal, the cat realises that the dog is not necessarily to be feared.
DeKalb Elementary by Reed Van Dyk (2017) (USA) (21m)
DeKalb Elementary was nominated for an Oscar in 2018, losing out the inferior The Silent Child (proving that if you want to win an Oscar, your chances are significantly higher if you focus on a child). It retells the 2013 incident at McNair Academy in Georgia, USA, when bookkeeper Antoinette Tuff helped persuade a mentally ill gunman to give up rather than go on a suicidal rampage.
Thunder Road by Jim Cummings (2016) (USA) (13m)
Cummings plays a grieving cop, Jimmy, who is the only one of three siblings to turn up for his mother's funeral. After delivering a heartfelt though often rambling eulogy, he decides to pay tribute to his mother by dancing to her favourite track: Thunder Road by Bruce Springstein. The result does of course make for uncomfortable viewing. It would be hard to argue that there is a lot of story in this short film, or that it is laugh-out-loud funny, but the monologue and acting really is superb, the awkwardness tangible and its simplicity impressive.
Blue Hole by Erik Gardner (2012) (USA) (12m) 
Blue Hole was a big hit on the horror film festival circuit. With a clever, circular idea at its core, Blue Hole tells the story of an eerie lake, near a cabin in the woods, that is said to be the dwelling place of the Devil. A couple staying at the cabin read up on the legend and decide to visit the lake, only for the entity within the water to pull the woman in. Based on the unfinished writings about the lake, the man believes he can retrieve her...
