Shortfilms

First Look Trailer For Judge Dredd Fan Made Short, JUDGEMENT CALL

The long awaited first look trailer for a fan made Judge Dredd Short Film has finally arrived. Titled “JUDGEMENT CALL” directed by award-winning Stunt Coordinator Peter Pedrero. The short film is based on the eponymous 2000 A.D. anti hero Judge Dredd. The character hasn’t materialised onto the big or small screen since the 2012 lukewarm received feature film directed by Pete Travis, the thought of Dredd returning in any form gets us excited and after seeing this trailer we are most certainly pumped. Check out the trailer below – In the trailer you we get to see Dredd in multiple storylines based on the character created by John Wagner, and a 35 minute full short is set to be released over the coming months. The film was mostly shot by Mr Pedrero during the Covid lockdown of 2020, using family members and friends, but at all times he adhered to […]

1987: BLOOD OF THE BAT Dares To Unleash Its Fangs On Gotham!

Lee B. Golden III

Director and producer James Campbell is ramping up another round of comic book crossover thrills over at Indiegogo with independently-produced fan flick, 1987: Blood Of The Bat. A new four-minute proof-of-concept is now running online to showcase what lies ahead for the project, which aims rightly towards its darker, grittier, R-rated approach as Campbell did for its fan-induced award-winning predecessor, 1986: Batman & Punisher, which is currently available on YouTube. We always wanted to come back and do another BATMAN fan film – but it would always depend on what type of story we would want to make… we now have one – and we’re very excited for you all to see it! “1986” was a neon, action short film, heavily influenced by John Carpenter and the early works of Michael Mann and James Cameron… as well as an obvious love of Frank Miller’s THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS. With “1987: BLOOD OF THE BAT” we’re going down a darker path […]

JUGANDO CON FUEGO: Robert Samuels Is An Agent With A Vendetta In Nicholas Ortiz’s New Shortfilm Release

Lee B. Golden III

Following a brief release window through Vimeo On Demand, action thriller Jugando Con Fuego is now available to watch via YouTube in the player below. The short haila from Tambuli Media, R4 Films, and Deviant Children Productions, and sees actor, martial artist and Hong Kong stunt laureate Robert Samuels take on the role of a CIA agent on a mission of vengeance against a notorious cartel leader scorned from a tragedy of his own. The project is now one of a pair of ventures, the second of which Samuels is currently en route with alongside director Nicholas Ortiz with the current production, which already has some stills to check out through Samuels’ social media here. I’ve been especially covering Ortiz for a while, and so with any luck, these could finally at some point lead to more of at least one project he had been planning for a while prior […]

YAMAKASI: Parkour Gets A 20th Anniversary Celebration With A Cast Reunion For Jean Adrieu’s New Short

Lee B. Golden III

I remember the first time I’d heard of Ariel Zeitoun and Julien Seri’s 2001 action adventure, Yamakasi, it was back when I was a recurring customer of the now defunct HKFlix website. It was definitely one of those titles that was always “Out Of Print” and/or “Out Of Stock,” and so I never got around to getting it while hoping one day that a legitimate U.S. distribution outlet would swoop in and save the day, and obviously, that never happened. At any rate, it’s worth noting that the film came right during the advent of the internet where stunt performers, namely freerunners, would find themselves on opportune ground to get their stuff out into the world. Parkour eventually became a mainstream thing for a time in movies and television, and traceurs like David Belle, Cyril Raffaelli, and Sebastien Foucan would become more prolific, and hell, at one point prior if […]

KUNG FU DELUSION: DINO MISSION Gets Prehistoric In The Latest Collab With Bueno And @akikojerryt

Lee B. Golden III

It was back in May when Garage Hero founder, action director and filmmaker Bueno (Gun Caliber, Strega) teamed up with indie action purveyor Akiko Jerry Takahashi (@akikojerryt) for a project of their own which eventually became a crowdfunded venture via their Camp Fire fundraising line. Fast forward to this month and after winning second place at the Japan Action Guild, Takahashi’s latest online release, Kung Fu Delusion: Dino Mission, is here to stay featuring the members of burgeoning martial arts stunt and action troupe Kung Fu Is Fun. With action sequences by Bueno, we get a wacky, cool kung fu romp about an ambitious museum curator and a briefcase containing mysterious fossil, which becomes the McGuffin for all-out kung fu warfare. It’s about thirteen minutes and changes, including credits along with an outtake reel to wind things down, and if this is your first exposure to @kungfuisfun, or that of […]

Fantasia XXVI Review: Short Films Short on Time but Not on Entertainment

Christina Ortega

One of the aspects of covering film festivals that I look forward to most is covering the short films that are shown. This year’s selection of shorts at the Fantasia International Film Festival did not disappoint. My friend and I now have new favorite directors to watch for and we have obscure lines we can quote from these shorts for a laugh. You should try to view these as well: Meat Friend Meat Friend made its Canadian premiere on July 15th. Written by Stephan Johanson and Izzy Lee (Lee also directed), this short is horror and comedy and fantasy and just a meaty good time. A young girl microwaves raw hamburger meat which causes it to become alive. It just isn’t any sentient being though, this Meat Friend has the spirit of an ex-con who loves to teach young Billie lessons he has learned from his life of crime. This […]

LEGEND: A DRAGON BALL TALE Scores Huge With Anime Fans This Month!

Lee B. Golden III

As of this article, burgeoning animator Nas Pasha has accrued nearly four million views of his latest short, Legend: A Dragon Ball Tale, which hails from his Team Stray Dogs production crew. The singular fan film inspired by the highly-acclaimed Akira Toriyama property features the V.O. performances of Elsie Love Lock, Jordan Woollen and Jason Alexander Sukhran, adding a keen touch to what Pasha has created, effectively generating fan hopes for another offering. Given diplomatic orders by the Grand Council, Vegeta, now king of the Saiyans, sets out on an interstellar assassination mission. TARGET LOCATION: PLANET EARTHOBJECTIVE NO.1: ERADICATIONOBJECTIVE NO.2: PACKAGE RETRIEVAL For his life, all his training has led to this. Now, Son Goku will learn the true meaning of the title, “LEGEND.” Five days in and with the attention its gotten, I still don’t know if this will get a follow-up, and so if this is the last […]

Marina Del Rey 2022 Shorts Review: MASK, A Compelling Reminder To Those Who Feel Alone

Lee B. Golden III

TRIGGER WARNING: This review discusses suicide and PTSD. While FCSyndicate has largely taken notice to Peter Jang’s work in the stunt arena over the years, he’s continued to further showcase himself beyond cinematic fight scenes and wrecks, invoking an intent to one day take the mantle as a bonafide filmmaker, with a diverse repetoire of his own ideas to share with audiences en masse. Audiences at this year’s Marina Del Rey Film Festival will get to sample a little of this as Jang dives deep into the torured psyche of an ex-veteran coping with the loss of a fellow soldier and friend in the new shortfilm drama, Mask. The opening two minutes are a medley of explosive, violent and torturous audibles of warfare and voices inside the head of Nick (Peter Jang), an ex-soldier already in the middle of a nightmaring pounding session on the bags at his local boxing […]

Make HASTE With The Latest Poster For The New Action Short

Lee B. Golden III

UK actors and stunt performers Jon Alagoa and Danny Darwin have been on our radar before with some of their work and they’re back nowadays with another shortfilm project on the way with Haste. The two star for award-winning independent director Aeddan Sussex whose credits include Potty The Plant and kung fu comedy Chopsticks!!. ‘HASTE’ showcases a clash between two fighters, Ryan & Nathan. Rivals forced to battle for an underground organisation. Ryan is hesitant until a revelation about his opponent sends him into a rage. The project was crowdfunded and shot during the pandemic last year and his currently in post-production through July when we could see a teaser go live. You’re welcome to check out the poster below and follow Sussex on Instagram to keep up with his progress.

MASK: Peter Jang Echoes The Homecoming Horrors Of War In New Stills From The New Shortfilm Drama

Lee B. Golden III

Currently in its eleventh year, the 2022 edition of the Marina Del Rey Film Festival is fully underway with tickets to any and all available screenings still accessible via the official website, including the latest compelling short film drama, Mask, from writer/director and star Peter Jang with stills you can view in the gallery above. The film is one of several projects burgeoning from Jang’s Simplicity Pictures production wheelhouse and stars Jang as a former soldier with PTSD who is still struggling with the internal scars he’s suffered from the battlefield. The story is an inspired and personal one by Jang as he aims to cast a spotlight on the on-going crisis among Veterans still coping with trauma from war. Additionally, his grandfather served on D-Day storming the beaches of Normandy, and his mother also served in the Air Force during Vietnam. Mask also stars Tim Neff and Gabrielle […]

BLACK SITE Promo Teases First Look At John Balazs’ New Action Thriller Shortfilm

Lee B. Golden III

I still have high hopes for director John Balazs after seeing his exemplary shortfilm work and ultimately proving himself in the feature film arena with his 2019 debut crime drama, Rage. His latest outing returns him once more to the shortfilm arena with Black Site, rejoined by his Rage star, Matt Theo, with actors Amelie Mendoza, Cassie Bethdart, Zoran Bravo and Marcus Merkoski rounding out the cast. Two remaining members of a special ops team must survive being hunted by Russian soldiers in order to make it to an extraction point. The mission, steal a vaccine that’s been withheld from the rest of the world. If you’ve seen his previous works like Night Shift starring Adele Elasmar, or his previous award-winner, Dancer, which is on deck for feature development as we speak, then you already have a good idea of what you’re in for with Black Site. If not and […]

THE COCKTAIL PARTY Review: Martial Arts Mayhem At A Mixer Serves Up An Enduring Etiquette Lesson

Lee B. Golden III

Watch The Cocktail Party at Purple or on YouTube. How does a filmmaker tell a story in four minutes with no dialogue? That’s a question every director should answer at some point, and it’s a task no less that Jessica Sanders aimed to complete with her latest expeimental action comedy short, The Cocktail Party, which has already garnered several awards following its Tribeca premiere last year. Sanders co-wrote the short with actress and martial artist Charlotte Taschen who takes the dialogue-less wheel as a waitress at a posh cocktail party, brimming with snobbish and rude socialites (Dugan O’Neal, Bijan Shaw, Robert Paul Taylor), underhanded looters (Ali Yuman, Christian Howard), a charming pianist (Brandon Coleman), a beautiful dancing muse (Eugenia Yuan) to ornament whatever the occasion is, and a hard-as-nails head chef with a pugilistic nature (Jen Kuo Sung). Host to cinematography by Larkin Seiple (Everything Everywhere All At Once), with […]

KODAMA Wraps: New BTS Stills Offer A First Look At Brian Tang’s Samurai SWAT Fantasy Action Short

Lee B. Golden III

Director Brian Tang and set photographer Marshall Hall have revealed new behind-the-scenes photos of Tang’s new sci-fi fantasy martial arts action short, Kodama. The project wrapped shooting on Friday after a week of principal photography beginning last weekend, following a crowdfunding period through Kickstarter earlier this year. Blending Japanese fantasy aesthetics and folklore with modern-day tactical action, Kodama centers on Arthur, the new captain of an elite SWAT Samurai team who leads a rescue mission to recover his father from the spirit world where an evil “Kodama”, and a dangerous shapeshifting Fox Spirit hold him hostage. The cast is led by Brandon Soo Hoo (Supah Ninjas”, G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra and “From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series”) and Chris Tashima (Go For Broke, The Perfect Weapon). Penny Lin is producing alongside Brendon Bennett and Norrie Palmer, with costume design by Poland-based Craft Collabo, an original score by Ahmed […]

THE SEAL OF DEATH: Catch The Trailer For Harris Josey’s Award-Winning Crime Shortfilm

Lee B. Golden III

If you’re as new as I am to the goings-on of director Harris Josey then feel free to enjoy the journey with me as we check out a trailer for The Seal Of Death, a shortfilm set in the 1980s and starring Andrew Vilar and Corey Winston. A 1980s Crime/Thriller set in San Fransisco, California. Watch Tony Han and Marcus Ford as they try to uncover the truth and solve the mystery behind the sudden murder of Tina Lin. A quick scroll through the shortfilm’s Instagram page will reveal the project’s history dating back as far as 2020 with initial casting announcements. The short has also gone on to screen at numerous festivals and win some awards along the way as well, and with a sequel already in production for the short, you’re welcome to hit that ‘Follow’ button as I have.

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DATE ME NEXT TIME PLEASE (Short Film, Review): Love Knows no Distance

Mike Garcia

Full Short Film “Date Me Next Time Please”, is a tearful almost love story directed by prolific Malaysan director James Lee. A short film that follows the lead of many of his jobs, exploring the incomprenssive mysteries of love relationships, revolving around two friends from a small town and their almost love story when they move to the big city. The film is a bittersweet journey through an undeclared love story, with terminal diseases included, told through an aching path of sacrifice where victory is not guaranted and true love may not always being victorious, specially when two names were never written in the book of destiny. The director brilliantly displays on the screen the frustration and misery of the ungrateful pursuing of true love when destiny has other plans making the audience reflect and probably even recall the misfortunes of their own personal experiences on the treacherous clutches […]

ONION SOUP Serves A Nice Hot Bowl Of Introspective Whoop-Ass In The New ‘Warrior’ Inspired Short

Lee B. Golden III

With HBO Max revving up a third serving of hit period series drama, Warrior in the months to come, the fanfare hasn’t died in the least. Rather, it’s more dormant than anything, so I reckon when the show returns things are about to get more louder than a 19th century Tong riot. Until then, leave it to the fans and filmmakers therein to weigh in with their own tributes with none other than Alberto Triana’s newest short, Onion Soup. The skinny? A member of the axe-wielding Hop Wei finds himself at a crossroads when confronted by a Long Zii rival and five bigoted Irishmen looking to take them both out. Kris Mayeshiro and Tek Le star from a script by Triana, along with appearances by Jackie Gerhardy and Charlit Dae, with action sequences by Mayeshiro, Le and Gerhardy, and fight coordinator Angel Mendoza.

HERMANITA Shortfilm Bludgeons With Violence, Gore And A Chilling Smile In The First Teaser

Lee B. Golden III

Can you think of a more menacing way to tease a chilling cinematic narrative? Probably, but you can’t deny that director Louis Obioha’s got the formula down packed, with the latest example now available in a new teaser for short thriller, Hermanita. Actress and stunt performer Emely Cartegena (Chick Fight, Uncharted) takes center stage in the first teaser currently available on Instagram. There aren’t any plot or story details available but what we see in the teaser is a transitionary montage that elevates its intensity from the first shot of our lead actress’s smile, to an increasing medley of blood-drenched insanity and violence, all tuned to an omnious score in the backdrop. It excited me when I caught it so I’m looking forward to it nonetheless. The short also stars Michelle Cortes, Cecille Colón, Xavier Reyes and Sebastian Vásquez Medina, and for all else, I’d recommend following Obioha on Instagram […]

TWISTING TIGER: Joseph Le’s Karmic Crime Tale Of Kung Fu And Redemption Now Online

Lee B. Golden III

Actor and filmmaker Joseph Le is already less than a week away from collaborating on another crowdfunded project, and in light of this, he’s kicking things off with the online release of his latest shortfilm, Twisting Tiger. Le directs from a script by Nick Hoang, with an inspired kung fu drama based on the true stories of its cast, including actor, stunt performer and Shaolin Kung Fu disciple Tarrell Kota Bullock, who’s done several shortfilm projects and even performed for Cirque du Soleil from 2019 through 2020. The project also marks Bullock’s second collaboration with Le since 2019’s “Afro Samurai Champloo”. Bullock plays T, a former gangster coping with PTSD while living sworn to a vow of non-violence, as he’s confronted by the violent and harrowing realities of life in the hood when one of his students is compelled to do the unthinkable in an effort to show strength against […]

KIRU: Yoshi Sudarso Slays In Stephen Ford’s New ‘Ghost Of Tsushima’ Fan Short

Lee B. Golden III

When Stephen Ford isn’t acting, he’s filmmaking. Just as he has with his latest short, Kiru, attributed to hit video game, “Ghost Of Tsushima”, it’s billed as a love letter to legendary authors like Kurosawa, Leone and Morricone and was just released on the Ascender channel on YouTube only a few days ago. The project was originally crowdfunded via kickstarter and shot last year with the intention of debuting it last August to coincide with the director’s cut launch of the Sucker Punch-developed game. Actor Yoshi Sudarso leads the vengeful ronin epic opposite Josh Han, James Tang, Manny Shih, Earl Baylon and Zedrick Restauro, and Hana Wu. Ford penned the short with story consultant Mari Takahashi, and with Sudarso laying out the action choreo. Check it out above, and peep the poster below, along with a fan poster created by Nuno Sarnadas which you can view here.

THE 44TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN Review: Electrifyingly Nuts [Updated With Poster]

Lee B. Golden III

As far as shorfilms go, most are worthy of sharing a few written thoughts depending on their substance and potential. Jon Truei’s latest, The 44th Chamber Of Shaolin, produced by Mary Pomilla, stands as potent proof-of-concept that just about brings Truei full circle as an artist and kung fu cinema fan having once beared a Yahoo! username inspired by a Gordon Liu classic, and all while leaning into a bold mixture of outlandish comedy to couple with stylish martial arts action to boot. The 44th Chamber Of Shaolin dives right into the story of a struggling Sifu (Mario Marin), now fallen on hard times and is resigned to teaching on airplane mode in his backyard with his beleagured disciple (Samuel Dunning) performing most of the grunt work. It’s not until a young teenager (Marshieh Johnson) arrives to inquire about lessons to help defend himself against bullies that Sifu becomes fully […]