50 Short Films

At the end of June, the Los Angeles Film Festival screened 50 short films commissioned by the SOS campaign (part of Live Earth Day); the mission of SOS being, to provide a series of compelling and educational films, that are both inspiring and provocative and present the voices of a vast array of film producers. Alike to the music industry, this was intended to spark a reaction from the film industry and through film-makers responding to problems facing the environment, raise public awareness and initiate change.

The films range in style, tone of voice and execution, from comedy to serious, documentary to animation, but all address an issue in an a way that is personal to the individual film-maker. It's interesting to see how different well-known directors went about approaching an aspect of the subject. Most can be found on Youtube - 'Consumption' stuck in my memory for the way it was shot/directed as it isn't over complicated but simple and thought-provoking.

The films aren't all of a great standard or particularly creative, but the concept of using the power of film, especially at a platform such as a international film festival, to present a series of responses to the problems facing us today to the masses demonstrates how visual communications can be used to change habits and improve the world we live in.