Small Gauge Trauma - FanTasia Film Festival 1996

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Title: Small Gauge Trauma – FanTasia Film Festival 1996 - 2006

Region: One

Genre: Short Genre Film Collection

Films & Filmmakers: ABUELITOS (aka GRANDFATHER) - 15 min. Directed by Paco Plaza
CHAMBRE JAUNE - 8 min. Directed by Helene Cattet & Brunco Forzani
FLAT - N - FLUFFY - 7 min. Directed by Benoit Boucher
GORGONAS - 15 min. Directed by Salvador Sanz
I'LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS - 20 min. Directed by Miguel Vivas
INFINI (aka INFINITY) - 9 min. Directed by Guillaume Fortin
L'ILYA - 39 min. Directed by Tomoya Sato
LOVE FROM MOTHER ONLY - 21 min. Directed by Dennison Ramalho
MISS GREENY - :30 sec. Directed by Tenkwaku Naniwa
RUTA DESTROY! - 15 min. Directed by Diego Abad
THE SEPARATION - 10 min. Directed by Robert Morgan
SISTER LULU - 5 min. Directed by Philip Johny
TEA BREAK - 7 min. Directed by Sam Walker

Feature length: 180 minutes

Extras: Filmmaker Audio Commentaries On Most Shorts, Music Video, A Deleted Scene From The Separation, Video Introductions, Featurettes

Languages: Multiple According To Film’s Native Language

Subtitles: English Language Subtitles

Packaging: Amaray Keep Case

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and Stereo Sound Where Applicable

Year of Theatrical Release: 1997-2004/DVD Release: 2006

Home Video Distributor: Synapse Films

MPAA Rating: Not Rated

Reviewer: Mark A. Rivera

For ten years, Montreal’s legendary FanTasia International Film Festival has showcased short genre films that have lead it become North America’s largest fantasy/horror film event and one of the most influential fantastic film festivals in the world. It is a hallmark for talented filmmakers to exhibit their short films at a time where the general distribution of market for short films is limited to corporate sponsored contests, the whim of an already successful Hollywood mainstream filmmaker, or as calling cards at film markets where young and old filmmakers alike hope to attract the attention of an agent, a studio, get funding to make or finish a feature film or all of the above and more. I have attended film markets like the New York Independent Feature Film Market held at the Angelica Film Center in lower Manhattan close to the time of the traditional New York Film Festival and I can tell you from observation as well as conversations with filmmakers, some of whom are now mainstream Hollywood Directors that outside of capturing the lightning in the bottle where the right film at the right time gets seen by the right person, it is hard to get shorts distributed outside of the film festival circuit. Sometimes filmmakers are forced to compromise their work by editing it into an anthology that ends up destroying the filmmaker’s artistic expression in favor of a theme.

The FanTasia film festival has helped change that by creating an avenue where genre shorts are celebrated and where with each passing year, the festival simply gets bigger and bigger with more press coverage. Synapse Films’ Don May Jr. has been a regular attendee of FanTasia for years. I cannot remember how many automated e-mails I’ve received over the years that announced his attendance at the festival. So it is appropriate that Synapse Films should distribute this highly entertaining as well as quite haunting and down right disturbing collection of 13 award-winning shorts from eight countries hand picked by FanTasia’s Mitch Davis in celebration of the festival’s 10^th edition, SMALL GAUGE TRAUMA.

The thirteen films can be viewed in succession, but presented in an order as they might have been presented at a festival, taking into consideration time, pacing, theme and so forth. The films can also be viewed individually and in select cases there are filmmaker comments as well as interviews and onscreen notes related to the films. Of the films I viewed, the ones that particularly stand out in my mind are Abuelitos (Grandfathers), which is shot beautifully and it’s style is matched by the disturbing images and actions that occur that while tastefully (no pun intended) presented, more than suggest the nature of the film’s characters and motivations. Not so much a great film as it is a funny film, Flat-N-Fluffy looks like something that might have aired on MTV back when the network was edgier and actually showed something outside of TRL and reality television, which I think should be the subject of a third Decline Of Western Civilization documentary feature if one should ever get made.

Gorgonas (Gorgons) is an animated gem from Argentinean comic creator Salvador Sanz, depicting a post apocalyptic society where three international pops music stars have revealed themselves to be gorgons and consequently much of their worldwide audience has been turned to stone. There is some wry humor intermixed along with a sense of desolation that will stick with viewers for some time to come. The twist is brilliant and while I think the film could not have concluded in any better way without losing the punch effect, I would like to see a sequel if one ever got made. Heavily influenced by The Evil Dead Trilogy as much as it has been influenced on anything else, I’ll See You In My Dreams is noteworthy for being one of the most expensive shorts ever produced in Portugal and actually screened in front of theatrical showings of The Exorcist: The Beginning in Portugal too. The music video for Moonspell’s cover of “I’ll See You In My Dreams” is a fantastic companion piece.

Two UK shorts Sister Lulu and Tea Break are both disturbing and humorous at the same time. The singing commentary by Tea Break Director Sam Walker and Writer Timothy Reeves is an absolute much listen. The film itself looks as though it could have been placed as an opener in front of Eli Roth’s Hostel. The quality of the individual film presentations depends much upon the available source materials and styles used by and provided by the filmmakers. Some films are in black and white while others are in color. The picture quality overall is very good and the films are 16 by 9 enhanced with optional English Subtitles where applicable as well as whatever the film’s soundtrack presentation was available so for example I’ll See You In My Dreams features a Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack while another film may have a Stereo Soundtrack.

Other extra value materials on this DVD include “Blessings From Brazil: A Greeting From Jose Mojica Marins” (: 43), “Introductory Words From Mitch Davis” (3:27), three 29 second FanTasia 2005 television spots complete with onscreen production credits for all three commercials, the SMALL GAUGE TRAUMA 2005 Festival Trailer (1:17), and a “What Is Fantasia?” montage of television coverage. (5:55).

Inside the keep case is an essay by Mitch Davis, information on all 13 short films included on the DVD and a “Thank you” list by Synapse Films and Mitch Davis. The interactive menus are well rendered and easy to navigate. “Small Gauge Trauma – FanTasia Film Festival 1996 – 2006” will debut on DVD-Video at retailers on and offline on Tuesday, July 25, 2006 courtesy of Synapse Films and I found it to be a refreshing anthology of fantastic short genre cinema and I expect when I send a link of this review to Don, he’ll probably be attending FanTasia’s tenth anniversary screening even more great genre films. ;)

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