Some of the shorts that stay with us longest are the quiet ones. These four from the 2022 San Jose International Short Film Festival find big feelings in small stories: a stranded traveler in a Kansas bar, a boy who puts himself up for adoption, a street artist painting kindness across his neighborhood and a short that takes on school shootings. All four are now streaming in full.
Heart Land
Written and directed by Lauren Ciaravalli · SJSFF 2022
Juliet, a musician from New York, misses her connecting flight to Aspen and ends up stranded for the night somewhere in Kansas. She heads to a local bar that fits every “red state” cliché in her mind, learns to line dance and meets Luke, a local winemaker. Sparks fly, and the two find they have more in common than they thought. Lauren Ciaravalli’s romantic comedy screened in our Life Interrupted program.
Stills from Heart Land.
Wei-Lai
Written and directed by Robin Wang · SJSFF 2022
Wei-Lai is the son of Chinese parents living in the U.S. After yet another spanking from his strict father, he runs to his best friend Luca’s house and offers himself up for adoption. What starts as a child’s whim turns into something more complicated as Wei-Lai wrestles with his heritage and his family. Robin Wang’s funny, touching short also screened in our Life Interrupted program.
Stills from Wei-Lai.
Bourn Kind
Written and directed by Rachel S. Myers · SJSFF 2022
Bourn, a Black-Jewish street artist, confronts the fear and isolation of the moment through art, creating a street mural project that celebrates kindness and connection in his community. Rachel S. Myers’s short, an official selection of the 2022 Tribeca Festival, screened in our The Human Experience program.
Stills from Bourn Kind.
Thoughts and Prayers
Directed by Evan Miller · SJSFF 2022
Starring Adrianne Palicki and Zachary Levi, Evan Miller’s short takes its title from a phrase often heard after mass shootings, and it takes on the subject of school shootings. It screened in our An Uncomfortable Truth program. A note for viewers: this film deals with gun violence.
Stills from Thoughts and Prayers.
More to Watch
See all of the 2022 winners and the full lineup on our 2022 winners page, or read about the 2022 jury award winners. For more shorts you can stream right now, try five SJSFF documentaries or six animated shorts from past festivals.
