Every month, the Vimeo Curation team finds the best short films on the internet and serves them up on a silver platter, a.k.a. the Best of the Month series. For a bite-size taste of essential watching, we present this playlist of our faves. Sit back, press play, and enjoy!
Action Sports
“Madman Trails of Bhutan,” directed by Scott Secco
Join three experts mountain bikers as they whizz between prayer flags and golden shrines in an ancient kingdom on the edge of the Himalayas.
Animation
“Raymonde or the Vertical Escape” from Papy3D Productions, directed by Sarah Van Den Boom
Raymonde is really fed up with peas, aphids, dirty panties and her kitchen garden to dig. After all, she would prefer sex, and love, and the immensity of the sky… (Read more about “Raymonde or the Vertical Escape” in our interview with the filmmaker, here.)
Branded Content
“Softcore,” directed by Kristoffer Borgli
Kristoffer Borgli ventures away from his usual mockumentary approach to narrative for a brilliant music video with only a shred of music in it, created to promote a Norwegian band called Softcore untd.
Comedy
“The Follow-Up,” directed by Benjamin Berman
Is this the first film to be made completely in quarantine? Maybe. What we do know for sure is that it’s the first film made completely in quarantine starring John Lovitz, Mark McGrath of Sugar Ray, Flava Flav, Gary Busey and more. We love this five-minute delight from the brain of filmmaker Benjamin Berman.
Documentary
“Betye Saar: Taking Care of Business | Art + Film” from LACMA, directed by Christine Turner
Over the last decade, LACMA’s Art + Film Initiative has produced some of our favorite artist profiles, including the classic Staff Pick “A Brief History of John Baldessari” and the Staff Pick Award-winning “Catherine Opie b. 1961.” Staff Pick alum Christine Turner created this piece about legendary artist Betye Saar, whose name is legend in the contemporary art world.
Drama
“VERT,” directed by Kate Cox
Blending sci-fi with human sensibilities, “VERT,” is a beautiful film about the power of bravery, acceptance, and unconditional love to release a lifetime of internalized shame. We were honored to present this short with the Vimeo Staff Pick Award at the 2020 SXSW Film Festival. (Read more about “VERT” in our interview with the filmmaker, here.)
Experimental
“0% Food” from XK Studio, directed by Lukas Vojir
If robots had stomachs, animator and fake chef Lukas Vojir would be their Food God.
Music Video
“NOAH // Christian Löffler,” directed by Mishka Kornai
Three phone booths in three different cities invite us to explore the histories of their occupants through an intimate lens. An artful and curious approach to a music video from filmmaker Mishka Kornai.
Travel
“IN LIMBO / NYC,” directed by Tim Sessler
A good handful of shorts about the fast-paced chaos of New York City have earned a Staff Pick badge, but very few — if any — have shown us what Gotham looks like without its bustling crowds. Shortly after the COVID-19 outbreak was a declared pandemic by the WHO, 17-time Staff Pick recipient Tim Sessler set out to capture a New York no one had ever seen before.
