If you haven’t heard of the Carleton University Architecture students’ annual film festival, you probably aren’t alone. But you are definitely missing out.
In its second year of existence, the Sh!tty One Minute Film Festival more than delivered on its namesake with 89 student-made films, all 60 seconds or less. Submissions were encouraged to be “shitty, arty, scary, saucy or anything you like!” and it was a challenge that the student filmmakers took up whole heartedly. On March 16, the results of this challenge debuted at the Mayfair Theatre.
Some of the films were genuinely terrible — a badge of honour worn self-consciously on the sleeves of gems like “GOGOPOWERRANGERS” and “Sh!tty Movie Frank + Hunter.” The admitted campiness of so many of the films was integral to the sense of community in the audience: architecture students were admitted to the Mayfair for free, and they came out in droves to support their own.
Sitting in the audience as a non-architecture student, you realize that you have become privy to the secret lives of a very tightly knit group of students. Much of the work showcased at the festival was shot in the Architecture Building on campus, and explored what happens during those late nights at school. “Because They Got High,” “Tape Measure Fishing” and the various “Paulo Vids” were hilarious anecdotal films which were born out of exhaustion, camaraderie and a bit of desperation.
Beyond the craptacular, some of these films were genuinely incredible and left everyone wanting to see more than just a minute. “35 Seconds” opened the festival with its painstaking composition of still shots one after another. The all-too-brief “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead trailer” was a terrifyingly dark and elaborate horror film that left the audience wanting more, yet utterly fearful of the results.
The time and dedication that went into these brief bits of cinema was absolutely incredible and really demonstrative of the creativity and passion that architecture students bring to their work. At the same time, these short films also showcased an incredible knack for mischief making. “Tunnel Karts,” “A Love Story” and “Good Times 2011” are architecture shenanigans at their finest, stolen moments of hilarity amidst the tight deadlines and overbearing workload.
What the festival did best of all was satirical shorts, like the “Andrea Rap,” a brilliant spoof of Natalie Portman’s famous Saturday Night Live skit. There was a lot of laughter at this year’s festival, not the least of which came during the two computer crashes that temporarily halted viewing and prompted audience renditions of Rebecca Black’s ubiquitous “Friday” song (another subject of 60 second satire).
While word of the Sh!tty One Minute Film Festival may not have spread beyond the Architecture Department just yet, this event rightfully deserves to become a Carleton-wide tradition.