Spokane film scene? Look to Kosovo

Programs of short films are always problematic. Even film festivals with decent reputations, such as Sundance or Seattle, typically boast shorts programs that are more uneven in quality than Steve Buscemi’s teeth.

Which is why I was so pleased with today’s offerings during day six of Skena Up , an international student film and theatre festival that was showing at the ABC Kino. I ended up seeing nine films, eight of which were in English (the ninth was in Rumanian, but had English subtitles).

The range of themes was wide. “The Intimacy of Strangers” was a documentary in which the director, Eva Weber, edtied together a bunch of public cell-phone conversation held in the streets of London to make a larger statement about 21st century communication and romance. Gemma Burditt’s “Night Shift” is a blend of animation and real-life cinematography that explores what happens when lovers’ lives take divergent paths.

“Friday Street,” by Joseph Knowles, is a strange concoction of musical comedy and romance. “Synchronoff,” an animated effort by Catia Peres, is a “Triplets of Belleville”-type story of clock characters playing out their relationship to an audience of … ball bearings?

Romanian filmmaker Patricia Radol’s “At Nic’s” tells the story of a young woman seeking out the man who once had a relationship with her mother. And, following that theme, “Souvenir” (the director’s name wasn’t listed) tells the story of a young man trying to help his father clean out the apartment following mom’s death – only to be given a keepsake by “dad.”

These were the highlights. The best ones portray just how difficult it is to connect with those who, ultimately, will meet your needs and help you find the best chance at happiness. Overall, there wasn’t a loser in the bunch.

The festival continues tomorrow and Friday, with films from France, Albania, Germany and Kosovo. Truth is, despite how advance we like to think we are in the U.S., Spokane could use regular programming such as this.