Short on Shorts: NIAN and SNATCHED
The Bite Size Halloween series of spooky short films is back for its third season. The 2022 offering includes 21 stand-alone shorts blending horror, comedy, sci-fi, thriller and drama, showcasing BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and women filmmakers, stories, and actors. Part of 20th Digital Studio’s mission to work with emerging filmmakers from underrepresented groups, Bite Size Halloween tackles issues including racism, gender, parenthood, sexuality, and identity. Shot in seven different countries, watch them all for Huluween.
Bite Size Halloween short films NIAN and SNATCHED tackle the subject of identity acceptance as variations on a theme. Our Classic Couple Academy Short on Shorts take follows.
NIAN
Writer/Director: Michelle Krusiec is AAPI, API, Pacific Islander and a Taiwanese immigrant.
Length: 06:27
Synopsis: A Chinese American girl faces her racist bully with the help of the Nian, a mythological creature said to eat bad children.
Short on Shorts Commentary: A young girl looks to her grandmother for comfort while experiencing bullying at school because of her Chinese heritage and pride in her identity. Emboldened to stand up for herself, she soon needs a protector on the eve of Lunar New Year, the very night the Nian beast appears. Can one’s cultural identity actually save you?
SNATCHED
Content & Creator: Lead actor Misha Osherovich identifies as non-binary and worked closely with queer-identifying writer/director Michael Schwartz while portraying the cisgender character in the film.
Length: 10:27
Synposis: After coming out as gay, a 15-year-old boy must fight for his life when his parents react with otherworldly acceptance.
Short on Shorts Commentary: Before bedtime a teenager admits to his parents that he thinks he is gay. Fearing he won’t be accepted for his sexual identity, he wakes to find a very different reaction from his parents brought on by an unknown phenomenon. Must you face down stereotypes when you finally face yourself?
Film photo credits: 20th Digital