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A special program of short films was screened for the first time this year by the Burlington City Arts (BCA) Center as a part of the Vermont International Film Festival. 

The screenings took place from Monday, Oct. 22 to Friday, Oct. 26.

Monday’s film theme, “Connections,” showcased four films – “Las Palmas,” “Random Strangers,” “CatCam” and “Dr. Breakfast” – that explore the unique relationships we share with the humans and animals around us.

“Las Palmas”

2011, 13 min.

This Swedish short, directed by Johannes Hyholm, follows a middle-aged lady on an island for holiday. 

The “lady,” played by a toddler, interacts with an artistically imagined, animated beach environment. What look like paper mache puppets feed her alcohol and scoops of ice cream at her request.  

The lady tries desperately to make friends with those around her, but instead causes a drunken scene complete with tabletop dancing and blackouts. 

Incredibly humorous, this short left the audience in an uproar of laughter.

“Random Strangers”

2011, 25 min.

In an age of technology and cyber-friendships, Alexis Dos Santos from the U.K. presents an emotional portrait of Rocky and Lulu, who find each other online. 

A virtual relationship blossoms, with the two spending late hours staring at each other through a computer screen. 

Lulu is struggling with depression as a worker in a shoe factory while Rocky, coping with the death of his brother, leads an anonymous life selling sex. 

“Random Strangers” forces audiences to question how real their digital lives truly are through the portrayal of these two young adults who find themselves in digital love.

“CatCam”

2012, 16 min.

In this film, a South Carolina family takes in a stray cat and begins to wonder about the other lives he leads. 

They decide to create a scratchproof and waterproof camera to fit around the cat’s neck to snap pictures at random intervals during his explorations. 

What the family finds is that the cat’s secret life is filled with an intimate feline social circle, visits to other neighborhoods and breathtaking views of nature.

Directed in the USA by Seth Keal, this short documentary explores the pursuit of one family to connect further with its pet.  

“Dr. Breakfast”

2011, 7 min.

The final film of the screening offered an interesting perspective on the body’s connection to the soul. 

In this short directed by Stephen Neary, a man’s soul bursts out of his eyeball while he is eating breakfast, leaving him catatonic. 

His soul explores the earth, its cities and seas, eating almost anything it sees. Cars, sharks, buildings – nothing stops this soul, whose eyes are larger than its stomach.

Meanwhile, the man’s immobile body catches the attention of two deer that try desperately to lift his spirits. They bathe him, clothe him and cook him a gourmet dinner until his soul returns.