Marko Slavnic

Project Skyborn

Why Watch? We’ve all been there. You wake up in a snow-covered, Earth-like alien world with a loaded science gun and a limited amount of oxygen. It seems dire, but fortunately there’s someone hunting you. Maybe it’s the Herrmannesque score or the near-constant heavy breathing, but this short from Marko Slavnic is a muscle tenser. It’s a snare drum exercise in atmospheric worry that doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but still adds a new tire to it.


Table 7 Short Film

Why Watch? The Continuum has proven itself as a great production company, promoting fresh talent and fresh ideas. In this short from writer/director Marko Slavnic, a couple fights while out at a Chinese restaurant. As they teeter toward the edge of breaking up, a spy is listening to everything they say, but like all good spy dramas, things are not what they seem. Be it the sweat on the spy’s brow or the relatable (yet never dull) dialogue that makes up the meat of the lover’s spat, this movie is charged with tension. The drama of the fight is an easy hook, but the question of why someone would be listening in while taking notes magnetizes it all. Plus, the acting is all on point, and the camera work and score only help raise the blood pressure that’s just about to boil over when all is revealed. What will it cost? Around 4 minutes. Skip Work. Watch More Short Films.


Grey Short Film

Why Watch? An impossible situation, a challenge of beliefs and consistent tension, this short from writer/director Marko Slavnic is a streamlined work of criminal heroism. While trying to steal a car, a young man (William Buchanan) witnesses a gangster (Aaron Alexander) being shot. He could walk away, but then the gangster asks him to call for help and the real dilemma begins. Acted with sweating agression and written all the way through to the final note, it’s about as taut as it gets, but instead of letting the situation do all the work, the short delivers a few nice surprises along the way. It’s not just a test of morals in the face of a severe scenario, it’s also a test of personal identity, asking whether we’d go against our own value system when faced with life and death. Turning conventional social mores on their ear, this is a formidable showing from a talented young filmmaker. What will it cost? Only 7 minutes. Skip Work. You’ve Got Time For More Short Films.  

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published: 12.23.2014
published: 12.22.2014
published: 12.19.2014

Fantastic Fest 2014
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