For a few years now, Fantasia has been doing a showcase of short film directed by women. Each year, the shorts included are fantastic with past titles including Freya, Lucid, and Creswick (which later became The Relic), short films that have stayed in the mind clearer than most others. At Cinema-Crazed, we are big supporters of Women in Horror and showcase their work whenever we can and go extra hard in March (the interviews should be coming back next March, keep your eyes peeled for them). So, any chance to see a group of shorts made by women and carefully curated is always a good day. Here are this year’s selections, reviewed by yours truly:
Ultraviolet Damage
In a living, where families used to sit to watch television, time and space seems to become one and soon the future shows a new technology, one that disconnects people from their humanity. This visually stunning short has more to say in its 5 minutes run time than most bloated mega-budget features do in their communal interminable run times. Writer-director Pola Rader creates the kind of short film that grabs you visually and then punches you in the face with the reality of life, one that is affecting everyone these days it seems. Her work here is solid with great cinematography, colors that make it feel like a painting at times, and editing that moves things along quickly while lingering on just the right shots. The young lead actor is fantastic here. A very strong opener for this year’s group.
Angels
Two girls getting ready for a party encounter people and events that expose their vulnerability and that of women everywhere. This short written by Annabel Newland and directed by Sam Mandich is one that is a bit rough but necessary, it shows the reality, the risks, the vulnerability of girls and women when going out, here heightened by alcohol consumption, with one friend pushing the other a bit too far for comfort. The film here does not hold back or gloss things up. The reality is shown, the reality is rough, and the reality is real. The actresses leading this short film, Nuha Jes Izman and Sirena Warren (frustrating note IMDB has the male supporting cast listed before them), give excellent performances, showing vulnerability, fear, strength, and so much more.
Sam
Directed by Catharina Schürenberg, Sam shows the effects of social media comments on a young woman who dared to show an ounce of vulnerability by posting a bit of a story with an ex. This one will hit home for many as the negativity of some commenters on social media is hard to avoid (even outside of social media, like this site where we can thankfully delete the hateful comments). This short is incredibly well-made and shows the cycle of online abuse by strangers very well with a great performance by its lead actress and good cinematography. Everything is careful, well almost everything, some of the sound design is a bit much, but this may very well be planned this way for effect.
Imprint
Should you, if you could, engineer the perfect life for your child if you could? Even at the detriment of another person? Co-written by Yumiko Fujiwara and Ran Jing and directed by the latter, this short is fascinating in that it feels like a not-too-distant future when parents will be able to buy entire skills for their children and have them implanted, a future where knowledge becomes the domain of those who can afford it. This short film has a strong impact in large part due to its subject, how it is approached, the writing, the direction, and very importantly the performances. Wrenn Schmidt is fantastic here, and she really pulls the viewer in as the well-meaning mother who may not have thought of the aftermath of what she is doing for her daughter, the donor, and even herself. This one is one to watch that has a strong grip on reality and science-fiction at the same time. This feels like a not-too-distant time from us, and that makes it scarier than anything else at the fest this year.
Strange Egg
A girl goes back to her mom’s place after visiting her father. Soon, things take a turn for the strange as she showers. Set in the 1990s, this family body horror coming of age film is one that takes the hard realities of being a teenage girl, mixes them with divorced parents, and adds a touch of the WTF to make a whole that is entertaining and a bit gross. The writing and direction by Liv Mershon are on point, and the performances are solid. What sticks in mind the most here is the way the effects look on screen, effects that look to be 100% practical and definitely designed to irk the viewer out. There is something said here about bizarre puberty can be for girls, something that will likely only (or mostly) connect with women. This is a gooey one and it doesn’t make any qualms about it.
Breeder
Unsure if she wants children, a woman finds herself faced with a horseman creature when it comes into her home with nefarious intent. Written and directed by Sapphire Sandalo, Breeder is a punch to the face about women’s rights to decide if they do or do not want children in a society that still sees it as their responsibility to do so. The writing here is possibly the best part of a very strong film on all fronts. The story here takes its time, establishes tension, then releases this tension in a gruesome way. Pairing the acting by Kristine Gerolaga with the monster acting of Taylor Bradley, the film gets its point across with few words and some violence. The special effects here are fantastic with a monster design that is both simple (body) and effective (head). This is one that could become a feature but likely should stay a short as it makes a big impact without a long run time.
The New Flesh (O Novo Corpo)
A woman on farm, women in captivity, a new sort of milk and meat, is this the future? The New Flesh is almost completely without words, showing that strong acting can move a film forward, and that dialog is not always needed to tell a story. Here, this is something that not only serves the story but makes sense once the reveal happens. Writer-director Luciana Malavasi takes a subject that has been growing in society and turns it on its head, giving her film a touch of scifi and a whole lot of horror. The writing and direction here are masterful and the acting is emotionally loaded. Shot to let the viewer see and interpret the situation for themselves, assuming they can understand instead of assuming they cannot, the film comes off like a dark fairly tale that wants to tell you something. It’s up to you to understand and accept it.
Redneck
What if redheads stealing souls was not just an urban legend but a curse and part of folklore? Written and directed by Alexandria Basso and starring Annalise Basso, this Southern dark tale is one that is visually stunning at times, filled with atmosphere, but ultimately one that did not connect with this viewer. The film looks and sounds great, the acting is really good, but something is missing, so perhaps it’s something in the writing or direction, or maybe it was too melodramatic at times or too meandering from horror into romance, something that will work great for some but not at all for this viewer.
Fingerbang
The only animation short part of Born of Women this year comes from Kim Yeon-woo and follows a woman who, in her loneliness, befriends a sentient finger. The more time she spends with it, the more it grows, and soon it is love. This short film has a distinctive look to it that feels homemade and old school, giving it charm to go with its odd premise. The animation here is lovely, the subject matter is interesting, and the story moves in a way that is easy to follow. Another case of very little dialog working wonders. It’s the kind of short films people go to film festivals for, something out of the ordinary that somehow makes sense and connects with the audience on an emotional level.
Fantasia 2026 runs from July 16th to August 2nd, 2026