Our final Film of the Month judge for 2016 was Indieflix Founder and CEO, Scilla Andreen. Read more about her work and platform, here, before taking in her comments on the three very strong finalists for the December competition.

My Deadly, Beautiful City by Victoria Fiore

Of Victoria Fiore’s stunning, elegiac portrait of the arctic mining city of Norilsk, Scilla noted that “the eerie images are quite beautiful. Sometimes I feel like I’m watching a post apocalyptic film with flashbacks of a time long lost. These residents look beyond the health hazards and find beauty in the day to day living and appreciate even the smallest pieces of nature still in existence.” My Deadly, Beautiful City was Scilla’s overall winner.

The Long Haul by Chloe White

Scilla’s second favourite film was Chloe White’s festival favourite short doc The Long Haul. “A beautifully told short story of a woman in a man’s world and what a natural fit she is – its a wonder that anyone would question a woman doing this job. Nicely done!”

Queer Heroes by Kate Jessop (Animation Girl Band)

Her third favourite was collaborative animated project Queer Heroes, orchestrated by Kate Jessop. A collaboration between 14 animators, the film takes the Surrealist drawing game ‘Exquisite Corpse’ as inspiration, each animator making their part on a provided hero, before passing on to the next creative. Of the ilm, Scilla remarked: “Wow! A roller coaster ride through a collage of great artists and disruptors. The transitions were seamless and engaging. Masterfully crafted!”