One of the highlights from this year’s Midnight Shorts Program at SXSW was Apotemnofilia. Apotemnophilia syndrome is defined as “the desire for amputation of a healthy limb,” and just from the title of this short film, director Jan Pita has already hinted at what audiences can expect. Set entirely in a dressing room, we witness Clara (Lucía Azcoitía) descend into madness as she increasingly believes that bugs are nesting and swarming within her body, particularly her leg. She attempts to excise these critters with various implements scattered around the dressing
A standout feature of this year’s Midnighters Program at SXSW was Meat Puppet. Directed by Eros V, Meat Puppet unfolds with Oz Franklin (David Jonsson) immersed in his world of action figures at home, while his girlfriend (Máiréad Tyers) frantically calls him from their graduation ceremony, puzzled by his absence. Oz, perpetually embracing his inner child, disregards her calls and instead answers the door to a mysterious package. Believing he ordered another round of toys, Oz accepts the delivery and eagerly opens the box, only to reveal a Sesame Street-style
Morgane Bensadoun stands as one of the industry’s most captivating emerging voices. Whether she’s embodying diverse characters on screen or delving into varied walks of life as a writer, Morgane infuses her work with an empathetic quality that resonates deeply with audiences, leaving an indelible mark. This past March, her latest film, The Idea of You, made its world premiere at SXSW. Based on the acclaimed, contemporary love story of the same name, The Idea of You centers on Solène (Anne Hathaway), a 40-year-old single mom who begins an unexpected
For three seasons, Martha Millan has mesmerized audiences with her compelling and nuanced performance as Fiona De La Rosa in Fox’s critically-acclaimed series, The Cleaning Lady. Now in its third season, The Cleaning Lady escalates the tension to unprecedented levels. Thony (Élodie Yung) directs her efforts toward bringing Fiona (Martha Millan) back to the U.S. after her deportation to the Philippines. Collaborating with Arman (Adan Canto) and utilizing Nadia’s (Eva De Dominici) plane, they devise an extraction plan. However, when Arman mysteriously vanishes, Thony and Nadia reluctantly join forces in