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Short films are underrated - Tomek Baginski

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In my opinion, short films are underestimated and discriminated against the champion of motion pictures that is the feature film. As far as I know, there is no particularly good reason for that, in the same fashion that there are absolutely no good reasons to rank short stories below novels in the literature domain. Just like the latter case, there is a challenge, and I would say as well a delight, in making (for authors) and assimilating (for readers/viewers) a small-packed message with no more stuff than needed. 

I remember that Poe was a great advocate of short stories; in fact, I think he didn't write novels at all (ok, I checked: just one). Cortázar did write novels, but I would say he was biased towards short stories as well; probably, he better put this preference as a piece of advice to novice writers and using a boxing match metaphor: "A novel is always winning by points, while a short story ought to win by knock-out". I would say that (among other well-known ideological reasons) a considerable issue for not giving Borges the Nobel prize for Literature had to do with only having a narrative corpus of short stories and not a single novel.

Nowadays, people seek for large stuffed messages. As an author, you can even keep the message to yourself, after all, since people is usually convinced that impeccable packing implies sound and relevant messages. It shouldn't be like this, I reject such superficial ideas. Moreover, among accomplished authors, thrives the myth that short-stories/short-films are for beginners and that if you are ought to escalate your career you should aim for "the highest" (i.e., the longer), novels/movies to be precise. This is the class of underestimation and discrimination I am talking about in action.

This is probably too long to defend shortness... So, quick to the point. There are filmmakers that are or were doing tremendous efforts to make an impact in the audience with short films. Tomasz Bagiński (aka, Tomek Baginski) among them. (By the way, I am thankful to my friend Michel Ibarra for introducing me to Baginski's works and so many other short-film makers.) His short films are the quintessence of 'economy of resources', and I am referring to the plot, not to the budget. What needs to be said is said, but nothing more than that.  

Here you have two great examples of Baginski's cinematography. The Cathedral (2002) and Fallen Art (2004) are both short films with no dialogues that convey clear ideas about the architecture of religion, and how frivolous the exercise of power can be, respectively.

Enjoy!                    






More recent Baginski's works that I can recommend are:




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