In search of belly laughs
Written by Jess Sweetman
Where are the funny short films hiding? Join me on a mission to find out.
Comedy is desperately important to human beings. Freud said that jokes were one of the first ways that we let our unconscious desires known to ourselves and others. To put it another way, humour can be a safe space to say the things we’re scared to say out loud.
It’s powerful: Humour can be the precursor for societal change. I’m sure that we all remember Louis Phillipe of France - AKA The Pear King? His fruity features pointed out by the le gutter press hoofed him towards being the laughing stock of the country - which, alongside a lot of the usual power-corrupts-absolute-power-corrupts-absolutely stuff - led to uprisings which cured the French of a monarchy for good this time.
Laughter is also a physical outlet, a release, a way of taking the pent-up energy of being a human f****** being and releasing it in a healthy way so that you don’t end up running down the street screaming and holding a big stick. Not to mention a bringer of joy - if done well.
are the fanciest fests allergic to comedy?
So where does a girl go for a good, cleansing laugh these days?
Taking a look at the top-tier film festivals, straight up comedies have seldom won major awards. From Cannes to Berlinale to Venice, to the Oscars - the big guys seem extremely short on laughs:
Ben S. Hyland
Ben S. Hyland is a filmmaker with a string of successful comedy shorts under his belt, I ask him why the top tier festivals don’t seem to show much comedy:
“It’s not really a case of them having an allergy to comedy, more that comedy isn’t the right fit for that kind of festival. As a comedy filmmaker those festivals are never the end goal. ”
And the numbers back this up. Between 1999 and now, the Best Short Film category of the BAFTA’s has only included 5 nominees in total that were listed as purely comedy, with a further five which included comedy as a sub-genre.
Chris Aitken
But why? I spoke to Chris Aitken, Film festival Director and Programmer at the BAFTA-qualifying comedy festival Short Com:
“I think most national film bodies are filled with people who just don’t understand or appreciate comedy.
I remember speaking to a national film promotional team and grilling them on why they didn’t promote a certain short, which I and many people think is one of the greatest short comedies of all time. They told me that they just didn’t know what to do with it.”
oh god, it’s the branding isn’t it?
In these post-post-modern times, however, genres have blended and forms have changed - the Dramedy wasn’t really a thing when I was growing up, but now we have T.V. drama “The Bear” winning the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series despite nearly giving its audience a deepening ulcer with every episode.
The short film world, however, while arguably niche, is a place that celebrates innovation, arguably less driven by the market factors that instill a fear of saying something scary or weird.
So does this make it harder to find comedy shorts that actually make you laugh out loud? In researching this piece I’ve sat through at least 10 hours of short films online which were listed as comedies - hoping to find films that would make me laugh. During that time I let out one sort of chuckle. My husband left the room. He couldn’t take it any more.
I was searching on Youtube and Vimeo, in places where I would normally look for high quality shorts, but nary a chuckle emerged. But why?
“I think there are fewer festivals that are maybe picking films that are just unapologetically comedy.” Says Aitken. “I’d say the term comedy is being used loosely by some festivals to market some of their film selections, which are more ‘dramadies’ with smidgens of comedy.”
None of the films I was consuming were bad per se - they had production values galore, excellent performances, fabulous art design, character development. But not one of them brought forth the belly laugh that I needed. I had gone to my usual sources of incredibly high quality short films: Short of the Week, Director’s Notes, Vimeo Staff Picks, but each expectation was dashed on a cinematic rock.
Just to highlight - this isn’t the fault of the curators of any of these programmes, they are successful for a really good reason: It’s just that comedy is a separate art form.
So is the audience for short films not looking for comedy? It seems that way…
Sort-of oscar-qualifying
So the prestigious film festivals seem to skip out on comedy, but what about other internationally-known festivals?
South By Southwest (SXSW) seems to have remained true to its groundbreaking indie roots by being an excellent source of comedy programming. Last week I sent the 12-minute life changing comedy MAKE ME A PIZZA (which gained a nomination for the Grand Jury Award in 2024) to a bunch of my friends, sparking disgusted Whatsapps and a discussion of consumerism, sex, and pizza. The film was also nominated for awards at SIFF, Hollyshorts, and more. I’ve posted it below for your enjoyment with a note that you probably shouldn’t watch it at work, or near children, or around people who don’t like pizza.
WARNING: Extremely NSFW
SXSW has a short comedy programme while also screening comedy-horror through their “Midnight” segments. I’d argue both of these are worth checking out if you’re into that kind of thing.
And it’s not just SXSW - other international film festivals have dedicated screenings and awards for comedy short films. Sundance is there - bringing experimental comedies to the forefront such as 2014’s “Gregory Go Boom” directed by Janicza Bravo. Palm Springs International Short Film Festival has a “best comedy short” award, Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival (Fernand Raynaud Award for Best Comedy), L.A. Shorts Fest awards comedy films, and there are undoubtedly more.
But, while Oscar-qualifying short film festivals may pick comedies for their highest honours, only two festivals on the Oscar-qualifying list specifically have a qualifying award for comedy: Aspen Shortsfest and Cinequest Film Festival. This speaks to the genre being underrpresented come award season. So it sounds like Chris Aitken is right, who knows what to do with straight up comedy films?
Oh yeah, comedy is in the title
Hyland isn’t worried about where to find comedy short films:
“There are amazing genre festivals around the world with captive audiences that are dying for great comedy.”
And that’s definitely true, once you know where to look.
First off, there’s obviously Short Com (whose director we’ve been grilling for this article.) The Edinburgh-based comedy festival, according to its website, aims to: “help encourage those, particularly outside of London, into who would not normally consider a career in filmmaking and screenwriting because they do not have the confidence or belief to do so.”
And, because I am the girl with all the connections, I asked FF’s inhouse film festival genius Katie Bignell for her favourite comedy-focussed film festivals (as well as ShortCom):
Iron Mule Film Festival, Chicago, IL, USA - is a monthly comedy film screening followed by an after party. It’s hosted by two comedy writers with numerous credits under their belts, has lasted for 20 years and screened over 2000 comedy films. One highlight is their monthly “Wanna Be A Star” contest, where they pick an audience member to star in a film to be screened the following month.
Bon Bat Comedy of Horrors Film Fest, is, as the name suggests, a comedy-horror crossover fest that takes place in April at the SIFF Theatre in Seattle (damnit why did I move away from there?!) But for those of us who aren’t blessed with living in the PNW, they frequently add links to the shorts they’ve been screening so you can give yourself a mini film festival at home.
LOCO London Film Festival, is the largest festival of funny cinema in the world. They are a not-for-profit foundation, run by volunteers who believe in the importance of laughter. It takes place in May in Brixton.
LOCO London champions the craft of comedy filmmaking and celebrate the UK’s rich comic heritage and humour from around the world. They show classic comedy feature films as well as newer ones and curated shorts programmes.
Filmfest Bremen, takes place in April in Germany, and has included a dedicated programme of humour and satire in their programme since 2022.
The Broad Humor Film Festival, LA, USA, takes place every Labor Day Weekend and focuses exclusively on comedic films written and directed by women.
JFL Shorts. (Just For Laughs Shorts), takes place in Montreal, Canada, and is presented in partnership with Will Arnett’s Electric Avenue. The festival aims to showcase the very best short films, highlighting the sharpest and funniest comedic voices from around the world.
Then there’s the old scream/laugh
Sara Neidorf and Eli Lewy
Of course, comedy festivals aren’t the only genre fests that screen films designed to make you laugh/think. Comedy-horror is a popular crossover genre that is visible across horror film festivals and several of the international short film festivals I mentioned above now have Midnight film screenings, which often cross over between comedy and horror.I wanted to find out more, so I talked to Eli Lewy (EL) and Sara Niedorf (SN), the co-founders of Final Girls Berlin Film Festival, a horror fest that shows works by female and nonbinary filmmakers. They spend a lot of the year picking their way through the best and worst of the circuit while creating a programme including comedy-horror, queer horror, and midnight screenings.
What do you think filmmakers can say in a comedy/horror that they couldn’t say in a more traditional comedy?
EL: Film theorist Linda Williams posited that horror is a "body genre," made to evoke a physical reaction, which in horror's case is terror. I’d say comedy is a body genre as well, obviously aimed at eliciting laughter. This combination of reactions can be quite powerful – you can experience the catharsis of screaming in surprise from a jump scare and laughing hard because of a well-timed, macabre sight gag. If done well, it can be an exhilarating experience in the cinema, double the release!
SN: Sometimes hyperbole is the best tool for getting a message across. Some things in this life are already completely sick and twisted, namely power structures such as patriarchy, capitalism, racism, etc, that they almost feel unreal sometimes. Putting a comedic spin on a real-world horror helps to highlight its absurdity and the necessity for it to be dethroned or questioned.
Would you say that there is a typical horror / comedy style submitted to the fest?
SN: Sometimes when comedy plays a big part in our submissions, it’s about an exaggerated relationship to the body and an aggressive muddling of bodily boundaries. Either gore is over the top, or someone is growing an appendage that talks to them, or something else fantastical happens with the body, a surprising transformation. I’m not sure that’s representative of all, or “typical,” though. I think comedic influences find their way into nearly every subgenre of horror submission we receive.
What’s your criteria for picking comedy/horror for the fest?
SN: For one, it needs to hit. The comedy needs to land effectively. The writing needs to be smart, the pacing needs to be on point, the delivery needs to slap. The world-building needs to be convincing. And the political import needs to shine through.
I think every film we show has political and social value. It needs to be clear that the comedy is also punching up, has some element of self-critique when that’s called for, and doesn’t feel frivolous.
EL: Comedy horror is also tricky because so much of it is derived from the culture and context that it is set in, so a lot of funny moments can potentially go over people’s heads if the humor is too specific and trendy. If a number of our team members find it funny and special, that’s a good sign.
Which country do you think does comedy/horror well - or is heavily represented by submissions to your fest?
SN: Hmm… it’s easy to say US/UK/Canada. But I’ve got to say, Belgium has come through with some amazingly creative and otherworldly films that have comedic elements. I’m looking at you, 2024 jury/audience award winners “Olga’s Eyes” and “Like a Deer that Sheds its Antlers.”
Oh, just one more thing
So, yes, you have to search for it, but there is comedy out there, alongside genre crossovers that will make you laugh and think, and I haven’t even mentioned animation - which is an entirely other world unto itself, with different rules, and possibly even more options to break peoples’ minds and question the world around them.
But if you want somewhere to start on your comedy short journey - check out our list of recommended shorts by our experts interviewed in this piece.
Aitken believes that more could happen to support comedy at film festivals:
“In terms of the festival circuit itself, I think festivals should maybe do a better job of being a bit more present or be visible. I’ve seen or been to too many festivals where you don’t know who is running the thing or who picked your film. So they feel impersonal and a tad transactional.”
Meanwhile, while short films are out there questioning our society through humour and exploring the very nature of filmmaking itself, I think more needs to be done to separate the comedic and lighthearted, or dramedy, from comedy that will actually make you laugh.
But you know who is good at picking a comedy that slaps? My wonderful interviewees - so I’ve set up a whole other page of their recommendations for you to enjoy. And at least then you won’t spend 10 hours waiting to be entertained.
