The HollyShorts film festival is entering its second and final weekend in Hollywood, California, recognized as one of the world’s premier showcases for short-form cinema. Here are 4 more short films we have seen this week to help you choose some of your final festival watches.

Sweetwater (dir. Michael Keaton)

Created as part of Google’s AI on screen program, which commissions filmmakers to create short films telling stories of humans’ connection with AI, Sweetwater approaches science fiction through the lens of a real-life father-son relationship. Written by Sean Douglas and directed by and starring his father, Michael Keaton, the film follows a grown man as he returns to his childhood home and unexpectedly interacts with an AI version of his deceased movie-star mother. Playing like a heartfelt Black Mirror episode rather than the cautionary tale variant we have come to expect, the film doesn’t really have anything new to say about the parent-child relationship or our relationship with AI, which is unfortunate to see in this program’s inaugural film. It is sweet, though!

The Spectacle (dir. Bálint Kenyeres)

Playing in the Fantasy & Magical Realism block of the festival is The Spectacle, which follows a young boy in a village who can magically float when, one day, a film crew comes to record his feat for television. The boy doesn’t say anything, but through its succinct plot and the film’s camera emphasizing the setting, there are clear themes presented here of the disconnect between the city and the village. I am left wanting to know more about the film’s take on the way the city folk take advantage of the villagers for their own entertainment, as well as the puzzling ending shot that had me thinking of stories about children who are made for more than they were born into.

Imprint (dir. Ran Jing)

The film that, so far, had me thinking the most about the state of our world is Ran Jing’s Imprint. Set in a future world, a mother buys her daughter knowledge taken from an immigrant’s brain, allowing the daughter more time to focus on her dance school, while the anonymous immigrant is granted citizenship for their sacrifice of knowledge. When the daughter begins having nightmares, the mother searches for the anonymous new American citizen. The performances here are great, and the themes and ending of the film have me thinking about the immigrant experience in my own country, and what sacrifices we may be asking of immigrants in exchange for a different life that might not be far off from Imprint‘s absurd procedure.

For Niko (dir. Alexandra Shipp)

For Niko follows Rose, a single mother who is pursuing her dreams of becoming a singer-songwriter while also raising Niko, her special needs son. Nominated for Best Drama film at the film festival, writer and director Alexandra Shipp also stars in the film, where she owns the screen in this inspiring tale that depicts the struggles often faced by single mothers, especially when issues at school or financial troubles can affect one’s own personal goals and dreams. The ending pulls at your heartstrings, but I do wish we got to see more of Niko and Rose together on screen.

The films were screened as part of the 2026 HollyShorts Film Festival, which will run until August 23, 2026. Image courtesy of HollyShorts.