KARACHI, April 26: It is sad that not many people turned up on the second day of the four-day European short film festival at the Alliance Francaise on Friday missing out on some intelligently made films.

The day began with a set of short films titled Family Business. The opening project was the Spanish film ‘Bye Dad, Bye Mom’ directed by Luis Soravilla Hernandez. It narrated the tale, in 14 minutes, of a married couple whose life turns upside down when their thirty-something son tells them that he has been offered a job and is now going to live with his girlfriend in the house where his parents live.

Kosovo’s film ‘Lena and Me’ was about a girl and a boy whose marriage is arranged by their parents in order to live in the US.

They agree and get hitched; but it turns out that the girl already has a boyfriend and the man is not interested in women, something that their parents will find difficult to understand. Blerta Basholli directed ‘Lena and Me’.

Another Spanish film, director Paul Urkijo’s ‘Playing with Death’, was an interesting spin on how an old man toys with the idea of death and delays his last moments in life. His antics become intolerable for his son and grandchildren. Things come to a pass and his son and daughter-in-law send him to an old home where he finally gives in to death.

Scandinavian short ‘Run of the Mill’, directed by Borge Ring, was an animated venture. It’s an intriguingly told story about a boy who gets lured into taking drugs. Obviously, this creates a strange situation as his parents try and bring him back to life. The ‘bubble’ metaphor used in the movie was a smart move on the director’s part.

Italian director Paolo Sassanelli’s ‘War’ and Swedish film ‘I’m Gay’ could not be run because they didn’t have subtitles.

The last film of the first part of the day was ‘Carrier of Men’ from France, directed by Antares Bassis. It’s a brilliantly constructed project which centres on a man who, instead of being a ‘mover’ (lifting boxes) to earn a living decides to carry people on his back and take them to their respective destinations to earn a quick buck. He belongs to a poor family and is considered a loser by his brother. Surprisingly his idea clicks and he garners a big clientele who also find in him a shoulder to cry on.

The second set of films was titled Life is Sweet. It started off with Czech Republic’s animated film ‘Dessert’ directed by Ana Mastnikova. It’s a sweetly bizarre take on how romantic partners get consumed by each other, not just emotionally but physically.

Perhaps the most creative short, tackling a serious subject in a lighter vein, was ‘Edward in Wonderland’ helmed by Vincent Burgevin and Franck Lebon. The central character in the French musical is Edward who is hired by a big corporation to help it earn bigger profits. He does exactly the same. When the chips are down, his colleagues look at him suspiciously but he again uses his brains to turn the concept of globalization into ‘galaxization’.

Netherlands’ film ‘Sugar’ directed by Jeroen Annokkee throws light on how life sometimes can put a person into trouble sans any reason. When the film begins, a skimpily dressed young girl requests her neighbour to lend her a cup of sugar. They seem to like each other. The man gives the jar of sugar to the girl which she drops on the floor. As both bend to pick the jar their heads collide and the girl crashes down the staircase and dies, putting the man in a spot of bother.

Other films lined up for the day were ‘Salt and Vinegar’ (UK), ‘Marie Umbrella’ (Luxemburg), ‘Great Expectations’ (Romania) and ‘Chasing Your Shadow’ (UK).