Matthew MacKinnon is a Film Circuit programmer, responsible for selecting Canadian short films to screen at over 200 Film Circuit locations across Canada. Knowing audiences, and having his own refined taste, he came up with his top 5 festival short picks.

RECORD: A smart short with minimal dialogue and plenty of charm.  Director Dylan Reibling proves that less is more in this well-crafted ode to record collecting that features a killer Soviet soundtrack only available on vinyl.

OUT IN THAT DEEP BLUE SEA:  Further proof of Kazik Radwanski’s maturity as a director.  In his follow-up to last year’s Short Cuts Canada favourite, Princess Margaret Blvd., Radwanski offers a disarmingly intimate portrait of professional and personal malaise that features a first class performance by newcomer Peter Bavis - Canada's answer to Philip Seymour Hoffman. 

'75 EL CAMINO

Beautifully capturing the industrial expanses of Sarnia, director Sami Khan uses the city as a backdrop to craft a poignant and timely portrait of economic hardship and loss that will resonate with anyone who has ever longed for the open road. 

5 DYSFUNCTIONAL PEOPLE IN A CAR –  For people who do not long for the open road.

RUNAWAY: A cautionary tale on the dangers of mixing trains and jazz music from the award-winning animator Cordell Barker.  A definite must see.