An excited audience member came up to me minutes after August 2016 Film Festival completed. She told me that she’s been to at least two dozen events and this lineup was easily the best showcased of shorts we’ve ever screened.

I have to agree with her. It was an amazing lineup of short films from all over the world. This was the first time in over 50 festival events that every single film received at least 3 votes from the audience for “Best Film” of the night. Most times there are 1-3 films in the running for best film. This month all 13 films easily could have been the winner of “Best Film”.

The theme of the Family/Animation Festival was “Death”. Strange as that sounds considering the films were geared towards an “all ages” audience, but death came into the plot and framework of every film presented.

The first half…