In this issue, SHOOT looks back at 2018, reflecting on the best the year had to offer. Our recognition of notable work serves as “a badge of honors”–not just for the art and craft but also for a spirit often marked by empathy, diversity and inclusion.
Included in the mix of worthwhile fare in calendar year ‘18, for example, is the number one best of Top Spot entry, Corazón, a nearly 50-minute film about organ donation for Montefiore hospital which fosters empathy for a woman who’s a sex worker in Santo Domingo trying to support her family. She has a life-threatening heart ailment which brings her to the Montefiore facility in the Bronx where a story of chance, hope, courage, friendship, love and generosity unfolds.
Also striking a positive chord right behind Corazón is the number two “Top Spot” in our countdown, Ad Council’s Rising, the latest installment of the iconic Love Has No Labels campaign. This short film shows how neighbors seemingly distrusting of one another come together in a time of crisis.
Meanwhile SHOOT’s best of The Best Work You May Never See gallery reflects a sense of diversity and inclusion when it comes to not only the messages imparted but the filmmaking talent delivering those messages. Three of the five best of Best Work entries were directed by promising new directors: Maya Albanese who was recognized for her Georgia-Pacific spec spot “History,” a project which sprung from her participation in the Commercial Directors Diversity Program (CDDP), a joint venture between the DGA and AICP; Caitlin Cronenberg who was prominent in SHOOT’s recent Fall Directors Series featuring Up-and-Coming Directors (she was recognized for “Oxygen,” a Centre for Addiction and Mental Health PSA out of Toronto agency Zulu Alpha Kilo); and Matteo J. Mosterts, a 2018 SHOOT New Directors Showcase alum, who made his mark with the humorous tongue-in-cheek short Literally.
Albanese and Cronenberg are rising female filmmakers. Their recognized work helps us understand what it’s like to walk in someone else’s shoes. Reflecting our shared humanity makes Albanese and Cronenberg’s efforts all the more profound during a time when polarization, divisiveness and alienation are far too prevalent. Happy holidays!
