Spring in Bucharest must be a film buff's heaven, starting ambitiously with the human rights fest One World Romania and going on strongly with NexT, an international short film festival which is always a pleasure to attend. This is where the world's best shorts gather and each year has more than a few revelations in store.

The latest edition - which ran from April 10 to April 14 - was no exception, and for all those who were not there and would like to know what it's all about or those who simply want to re-watch old favorites, the team initiated an online videotheque streaming films which have run in the past years. At the moment it is a modest library of five titles, but if all future additions will be as great as these, it will make fans very very happy.

Spencer Sussers's I Love Sarah Jane is a very unusual zombie flick, a moving coming-of-age story with a strong social aspect. It is atmospheric, strange, tough, and will stay with you a long time. On a very different note, don't skip the saucy and hilarious Spanish comedy Cómo conocí a tu padre/How I Met Your Father. If it makes you think of How I Met Your Mother, that's not that far off: this one is also about dating, only funnier and more explicit. Much more. The collection also features a Romanian-Moldavian co-production, the dry comedy (Plictis) și inspirație/Inspiration, featuring a jaded village mayor looking for poetic inspiration. It also features a silly policeman, a duck, and Albert Einstein's tongue.

Let's hope the database will grow fast and include more Romanian shorts, a category which the festival has always promoted sincerely and enthusiastically. In fact, its title itself is a reference to Cristian Nemescu and Andrei Toncu (the “N” and the “T” in NexT), a young director and sound editor tragically killed in a car accident in 2006 while completing their first joint long feature, California Dreamin'. Their short films are featured every year in a retrospective and one of them is the endearing Poveste la scara C/C Block Story (scroll below for the full film with English subtitles).

In a country which makes it almost impossible to obtain proper state funding for cultural projects, NexT, like all valuable festivals, is struggling to keep up the good work. It is an admirable enterprise and will hopefully celebrate many more editions. Here's already looking forward to the 'NexT' one.

By Ioana Moldovan, Columnist, ioana.moldovan@romania-insider.com

(photo source: NexT website)