1. American Immigrants (By Taha Tabish, Shanele Soaras, Nasir Husain)

This entry in the festival’s UofTube lineup explores the implications of YouTube technology, divided into three sections. The first features a student of Indian descent ranting to the camera about American immigrants taking jobs away from hard-working Canadians. The second is another student’s angry rebuttal. The third I will leave for you to discover. A highly effective film, its power stems from the fact that any of the three segments could easily be mistaken for the real thing. Disturbing stuff.

2. Purity (By Tony Del Rio)

A 21-year-old virgin is about to have sex with his girlfriend in this surprisingly sensitive film. Del Rio includes several highly stylistic touches (primarily on-screen text), but the result never feels ostentatious.

3. The Pit and the Pendulum (By Marc Lougee)

I’m a sucker for claymation, so this atmospheric version of the Edgar Allen Poe tale, employing that charmingly primitive animation style, had me at hello. The exaggeratedly gothic visual style is appropriate for the material, and at times it looks like one of Roger Corman’s old Poe adaptations through a funhouse mirror. No less, it’s been executive produced by stop-motion legend Ray Harryhausen.

4. The Engagement Party (By Mark Raso)

Mark Raso pulled a Scorsese and filmed this in a single, carefully choreographed, 15-minute take. His roving camera follows about a dozen people through an engagement party as seemingly innocuous small talk masks darker secrets. Strong acting matches Raso’s directorial virtuosity.

5.Kinopolitik

Vanguard to the Cold War (By Daniel Neuhaus) One of the festival’s most ambitious films, this abstract, multipart work reveals the relationship between propaganda and the Cold War. Combining archive footage with newly shot material, it is visually, aurally, and intellectually arresting. Immediately following on the schedule is E.L. Santonato and Malcolm Sweeny’s Too Dangerous. Oddly enough, I think they’ll make for a fascinating double-bill.