Get curated editors’ picks, peeks behind the scenes, film recommendations and more.
This short documentary takes viewers inside a graveyard shift at an innocuous-looking San Francisco call centre. Employees sit in cubicles glued to computer screens and wearing headsets. While on break, they drink coffee, watch the news, and hit the gym. But, as 911 first responders, the calls they field are often a matter of life or death. The US directors Elivia Shaw and Paloma Martinez skilfully survey the dissonant character of this unique workplace. By tracking a regular night shift at the centre, the filmmakers observe how employees meet chaos and intensity with calm and command. Through a fly-on-the-wall observational style and brief interviews with the emergency responders, The Shift probes what draws people to this unusually intense job, and how they often struggle to compartmentalise their emotions when dealing with distressing calls.
Directors: Elivia Shaw, Paloma Martinez
Website: Film School Shorts
video
Art
‘If you’re creative, why can’t you create a solution?’ One artist’s imaginative activism
17 minutes
video
The ancient world
An ancient Roman’s hilarious (and perhaps relatable) response to a social snub
2 minutes
video
Death
A hunter’s lyrical reflection on the humbling business of being mortal
6 minutes
video
Rituals and celebrations
Meet the entrepreneur whose business is crafting perfect peak experiences
12 minutes
video
Human rights and justice
A reporter orphaned by night raids in Afghanistan investigates their cruel legacy
17 minutes
video
Work
Does capitalism make ‘non-playable characters’ of us all? An uncanny exploration
21 minutes
video
Architecture
‘I listen to the land’ – poetry and greenery intertwine in Emilio Ambasz’s architecture
9 minutes
video
Design and fashion
The ornate, the aromatic, the cruel – Valentine’s cards before the age of Hallmark
16 minutes
video
Medicine
Why surgery and barbering were one occupation in the Middle Ages
6 minutes