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Captured by the Los Angeles-based filmmakers Liv Layhee and Caydon LiRocchi during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Beautiful! (2020) follows the young couple as they face a potential unplanned pregnancy. Shot on VHS, the grainy home video aesthetic adds an intimate layer to the proceedings as the two take turns filming while they await life-altering news. The resulting short is distinctive in style and endearing in its honesty, capturing the drama that inherently accompanies such a pivotal moment, as well as the mix of humour, creativity and numerous cats that makes their relationship idiosyncratic.
Directors: Liv Layhee, Caydon LiRocchi
Website: LiRocchi
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Nature and landscape
Take a serene hike through an ancient forest, inspired by a Miyazaki masterpiece
6 minutes
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Spirituality
Trek alongside spiritual pilgrims on a treacherous journey across Pakistan
6 minutes
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Meaning and the good life
The world turns vivid, strange and philosophical for one plane crash survivor
16 minutes
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Art
Inside the unique creative space where ‘outsider’ artists find their form
14 minutes
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Gender
When aggression is viewed as brilliance, it hurts women in science, and science itself
5 minutes
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Religion
From God’s shoes to satellites in heaven – children weigh in on religion
8 minutes
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Technology and the self
Why we should worry less about ‘sentient’ AIs and more about what we’re teaching them
16 minutes
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Sleep and dreams
How might the dreamworlds of other animals differ from our own?
8 minutes
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Home
Whether above a pub or in a castle, our childhood homes leave an indelible mark
15 minutes