For anyone who has seen Beasts of the Southern Wild, it’s clear that the film is made by a storyteller with a unique vision of the world. Benh Zeitlin is only credited on IMDb with a handful of short films before making his stellar feature film debut with Beasts. The short he made in 2008, Glory at Sea, gives great insight into Zeitlin’s filmmaking style, the importance of lore and mythos in his stories, and his connection to unique pockets of cultures most of us don’t have a direct connection to. This is a fascinating short film — and an ambitious one at that. Whether you’ve seen Beasts or not, check this out and experience a unique storyteller honing his craft in preparation for his foray into feature filmmaking. You won’t regret it. See Benh Zeitlin’s Glory at Sea here.
There is also a great resource for short film lovers, Wholphin, a DVD Magazine of Rare and Unseen Short Films. They included Glory at Sea in their 7th issue, along with a short by Gus Van Sant and several others. Check out Wholphin to see what other great shorts they feature!
