SHORTS: LIFE + DEATH

Beginnings and endings. An obsession with fermentation changes a man’s perception of mortality in SandorKraut (USA, 12 min., Emily Lobsenz & Ann Husaini). A hospice for dying animals explores the ethics of euthanasia in Last Stop in Santa Rosa (USA, 5 min., Elizabeth Lo). Based on a very personal experience, Andrew & Wendy (USA, 30 min., Josh Aronson) credit music with the power to save lives. For 50 years, a woman has been Counting the Dead (USA, 7 min., Catharine Axley) to fully account for those who lost their lives in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. The Registrars (UK, 30 min., Jane McAllister) in a Scottish government office regularly deal with all life’s major milestones—recording births, officiating marriages, and registering deaths—in a single day. (84 min. total)