Short films rarely get an audience outside of film festivals such as Cannes, which I think everyone can agree is a great shame. Short films are a great place for new directors to cut their teeth and can explore themes, ideas that are not sustainable for a feature length.

Author and owner of the publishing house McSweeneys, Dave Eggers, understands this. You may be more aware of him for his co-written screenplays, ‘Where The Wild Things Are’ and ‘Away We Go’. Well, Eggers also has been releasing a quarterly DVD magazine called Wholphin (named after the incredible animal that is part Whale and Dolphin) since 2005.

The magazine has featured a Spike Jonze documentary about Al Gore and more recently a film of Werner Herzog commentating the journey of a plastic bag. Visit the website  www.wholphindvd.com for more details.

Below are two short films that have featured within the magazine. One stars John C. Reilly (Magnolia, Step-Brothers) and artist Miranda July (You, Me and Everyone We Know) pondering on whether you’re a favourite person and the second is a documentary following a teenage heavy metal band directed by Chris Waitt (A Complete History Of My Sexual Failures). Enjoy.