Paperwork: Sharif Matar's Excellent Short Film for the Collaboration Challenge

Reason TV's own Sharif Matar took part in the 2012 Collaboration Filmmakers Challenge, which you may recall we were thumping the tub for earlier this year. His movie Paperwork, clocking in at a brisk five and a half minutes, is now playing at a computer, phone or tablet near you. 

The Challenge asked filmmakers to make a short in two weeks based on a quote from P.J. O'Rourke: "There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences."

Paperwork features a tight story with a minimum of chatter, inventive visuals and a strong lead performance by Andy Forrest. It got runner-up honors from the judges and honorable mention from the audience. I would argue that, in terms of technique, storytelling and indirectly engaging the theme, it's better and more entertaining than the movie that won the contest. But I will not debate the profound wisdom of a celebrity jury that included Reason.com movie critic Kurt Loder at these proceedings. Also the winning movie had a clown and a gorilla. In any event, Paperwork is pretty great. 

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