Announced this morning by the festival, Best, a five-minute film from Surrey filmmaker William Oldroyd, was presented as the winner of the Short Film Competition for the second Sundance London film and music festival, which will run from April 25-28 at The O2. The film will screen as part of the official Short Film Programme at the festival.

The Short Film Competition was organized in collaboration with Sundance London organizers, including Sundance Institute, which annually hosts the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.

The winning entry was selected by two juries on either side of the Atlantic. The first included: Kate Kinninmont, Women in Film and Television; Chris Collins, BFI Film Fund; Freddie Gaffney, Ravensbourne;  Dave Calhoun, Time Out; and director / screenwriter Kat Lo. A second jury, organized by Sundance Institute, included: John Cooper, Director of the Sundance Film Festival; Trevor Groth, Director of Programming for the Sundance Film Festival; and filmmakers Francesca Gregorini and Roger Ross Williams.

In Best, with one man’s wedding moments away, he and his best friend confront their future.

Trevor Groth said:

“The other jurors and I were delighted to find in Best a succinct yet moving story that so cleverly exemplifies the tagline ‘The Time is Now.’  Terrifically framed images as well as stellar performances bring to life a story that impressively manages to be tender, raw, visceral and heartbreaking in under five minutes.”

I searched for the film online, and while I didn’t find the full 5-minute short, I did find this 2 1/2-minute version (it would seem) on Vimeo. I can’t say what more the 5-minute version included that this 2 1/2-minute version does not; but I think you’ll be able to get enough of what the film is about from these 2 1/2 minutes.

The two actors are Jotham Annan and Terry Doe.

BEST from William Oldroyd on Vimeo.