Juliana Arana Toscano is a film programmer and independent researcher. She is currently the Head of Programming at MIDBO and is conducting curatorial research into the genealogies of domesticity in the cinematic image. She has programmed for Courtisane and collaborated with the Encuentro Cine Cauce.
Juliana Arana Toscano
Juliana Arana Toscano participated in “Greatest” Short Films of All Time 2025, a first-ever poll of its kind as a collective love letter to the art of short-form moving image. yanco and Kurzfilm Festival Hamburg, in collaboration with Talking Shorts, invited filmmakers, curators, distributors, critics, and scholars worldwide to nominate 10 audiovisual works under sixty minutes that they personally consider the “greatest” of all time. This was Juliana Arana Toscano’s submission:
Some scattered notes on this selection: although I have considerable reservations about the notion of a canon, I appreciate the invitation. Adopting a revisionist stance, I believe these initiatives are valuable, even though I disagree with the continued use of the adjective “best”. The list I have compiled is not a ranking. Instead, I have listed ten short films that reflect my experience as both a viewer and someone who reflects on the unexpected way in which cinema connects us with the world. I have, of course, considered films with a potential that transcends their time, which still have things to convey to us. Furthermore, they carry an aesthetic concern that is worth maintaining. It is worth noting that several of these short films are related to my research interests. Given that memory and affection are capricious, these titles would be different at any other time.
— Juliana Arana Toscano| Movie | Original Title | Director | Country | Year | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Coquille et le Clergyman The Seashell and the Clergyman | Germaine Dulac | France | 1928 | 41’ | ||
| Ritual in Transfigured Fime | Maya Deren | USA | 1946 | 15’ | ||
| A Day in Barbagia Un giorno in Barbagia | Vittorio de Seta | Italy | 1958 | 11’ | ||
| Toss Me a Dime Tiré die | Fernando Birri | Argentina | 1960 | 33’ | ||
| Borom sarret The Wagoner | Ousmane Sembène | France, Senegal | 1963 | 18’ | ||
| Saute ma ville Blow Up My Town | Chantal Akerman | Belgium | 1968 | 13’ | ||
| My Contribution Mi aporte | Sara Gómez | Cuba | 1969 | 33’ | ||
| The Brickmakers Chircales | Jorge Silva, Marta Rodríguez | Colombia | 1972 | 43’ | ||
| The Seasons Տարվա եղանակները | Artavazd Peleshian | Soviet Union | 1975 | 29’ | ||
| The Cherry Tree with Gray Blossoms Usuzumi no sakura | Sumiko Haneda | Japan | 1977 | 42’ | ||