½ These are films that appear on Anna Akana's YouTube Channel. Things she wrote and/or directed (and acted in). I've seen her in some other short films that were advertised on her channel, but didn't actually appear on that channel, including Grrl Scouts and Wrestling Isn't Wrestling. But this page right here is for her own short films. (Part of me thinks I should give each one its own entry instead of putting them all on one page, but a more forceful part of me is all lazy and space-conscious, or whatever.)
tek's rating: ½
Hallucination (2:55)
IMDb; YouTube
A woman sees a psychiatrist, and tells him of a woman who's been following her. The doctor apparently doesn't believe her, because he tells her to up the dosage of her medication. But we see the woman who is following the first woman. And the first woman doesn't take her medication. And... there's a twist ending, which I kind of predicted, but still I liked it. I'm not sure it makes any sense, but it's still kind of freaky.
tek's rating: meh and three quarters
Afflicted, Inc. (4:18)
IMDb; YouTube
So... this is a sort of business meeting of... I guess the personifications of various afflictions that target women, basically screwing with their self-perception, or whatever, to make them try to "improve" themselves in dangerous, possibly life-threatening ways. An interesting and rather chilling concept, with some good visuals, but ultimately I'm not sure that I really felt... well, that I felt the film itself as much as I felt the concept. Which I sort of felt just as strongly before I ever saw the film. So, I dunno.
Emergency Call (3:09)
IMDb; YouTube
Two women who work at an emergency call center (like 911, or whatever) are talking about how one of them was recently proposed to by her boyfriend. Then the newly engaged woman takes a call from a woman (played by Akana) who is hiding from a man who has killed a bunch of people. That's all I really want to say, but the ending is quite chilling.
tek's rating: meh and a half
Pregnapocalypse (3:31)
IMDb; YouTube
Suddenly every female on Earth is pregnant. Like, fully gestated and ready to give birth. They're freaking out. Then Akana's character births an alien baby. So I guess that's what's gonna happen to everyone. That's the whole story. Then there's a sort of music video.
tek's rating: meh
Here She Is (5:22)
IMDb; YouTube
Akana plays a beauty pageant contestant who has visions of everyone dying. She tries to warn them, but they don't listen. And... I dunno what else to say. I really don't know what any of it means.
tek's rating: ¼
Miss Earth (13:06)
IMDb; YouTube
This short came out in 2014, and was later expanded into the 2016 webseries Miss 2059. Akana plays both a beauty pageant winner, Victoria Young ("Miss Earth") and her twin sister, Arden, who was supposed to compete in an interstellar death match (the outcome of which determines which planets will be destroyed to keep the universe from being overpopulated). Unfortunately, Victoria gets beamed up to that competition in Arden's place... and there are no substitutions. So, a totally unprepared Victoria has to compete against powerful alien warriors with the fate of Earth on the line. She does make it through the first round, surprisingly enough... but honestly, this film is not enough. So I'm glad a longer webseries exists.
Loose Ends (23:01)
IMDb; YouTube
Akana plays an aspiring filmmaker named Alex Wong, who is filming a documentary about her best friend and roommate, Maddie Sanford. Maddie wants to become a CIA agent. The two of them have another roommate named Taylor (Melissa Hunter, whom I know from Adult Wednesday Addams). Neither of them like her. Also, Alex has a boyfriend named Justin. Anyway... as the film progresses, it eventually becomes apparent that Maddie is becoming unhinged. And that's all I really want to say about the plot, but it's a decent film.
tek's rating: ½
Supers & Associates (12:11)
IMDb; YouTube
This is referred to as "pilot," so I assume it was meant as a potential series. And while I thought it was okay, I can't say I'm disappointed that it didn't become a series. It's about a super hero team. Akana plays Sonic, who has just broken up with her teammate, Quikster. The team leader is Flame Rod. And the other member of the team is HR (played by Brad Gage). The team gets a fifth member, a woman named Sex Appeal, which irritates Sonic, but all the guys on the team really like her. And eventually they're attacked by a ninja. I dunno what else to say. It was mildly amusing, and I suppose if it had become a series, it could have gotten better. Or it might not. I dunno.
