Leading up to the release this weekend of Thomas Balme’s Babies, FilmInFocus (which, full disclosure, I am a co-editor of) asked four independent filmmakers to make one-minute films about their own babies. The shorts are unexpected and diverse and scope, and I decided to post two here. The first, Dada, is from Caveh Zahedi (I am a Sex Addict), who wrote about his filmmaking experience, “My wife was against it but I prevailed. This said, it was the longest minute of my life.” And second, Untitled, is from experimental filmmaker Jennifer Reeves, who wrote:

While capturing the exuberance and wonder of our family’s ever-evolving present, I wanted to also show the recent past which feels like a beautiful dream. The film depicts Teo’s discovery and delight in the various forms of water, as he swims, kicks, splashes, and feels mist on his face. Watching Teo explore and learn about the world with all of his senses, I think of Brakhage who spoke of an eye unruled by “the name of everything but which must know each object encountered in life through an adventure of perception” and how avant-garde filmmakers could strive for such a vision.”

For more on the making of this short, check out Reeves’ blog about it here. And on the FilmInFocus page you can find two more, from Sascha Paladino and Sara St. Martin Lynn.