While few substantial positives have emerged from 2020, the compassion of communities helping those in need has been one of the bright spots in a very dark landscape. Meals on Wheels America encourage people to keep up their efforts as the winter months draw in - to continue reaching out to the elderly in particular, many of whom are more isolated than ever thanks to Covid-19.

This charmingly poignant commercial focuses on the recipients themselves: elderly and infirm, yes, but still very much people with passions, wants, and needs. Director Kevin Thomas does a good job of swerving the heart-wrenching statistic route here, instead emphasising the valuable place which vulnerable people occupy in the world. Without an end in sight, efforts such as these to head compassion fatigue off at the pass will prove crucial as the days drag on.

As legions of gammon-faced Twitter commentators explain that the poor should stretch their budgets and boil up their own faded dreams and sense of betrayal to feed their children, director Libby Burke Wilde takes a far more helpful approach with this poignant short film. 'Tinned Pears' gives voice to families across the country struggling to make ends meet, for who even the very back of the cupboards are bare.

With local businesses and charities attempting to fill the gap left by a craven government, this smartly-executed film offers a timely reminder that disadvantaged children are more than mere statistics. A gut-wrenching performance from the siblings at the story's heart gives the film extra emotional heft, while the mother doing everything she can and still coming up empty typifies the grinding cycle of poverty all too well.

The movement to end child food poverty has a long way to go, even without the added stresses of Covid-19 stretching budgets with already razor-thin margins. Compelling, creative work like this is key to keeping audiences both engaged and informed, and it's heartening to see directors like Burke Wilde leading the charge.

Shot during lockdown with the support of a network of DOPs, this striking short film from Stuart Langfield suggests a return to normal isn't the goal we should be aiming for post-Covid. The atmospheric piece urges us to become better, more compassionate humans in a post-pandemic world - ones who focus less on personal gain and more on the wonder of the world around us.

While moving forwards seems as far away now as it did back in March, there's a compelling conciseness to Langfield's film which suggests that even though the future may feel in permanent limbo, it will - eventually - be in the offing. Distinctive visuals of fire, water, and plant life emphasise a commitment to healing nature in addition to ourselves, too.