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 June 18, 2008-thumbnail.jpg) SHORTS COLUMN | Best in the West: Jackson Hole, CineVegas, and LAFF Offer Thrilling Short Programs
In the month of June, Wyoming, Nevada, and California each roll out star-studded film festivals that attract sold-out crowds and extensive press coverage. With all the hoopla surrounding premieres and gala events, it's easy to overlook the amazing short films unspooling at the Jackson Hole, CineVegas, and Los Angeles Film Festival events. However, festival-goers interested in catching the freshest cinematic offerings know the real hot tickets are the short film programs. Packing in an average of nine shorts per screening and showcasing the best local, student, or international filmmaking to be found, the shorts programs are guaranteed to deliver more thrills, chills, and laughs per minute than any of the more publicized feature films. [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Shorts, Shorts Monthly ] June 2, 2008 Shorts Column | Matthew Modine on Fifteen Years of Making Short Films
Two weeks after Matthew Modine's most recent short film, "I Think I Thought," made its North American premiere at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival, the actor/writer/director spoke to indieWIRE about his decade-and-half-long career making shorts. Having embarked on his first short film endeavor while acting in Robert Altman's "Short Cuts," Modine continues to make shorts that not only speak to ideas he's passionate about but also are extremely entertaining. With "I Think I Thought" being released on iTunes later this month, "To Kill an American" on Metacafe, and "Cowboy" set to play CineVegas next month, Modine's career as a short filmmaker is taking center stage. Here, in his own words, Matthew Modine reveals what inspires him to pick up a camera and make short films. [ read more in People ] [ 2 comments ] [ filed under Lead Story, Profiles, Shorts ] April 17, 2008 SHORTS COLUMN | Jury, Audience, and Industry Buzz Agree: Docs Rocked Aspen Shortsfest 2008
The jurors at this year's Aspen Shortsfest, which took place April 2 - 6 in Aspen, Colorado, were so enamored with the shorts in the documentary competition category that they couldn't pick just one. Instead, they split the prize between two British films, "Elegy for the Elswick Envoy" and "Peter and Ben." The ticket-buying public was also doubly impressed and voted two American docs, "Come Back to Sudan" and "One Bridge to the Next," co-winners of the Audience Favorite Award. Even the industry insiders were abuzz. "This was the strongest doc lineup the festival has ever had," declared Scott Dwyer, a PBS programmer who has attended Aspen Shortsfest for the past seven years. [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 1 comments ] [ filed under Festival Dispatches, Lead Story, Shorts ] March 19, 2008 SHORTS COLUMN | "C. Beck," "Bullet Proof," and "L.A. Noir" Take Top Prizes at Independent Lens Online Shorts Fest
Independent Lens has finished tabulating the viewer votes for its second annual "festival at your fingertips." While the curators of Independent Lens and the Online Shorts Festival jury both decided to honor short documentaries with their grand prizes, the audience award went to a narrative film, "L.A. Noir," Conrad Jackson's mystery starring Jennifer Lopez's ex-husband, Cris Judd. The shortsfest distributed a total of thirteen thousand dollars in cash prizes to an eclectic collection of eleven independent documentary, live action, and animated shorts, with a $2,500 grand prize going to Deb Wallwork & Mike Hazard's portrait of a Minnesota regional artist, "C. Beck," and a $1,500 grand jury prize going to May Lin Au Yong's look at a California neighborhood under siege, "Bullet Proof Vest." [ read more in Movies ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Lead Story, Monthly Short Film Column, Shorts ] March 5, 2008 iW NEWS | Ann Arbor Set for 46th Fest
The 46th Ann Arbor Film Festival is set to kick-off on March 25th in Michigan, opening with a selection of short films from this year's festival. On tap are Michael Langan's "Doxology," Daniel Robin's "My Olympic Summer," Osbert Parker's "Yours Truly," Luke Sieczek's "Phantom," Georg Koszulinski's "America in Pictures," Ben Peters's "Frog Jesus," Catherine Chalmers's "Safari," Vanessa Renwick's "Portrait #2: Trojan," May Lin Au Yong's "Bullet Proof Vest," Josh Raskin's "I Met the Walrus," and Jem Coen's "Smells Like Teen Spirit." For more information, please visit the festival website. [Eugene Hernandez]  [permalink] [ filed under Festivals, Shorts ] February 20, 2008 SHORTS COLUMN | Oscar-Nominated Short Film Directors Bask in the Spotlight
On Tuesday, February 19, 2008, at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, Curtis Hanson hosted the Academy's pre-ceremony screening of the nominated live action and animated short films. With directors and producers of eight of the ten films in attendance, the sold-out event was a rare opportunity for the filmmakers to see each other's work and for the audience to hear what inspired these Oscar-caliber stories. The one-time-only gathering also drove home the point that none of this year's honorees are from the United States, and only one producer and one director have ever been nominated before. "We are seeing the future," announced Hanson in his opening remarks to the program, which lasted over four hours, including two panel discussions and an intermission. [ read more in Movies ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Awards Watch, Lead Story, Monthly Short Film Column, Shorts ] December 18, 2007 SHORTS COLUMN | Short Film Superstars of 2007
2007 has been a very good year for short film viewers. Not only did the festival circuit deliver another amazing crop of winning films, every exhibition format offered up something remarkable to watch. Two hundred movie theaters nationwide unspooled Paris-themed shorts directed by the Coen Brothers and other A-list directors. Network television debuted a short filmmaking competition during prime time. iTunes allowed almost half a million people to download a Wes Anderson mini-movie for free. And 35 million viewers clicked on Funnyordie.com to see Will Ferrell get upstaged by a two-year old. For those who may have missed these shorts the first time around, here is a round up of the superstars of the past twelve months. [ read more in Movies ] [ 1 comments ] [ filed under Lead Story, Shorts, Trends ] November 20, 2007 SHORTS COLUMN | Rare and Unseen Short Films Find a Home on the McSweeney's Wholphin DVD Label
Spike Jonze's portrait of 1999-era Al Gore, Alexander Payne's student film, and a four-minute piece directed by Steven Soderbergh simply titled "Building No. 7," these are just a few of the shorts to be found on Wholphin, a DVD series created by Brent Hoff and Dave Eggers of McSweeney's. With the fifth issue scheduled to be released in January 2008, Wholphin programmers are holding the first ever Los Angeles live screening on November 27, 2007. In addition to reviving Chris Waitt's "Heavy Metal Jr." from Issue No. 4 and previewing shorts off the upcoming Issue No. 5, the event promises to be a grand celebration of the McSweeney's imprint named after the offspring of a whale and a dolphin. [ read more in Movies ] [ 1 comments ] [ filed under Lead Story, Monthly Short Film Column, Shorts ] October 17, 2007 SHORTS COLUMN: East Coast and West Coast Bust Out Signature Short Film Showcases in October
Three years ago, a group of filmmakers in New York City decided to create a Big Apple-based short film festival, which they nicknamed NYC Shorts. This year, the 3rd annual installment of the New York City Short Film Festival takes place October 24 - 27 with 17 of the scheduled 31 shorts slated as NYC premieres. Coincidentally, earlier this month on October 9th, a group of Los Angeles-based filmmakers held the third incarnation of a short film showcase they founded called Direct from the Mailroom. These two opposite-coast events share a common mandate: they're organized by short filmmakers, for the benefit of short filmmakers. [ read more in Movies ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Festivals, Shorts ] September 25, 2007 SHORTS COLUMN | British Filmmakers Reign Supreme at North America's Three Biggest Short Film Fests
From June 12 to 17, the Canadian Film Centre hosted the 13th annual Worldwide Short Film Festival, inviting 265 shorts from more than 30 countries to screen in Toronto, Ontario. Two months later in California, 332 films from over 40 countries screened at the 2007 Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films (August 23-29), followed a month later by 700 shorts at the 11th annual LA Shortsfest (September 5 - 17). With such an overcrowded field, it's remarkable that UK filmmaker Simon Ellis walked away with both the Best Live Action Short Award at the Canadian fest and the Best of Festival laurel at Palm Springs for his fifteen-minute drama, "Soft." While Ellis went empty-handed in Los Angeles, London-based commercial director Daniel Barber received LA Shortfest's Best of the Fest nod for "The Tonto Woman" while Donald Rice made some noise with his Best Comedy Award-wining UK short "I Am Bob." [ read more in Movies ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Lead Story, Shorts, Trends ] August 29, 2007iW NEWS | "Foul" Wins Top Prize at Palm Springs Shorts Fest
British director Simon Ellis' short about a weak father encountering a gang of teen thugs, "Soft" won the "Best of Festival Award" at the 2007 Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films. The $2,000 prize also includes eligibility for Oscar consideration. Dee Rees' "Pariah" took the festival's "Future Filmmaker Award ($2,000 and "showbiz software package"). The fest's "Panavision Grand Jury Award went to Moon Molson's "Pop Foul," which also won a Student Academy Award. The Panavision prize includes a package valued at $60,000 and two days studio time from Casablanca Studios in Palm Springs. In announced audience prizes, the award for live action short went to "I Hate Musicals" by Stewart Schill, while Cyntia Wade and Laurel Hester's "Freeheld" took best doc short. And best animation short went to Zeth Willie's "The Needful Head." PSIFSF screened 332 shorts with 73 world premieres from 40 countries during the fest in the California desert community August 23 - 29. For more information including other award winners, visit their website. [Brian Brooks] [permalink] [ filed under Festivals, Shorts ] August 15, 2007 SHORTS COLUMN | Summer Shorts: Beat the Heat with Two Online Short Film Festivals
During these dog days of summer, air-conditioned movie theaters function as an oasis for those eager to escape the sweltering heat. Viewers of short films, however, aren't restricted to the multiplex when they want to enjoy a cool cinematic treat. They can chill out anywhere, thanks to SXSWclick and IFC.com/Rooftop Films. These two online summer shortfests offer up a combined total of 115 shorts accessible via cell phone or laptop. So if you're looking to avoid the summertime blues, skip the overcrowded cinema and watch shorts on your iPhone at the venue of your choosing. Pinkberry, anyone? [ read more in Movies ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Lead Story, Monthly Short Film Column, Shorts ] August 13, 2007iW NEWS | Palm Springs Short Fest Sets '07 Line up
Showcasing its 13th edition August 23 - 29, the 2007 Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films & Short Film Market (ShortFest) has unveiled its roster of 332 films from 35 countries. Included in the line up are 54 world premieres as well as 12 North American and 20 U.S. debuts. The selection is organized into 50 themed programs which cover a variety of topics including war, security issues, immigration, animation, crime, romance, sex, horror, musicals, Jewish-related issues and gay and lesbian life among others. Also this year is a special focus on films from the United Kingdom as well as Kenya. "This year's line-up exemplifies the exciting surge of new vitality and talent emerging in the field of short filmmaking worldwide," commented festival director Darryl Macdonald in a statement. "Both the official festival line-up and the film market are overflowing with smart, provocative and entertaining new work - a testament to the huge number of exceptional young talents flooding into the world of filmmaking." A jury of five industry professionals will screen this year's short films selected for competition in nine categories for a total of $14,000 in cash prizes including Best Animation, Documentary, Live Action, "Best of Festival" and the "Future Filmmaker Award." The Panavision Grand Jury Award winner will receive a digital or film camera package valued at $60,000 and two days studio time courtesy of Casablanca Studios. An additional $7,500 in Kodak film stock will be presented to the film winners in the student award categories. Foir more information including the full line up, visit the festival's website. [Brian Brooks] [permalink] [ filed under Festivals, Shorts ] July 18, 2007 SHORTS COLUMN | "Pariah" Leads The Pack of Outstanding Shorts at Outfest '07
Outfest '07, the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Film Festival running July 12 - 23, boasts twelve short film programs brimming with what the festival's website optimistically labels as "world premieres." One such gem, "Pariah," actually made its local debut a few weeks earlier at the Los Angeles Film Festival, where it walked away with the Audience Award for Best Short. And while a few other of the festival's supposed world premieres are actually unspooling in Hollywood after already having played Toronto's Inside Out, New York's NewFest, or San Francisco's Frameline31, premiere bragging rights are inconsequential when Outfest programmers have once again assembled such a world-class collection of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered-themed shorts. [ read more in Movies ] [ 1 comments ] [ filed under Festivals, Lead Story, Shorts ] July 2, 2007iW NEWS | Finalists Named for 4th SXSWclick
Fifteen finalists in five categories have been named for the South by Southwest Film Conference & Festival's four-year-old online Summer short film event, SXSWclick. Selected in the Animate-It category are: AM Peters' "Corporate Whore," Dan Brown's "Pierre," and David Crumley's "Sloths on a Tank"; in the Old School Shorts section: Will Elliott's "Peterson's Savings and Loan," Johnny O'Hara's "Mac's First Time," and Adam Wingard's "1000 Year Sleep"; in the Really Old Shorts category: David Serota's "Ubuntu," Kent Osbourne's "Every Picture I Took Last Year," and Jenny Perlin's "Review"; in the Sounds Shots section: Jonathan Stearns' "Falling Up" by Rickie Lee Jones, Andrea Gianomini's "Always Near" by Socadia, and Aaron Castillo's "Not Until Now" by Mediums; and in the What the F*#! category: Tim Spellman's "Math Bus," Tipper Newtown's "The Timebox Twins," and Naveen Singh's "Orphans." Jurors for the competition include actor Kal Penn, comedian Bob Odenkirk, filmmakers Doug Pray, Michael Tully and AJ Schnack, and bloggers Agnes Varnum and Violet Blue. For more information, visit the SXSWclick website. [Eugene Hernandez] [permalink] [ filed under Festivals, SXSW, Shorts ] June 21, 2007 SHORTS COLUMN | Scouting at UCLA's Industry Showcase of Student Films
On June 12, 2007, Hollywood Industryites packed the Directors Guild of America Theater, eager to view the seven winners of UCLA's School of Theater, Film and Television's Directors Spotlight competition. With a roster of past student winners including Alexander Payne ("Sideways"), Todd Holland ("Malcolm in the Middle"), Shane Acker ("9"), and Gil Kenan ("Monster House"), the annual screening has a reputation for being a do-not-miss event for those interested in identifying student filmmakers with big league potential. While there wasn't a clear standout among this year's crop of Spotlight winners, all seven of '07 directors showed enough potential to make tracking them worthwhile. [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Lead Story, Shorts, Trends ] May 16, 2007 SHORTS COLUMN | A Photo a Day and Then Some: An Appreciation of the Self-Portrait Short
Who would have thought an experimental short film could have a fan base of 5,926,124 and counting? Nearly six million clicks have propelled Noah Kalina's "Everyday" a.k.a. "Noah Takes a Photo of Himself Every Day for 6 Years" to become a genuine YouTube phenomenon. Countless self-obsessed photographers and irreverent parodists have surfaced in the wake of Kalina's six-minute short and Ahree Lee's equally well-known "Me," which consists of three years of self-snaps flying by in less than three minutes. But with film festival favorites such as David Birdsell's "Hairlady" pushing the envelope of what a self-portrait short can achieve, the question remains whether the format is merely a time-lapse novelty or a genre with unlimited artistic potential. [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Lead Story, Shorts, Trends ] April 18, 2007 SHORTS COLUMN | "Tanghi Argentini" Dances Away With Four Prizes at Aspen Shortsfest
Winning a festival's audience award is getting to be old hat for Guido Thys' "Tanghi Argentini," which followed up its amazing success at this year's Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival with a similar triumph at the 16th Aspen Shortsfest, which took place April 3 - 8 in Aspen, Colorado. Another highly buzzed about Clermont-Ferrand short, Michael Dreher's "Fair Trade," also won big at Aspen, generating predictions from industry insiders that "Fair Trade" and "Tanghi Argentini" should be considered front-runners for next year's Academy Awards. [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 1 comments ] [ filed under Lead Story, Shorts, Trends ] March 28, 2007LA Times | SHOWBIZ 7s: Why do people make short films?
Short films aren't inherently bad, but to the American public they are inherently uninteresting. It's a conundrum that in this time of nationwide ADD we are still more likely to watch a three and a half hour movie rather than a three-minute short. The Internet is beginning to change that, but so far, grainy YouTube videos still do better than well-produced short films. But that hasn't stopped Los Angeles based comedian Chris Mancini from making more than 90 minutes of comedic shorts over the past decade--and asking famous-ish friends like Patton Oswalt and Paul F. Tompkins to star in them. Deborah Netburn reports. [permalink] [ filed under People, Shorts ] March 21, 2007 SHORTS | "The Animation Show" Back for Thirds
"The Animation Show 3," an international collection of short films personally selected by animation icons Mike Judge and Don Hertzfeldt, is currently touring cinemas across the country, attracting fans eager to catch Hertzfeldt's "Everything Will Be OK" on the big screen. While the 2007 Sundance jury award-winner is the show's biggest draw, the feature-length theatrical program also offers 2-D and CG shorts by animation heavyweight Bill Plympton and up-and-coming stars like Oscar-nominee Shane Acker. [ read more in Movies ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Lead Story, Shorts ] March 14, 2007Nine Honored at 2nd Very Short Film Festival
Nine awards were presented at the 2nd Very Short Film Festival at Hollywood's Egyptian Theatre, with Spanish film "Avatar" by Lluis Quillez winning in the drama category, while "The Happiest Day Of His Life" (USA) by Ursula Burton receiving the prize for comedy and "Africa Parting" (USA) by Robyn Yannoukos taking the nod in animation. Tiffany Shlain's "The Tribe" (USA) won for doc and "Victoria" (USA) by Marc Carlini won for music video. In the audience categories, Nancy Stein's "Joey" (USA) took the non-fiction nod and Jack Swanstrom's "A.W.O.L." received audience kudos for fiction. James Higgins' "Ephemera" won the fest's New Frontier prize. And VSFF's experimental and grand jury prize "Best of the Fest" award was given to "Vend" (Australia) by James Findlay. The international cadre of filmmakers from the United States and 11 countries included 40 of the represented filmmakers who attended in person. [Brian Brooks] [permalink] [ filed under Festivals, Shorts ] February 16, 2007BERLINALE '07 | "Raak" Wins Top Berlin Short Film Prize
The Golden Bear for short film at the 2007 Berlin International Film Festival went to Hanro Smitsman's "Raak" from The Netherlands earlier this week, with the Berlinale Silver Bear prize shared by Manuel Schapira's "Decroche" from France and Arvin Chen's "Mei" from the USA, Taiwan and China. The Prix UIP went to Ralitza Petrova's "Rotten Apple" from the UK. Finally, the DAAD short film prize went to Nesimi Yetik's "Annem Sinema Ogreniyor" from Turkey. [permalink] [ filed under Honors, Shorts ] December 18, 2006 Short Docs Shine at the Inaugural Independent Lens Online Shorts Festival
This month the acclaimed ITVS/PBS showcase "Independent Lens," which bills itself as "the film festival in your living room," launches its first annual Online Shorts Festival, debuting a stellar array of short documentaries on its website and rebranding itself as "a film festival at your fingertips." [ read more in Movies ] [ 2 comments ] [ filed under Lead Story, Shorts, Trends ] December 7, 2006SF360: "Radical Closure" at the PFA
Guts-and-glory war movies remain a perennial at the cineplex, but genuine cinematic responses to war are a different matter entirely. If the former have all the critical force of an army recruitment poster, the latter (as the broad range of approaches in the Radical Closure series make clear) open up serious possibilities for re-imagining the dehumanized landscape of violence even as physical options are closed down. This is the import of the film and video series curated by Lebanese video artist Akram Zaatari, originally presented as part of the 2006 Oberhausen International Short Film Festival, which continues through December 12 at UC Berkeley's Pacific Film Archive. Robert Avila reports. [permalink] [ filed under Events, Shorts ] November 20, 2006 SHORTS COLUMN | Reasons to be Thankful: Ten Dazzling Short Film DVDs
As the holiday season fast approaches, short film aficionados should be saying grace and giving thanks for the bounty laid out for mass consumption. While everyone can enjoy the never-ending feast of mini-movies available online, true connoisseurs will want to devour the latest offerings on DVD. And what an amazing buffet there is: from timely holiday fare from photographer/filmmaker William Wegman to tasty treats from animator Don Hertzfeldt. If you're wondering what to put on your holiday wish list, look no further than these ten recent DVD releases. [ read more in Movies ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Lead Story, Monthly Short Film Column, Shorts ] November 7, 2006Magnolia and Shorts International Set Oscar Shorts Release
Magnolia Pictures and leading short film company Shorts International will again partner to bring Academy Award nominated live action and animated short films to U.S. theatres prior to the February 25, 2007 Oscar ceremony. The films will later be available through Magnolia's Home Entertainment division and across other platforms that include ShortsTV on mobile phones. In a statement, Magnolia president Eamonnn Bowles said in a statement: We were extremely excited with how the Academy Shorts performed for us last year. Making them available before the actual ceremony made all of the difference. If you want to get a leg up on your office pool, then we're here to help.A 20 city release is set for February 16, 2007. The pact was negotiated by Magnolia's head of acquisitions Tom Quinn, head of business affairs and Bowles with Carter Pilcher, Susan Petersen, Simon Young, and Linda Olszewski from Shorts International. [Eugene Hernandez] [permalink] [ filed under Acquisitions, Shorts ] October 18, 2006 SHORTS MONTHLY: Graduating with Honors: 17 Shorts Go Primetime on "Fine Cut: KCET's Festival of Student Film"
Each year the many top notch films schools that populate the Los Angeles area book the Directors Guild of America Theatre on Sunset to showcase their students' thesis films to the industry at large. Now, thanks to "Fine Cut: KCET's Festival of Student Film," there's no need to drive to the DGA in order to check out the work of the latest diploma-clutching filmmakers. Every Thursday at 9:00 p.m. during the month of October, Southern California's esteemed PBS station is broadcasting an hour-long block of handpicked student films and then streaming them for the worldwide audience on its website. [ read more in Movies ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Lead Story, Monthly Short Film Column, Shorts ] October 9, 20062nd Independent Lens Online Shorts Festival seeks submissions
ITVS and PBS is again hosting their second annual Independent Lens Online Shorts Festivalin which independent filmmakers are invited to submit short-form films, 10 minutes or less in length and in all genres. All submitted shorts to the festival will be screened and reviewed by a jury of notavle independent filmmakers, interactive producers and industry executives. The grand prize-winning short film will be awarded $2,500 and a national television premiere on the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Independent Lens. Ten additional winners will be showcased on the Independent Lens Web site at PBS.org. Winners will be announced in Fall 2007. For more information, visit their website. [Brian Brooks] [permalink] [ filed under Festivals, Shorts ] September 22, 2006 Believe the Hype: Ten of the Most Buzzed-About Films from Two of Southern California's Largest Shortfests
Recently Palm Springs and Los Angeles each hosted behemoth international short film festivals, presenting a combined total of 993 shorts to sell-out crowds at the Camelot Theatre and ArcLight Hollywood, respectively. With such an overabundance of riches, festival-goers in each city relied heavily on word-of-mouth recommendations to separate the must-sees from the also-rans. Here (in alphabetical order) are ten films that generated massive buzz while playing both the 12th annual Palm Springs Internationl Festival of Short Films (August 24-30, 2006) and the 10th annual Los Angeles International Short Film Festival (September 5-14, 2006). Keep an eye out for them as they continue to cut a wide swath through the festival circuit. [ read more in Movies ] [ 2 comments ] [ filed under Lead Story, Shorts, Trends ] August 30, 2006 "Bawke," "One Rat Short" Among Top Jury Winners at 12th ShortFest in Palm Springs
The 2006 Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films & Short Film Market, also known as ShortFest, concluded its 12th annual event Tuesday night with its winners ceremony at the Camelot Theatre in the California desert resort community. Award winners receiving a first place prize are automatically eligible to submit their films to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Oscar consideration. Norwegian director Hisham Zaman's "Bawke" won the festival's best of the festival award in the jury prizes, which includes $2,000 and a package of software. [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 2 comments ] [ filed under Lead Story, Shorts, Winners ] August 16, 2006 Palm Springs Shorts Fest Line up Showcases High Profile Roster
Award-winning live-action and animated films from the Cannes, Berlin, Clermont-Ferrand, Annecy, Aspen, and Toronto Festivals and the European Film Award winner are among the opening night highlights for the Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films and Short Film Market (ShortsFest), taking place in the famous California desert community August 24 - 30. Opening highlights include "The Danish Poet," "Mother," "Never Like the First Time," "Sniffer," "Tragic Story with Happy Ending," "Transaction" and "Undressing My Mother." This year's 12th edition will include 73 world premieres, 56 North American premieres and 16 U.S. premieres among the event's line up of 333 films. [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 2 comments ] [ filed under Lead Story, Lineups, Shorts ] August 15, 2006 Popular Vote Agrees with George Lucas and Jurors in Two Internet Short Film Competitions
On July 20, 2006, over 4000 people squeezed into an auditorium at San Diego's Comic-Con International to hear the announcement of the winners of the fifth annual Star Wars Fan Film Awards. Approximately 10,000 people voted on the AtomFilms website to give the Audience Choice Award to "Pitching Lucas," an eight-minute short directed by Shane Felux. In a surprise move, George Lucas also picked the same film for his George Lucas Selects Award, a first in Fan Film history. [ read more in Movies ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Lead Story, Shorts, Trends ] August 9, 2006MTV Gets Atom for $200 Million
Viacom's MTV Networks has announced a deal to acquire Atom Entertainment for $200 million. The company, comprised of four online destination sites for short films, as well as online games and video, follows last year's MTV acquisition of IFILM, the rival short film site online that ushered in an era of online entertainment back in early 1999. In a statement today, Atom founder and CEO Mika Salmi said in a statement, "MTV Networks is a global leader in entertainment, and we are thrilled to join their family of brands. Leveraging MTVN's platform will accelerate our growth and create new opportunities for both consumers and advertisers. We are proud of the business we've built and look forward to working together with MTVN to lead the way in the casual gaming and short-form video content business." [Eugene Hernandez] [permalink] [ filed under Biz, Shorts ] August 7, 2006 10 Shorts to Launch Statewide Rhode Island International Film Festival
Ten short films are slated to launch the tenth annual Rhode Island Film Festival, taking place this year August 8 - 13 in Providence and other cities throughout the New England state. This year's line up includes 283 features from 40 countries with 27 world premieres and 19 U.S. premieres. Rhode Island director, writer and actor, Michael Corrente ("Brooklyn Rules") will be receiving RIIFF's annual Creative Vision Award during the opening night festivities, while actors David Strathairn and Edward James Olmos are expected to attend. [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Lead Story, Lineups, Shorts ] July 21, 2006 NEW THIS WEEK: Short Films Among New Movies in Theaters
A number of short films are among the new movies opening in theaters. A collection of international short films are part of New Yorker Films' "The World According to Shorts," including Hugo Maza's "La Perra" from Chile, Daniel Askill's "We Have Decided Not To Die" from Australia, Andreas Hykade's "Ring of Fire" from Germany, Hans Petter Moland's "United We Stand" from Norway," Adam Guzinski's "Antichrist" from Poland and Jane Malaquias' "The Old Woman's Step" from Brazil. While Picture This Entertainment's "Boys Briefs 4" includes movies about hustlers, among them Welby Ing's "Boy", Greg Atkin's "Build", Armen Kazazian's "Gold", Tony Krawitz's "Into the Night", Bastian Schweitzer's "Gigolo", and Mary Feuer's "Rock Bottom." Both collections of short will be available in other cities in the coming weeks. [ read more in Movies ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under New This Week, Shorts ] July 19, 2006 Ten Outstanding Shorts from Outfest 2006
Outfest 2006: the 24th Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival unspooled 14 short film programs during its July 6-17 run this year. And while the 77 features playing Outfest garnered the lion's share of critical attention, it is in the short-form live action, documentary, and experimental arenas where the truly maverick filmmaking can be found. Here (in alphabetical order) is a sampling of ten outstanding shorts, which, in addition to playing Outfest, continue to make their mark on the festival circuit. [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Lead Story, Shorts, Wrap Ups ] July 18, 2006Kenan Ready for His Close-Up
In the Los Angeles Times, Patrick Goldstein offers a profile of the 29 year old debut feature filmmaker Gil Kenan, whose "Monster House" is coming this week to theaters. The animated studio movie, described as a "comic horror film," was shepherded by exec producers Robert Zemeckis and Steven Spielberg and marks Kenan's follow-up to his 2002 UCLA thesis film, "The Lark," which was a Slamdance hit. [permalink] [ filed under People, Shorts ] June 20, 2006 Confessions of a Festival Juror: Raves and Faves from Toronto's Premier Short Fest
The jury had no trouble deciding that director Greg Spottiswood's Genie-nominated short "Noise" should take home the award for Best Canadian Short Film at the 2006 Canadian Film Centre's Worldwide Short Film Festival, which took place June 13th -18th in Toronto, Ontario. It was the Jackson-Triggs Award for Best Emerging Canadian Filmmaker that proved to be the more difficult pick, resulting in a first in the festival's twelve-year history: a tie, with directors Maxime Giroux ("Le Rouge au Sol") and Chris Nash ("Day of John") splitting the prize. [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Lead Story, Shorts, Wrap Ups ] June 12, 2006 Winners Named at 33rd Student Academy Awards
Winners of the 2006 Student Academy Awards were honored in Beverly Hills Saturday night, with honorees named gold, silver or bronze medalists and each receiving a cash award ($5,000, $3,000 or $2,000 respectively). Sean Overbeeke's "Christmas Wish List" (from the University of North Carolina) won the top prize in the narrative category, while Carrie Lozano's "Reporter Zero" (from the University of California, Berkeley) was the gold medal winner in the documentary category. Tristan Holmes' "Elalini" (from South Africa) was the Honorary Foreign Film Winner, chosen from a pool of 29 submissions from 22 countries. [ read more in Biz ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Awards Season, Lead Story, Shorts ] June 8, 2006Worldwide Short Film Fest Unveils 12th Annual Line up
The Canadian Film Centre's Worldwide Short Film Festival announced its 12th annual event line up, with 29 programmes slated for this year's program taken from over 3,000 submissions. This year's event includes 250 shorts from 30 countries with 135 premieres and 19 world premieres. Opening the festival this year on June 13 in Toronto will be a program of award-winning shorts from around the world. Continuing through June 18, festival spotlights will include Canadian and international competitions, a spotlight on Germany as well as focuses on sci-fi, celbrity shorts, "Midnight Mania," animation and "Film School Mania." Top WSFF winners are eligible for both Academy Award and Canada's Genie Award considerations in their shorts categories. The event is also one of the largest short film marketplaces in North America. For more information, visit the event's website. [Brian Brooks] [permalink] [ filed under Festivals, Shorts ] May 16, 2006SHORTS MONTHLY: The Long Shadow of the Quay Brothers: The Maverick Animators and their Devotees
Everyone discovers the short films of the Brothers Quay in their own unique way. I was first clued in by Terry Gilliam back in 2000. "You must know the Brothers Quay," the ex-Python proselytized. "The Quay Brothers are identical twins from Philadelphia who have lived in England for something like 20 years. They do stop-motion animation, and it's like Polish filmmaking. It's wonderful, brilliant stuff." [ read more in Movies ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Monthly Short Film Column, Shorts ] May 11, 2006IFP and Current TV Launch Partnership
The first aspect in a strategic partnership between IFP and Current TV will be a online and on-air competition that is seeking submissions of short, nonfiction viewer-created content through the end of June. Then in August, 10 entries will be named winners of the Current/IFP VC2 Showcase, with at least three chosen to air on the Current TV cable network, with all 10 available online via the Current TV and IFP websites, as well as at the 28th Annual IFP Market. For more information, visit the IFP section of the Current TV site. [permalink] [ filed under Events, Shorts ] April 20, 2006POWER UP Gets First Look Deal
The non profit, volunteer run gay studio Power Up has entered into a one year first look deal with the LOGO network for the acquisition of short films. Maureen Guthman, Vice-president of Acquisitions and Co-Productions at LOGO said they were "extremely impressed with the quality and talent of the POWER UP filmmakers." Guthman has already acquired many of the shorts from POWER UP that will play over the next month on The Click List: Best in Short Films which airs every Thursday at 10pm est. [Helen Silfven] [permalink] [ filed under Biz, Queer Cinema, Shorts ] April 18, 2006 SHORTS MONTHLY: Ten Hilarious New Shorts From the Fest Circuit
[EDITORS NOTE: Kim Adelman will be writing a monthly short film column for indieWIRE.] Every year Aspen, Colorado plays host to two stellar showcases of top-notch short films. At the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival, held March 8th - 12th, 2006, funny flicks were to be expected. But it was the 15th annual Aspen Shortsfest, which took place April 5-9, that most recently had festival-goers rolling in the aisles. While the Aspen Shortsfest's jury lauded the laugh-out-loud funny "The Danish Poet," "Heavy Metal Drummer", "Eramos Pocos," and "Badgered," there were many other films that tickled the audience's funny bone. [ read more in Movies ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Lead Story, Monthly Short Film Column, Shorts ] Foreign Finalists Selected for Student Academy Award
Five finalists from 29 entries representing 22 foreign countries have been selected to compete for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' 2006 Honorary Foreign Film Award in the Student Academy Awards competition. The winning student filmmaker will be brought to Los Angeles in June to participate, along with U.S.-based winners of the 33rd Student Academy Awards, in a week of industry-related activities and social events, culminating in the awards presentation ceremony on June 10 in Beverly Hills. The finalists are: "Being Holger," Kasper Gardsoe, The National Film School of Denmark. "Elalini," Tristan Holmes, The South African School of Motion Picture Medium and Live Performance (AFDA). "The Measure of Things," Sven Bohse, Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. "Melodrama," Filip Marczewski, The Polish National Film School. "La Ruta Natural," Alex Pastor, The Superior Graduate School of Cinema and Audiovisuals of Catalonia, Spain. Several past winners in the Foreign Student Film competition have gone on to achieve further recognition by the Academy. Tickets for the 33rd Student Academy Awards presentation ceremony, at which the winning foreign student film will be screened in its entirety along with the other Gold Medal-winning films from the U.S., are free and available beginning May 1. To request a maximum of four tickets, call the Academy at (310) 247-3000, ext. 130, or print an order form from the Academy's website. [Brian Brooks] [permalink] [ filed under Honors, Shorts ] April 12, 2006 Spanish Shorts, Fathers and Sons, and a "Danish Poet" Highlight 15th Aspen Shortsfest
While father/son stories were omnipresent at the 15th edition of Aspen Shortsfest, the short that dominated the closing night award ceremony of the highly prestigious short film festival held April 5 - 9 in Aspen, Colorado was animator Torill Kove's quirky love story, "The Danish Poet." The 15-minute Canada/Norway production, which made its North American debut at the festival, garnered the International Competition Jury's Animated Eye Award, The Ellen Award for Most Original Film, and the Audience Favorite Award, which it shared in a three-way tie with Jennifer Kent's live action domestic horror flick "Monster" and Nancy Kelly's art world documentary, "Smitten." [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Lead Story, Shorts, Wrap Ups ] March 30, 2006Finalists Announced for SA Short Screen Awards
The Media Resource Centre of South Australia announced today the finalists for the 2006 SA Short Screen Awards. The five finalists for best film of are: "Azadi" directed by Anthony Maras, "Train Runner" directed by Trevor Wright, "Orange Lane" directed by Jessica Asz, "Carnivore Reflux" directed by Eddie White & James Calvert, and "Belzhik" directed by Nima Nabili Rad. The Best Of the SA Short Screen Awards will be held at the Mercury Cinema over 3 nights on 7, 14, 15 April at 7.30pm. For more information visit their Web Site. [Helen Silfven] [permalink] [ filed under Festivals, Shorts ] March 9, 2006Anita Monga to Serve as Director of Shorts Programming at Palm Springs ShortFest
Anita Monga has been appointed director of shorts programming this year for the 12th annual Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films & Short Film Market, taking place August 24th - 30th, the event announced Thursday. Monga has been involved in film exhibition in the San Francisco Bay area for the last 25 years. As director of programming at San Francisco's Castro Theatre she established an internationally-recognized film arts program within the landmark theater. Among her other activities, she directs the Noir City Festival and serves as a shorts programmer for the Mill Valley Film Festival. Most recently she directed the Film Arts Festival of Independent Cinema, and served as the programming manager for the 2006 Palm Springs International Film Festival. The entry deadline for PSIFSF is April 15th. For more information, visit their website. [Brian Brooks] [permalink] [ filed under Industry Moves, Shorts ] February 28, 2006Magnolia and Shorts International Bring Oscar Shorts To iTunes
Magnolia Pictures and Shorts International announced that the five nominees for Best Live Action Short film at the 78th Academy Awards are now available for purchase and download on Apple's iTunes Music Store. The five nominated live action films now on iTunes are: "Ausreisser (The Runaway) by Ulricke Grote; "Cashback" Sean Ellis; "The Last Farm" by Runar Runarsson; "Our Time Is Up" by Rob Pearlstein; and "Six Shooter" by Martin McDonagh. Shorts International recently teamed with Magnolia Pictures to launch screenings of all 10 Oscar nominated shorts from the live action and animated categories in select theaters around the U.S. The films opened in select markets on February 24 and will continue for the next few weeks. "Distribution initiatives like these are exciting to be involved with and we are glad to have the opportunity to showcase these fantastic films," said Magnolia President Eamonn Bowles in a release. More information can be found at their Web site. [Tamara Schweitzer] [permalink] [ filed under Biz, Shorts ] February 27, 2006Sundance.org Video Audience Reaches One Million Downloads
The Sundance Institute announced that worldwide audiences have downloaded over one million videos, breaking previous records according to the organization. Online visitors have downloaded a range of free programs from the 2006 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, including video highlights of festival happenings, filmmaker interviews and 50 short films that were screened in festival competition. The 2006 Sundance Film Festival, which took place this year from January 19 to 29, is the only major film fest to premiere short films on the web within hours of their premieres in theatres in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah. The number of video hits in 2006 surpassed the 700,000 downloads from the site in 2005 over the six month period during which the video remain on the web. The 2006 site reached the million download milestone 35 days after debuting short films and original content when the festival opened on January 19. According to Sundance, the top ten downloads so far are: "Gopher Broke" by Jeff Flowler and Tim Miller; "Fumi and the Badluck Left Foot" by David Chai; "Hahaha America" by Jon Daniel Ligon; "Fourteen" by Nicole Barnette; "A Half Man" by Firas Momani; Sundance '06 shorts competition winner "Bug Crush" by Carter Smith; "Divorce Lemonade" by Justin Hayward; "The Tribe" by Tiffany Shlain; "You Turned Back and Held My Hand" by Gabriela Tollman; and "Before Dawn" by Balint Kenyeres. For more information, visit their website. [Brian Brooks] [permalink] [ filed under Festivals, Shorts ] February 15, 2006 Magnolia and Shorts International Bringing Oscar-Nominated Shorts to Theaters
Magnolia Pictures and Shorts International have announced a partnership to bring this year's 10 Oscar-nominated shorts (live-action and animated) to theaters before the Academy Award ceremony on March 5. The series will kick off Friday, February 24, in New York and Los Angeles. The series will also play in select theaters in San Francisco, Detroit, Berkeley, Atlanta, Seattle, Denver, Austin, Portland and Chicago. The two distribution companies anticipate adding more markets in the coming weeks. [ read more in Biz ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Awards Season, Lead Story, Shorts ] February 13, 2006SXSW Film Festival Shorts Lineup Announced
The South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival announced today this year's lineup of shorts. From over 2,800 submissions, the festival selected 130 shorts from around the world, divided into six categories: documentary, narrative, animated, experimental, music video and Texas High School Shorts (work by Texas teens). Shorts that will screen include TV personality Maria Menounos' "Longtime Listener," about an electronics store clerk who lives his life through talk radio and comic Bob Odenkirk's "Derek & Simon: The Pity Card," about a first date at a Holocaust museum. "From young filmmakers in Jamaica to animators plugging away on their own, to some big names getting behind the camera, it's all an exciting variety of art," said Festival Producer Matt Dentler in a released statement. The 2006 SXSW Film Festival will take place March 10-18 in Austin, Texas. For a complete lineup of SXSW festival shorts, please visit the festival Web site. [M.L. Liu] [permalink] [ filed under SXSW, Shorts ] February 9, 2006Journal of Short Film Releases "Volume 2" DVD
The Journal of Short Film recently announced its release of "Volume 2 (Winter 2006)." This DVD features a compilation of 11 shorts, including narratives, documentaries, experimental works, animation and "Walter Mondale doing hip hop." The Journal of Short Film, which models itself after a literary journal, publishes a DVD quarterly. For subscription and submission information, visit the journal's Web site. [M.L. Liu] [permalink] [ filed under Releases, Shorts ] February 7, 2006Shorts Recognized at 28th Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival
The 28th Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival wrapped up last weekend in Clermont-Ferrand, France. "Fais de Beaux Reves" by Marilyne Canto received the Grand Prix in the festival's National Competition. "Le Mammouth Pobalski" by Jacques Mitsch received the Audience Prize in the same category. The category's Special Jury Prize was given to Samuel Collardey's "Du Soleil en Hiver." In the International Competition, "Medianeras" by Gustavo Taretto (Argentina) took top honors. "Hibernation" by John Williams (U.K.) was awarded the Audience Prize, and the Special Jury Prize went to Heng Tang's "The Last Chip" (Australia). Jacques Thelemaque's "Transaction" was honored with the Grand Prix in the Lab Competition. Both "City Paradise" by Gaelle Denis and "90 Degrees" by Francois Roisin, Raphael Martinez Bachel and Jules Janaud received the category's Audience Prize. For a complete list of winners, visit the festival website. [M.L. Liu] [permalink] [ filed under Honors, Shorts, Shorts ] January 19, 2006 PARK CITY '06: With Challenge of Keeping It Brief, A Preview of Standout Shorts at Sundance
Park City coverage sponsored by BE KIND REWIND. [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Festival Dispatches, Lead Story, Park City, Shorts ] December 5, 2005 Sundance Unveils Short Film Lineup for '06 Fest
Park City coverage sponsored by BE KIND REWIND. [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Lead Story, Lineups, Park City, Shorts ] October 17, 2005Amazon.com and Tribeca Film Festival Name Five Finalists of Short Film Competition
Amazon.com, Inc. and the Tribeca Film Festival have announced five finalists for the second Amazon Theater/Tribeca Film Festival Short-Film Competition. The group includes Owen Smith's "Battaglia," a tribute to writer Jeff Rose's grandfather and other Americans in the 88th Infantry Division of World War II; Greg Benson's Woody Allen/Spike Jonze/Monty Python-inspired "Coming Home"; Jack Paccione, Jr's action/comedy/horror film centered on table tennis, "Duel at Red Table"; Joseph Garner's "Meter Maids," a comedy set amidst the "cutthroat" world of parking enforcement officers; and Paul Matusheski's "Richter's Agenda," a thriller inspired by Alfred Hitchcock in which a student is terrorized by a computer hacker. The finalists were determined by Amazon.com customers, who submitted ratings and viewed films between August 26 - September 23. The grand-prize winner will be announced at a gala coctail event in New York next month, and will receive $50,000 from American Express towards his or her next film project. [Brian Brooks] [permalink] [ filed under People, Shorts ] October 2, 2005 RESFEST 2005, Keeping It Curious
For some, it's hard to imagine a festival which can program and fill a theater with festivalgoers watching 90 minutes of commercials, music videos, or a documentary about sneakers. Long ago, the folks at RESFEST recognized the appeal, evolution and dramatic advances in media and commercial art and the market that wants to see what's new in those fields. Kicking off its 9th year, as a touring festival, RESFEST offered an ambitious line-up of screenings, panels, product demos and guided tours in the TriBeCa district of New York City. Having dropped its "Digital Film Festival" tagline, RES organizers asserted that their name now can stand alone, offering associative terms "innovative" "creative" and "out of the ordinary." Though of much RESFEST's programming is shot or manipulated with state of the art digital technology, festival programs include creations like hand made animation or documents of hands-on activities like illegal street art. [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Festival Dispatches, Lead Story, Shorts ] September 29, 2005 Dispatch From Brazil: Short Films In Abundance at Sao Paulo's Festival Internacional de Curtas-Metragens
"A long life for Brazilian cinema!" was the ironic cheer of the night at the opening of the 16th Festival Internacional de Curtas-Metragens de Sao Paulo, the largest short film festival in Latin America. Despite being an invitation-only event, the theater was so full on opening night that guests filled the aisles and huddled into corners to watch the evening's selection of films. The scene repeated itself throughout the course of the festival: theaters filled to capacity with their fair share of organizational and technical snags, which were forgiven by the diversity and sheer volume of films on offer to the public. The ten-day festival, which took place between August 25 and September 3, generated a high level of excitement from an eager audience (and it was hard to complain when the projector broke for the third time when all the sessions were free). [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Festival Dispatches, Lead Story, Shorts, World Cinema ] September 27, 2005 "Bluma", "Mantis", "China" Take Top Prizes at Palm Springs Shorts Fest
The Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films and Short Film Market concluded on September 26, with the "Best of Festival Award" - accompanied by a cash prize of $2,000 - going to American filmmaker Benjamin Ross' "Torte Bluma," about the relationship between a German commandant and the Jewish prisoner who cooks his meals in a concentration camp during World War II. [ read more in On The Scene ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Awards Watch, Shorts, Winners ] August 5, 2005 5 Questions for Jennie Livingston, Director of "Paris Is Burning" and "Who's The Top?"
When I first saw "Paris Is Burning" in Los Angeles in 1991 it blew me away. Not counting Michael Moore's "Roger & Me," it was the first true documentary, in this case a portrait of a group of New Yorkers who were part of the ball scene, I had ever seen in a movie theater. After it came out on video, I watched it many more times with friends and have always admired Jennie Livingston for creating such an incredible look inside a world that my friends and I found eye-opening. Listening to Cheryl Lynn's "Got To Be Real" today still takes me back to the first time I saw the film. [ read more in People ] [ 0 comments ] [ filed under Documentary, Interviews, Lead Story, Queer Cinema, Shorts ] August 4, 2005 Stony Brook Awards Short "West Bank Story" its Grand Prize and Announces a Festival Buy
The Stony Brook Film Festival concluded its 10th edition last weekend, awarding a prize to its closing night film, "The Five of Us," and presenting its biggest |