Independent Short Films

Archive for the 'Film Events' Category

Sundance Shorts: Part One

January 21st, 2010

Let me begin by telling you my dilemma.

Not too long ago, I was contacted by the press office at Sundance, asking if I could cover the shorts in the festival. I thought this was a great idea, except that I would be nowhere near Park City, Utah during the final weeks of January.

I arranged press credentials for a partner of mine out of Los Angeles so that he would go on my behalf, but some critical factors didn’t work out favorably, and now we’re not sure if he’ll be able to make it to the festival at all.

In the meantime, I’ve been contacted by others, e.g. someone from the National Film Board of Canada, requesting interviews with filmmakers they represent.

So, if you are at the festival, and are blogging, vlogging, tweeting or otherwise documenting the goings-on, and ESPECIALLY if you have press credentials, PLEASE let me hear from you.  Let’s collaborate.

In the meantime, if my contact manages to make it after all, bonus.

That said, I’d like to draw your attention to an article by Daniel Fienberg that takes a look at what screened yesterday at the festival.  Below is an excerpt:

Shorts Program I was chosen as part of Sundance’s opening night slate because it represents the many sides of the Festival’s shorts slate. It includes an American narrative short (“I’m Here”), an American doc short (“The Fence”), an international animated short (“Logorama”) and an international narrative short (“Seeds of the Fall”). The official Sundance guide tries to make the argument that the films in Program I are unified by the theme of love. That’s ridiculous. They’re mostly unified by the aforementioned diversity and being among the longest shorts on that side of the Sundance lineup.

He then gives a brief commentary on each short film.  Read it yourself!

I know that there was a lot of buzz around “I’m Here” from Spike Jonze (Where the Wild Things Are, Adaptation, Being John Malkovich) and I personally was intrigued by the trailer for Logorama, though the description in Daniel’s article led me to believe that I wouldn’t have liked it after all. What do you think?

Here are a couple highlights to look for today (if you are present, if not, just enjoy it here).

Le Petit Dragon (The Little Dragon)

My Mom Smokes Weed

Every day is pretty packed, but if you missed a screening on one day, there’s a good chance you can catch it again.

Be sure to check back here for more updates as the festival goes on, and don’t forget to contact me about covering the rest of the festival. We’ll have fun, I promise.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Canada’s National Film Board online archive: a success story (boingboing.net)
• Sundance 2010 Short Film Trailers – Part 1 (cinematical.com)
• Watch Oscar Nominated Short Logorama Now – Really, Watch It [Image Cache] (gizmodo.com)

Technorati Tags: Adaptation, Being John Malkovich, I'm Here, Le Petit Dragon, Logorama, My Mom Smokes Weed, National Film Board of Canada, Runaway, Seeds of the Fall, Spike Jonze, Sundance Film Festival, Sundance Shorts, The Fence, The Little Dragon, Where the Wild Things Are

 

Short film coverage at the Sundance Film Festival (and other news!)

January 15th, 2010

It’s that time of year again…all the presents have been returned or run out of batteries, most new year’s resolutions have been broken, and the Sundance Film Festival is just around the corner.

Incredibly, we’ve been invited to cover the many Independent Short Films being screened at the festival.  We’ll be able to blog, vlog, tweet, and  otherwise document the goings-on of the fest.

I’ve seen various trailers for some of the Sundance Shorts, and I’ve gotta tell you, there are some treats to be found, and I’m positive that our team at the festival is looking forward to viewing them.

To whet your appetite, I’d like to highlight some of the things I’ve found.  For today: Drunk History.

Filmmaker Jeremy Konner has found a clever trick for creative storytelling–filming drunk people and having them talk about historical events.  He then has A-list actors re-enact the story as told by his subject.  The results are….interesting.  Some might find them hilarious, some might find them offensive, but mildly amusing.  At any rate, these short films are sure to find an audience.  Two such films are screening at this years Sundance Film Festival, Drunk History: Douglass & Lincoln and Drunk History: Tesla & Edison.

Douglass & Lincoln features Don Cheadle (Oceans 11,12, & 13, Crash) as Frederick Douglass and Will Ferrell (Step Brothers, Stranger Than Fiction) as Abraham Lincoln.

Tesla & Edison features John C. Reilly (Step Brothers, Walk Hard) as Nikola Tesla and Crispin Glover (Beowulf, Back to the Future) as Thomas Edison.  You may remember these two actors from the movie What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? or heard their voice-acting this past September in the animated feature, 9.

As a taste of what to expect, here’s the first installment featuring Michael Cera.  And remember, if the humor isn’t your cup of tea, you’ll most certainly find something at the festival that suits you better.

Be sure to check back here for more updates on the festival. And leave a message in the comments about what YOU want to see at or from Sundance!

In other news, Welcome to my new domain, independentshortfilms.org!

Be sure to:
(1) Update your bookmarks,
(2) Submit your favorite posts StumbleUpon, delicious, Digg, reddit, Mixx, or wherever you happen to be,
(3) Subscribe to the new feed (RSS or ATOM) for free, automatic updates,
(4) Link to the new domain from your blog, site, or social networking profile(s), and
(5) Tell all your friends about the move.   I’m still working out a couple of things, so just consider this a beta version.  In the meantime, thanks for coming!

Looking forward to our future!

Related articles by Zemanta

• Short film coverage at the #Sundance #FilmFestival (and other news!) (independentshortfilms.org)
• Trailer for John C. Reilly’s Sundance Comedy ‘Cyrus’ (cinematical.com)
• Land of the lost career: Will Will Ferrell ever grow up? (canada.com)

Technorati Tags: Add new tag, Arts, Back to the Future, Crispin Glover, John C. Reilly, Movies, Step Brothers, Stranger than Fiction, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

 

Let's Get This Show on the Road! (8th Samurai Screening)

December 28th, 2009

A remarkable opportunity was recently extended to us when we received an invitation to attend the screening of a very noteworthy Independent Short Film, as you may discover in this excerpt from the press release:

“After winning Best of Fest at LA Shorts Fest ’09, the 28-min. American short movie ‘The 8th Samurai’ directed by Justin Ambrosino, became eligible for an Academy Awards nomination in the Live Action Short Movie category. Academy members will soon be able to cast their votes from which a short list will be issued for the nominations.”

As you probably may have guessed, this film was an homage to the director of the film Shichinin no Samurai (Seven Samurai), Akira Kurosawa, and the screening was hosted by the Consulate General of Japan in Los Angeles, who generously supported the film.  The screening was followed by a reception and a Q&A session with the filmmaker.

Francis De La Torre was in attendance.  Here’s what he had to say about the film and the event:

“When life gives you lemons, make lemon flavored saké,” a statement that describes Justin Ambrosino’s tragicomedy, “The 8th Samurai.”

The film is an empathetic tale that unravels the emotional impact experienced by “Nanshu,” (Eijiro Ozaki) when he is fired from his first big acting role in an upcoming movie, the first day of shooting. The director (Toshi Toda), having experienced a spiritual awakening, realizes that the movie cannot contain 8 samurais, as originally thought, but rather only seven. As the story progresses, Nanshu goes through several stages of grieving, ultimately coming to acceptance of his fate, and becoming a stronger person from the process.

Although Nanshu was not the most dexterous of individuals, I found myself walking in his shoes from opening scene. An insecure, overly zealous young man, trying to fulfill his dreams as well as the expectation of others, something we all have experienced. As he developed, I caught myself chuckling at him as he tried to cope with a rapid decomposing of his “big break,” saying to myself, “I know what you are going through.” At that point, I realized that filmmaker Justin Ambrosino had me.

Ambrosino, a recent graduate from The American Film Institute, did a remarkable job bringing to life the insecurities that accompany success and the pursuit thereof–from over-preparation and eagerness to please to the quiet voice in the back of our heads which constantly tell us we are not adequate for the tasks that lay before us. Success is a never-ending circle of constant inner-struggle. It is only when we come to a place of self-acceptance that we can experience self-admiration and obtain the confidence needed to reach our fullest potential. Ambrosino communicated this flawlessly.

I found the film profoundly encouraging. What gave the film even more depth was the vulnerability that Ambrosino displayed during his open Q&A following the screening. Having his first thesis film denied approval for production by the The American Film Institute, Ambrosino was left in a frustrated condition to devise a plan B. Having to experience first hand much of what his lead character encountered, (including saké), Ambrosino developed and told a story of a tragedy, that ultimately resulted in self growth and acceptance.

The sobering story was delivered with class as well. Ambrosino’s aesthetic for the film is reminiscent of traditional Samurai movies, shot in black and white with humorously nostalgic editorial transitions. An all Japanese cast deliver the dialogue in their own language, providing us a timeless sentiment to this timeless story. The film was very enjoyable, and I highly recommend it to anybody that has experienced discouragement but possessed the fortitude to press on.

Rating: 4.5/5

Written by: Francis De La Torre
www.8bitfilms.tv
twitter: 8bitmindset

Oh, by the way, I do feel I have to apologize, I’ve been having hosting troubles lately, and will probably have to switch soon (any tips?) but if you tried to access this site and couldn’t, first of all, I’m sorry, and second, thanks for coming back.  This post was a long time coming, but I’m glad to finally share it with you.

Technorati Tags: 8th Samurai, Academy Awards, Akira Kurosawa, Eighth Samurai, Film Events, LA Shorts Fest, Seven Samurai