I camped out at SIFF Cinema for the final day of the ShortsFest. It was a good day with many excellent selections, and I enjoyed meeting many of the filmmakers. However, I was also feeling a little stir-crazy after three and half days in movie theaters. At one point today, I felt like it was late evening... Turned out it was mid-afternoon! So as much as I enjoyed the long weekend of films, I'm also glad it's over.
Even after watching 9 of the 16 shorts packages between Fri - Mon, I managed to miss Jury Award winners for Best Live Action Short ("Time Freak") and Best Animation Short ("The Eagleman Stag"). Hopefully I will get to see them later.
Shorts: Seattle Stories - B-
Though not the most impressive package technically (which is somewhat expected), there are memorable entries about two Pike Place Market artists ("Belltown, 98121" and "Busking Cadenza"), a pair of queer artists who blend dance with comedy acts ("The Cherdonna and Lou Show: The Movie!"), Seattle's vibrant DIY music scene ("We Invent You"), and Ivan the laser show artist at Pacific Science Center ("When the Lights Go Out"). Ultimately, this package is as much about celebrating Seattle as it is about celebrating local filmmaking.
Large group of filmmakers for the Seattle shorts; dance artists Cherdonna & Lou
Shorts: Twists and Turns - B-
"Library of Dust," directed by Ondi Timoner and Robert James, is the very deserving winner of Jury Award for Best Documentary Short. By telling the story of 3,500+ unclaimed canisters containing cremains of past psychiatric patients at Oregon State Hospital, the film sends a powerful message of celebrating and honoring every member of our society. The five live action shorts are a mixed bag, ranging from funny to creepy to intense, from pleasantly nice to painfully slow.
FutureWave Shorts - B
It wouldn't be fair to hold these shorts by young (18 and under) filmmakers - many of which were school projects - to the same technical standards as the other shorts in the festival. With that said, I was quite impressed by the creativity and passion demonstrated by this package of 19, including several that came from Ballard High School. Though it's hard to pick favorites, I especially applaud "The Adventures of Floating Boy and Flying Girl," "How Could She?" and "Reflection" for their uniqueness, and "Deaf Perspective" for its social relevance.
(Top L-R, Bottom L-R): FutureWave Q&A;
me with Joseph Yao, Prodigy Award winner ("The Million Dollar Watch");
me with Rogan Shannon ("Deaf Perspective");
SIFF's Dustin Kaspar with Ballard High seniors Blair Scott & Sheridan Koehler ("Reflection")
ShortsFest Closing Night - A-
If only all shorts packages were as strong as this one! "North Atlantic," a touching story about radio communication with a pilot on a doomed flight, is my favorite short of the festival and a common pick among those I talked to. "Cataplexy" is a pitch-perfect comedy that, astonishingly, was made for a 36-hour film contest (and won the contest). "Monkeys" is almost as funny and "Steve," starring Keira Knightley in a non-annoying role and Colin Firth as a questionable neighbor, is good for some chuckles as well. "Danny & Annie" uses radio interview and cartoon animation to tell a bittersweet tale of long-time love.
Closing Night Q&A; Shorts Competition jurors announcing the winners;
me with director John Salcido ("Cataplexy");
me with Documentary Short winner Robert James ("Library of Dust")
No comments:
Post a Comment