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The River of the Kukamas[/caption]
The 17th Tribeca Film Festival today revealed its lineup of 55 diverse and engaging short films in competition, including 29 world premieres. For the second year running, 40% of the selections are directed by female filmmakers. The short films will be presented in 10 distinct competition programs, which consist of five narrative, three documentary, one animation, and one hybrid program. The program will also include special screenings and the 12th annual Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival.
A spotlight shines locally as the popular New York shorts program returns this year with HOMEMADE, a section that features world premiere documentaries directed by New York-based filmmakers.
The timely hybrid program entitled AFTERMATH will focus on compassion and humanity as vital tools in coping with gun violence, and will include extended Q&A’s with the filmmakers of both the narrative film Surviving Theater 9 and the documentary film Lessons from a School Shooting.
The 2017 Oscar® winner Dear Basketball, directed by Glen Keane, written and narrated by Kobe Bryant, world premiered at last year’s Tribeca Film Festival and is the latest in the festival’s long tradition of curating films that have been nominated or won an Oscar. Recipients of the Tribeca Film Festival awards for Best Narrative Short, Best Documentary Short and, for the first time, Best Animated Short will qualify for consideration in the Academy Awards’ Short Films category, provided the film complies with Academy rules. Tribeca Film Festival also gives out a Student Visionary Award to a student filmmaker.
2018 Tribeca Film Festival Shorts Program
Aftermath
The impact of gun violence is explored in this unique hybrid program.
Followed by an extended Q&A.
Surviving Theater 9, directed and written by Tim McGrath. (USA) – World Premiere, Short Narrative. After the mass shooting at a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colorado, filmmaker Tim McGrath and his fellow survivors offer an inside look in this intriguing and inspiring movie. With Corben Bernsen, Chelsey Crisp, Brittany Ishibashi, Luke Columbero, Tim McGrath, Stacey Oristano.
Lessons from a School Shooting, directed by Kim Snyder. (USA) – World Premiere, Short Documentary. Following the Sandy Hook Massacre, a priest from Dunblane, Scotland reaches out to Father Bob offering support 16 years after a school shooting in his own town. The men bond over personal trauma and responsibilities… In the aftermath the UK reformed its gun laws; the US responded with inaction. With Monsignor Bob Weiss, Monsignor Basil O’Sullivan.
Animated Shorts Curated by Whoopi G
Showcasing imaginative storytelling and captivating craft.
This program is suggested for those 14 and older.
Brooklyn Breeze, directed and written by Alex Budovsky. (USA) – North American Premiere, Short Narrative. Brooklyn Breeze is a visual journey through different parts of Brooklyn, some of the iconic spots and others not often seen by the visitors, based on a tune recorded by New York based Michael Arenella and his Dreamland Orchestra.
Late Afternoon, directed and written by Louise Bagnall. (Ireland) – New York Premiere, Short Narrative. Disconnected from the world around her, Emily drifts back through her own memories, looking to her past in order to fully embrace her present. With Fionnula Flanagan, Niamh Moyles, Lucy O’Connell, Michael McGrath.
The History of White People in America, directed by Jonathan Halperin, Clementine Briand, Ed Bell, Aaron Keane, Pierce Freelon, Drew Takahashi, written by Pierce Freelon and Jon Halperin. (USA) – World Premiere, Short Documentary. The invention of race in America gets an animated, musical treatment.
Two Balloons, directed by Mark Smith, written by Mark C. Smith. (USA) – New York Premiere, Short Narrative. Two travelers return to a place crossed by stars and clouds where love is at the beginning of everything.
Surpresa, directed and written by Paulo Patrício. (Portugal) – US Premiere, Short Documentary. A recorded conversation between a mother, Joana, and her three-year-old daughter, Alice, who is recovering from kidney cancer, forms the heart of this short experimental-documentary animation. With Daniela Duarte, Carina Beringuilho, Joana Amorim, Ana Sofia Gueifão, Inês Almendra. In Portuguese with English subtitles.
The Velvet Underground Played at My High School, directed by Robert Pietri, Tony Jannelli, written by Marina Donahue. (USA) – New York Premiere, Short Documentary. This animated short recounts the Velvet Underground’s first gig—in 1965, in front of a crowd of shocked kids at a suburban New Jersey high school.
Fire in Cardboard City, directed by Phil Brough, written by Phil Brough, Matt Heath. (New Zealand) – US Premiere, Short Narrative. When a city made entirely of cardboard catches fire, it’s up to the local fire chief and his brave deputies to save Cardboard City and its citizens from impending doom.
Bao, directed and written by Domee Shi. (USA) – World Premiere, Short Narrative. An empty-nesting Chinese mom gets another chance at motherhood when one of her dumplings springs to life. But she must come to terms with the bittersweet revelation that nothing stays cute and small forever.
Bold Moves
Risk takers tell true tales.
Hula Girl, directed by Amy Hill, Chris Riess, written by Amy Hill. (USA) – World Premiere, Short Documentary. Hula Girl is the untold story behind one of the biggest fads in modern American history. At 94 years of age, Joan Anderson has waited 50 years to prove that “a gentleman’s handshake ” was hardly a deal and it’s time to set the record straight. With Joan Anderson, Richard Burton, James DiLullo, residents of La Costa Glen retirement home.
Cosmic Debris, directed and written by Patrick Waldrop. (USA) – World Premiere, Short Documentary. This documentary depicts the friendship between animator and creator Gabor Csupo (The Simpsons, Rugrats) and the legendary musician Frank Zappa. With Gabor Csupo.
9 at 38, directed by Catherine Lee. (South Korea, USA) – New York Premiere, Short Documentary. Juilliard-trained violinist Hyungjoon Won is about to realize a dream seven years in the making: a joint concert by North and South Korean musicians straddling the 38th parallel. But military aggression and apathy soon threaten to derail his plan. With Hyungjoon Won. In English, Korean with English subtitles.
The Last Storm, directed and written by Liam Saint-Pierre. (UK, USA) – World Premiere, Short Documentary. Mark, a 60-year-old fledgling storm chaser who was recently diagnosed with lung cancer, sets out across the Midwest with his friend’s nephew to search for a twister before the two- month season comes to an end. With Mark Zabawa, Mike Marz.
Adventure Not War, directed by Max Lowe. (Iraq, USA) – New York Premiere, Short Documentary. Three U.S. veterans travel back into the mountains of Iraq on a mission to heal wounds and to experience the country and its culture, relieved of the shadow of war. With Stacey Bare, Robin Brown, Matthew Griffin.
Home Sweet Home
From small towns to planet Earth, docs that celebrate home.
Hey Ronnie Reagan, directed by Maurice O’Brien. (Ireland) – International Premiere, Short Documentary. When U.S. President Ronald Reagan makes a visit to his ancestral home in Ireland, the tiny, anonymous Tipperary village is thrust into the world spotlight. Ballyporeen would never be the same.
Wendy’s Shabbat, directed and written by Rachel Myers. (USA) – New York Premiere, Short Documentary. After mourning the loss of her husband Jack of nearly 60 years, Roberta Mahler sought to connect with her Jewish community to ease the loneliness. She did so, surprisingly, at her local Wendy’s. With Roberta Mahler, Sharon Goodman, Michael Goodman, Lou Silberman, Rabbi Isaiah Zeldin, Gerrie Gussman, Winston Bannister.
Destination Park, directed by Andrew Cohn. (USA) – World Premiere, Short Documentary. Deep within Trump’s America, a camp of destitute truck drivers confide their anxieties, frustrations, hopes, and fears in the chaplain of a Midwest mobile chapel. With Chad Roedema.
Homeless: The Soundtrack, directed by Irene Taylor Brodsky. (USA) – World Premiere, Short Documentary. Thirty years after being taken away from her parents by the state and given up for adoption, singer-songwriter Jenni Alpert went searching for her father. She finally finds him: homeless, toothless, addicted. And a musician, just like her. With “Cami” Jenni Alpert, Don Logsdon, Jill Alpert.
The River of the Kukamas (The El Río de los Kukamas), directed and written by Nika Belianina. (Peru) – World Premiere, Short Documentary. This film takes a tranquil journey through the waters and history of Kukama people, who inhabit the Amazon basin in Peru. With Pablo Taricuarima Pinedo. In Spanish with English subtitles.
Earthrise, directed by Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee, written by Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee, Adam Loften. (USA) – World Premiere, Short Documentary. The Apollo 8 astronauts recount their memories of capturing the first image of Earth from space in 1968 and evokes the awe of seeing Earth framed against the blackness of space. With Frank Borman, James Lovell, Bill Anders.
Into the Void
Sci-Fi shorts that will rock your multiverse.
The 716th, directed and written by Andrew Bowen. (USA) – World Premiere, Short Narrative. Left to die at the hands of her enemies. When a small shuttle piloted by an unlikely hero arrives to save them, a poorly planned, at times comical rescue sends these outcasts on an unexpected adventure. With Andrew Bowen, John Asher, Lauren McFall, Taj Speights.
Bad Peter, directed and written by Zach Strauss. (USA) – World Premiere, Short Narrative. An expectant mother is forced into a humiliating birthing regimen by her automated personal assistant, which thinks it knows what’s best for her and her unborn child. With Frankie Shaw, Ross Partridge.
Exit Strategy, directed and written by Travis Bible. (USA) – New York Premiere, Short Narrative. A man who is trapped in a time loop must work with his brother to prevent a catastrophic fire. With Christopher O’Shea, Richard Kohnke.
Let Them Die Like Lovers, directed by Jesse Atlas, written by Jesse Atlas, Aaron Wolfe. (USA) – New York Premiere, Short Narrative. A body-jumping soldier grapples with the morality of her missions in this emotionally charged sci-fi thriller. With Mustafa Shakir, Angela Lewis, Bradley Fisher.
UI – Soon We Will All Be One, directed by Johannes Mücke, Patrick Sturm, written by Johannes Mücke. (Austria) – World Premiere, Short Narrative. When hard-bitten ranger Kira is sent out to retrieve a drone that has gone astray, she discovers a mysterious, large object in the vast ice lands of Antarctica. Little does she know that inside this object waits a lethal trap not only for her, but for mankind. With Tanja Petrovsky, Dennis Kozeluh, Michael Smulik.
Laboratory Conditions, directed by Jocelyn Stamat, written by Terry Rossio. (USA) – New York Premiere, Short Narrative. A physician investigating a missing body disrupts an unlawful experiment. With Marisa Tomei, Minnie Driver, Paulo Costanzo, Lisa Renee, Robert Scheid, John Kearney.
Lighten Up!
Have some fun with comedic & off-beat stories.
The Last Romantic (El Último Romántico), directed by Natalia García Agraz, written by Natalia García Agraz, Gerardo Lechuga. (Mexico) – International Premiere, Short Narrative. Hector, the employee of the month at a bowling alley, is in love with Magda, his co-worker. With Ulises Galván, Lorea Montemayor, Enrique Arreola, Raúl Briones. In Spanish with English subtitles.
Five Minutes, directed and written by Justine Bateman. (USA) – New York Premiere, Short Narrative. A “parenting class” at a progressive elementary school takes an unexpected, dramatic turn. With Rob Benedict, Rae Dawn Chong, Bre Blair, Aimee Graham, Steve Agee, Seana Kofoed.
Love-40, directed and written by Harry Israelson. (USA) – World Premiere, Short Narrative. A friendly tennis match between Alice and Andy takes an abrupt turn when Alice goes to retrieve a stray tennis and is bitten by a rattlesnake. With Lola Kirke, Jack Henry Robbins.
Ugh!, directed by Jimmy Marble, written by Jimmy Marble, Doug Sacrison. (USA) – World Premiere, Short Narrative. 1990s. Los Angeles. The Future Is Repeating Itself. Oh My God. With Nika de Carlo, Carly Foulkes.
Black Label (Etiqueta negra), directed by David Vergés, written by Guillermo Tato, David Vergés. (Spain) – North American Premiere, Short Narrative. Erik is a night-shift employee from a lonely gas station; Alex is a regular at the shop. One night, something happens that gives them the opportunity to discover who they really are. With Úrsula Corberó, Marcel Borràs, Andrés Herrera, Macarena Gomez, Cristina Brondo. In Spanish with English subtitles.
Welcome Home (Velkommen til oss), directed and written by Armita Keyani. (Norway) – New York Premiere, Short Narrative. An Iranian refugee couple living in the North of Norway invite in two Jehovah’s Witnesses when they knock on their door. With Ashkan Ghorbani, Elnaz Asgari, Marianne Lauritsen, Ole Jorgen Farstad. In English, Farsi, Norwegian with English subtitles.
So You Like the Neighborhood, directed and written by Jean Pesce. (USA) – World Premiere, Short Narrative. After Wendy gets dumped and then evicted from her Brooklyn apartment, she befriends some locals, who offer to help her with the eviction. The thing is, they’re mafia members, and by “help,” they mean something rather more nefarious. With Sarah Stiles, Carmine Raspaolo, Ernest Mingione, Vince Bandille, Corey Sullivan, Matt Hopkins, Joe Corrao, Chuck McMahon, Jason Nuzzo, John Forde, Hillary Hamilton, Matt Casuccio.
Loose Ends
Life is unravelling.
The Goodnight Show, directed by Charlie Schwan, written by Charlie Schwan and Wyatt Miller. (USA) – World Premiere, Short Narrative. Being a virgin isn’t the end of the world, but when the world is actually ending, the stakes are raised so tragic hero Samuel embarks on a quest to lose his virginity before it’s too late. With Spencer Flynn, Ellie Dubin.
Paper Roof, directed and written by Judith Tong. (Singapore) – World Premiere, Short Narrative. Two young sisters, Pamela and Abigail, decide to run away from trouble at home to build a cardboard house together. However, reality soon catches up with them and threatens to put an end to their escapade. With Lee Min Xin, Zhang Zhirou
We Were Three (Vi var tre), directed by Caroline Ingvarsson, written by Caroline Ingvarsson, Gunnar Järvstad. (Sweden, Norway) – International Premiere, Short Narrative. In this true story, three young girls arrive at the airport after a long night of partying during a parent-free trip to England. But a naive joke in the wrong place shatters their friendship. With Selma Modéer Wiking, Sofie Nilsask, Livia Liedholm.
Phone Duty (Дежурство), directed and written by Lenar Kamalov. (Russia) – World Premiere, Short Narrative. A Donbass rebel fighter, whose nom de guerre is Cat, receives orders to sit on phone duty—which, he quickly learns, is not as easy as it first seems. With Zakhar Prilepin, Oleg Chernov, Gleb Kornilov, Mikhail Sivorin, Yuriy Maslak. In Russian with English subtitles.
Salam, directed and written by Claire Fowler (USA, Wales) – World Premiere, Short Narrative. A female Lyft driver navigates the night shift in New York City while waiting to hear life-or-death news from her family in Syria. With Leslie Bibb, Hana Chamoun, Khaled Al Maleh, Jessica Damouni. In Arabic, English with English subtitles.
The Motion of Stars (Die Bewegung der Sterne), directed and written by Jan Prazak. (Austria) – North American Premiere, Short Narrative. Eight-year-old Lena’s favourite book, about the secret relationship between stars and humans, gains special significance when she watches a solar eclipse with her father, an even that changes both their worlds forever. With Ulrich Reinthaller, Lena Madsen, Rainer Doppler, Martina Spitzer, Aaron Friesz, Vivienne Causemann. In German with English subtitles.
Souls of Totality, directed by Richard Raymond, written by Kate Trefry, Ben Bolea. (USA) – New York Premiere, Short Narrative. Set during the Great American Eclipse, Souls of Totality is a relationship story about the sacrifices we make, the things we don’t say, and love’s seemingly supernatural ability to conquer all. With Tatiana Maslany, Tom Cullen, Helen Shaver, Mike Tague.
Magic Act
Everyone can enjoy these family-friendly films.
How Tommy Lemenchick Became a Grade 7 Legend, directed by Bastien Alexandre, written by Nicolas Billon. (Canada) – US Premiere, Short Narrative. Eleven-year-old Ophelia has never been kissed, but she has the perfect plan to remedy that. She finds a suitable candidate—Tommy Lemenchick—and at school the following day, he describes how he became a seventh-grade legend. With Charlie Birdgenaw, Sam Ashe Arnold, Caroline Dhavernas.
Mirette, directed and written by Helen O’Hanlon. (UK) – New York Premiere, Short Narrative. In 20th-century Paris, a young girl’s life is changed by the arrival of a mysterious man, who she discovers is a wirewalker, in this adaptation of the much-loved, Caldecott Medal-winning book. With Tom Conti, Miriam Margolyes, Dixie Egerickx, Jean-Marc Desmond, Bebe Cave.
Earthy Encounters, directed and written by Sam Johnson. (UK) – North American Premiere, Short Narrative. Fifteen-year-old Kyle believes he can save his dying older brother with a plant he found in the garden center where he works—the problem is, a shadowy government agency is out to destroy it first. With Fionn O’Shea, Jessica Barden, Pete Sullivan, Luke Baverstock, Nathalie Armin, Johnny Palmiero.
Make or Break
Aspirations and complications.
The Love Letter (Michtav Ahava Lam’em Sheli), directed by Atara Frish, written by Atara Frish. (Israel) – World Premiere, Short Narrative. When Noa finds a special love letter in her locker, she struggles to reconcile her safe, restrained world and her urge to feel—at least for a brief moment—loved. With Gili Beit Hallahmi, Ravit Dor, Shir Abramov. In Hebrew with English subtitles.
Time Traveller, directed and written by Steve Kenny. (Ireland) – New York Premiere, Short Narrative. A Back to the Future-obsessed young Irish Traveller strives to finish building his own DeLorean replica before he and his family are evicted from their halting site. With Barry Ward, Tom Doran, Liam Doran, Denise McCormack, Barbara Bergin.
Knuckles, directed and written by Laura Groombridge. (Australia) – World Premiere, Short Narrative. A man entangled in the violent criminal underworld of bare-knuckles fighting pursues a misguided attempt at redemption. With Tim Phillipps, Mirko Grillini, Simon Todman, Laura Jane Turner.
Blind Audition, directed by Andreas Kessler, written by Linda Kokkores. (Germany) – New York Premiere, Short Narrative. When violinists and partners Ari and Ron both get invited to audition for the same solo part in an orchestra, their relationship is put to the ultimate test. With Han Nguyen, Simon Kluth, Horst Kotterba, Sven Gielnik, Tine Kiefl. In German with English subtitles.
The Life of Esteban (Het Leven van Esteban), directed and written by Inès Eshun. (Belgium) – International Premiere, Short Narrative. Esteban, a future Olympic swimmer, has grown up with a single mother and doesn’t know who his father is. As he searches for his identity in this poetic short film, he determines swimming is a metaphor for life itself. With Noah Mavuela, Mathis Mavuela, Joshua Tassin, Tine Cartuyvels, Goua Grovogui, Lamine Diouf. In Dutch with English subtitles.
Rise of a Star (Naissance d’une Étoile), directed by James Bort, written by Stéphane Landowski. (France) – World Premiere, Short Narrative. Emma is about to be the new Ballerina at Paris Opera. But something upsets her. A secret. A secret liable to undermine what she has spent a whole life on. With Dorothée Gilbert, Catherine Deneuve, Antonia Desplat, Pierre Deladonchamps. In French with English subtitles.
NY Shorts: Homemade
World Premiere docs from our New York-based filmmakers.
I Heart NY, directed by Andre Andreev, written by Dan Covert. (USA) – World Premiere, Short Documentary. This documentary short examines the life of the creator of the infamous I Heart NY symbol and his struggle to find love for the city during a trying time. With Milton Glaser.
Saul’s 108th Story, directed and written by Joshua Carlon. (USA) – World Premiere, Short Documentary. Wherein Saul recalls fixing a window. With Saul Moroz.
Into My Life, directed by Sarah Keeling, Grace Remington, Ivana Hucikova. (USA) – World Premiere, Short Documentary. From 1965 to the present, M. Elaine and Cassandra Bromfield, two African-American women, made joyful documents of their lives in Brooklyn’s Lindsay Park Housing Cooperative on 8-mm film. Into My Life pays tribute to their drive for self-preservation and self-representation, highlighting the memories, identities, and relationships housed within their archive. With Cassandra Bromfield.
Big Elvis, directed by Paul Stone, written by Mark Winegardner. (USA) – World Premiere, Short Documentary. A 960-pound Elvis impersonator becomes convinced he is Elvis Presley’s secret love child. With Pete “Big Elvis” Vallee, Brendon Paul, Ron Decar.
Sidelined, directed by Galen Summer. (USA) – World Premiere, Short Documentary. In 1978, several NFL cheerleaders posed in Playboy magazine, having received approval from team management. But when the issue hit newstands, it unleashed a wave of repercussions for the women themselves—and their team.
Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival: Sports Shorts
A spectrum of stories, styles, and sports, this collection of athletically-minded short films will take audiences on the exciting personal journeys of four athletes.
Locked In, directed and written by Alison Ellwood. (USA) – World Premiere, Short Documentary. After falling victim to a pair of illnesses at age 11, Victoria Arlen lived with locked-in syndrome for four years. Locked In, directed by Alison Ellwood (No Limits, American Jihad), tells the story of her recovery and eventual gold-medal victory in swimming at the 2012 London Paralympics. With Victoria Arlen.
A Mountain to Climb, directed by Kristen Lappas, written by Tom Rinaldi. (USA) – World Premiere, Short Documentary. A Nepali teen, Pratima Sherpa, works to become her country’s first golf star With Pratima Sherpa, Pasang Sherpa, Kalpana Sherpa.
Run: The Robert Young Story, directed by Todd Kapostasy (USA) – World Premiere, Short Documentary. Ultra-marathon runner Rob Young attempts to set a record running across the United States, but his efforts are marred by allegations of fraud.
Sonic Break, directed by Stevan Riley. (USA) – World Premiere, Short Documentary. Directed by Stevan Riley (Listen to Me, Marlon), Sonic Break explores the sports psychology and mental training that helped Felix Baumgartner to jump from the Earth’s stratosphere. With Felix Baumgartner, Joe Kittinger.
Special Screenings
Lessons from a School Shooting, directed by Kim Snyder. (USA) – World Premiere, Short Documentary. Following the Sandy Hook Massacre, a priest from Dunblane, Scotland reaches out to Father Bob offering support 16 years after a school shooting in his own town. The men bond over personal trauma and responsibilities… In the aftermath the UK reformed its gun laws; the US responded with inaction. With Monsignor Bob Weiss, Monsignor Basil O’Sullivan.
Following the screening there will be a conversation with director Kim Snyder, producer Maria Cuomo Cole along with Sandy Hook surviving teacher Mary Ann Jacob, and Parkland, Florida student Ryan Deitsch. Moderated by actor & director John Slattery.
RX: Early Detection A Cancer Journey with Sandra Lee¸ directed and written by Cathy Chermol Schrijver. (USA) – New York Premiere, Short Documentary. RX Early Detection A Cancer Journey with Sandra Lee follows the intense and intimate journey of a woman whose life becomes dramatically altered when her routine medical check-up delivers a cancer diagnosis. Executive Produced by Sandra Lee and Sheila Nevins.
After the screening: a conversation with director Cathy Chermol Schrijver and subjects Sandra Lee, Kimber Lee, and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Read more
Shirkers[/caption]
Sandi Tan’s creative odyssey Shirkers, which had its world premiere at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, where Tan won the Directing Award in World Cinema Documentary has been acquired by Netflix. The film will next be shown at the True/False Film Festival in Columbia, Missouri on Friday, March 2. Adding to its robust slate of documentary shorts, Netflix also acquired Zion, a ten-minute film directed by Floyd Russ about a young wrestler who was born without legs and finds acceptance and community within the world of wrestling. Both films will debut on Netflix later this year.
An inspired labor of love for zine-making teens Sandi Tan, Jasmine Ng and Sophie Siddique, Shirkers was a Singapore-made 1992 cult classic – or it would have been, had the 16mm footage not been stolen by their enigmatic American collaborator Georges Cardona, who disappeared. More than two decades later, Tan, now a novelist in L.A., returns to the country of her youth and to the memories of a man who both enabled and thwarted her dreams. Magically, too, she returns to the film itself, revived in a way she never could have imagined.
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Zion Clark appears in ZION by Floyd Russ | photo by Gregory Wilson[/caption]
Zion is a gripping portrait of Zion Clark, a young wrestler born without legs who grew up in foster care. Clark began wrestling in second grade against his able-bodied peers. The physical challenge became a therapeutic outlet and gave him a sense of family. Moving from foster home to foster home, wrestling became the only constant thing in his childhood.
The award-winning NYC true story-inspired short comedy, Sure-Fire directed by Michael Goldburg, will will screen at the upcoming 8th Annual Queens World Film Festival on Friday, March 16 at 8:15pm. Sure-Fire is a hilarious crime comedy, inspired by a true story, about a New York City con man, Benny Boon, having a midlife crisis who stumbles into becoming a movie producer to pay off gangsters threatening to kill him.
Sure-Fire is a short, fast-paced crime comedy about a New York City con man, played by the hilarious PJ Marshall (“Luke Cage,” “American Horror Story,” “Underground”), who stumbles into becoming a movie producer to pay off gangsters threatening to kill him. Sure-Fire is inspired by director Michael Goldburg’s upcoming feature comedy of the same name and recalls New York comedies from Woody Allen (“Broadway Danny Rose”) and Mel Brooks (“The Producers”) as well as Hollywood crime comedies like “The Big Lebowski,” “Pulp Fiction,” and “Get Shorty.”
Benny Boon, a New York City con man, needs to come up with $50,000 in 3 days to pay off a gangster–or else. Luckily, he meets a washed-up actress, Kitty Kinkaid, who’s desperate for a comeback and claims to have the money to bankroll a screenplay. Benny then poses as a movie producer and hooks her with a script called “A Woman on the Edge.” Problem is, the script doesn’t exist, and Benny doesn’t know how to write one. So he places an ad on Craigslist for a screenwriter and puts his scheme into high gear.
The film has screened at over 20 festivals, and won numerous awards including Best Screenplay at the 2017 Et Cultura Festival, Best Actor at 2017 River Bend Festival, and Best Actor in a Comedy at 2017 Williamsburg Independent Film Festival. Building on this buzz the filmmakers are actively exploring turning Sure-Fire into a feature film.
https://vimeo.com/214382976
“SURE-FIRE” Screens at the 8th Annual Queens World Film Festival
Friday, March 16 at 8:15pm
“Local Express” Program
Museum of the Moving Image (Redstone Theater)
36-01 35 Avenue, Astoria, NY 11106
The new one-take short Accidence from Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson, will receive its world premiere on Tuesday 20th February, 2018 at the 68th Berlin International Film Festival.
Accidence is based on music composed by Ensign Broderick, an enigmatic experimental songwriter from Toronto, Canada. The song, officially titled “Accidence PSA,” is found on his forthcoming album Feast of Panthers, to be released on March 9, 2018. To illuminate his unique creative process, Ensign Broderick recently shared two alternate versions of the song as an accompanying Triptych.
In a deadly and maddeningly endless loop of crime and punishment, Accidence explores the narrative potential of the mundane architectural projection. In Maddin’s words, “Every balcony is a poem, a chant — a muscle! But whoever lives with that extra blueprint luxury of a balcony lives on the wrong side of a cross-section, on the busy, narrative-addled side of something like an ant-farm window, a brazen architectural arrangement selling cheap peeks into the naked sideshows of the quotidian — even the grisly. Step right up! Behold! A ten story wall of solid twitching muscle!”
Based on the metaphor that we are each our own victims, each of us the worst perpetrators of our own worst traumas, and each the most tireless prosecutors of the crimes we commit against ourselves, Accidence follows the nightmarish cycle of a man who hurls to his death a doppelganger of himself from an apartment balcony, and is then pursued by a detective who is yet another doppelganger. The perpetrator is pursued from apartment to apartment, to the homes of his parents, and of his girlfriend, flats where he seeks sanctuary from persecution. By the end of the film, the perpetrator joins his victim in death as he is hurled from the balcony by his lookalike pursuer of justice, who promptly considers himself a perp, and who is promptly dogged by yet another lookalike agent of justice. And endless loop of crime and punishment is thus established. Everyone else living in the apartment block, at least those visible out on their balconies, is also caught in their own personal loops of varying activities. We all live in loops, each of us condemned to repeat ourselves in essential ways.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xV0pK6BerHw
We Have Our Ways[/caption]
This year’s 2018 Portland International Film Festival’s will present two programs of short films by Oregon-based makers highlighting 14 new projects, including films by local movers and shakers like Mark Smith (Two Balloons), Portland film archivist Greg Hamilton (Thou Shall Not Tailgate), Scott Ballard (North & Nowhere), Dawn Jones Redstone (We Have Our Ways), and Sean Whiteman (Bramble On), but also drawing attention to work by emerging talents like Abby Thompson (Lovely Legs), Daniela Repas (Mnemonics), and Nesto (Gut Feeling).
Netflix has released the trailer “The Trader” an official selection at this year’s 2018 Sundance Film Festival and winner of “Best Short Documentary” at the 2017 Hot Docs Documentary Film Festival. Trader debuts on Netflix on February 9, 2018.
A portrait of a man and his minibus. The Trader (Sovdagari) directed by Tamta Gabrichidze, follows Gela as he sells secondhand goods through rural Georgia, where money is meaningless, and potatoes are lucre.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOauOJg-fCQ
Francisca Iglesias Bouzón appears in Matria by Álvaro Gago[/caption]
Winners of the 2018 Sundance Film Festival jury prizes in short filmmaking were announced at a ceremony in Park City, Utah, with the Short Film Grand Jury Prize going to Matria, written and directed by Álvaro Gago.
This year’s Short Film jurors are Cherien Dabis, Shirley Manson and Chris Ware.
Short Film awards winners in previous years include And so we put goldfish in the pool. by Makato Nagahisa, Thunder Road by Jim Cummings, World of Tomorrow by Don Hertzfeldt, SMILF by Frankie Shaw, Of God and Dogs by Abounaddara Collective, Gregory Go Boom by Janicza Bravo, The Whistle by Grzegorz Zariczny, Whiplash by Damien Chazelle, FISHING WITHOUT NETS by Cutter Hodierne, The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom by Lucy Walker and The Arm by Brie Larson, Sarah Ramos and Jessie Ennis.
Goodbye, Brooklyn[/caption]
This year’s 2018 Slamdance Film Festival which kicks off on Friday January 19 thru 25 in Park City, Utah, will feature an impressive Beyond and Shorts programs for their 24th edition. The short film lineup showcases productions from 26 countries, with shorts in the Narrative, Documentary, Animation, Anarchy and Experimental sections all eligible for the 2018 Oscar® Qualifying Shorts competition.
Several Slamdance Alumni return with highly anticipated presentations in the Beyond lineup. All films in this highly-selective program are made by emerging filmmakers working just beyond their first features.
Brett Favre[/caption]
“Shocked: A Hidden Factor in the Sports Concussion Crisis” a new documentary short, Executive Produced by Brett Favre, in partnership with KMG Media, will premiere on the new 24/7 multiplatform sports network, Stadium, on January 11, 2018, at 6:30 p.m. ET.
“Shocked” sheds light on Favre’s career-ending head-to-turf concussion and explores what preventative measures can be taken to make the playing environment safer for all athletes at all skill levels.
“Shocked” takes an intimate look at Brett’s career and his concerns for the future, and parallels the experience with Gracie Hussey – a 17-year-old girl living with Post Concussion Syndrome from head-to-turf injuries suffered when she was thirteen. Shocked unveils deeply personal stories, supported by interviews with leading researcher, John Sorochan, Ph. D. of the University of Tennessee – Turfgrass Research Center, the President of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, Chris Nowinski, Ph.D., and others.
There are between an estimated 1.6 and 3.8 million sports-related concussions in the United States every year, leading The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to conclude that sports concussions in the United States have reached an epidemic level. One in every five of those concussions is directly a result from a head-to-turf collision.
Immediately preceding the debut of “Shocked” on January 11, Brett Favre will appear on Stadium’s signature studio show, “The Rally,” at 6:00 p.m. ET, discussing his involvement in the documentary.
Shocked will re-air several times throughout the month of January on the Stadium network.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9prordVz3nY
Circle[/caption]
This year’s 2018 Berlinale Shorts competition includes 22 films from 18 countries competing for the Golden and the Silver Bear, as well as the Audi Short Film Award, worth € 20,000, and a nomination for the European Film Awards. The Nigerian film Besida by Chuko Esiri and the Austrian film The Shadow of Utopia by Antoinette Zwirchmayr will be screened out of competition.
The competition includes films by João Salaviza, Réka Bucsi, Bárbara Wagner & Benjamin de Burca, Manque La Banca, Sylvia Schedelbauer, Ulu Braun, Arash Nassir, João Viana, among others. In addition the Berlinale Shorts will present a special programme about 1968.
In City of Tales by Arash Nassiri, a polyphony of Persian dialects can be heard that turns Los Angeles into Teheran. The sites of memory are the cities of others. In Onde o Verão Vai (episódios da juventude), Portuguese director David Pinheiro Vicente stages a queer exodus from the Garden of Eden and so rethinks the beginnings of humankind. In her documentary Circle, Jayisha Patel shows how the family can be a breeding ground for the trafficking of women. It is the grandmother who accepts money for her granddaughter’s rape. For the first time, a film from Rwanda will be shown in the competition, the co-production Imfura by Samuel Ishimwe.
The members of the International Short Film Jury are Portuguese filmmaker and winner of the Golden Bear for Best Short Film at the Berlinale 2017, Diogo Costa Amarante; US filmmaker and curator Mark Toscano; and South African filmmaker and academic Jyoti Mistry.
50 years since 1968: The Berlinale Shorts special programme “1968 – Red Flags for Everyone” will present aesthetic strategies that are still relevant to this day. “Without raising the question of social unrest, it would be impossible to examine 1968 – the subjective gaze in its aesthetic diversity is the kaleidoscope that makes the conditions then accessible today. By radically reducing everything to the material itself, the artists free film from any sort of narrative and allow a new reality to become apparent,” states Berlinale Shorts curator Maike Mia Höhne.
In Programmhinweise, Christiane Gehner ponders gender roles: “I’m not sure, but sometimes it feels like it might be better to just comply with men’s demands – for isolation is even worse than suppression.” In Antigone, Ula Stöckl discloses the structures involved in imbalances of power. In Na und…?, Marquard Bohm and Helmut Herbst reveal – at the home of Bohm’s own family in Hamburg – the often-depicted fustiness hidden beneath the academic gown. Dore O. describes her film Alaska as a dream about herself, as a consequence of interacting with society. In 1968, Helmut Herbst and Dore O. were founding members of the first Hamburg Filmmakers’ Cooperative, which radically influenced contemporary social discourse with their films.
When 10-year-old Elliott asks his 90-year-old great-grandfather, Jack, about the number tattooed on his arm, he sparks an intimate conversation about Jack’s life that spans happy memories of childhood in Poland, the loss of his family, surviving Auschwitz, and finding a new life in America.
Directed and produced by Emmy® winner Amy Schatz, the short film The Number on Great-Grandpa’s Arm weaves in haunting historical footage and hand-painted animation to tell a heartbreaking story of Jewish life in Eastern Europe before and during the Holocaust. The film, presented by HBO with the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, debuts Saturday, January 27, 2018 (6:00-6:20 pm ET/PT), International Holocaust Remembrance Day, exclusively on HBO.
The film will also be available on HBO On Demand, HBO NOW, HBO GO and affiliate portals.
This gently powerful family documentary centers on Elliott’s love for his beloved great-grandfather and his wish to keep alive Jack’s memories and lessons from that terrible time. “His story has changed a lot of people,” 10-year-old Elliott says. “You need to know it to understand and stop it from happening in future generations.”
Jack’s story is brought to life through documentary and archival footage and stills, as well as the dynamic rotoscope animation of acclaimed artist Jeff Scher.
The Number on Great-Grandpa’s Arm will be included in a signature initiative that is part of the robust education program offered by the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust. This effort is designed to use the film, a companion special installation, and curriculum to connect stories of the Holocaust across generations.
Director-producer Amy Schatz’s notable HBO projects include the recent “Saving My Tomorrow” series, “An Apology to Elephants,” the “Classical Baby” series, “A Child’s Garden of Poetry,” “‘Twas the Night,” “Goodnight Moon and Other Sleepytime Tales” and “Through a Child’s Eyes: September 11, 2001.” Schatz’s work has won five DGA Awards, seven Emmy® Awards, and three Peabody Awards.
Animator Jeff Scher’s work is found in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, Academy Film Archives, Hirshhorn Museum and the Pompidou Centre.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VntlYm0u7B0
The Number on Great-Grandpa’s Arm was directed and produced by Amy Schatz; executive producer, Sheila Nevins; producer, Lynn Sadofsky; edited by Tom Patterson; animation by Jeff Scher; director of photography, Alex Rappoport; music composed by Keith Kenniff; production executive, Susan Benaroya; supervising producer, Lisa Heller.
The Eleven O’Clock – Derin Seale[/caption]
10 live action short films will advance in the voting process for the 90th Academy Awards. A record 165 pictures had originally qualified in the category.
Short Films and Feature Animation Branch members will now select five nominees from among the 10 titles on the shortlist.
Nominations for the 90th Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, January 23, 2018.
The 90th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 4, 2018 and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT.
The 10 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production companies:
“DeKalb Elementary,” Reed Van Dyk, director (UCLA)
“The Eleven O’Clock,” Derin Seale, director (FINCH)
“Facing Mecca,” Jan-Eric Mack, director, and Joël Jent, producer (Dschoint Ventschr Filmproduktion)
“Icebox,” Daniel Sawka, director, and Camille Cornuel, producer (Iceboxthefilmco)
“Lost Face,” Sean Meehan, director, and Sam McGarry, producer (Soma Films)
“My Nephew Emmett,” Kevin Wilson, Jr., director (New York University)
“Rise of a Star,” James Bort, director, and Boris Mendza, producer (Fulldawa Films)
“The Silent Child,” Chris Overton, director, and Rachel Shenton, writer (Slick Films)
“Watu Wote/All of Us,” Katja Benrath, director (Hamburg Media School)
“Witnesses,” David Koch, director (Lux for Film, Diez Films and Paradoxal)