CWC :: Oscar Shorts 2014

Program A ~ Film Roster
Total Run Time approximately 98 minutes.

THE BLUE UMBRELLA
Oscar Short List Animation
Director Saschka Unseld, USA, 6 minutes.

Umbrellas in love! Set against photo-realistic animation, ordinary objects are slightly anthropomorphic and in a world of black umbrellas, encourage romance between a blue and red umbrella.

NOT QUITE DOWNTON ABBEY
Bonus Film Live-Action
UK, 7 minutes.

A clever, spot-on parody of the famous series, complete with thick British accents – listen closely, Yanks!

FERAL
Oscar Nominee Animation
Director Daniel Sousa, USA, 13 minutes.

A wild boy is found in the woods by a solitary hunter and brought back to civilization. Alienated by a strange new environment, the boy tries to adapt by using the same strategies that kept him safe in the forest.

THE VOORMAN PROBLEM
Oscar Nominee Live-Action
Mark Gill, UK, 13 minutes.

Starring Tom Hollander (Gosford Park, In the Loop) and Martin Freeman (PBS Sherlock Holmes, The Hobbit, Love Actually). Doctor Williams is called in to examine the enigmatic Mr Voorman, a prisoner with a peculiar affliction: he believes he is a god. The doctor must decide on the sanity of Mr Voorman: is he a faker or a lunatic? But before making a decision, the doctor has several questions in relation to Voorman's claim: why would a god choose to be straitjacketed in a prison, is there a way he can validate his boast and what has any of this got to do with Belgium?

POSSESSIONS
Oscar Nominee Animation
Director Shuhei Morita, Japan, 14 minutes.

The 18th Century. On a stormy night, deep in the mountains, a man has lost his way and comes across a small shrine. When he enters, the space suddenly turns into a room in a different world. One after another appear abandoned umbrellas, discarded kimonos, and such spectral things. The man painstakingly mends these paraphernalia, which harbor deep-seated bitterness, and brings them comfort. "How well you served people before you turned to rags. Your rest is earned."

JUST BEFORE LOSING EVERYTHING
Oscar Nominee Live-Action
Director Xavier Legrand, France, 30 minutes.

Without showing any violence, this film makes excellent use of suspense and dramatic tension in a story about domestic abuse as Miriam and her children flee from danger. Lea Drucker is mesmerizing as Miriam and the story is particularly noteworthy for the spontaneous support she receives from her boss and co-workers.

MR. HUBLOT
OSCAR WINNER Animation
Director Laurent Witz, Luxembourg, 11 minutes.

Mr Hublot lives in a world where characters are made partially of mechanical parts, where the giant scale of machines and the relentless use of salvaged materials reign supreme. A withdrawn, idiosyncratic character with OCD, Mr. Hublot is scared of change and the outside world. The arrival of the dog "Robot Pet" turns his life upside down as two lonely individuals find each other and bond.

All live-action and animation Oscar nominees and winners will be shown; bonus films and program sequence subject to change.

Program B ~ Film Roster
Total Run Time approximately 100 minutes.

CRISIS AT DOWNTOWN ABBEY
Bonus Film Live Action
USA, 3 minutes.

A humorous American counterpoint to the British D.A. parody in Program A.

ROOM ON THE BROOM
Oscar Nominee Animation
Directors Max Lang and Jan Lachauer, UK, 25 minutes.

A kind witch invites a surprising collection of animals to join her on her broom, much to the frustration of her cat. An adventure ensues and the crew winds up with a magnificent new broom with room for everyone.
Featuring the voices of Gillian Anderson (Witch), Rob Brydon (Cat), Martin Clunes (Dog), Sally Hawkins (Bird), Simon Pegg (Narrator), Timothy Spall (Dragon), David Walliams (Frog).

THAT WASN'T ME
Oscar Nominee Live-Action
Director Esteban Crespo, Spain, 24 minutes.

The story of Paula and Kaney — two characters, an African child and a Spanish woman, with nothing in common, but whose lives are joined forever.

Á LA FRANÇAISE
Oscar Short List Animation
Directors Julien Hazbroucq, Ren Hsien Hsu, Emmanuelle Leleu, William Lorton, & Morrigane Boyer, France, 2012

Made by talented students at Supinfocom, the amazing and prolific French academy of digital filmmaking. A satire of the 19th century French aristocracy, portrayed by hedonistic chickens.

DO I HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF EVERYTHING?
Oscar Nominee Live-Action
Director Selma Vilhunen, Finland, 7 minutes.

Mother Sini wakes up in a panic: she has slept in and the family is late for a wedding. She wakes up her husband Jokke and daughters Ella, 6, and Kerttu, 4. They start to prepare themselves in a hurry. Mother is going crazy since nobody else seems to be able to do anything right. Who has soiled father's shirt, hidden the girls' dresses and the wedding gift?

GET A HORSE!
Oscar Nominee Animation
Director Lauren MacMullan, USA, 6 minutes.

A contemporary homage to the first animated shorts featuring Mickey Mouse, with all-new, black-and-white, hand-drawn animation that is paired with full-color, 3D, CG filmmaking —in the same frame. Mickey (voice of Walt Disney), his favorite gal pal Minnie Mouse and their friends Horace Horsecollar and Clarabelle Cow delight in a musical haywagon ride — until Peg-Leg Pete shows up and tries to run them off the road. This groundbreaking short takes a sharp turn when Mickey finds himself separated from Minnie and must use every trick up his sleeve to find his way back to her.

HELIUM
OSCAR WINNER Live Action
Anders Walter, Denmark, 23 minutes.

A hospital's eccentric janitor helps a dying young boy regain the joy and happiness of life.

All live-action and animation Oscar nominees and winners will be shown; bonus films and program sequence subject to change.