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Essential Event Info

W H A T :

  • OSCAR SHORTS
  • Two programs ("A" and "B"), each with running times off approximately 93 minutes. In English and various languages with English subtitles.
  • Genre: Short Live-Action & Animation; comedy, romance and drama.
  • NR (not rated) but generally suitable for all audiences, high-school and older. Suggest PG for very brief nudity in the commercials and in Manon sur le Bitume.


  • W H E N :

    Two new dates added:
  • Mon, April 13, Program A, 7:30 pm
  • Tue, April 14, Program B, 7:30 pm


  • Sun, March 29, Program A, 4:00 pm
  • Sun, March 29, Program B, 7:30 pm
  • Tue, March 31, Program A, 7:30 pm
  • Wed, April 01, Program B, 7:30 pm

  • Doors open at 3 and 6:30 pm for the two Sunday screenings; at 6 pm for the Tuesday and Wednesday screenings.

    W H E R E :

  • The Redmoor
    3187 Linwood Avenue, Mt. Lookout Square   513 871 6789
  • FREE PARKING on the two upper levels behind the CVS drugstore next door to the Redmoor. Click for PARKING MAP.


  • T I C K E T S :

  • Single Tix for Program A or Program B are $10.
  • Save 20% - Combo Tix for both Programs A and B are $16.


  • A D V A N C E   T I C K E T S

    ( click each location for maps )

    $16 Combo and $10 Single Tix:

  • ON-LINE
  • tollfree 1-877-548-3237
  • The Redmoor, 513-871-6789


  • $10 Single Tix, cash only:

  • Clifton-Ludlow Ave. -
    Sitwell's Coffee House
    513 281 7487

  • Mt. Lookout Square -
    Lookout Joe Coffee Roasters

    513 871 8626

  • Northside-Hamilton Ave -
    Shake It Music & Video
    513 591 0123

  • Downtown Cincinnati -
    Coffee Emporium
    513 651 5483


  • Tickets will also be sold at the door, subject to availability.


    Socialize before
    the Movie -
    Cocktails & Dinner
    Dinner-and-a-Movie
    Welcome to THE REDMOOR, an intimate cabaret where you'll enjoy a "cinema deluxe" environment at everyday prices.

    Come early, park once. (Free, behind the theatre - see map above.) Meet others with similar interests and enjoy a meal and beverage along with a great CWC film event -- all in the same building!

    For those who wish to socialize or desire the convenience of a meal or beverage before the movie, the Redmoor offers the perfect opportunity with your choice of wine, mixed drink, beer or non-alcoholic beverage and a special menu for CWC film patrons: wholesome sandwiches, Caesar and house salads.


     


    >>>   Two new screening dates added, info here.
    8th Annual Oscar Shorts
    CWC presents the 8th Annual Screening of the
    Academy Award Nominated Live-Action & Animated Short Films.


    Comedy, romance, suspense and reflection abound in this year's films from Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the USA.


  • NOT ONLY ARE MANY of the short filmmakers of today the feature filmmakers of tomorrow, but short film as a genre is an incredibly flexible and creative art form. In compilations like CWC's Oscar Shorts, Shorts Fest and LunaFest, the audience is rewarded by a smorgasbord of culturally and cinematically significant works.

  • THIS YEAR'S OFFERING BELIES the myth that short films are amateur works - the shorts that make the cut at major academy and top-tier festival competitions have high production values, incredible scripts and compelling actors. They are professional works equal to or better than many of their feature-length cousins.

  • MOVIE AUDIENCES ACROSS THE COUNTRY have recognized that high quality short films are worth watching. When CWC offered its first annual Oscar Shorts back in 2002, we were one of 25 presenters nationwide. This year, the program will screen in roughly 90 theatres in the U.S., plus another 20 in the UK and 10 in Mexico.

  • MOST IMPORTANT TO AREA RESIDENTS, CWC's annual "Oscar Shorts" is the only opportunity to see these thought-provoking and visually beautiful short films at one time, in one place. Make time to treat yourself to these programs of outstanding short film, and bring your friends!!


    "Indeed, the Oscar shorts offer a more accurate, more complete glimpse of the state of cinema than the features. The shorts did not enter the world on a cushion of prestige or a vapor trail of hype, and they offer concentrated doses of visual ingenuity and narrative discipline.

    "[While] the live-action shorts are characterized by realism and local knowledge - each offering moments of immersion in the particulars of individual or family life - their animated siblings explore the universality of film language. They provide a reminder of how expressive, how moving, pictures can be."
        ~ A.O. SMITH, principal film critic, New York Times   Read the review


    Program Composition & Schedule


  • The Oscar Shorts could more aptly be called "Oscar Shorts & More." The films are divided into two distinct 93-minute programs, "A" and "B", each with five Oscar-nominated films, including an Oscar winner; plus each has three or more bonus shorts of comparable caliber.
  • The screenings are arranged so that both programs can be seen all on one day, or on two different days -- whatever is best for your schedule.

    Program "A" - Sunday March 29, repeats Tuesday, March 31.
    Program "B" - Sunday March 29, repeats Wednesday April 01.

    =[ Four easy ways to see both programs ]=
    Combo 1: A & B both on Mar 29   
    Combo 2: A & B  Mar 29 & Apr 01
    Combo 3: B & A  Mar 29 & 31     
    Combo 4: A & B  Mar 31 & Apr 01

    Save 20% with any Combo Ticket!


    VENUE NOTES:

    The Redmoor is an intimate space, with roughly two-thirds the seating capacity of our previous venue. As fewer tickets will be available for each screening, you might consider purchasing in advance.

    For Oscar Shorts we will employ a movie screen 45% larger than the screen used in February with That Old Black Magic.


    Back to Top of Page
    Program lineup, synopsis, filmmaker & award info is listed below


     
  •                                                           Page
     

    Program A ~ Film Descriptions




    A WORD FROM OUR 'SPONSORS'   Live Action

    Directors: Various, 4 minutes, international.

    A brief compilation of hilarious commercials from around the world.




    SHOUTING DISTANCE    Live Action   Bonus Short

    Directors Loreni Delgado and Tiffany O'Hara, USA, 2008, 15 minutes, in English.

    This recently released short film inventively shares the writer/director's passionate belief in relationships and the importance of finding positive ways to stay connected.

    In this slice-of-life drama, Vero and Jay had a strong relationship until his return from the war. A journalist, Jay's mind is clogged with what he has seen and experienced in Iraq. Vero is struggling to reconnect with her husband, she wants to break him out of his mindset, but Jay stubbornly resists. After numerous rejections, Veroputs her heart into a painting she's been trying to finish. Through it, she finds the inspiration for a magical getaway that will bring them close once again.

    Loreni Delgado (Director, Writer, Producer, Actress), is a filmmaker to watch in the future. Born in Panama, her first brush with directing came in 2002 when she wrote and directed a one act play at an NYU writing program in Florence, Italy. Tiffany O'Hara (Director, Producer), studied filmmaking at the Oxford academy in England and graduated from NYU's film program. MORE... read more
    FILMMAKERS

    Loreni Delgado (Director, Writer, Producer, Actress), is a filmmaker to watch in the future. Eschewing easy negativity, her screenplay focuses on an uplifting and creative approach to making relationships work. Born in Panama, she came to US at the age of ten and has been acting and writing for most of her life. Her first brush with directing came in 2002 when she wrote and directed a one act play at an NYU writing program in Florence, Italy. In Los Angeles for the past three years, Loreni has appeared in numerous films and TV shows, including "Lost", "The Shield", "House" and "Criminal Minds." Shouting Distance is her cinematic directorial debut.

    Tiffany O'Hara (Director, Producer), shot and directed a short video at age 13 that won a school competition. After studying filmmaking at the Oxford academy in England and graduating from NYU's film program, she pursued an acting career in New York. In 2004, she moved to Los Angeles and returned to her filmmaking roots, directing the black comedy short, "Time to Go."


    Official Website and Trailer...

    FESTIVALS  read more
    FESTIVALS
    Miami Shorts Film Festival, 2008;
    Los Angeles Shorts Film Festival, 2008;
    New York Asian American Intl Film Festival, 2008;
    Sacramento Intl Fim Festival, 2009.





    EN TUS BRAZOS    Animation   Bonus Short

    Directors François-Xavier Goby, Edouard Jouret and Matthieu Landour, France, 2005, 5.75 minutes, in Spanish with French and English subtitles.

    The undeniable passion and sensuality of the Argentine Tango is the perfect complement to this expressive and beautiful ode to eternal love and the power of the heart to overcome the cruel vagaries of fate.

    The greatest tango dancer of the 1920s is stuck in a wheelchair after a tragic accident. Thanks to his wife, he recovers the use of his legs for one imaginary dance that says more about true love than most feature-length 'love story' movies.

    Watch the film online at the official website...

    Good review with stills and link to full film online...



    GRISEN (THE PIG)    Live-Action

    Director Dorte Hogh, Denmark, 2008, 22 minutes, in Danish with English subtitles.

    A playful take on serious matters - religious tolerance and freedom of expression.

    When grumpy senior citizen Asbjorn is admitted to the hospital for exploratory surgery that may indicate cancer, he finds uplifting comfort in a painting of a whimsical porker hanging on the wall. But the Muslim family of his new recovery-room-mate sees nothing humorous in the porcine painting and has it removed. Thus begins a tug-of-war that explores cultural differences.

    After a decade in television and radio, Dorte Hogh attended The National Film School of Denmark where she graduated as a screenwriter in 1999. Since then she has written scripts for television and film such as the popular dramatic series Nikolaj & Julie and feature films The Inheritance and Manslaughter, the former of which won Best Screenplay at the San Sebastian International Film Festival in 2003. Grisen is Dorte's directorial debut.

    AWARDS  read more
    AWARDS
    Oscar Nomination, Best Live-Action Short Film, Academy Awards, USA;
    Best Short Film, Miami Intl Short Film Festival;
    Audience Award, Best Short Film, Hamptons Intl Film Festival.






    LA MAISON EN PETITS CUBES
       Animation   OSCAR WINNER

    Director Kunio Kato, Japan, 2008, 12 minutes, in French with English subtitles.

    A rich and wistful evocation of memory's fathomless depths. Original concept and gorgeous animation with a muted color palette in a hand-painted style make this film a winner.

    In a world that is slowly flooding, one man quietly perseveres and reflects. As the waters rise, so do cities and dwellings. Diving down to the bottom floors of his towering (but mostly submerged) house to retrieve a lost pipe, he swims from floor to floor, traveling further back into nostalgic contemplation of a life when he wasn't alone.

    AWARDS  read more
    AWARDS
    Oscar Winner, Best Animated Short Film, Academy Awards, USA;
    Winner, Best Short Film, AnimaBasauri Intl Animation Festival;
    Winner, Jury Award, AnnecyIntl Animated Film Festival;
    Winner, The Annecy Cristal, 32nd Annecy Intl Animated Film Festival;
    Winner, Best Animated Film, Message to Man Intl Film Festival;
    Winner, Best Script, Anima Mundi;
    Winner, Audience Award, Hiroshima Intl Animation Festival;
    Winner, Best Animation, Los Angeles Shorts Fest;
    Winner, Grand Prize, Animania Intl Animation Festival;
    Winner, Special Jury Award, Best Directing, Animania Intl Animation Festival;
    Winner, Grand Prize, Cinanima Intl Animated Film Festival;
    Winner, Onda Curta Prize, Cinanima Intl Animated Film Festival;
    Winner, Alves Costa Prize, Cinanima Intl Animated Film Festival.






    MANON SUR LE BITUME
    (MANON ON THE ASPHALT)    Live-Action

    Directors Elizabeth Marre and Olivier Pont, France, 2007, 15 minutes, in French with English subtitles.

    Arguably the most risky and adventurous film of the nominated shorts, Manon brings a fresh perspective to the question "What really flashes through the mind as one lays dying?". This superbly made short conveys a sensuous last indulgence of the mind and the senses, and is ultimately life-affirming.

    AWARDS  read more
    AWARDS - Manon
    Oscar Nomination, Best Live-Action Short Film, Academy Awards, USA;
    Winner, Priz Coup de Coeur Junior, Ciné Bocage;
    Winner, Intl Audience Award, Cologne;
    Winner, Prix de l'Avenir, Ile de la Reunion, CineMA;
    Winner, Mention Speciale Court Metrage, Los Angeles Colcoa;
    Winner, Prix du Public, Limoges;
    Winner, Shorts TV Award, Mamers en mars;
    Winner, Best Live Action Short, Toronto Worldwide Short Film Festival;
    Winner, Audience Favorite Award, European Short Film Festival, Brest, France;






    OKTAPODI    Animation

    Directors Julien Bocabeille, Francois-Xavier Chanioux, Olivier Delabarre, Thierry Marchand, Quentin Marmier and Emud Mokhberi, France, 2007, 3 minutes, no dialogue.

    One might think that six chefs would spoil the broth, but not so. This one is pure entertainment: A comical, fast-moving, gorgeously colored, continuous-action computer-animated short-short about an amorous octopus on a rescue mission.

    This brilliantly colorful 2-minute animation, aka "Lovestruck-tentacled-couple-escapes-boiling-pot-of-hell," is about a pair of besotted octopuses that become separated, but the one left behind goes to extraordinary lengths to be reunited with its mate. Comical, vibrant fun in the Pixar mould, the widely acclaimed animated short was created by six students at the Paris-based visual communication school Gobelins, L'Ecole de L'Image.

    When the winning team of students from the Paris-based animation school Gobelins walked on stage at SIGGRAPH to accept the Audience Prize and the Best of Show Award for their film Oktapodi, it was a major benchmark on an intense journey for the talented crew, and an improbable one for the only American team member, Emud Mokhberi. Read more about Emud here: Accidental Animator.

    AWARDS  read more
    AWARDS - Oktapodi
    Oscar Nomination, Best Animated Short Film, Academy Awards, USA;
    Winner, Jury Award, Zagreb World Festival of Animated Film;
    Winner, Canal+ Family Award, Annecy Intl Animation Film Festival;
    Winner, International Jury Prize, Hiroshima Intl Animation Festival;
    Winner, Best Animated Film, Casablanca Intl Film Festival;
    Winner, Best Student Film, ANIMA MUNDI Intl Film Festival;
    Winner, Special Mention, Prix Ars Film Festival;
    Winner, Best of Show Audience Award, SIGGRAPH;
    Winner, Jury Award, SIGGRAPH ASIA;
    Winner, Best Animation, IMAGINA Animation Festival;
    Winner, Best Student Film, Anima Munich;
    Winner, Best Student Animated Film, Ficci BAF;
    Winner, Gran Premio, ArtFutura;
    Winner, Grand Prix, Courts DeVant;
    Winner, E-Magiciens, La Bourse Largardere;
    Winner, Special Mention for Student Film, AnimFest Intl Animation Festival.






    NEW BOY    Live-Action

    Director Steph Green, Producer Tamara Anghie, Ireland, 2007, 11 minutes, in English.

    A touching and ultimately uplifting film that touches on universal issues of acceptance and adjustment.

    A young orphaned boy from a war-torn African nation faces down bullies on his first day at his new school in Ireland. This charming film makes use of quick, meaningful flashbacks, and a scampish young cast in a spunky Irish classroom.

    AWARDS  read more
    AWARDS - New Boy
    Oscar Nomination, Best Live-Action Short Film, Academy Awards, USA;
    Winner, Best Narrative Short Film, Tribeca Film Festival;
    Winner, Best Short Film Jury Prize, Seattle Intl Film Festival;
    Winner, Special Mention - Berlinale, Berlin Intl Film Festival;
    Winner, Best Intl Short Film Audience Award, Cork Film Festival;
    Winner, Best Short Film - Professional Panel, Festival de Films Européens;
    Winner, Best Short Film - Audience Award, Festival de Films Européens;
    Winner, Best Short Film, Vail Film Festival;
    Winner, Best Indie Film, IndieLisboa Intl Independent Film Festival;
    Winner, Best of Fest, St Louis Intl Film Festival;
    Winner, Best Short Film, Cinemagic Intl Film and Television Festival;
    Winner, Best Irish Short Film, Kerry Film Festival;
    Winner, Best Irish Short Film, Foyle Film Festival;
    Winner, Audience Award, Tirana Intl Film Festival;
    Winner, Best Short Film, Irish Film and Television Awards;
    Winner, Best Short Film, Intl Festival of Films for Children and Youth;
    Winner, Short Film Human Rights Award, Melbourne Intl Film Festival;
    Winner, Best Short Film, Rhode Island Intl Film Festival;
    Winner, Narrative Special Jury Prize, 1 Reel Film Festival;
    Winner, Best Film, Manhattan Short Film Festival;
    Winner, Best Short Film - Audience Award, Wiliamstown Film Festival;
    Winner, Audience Award Best Short Film, Amiens Intl Film Festival;
    Winner, Best Short Film, Minsk Intl Festival of Cinema for Youth;
    Winner, Special Mention - Fiction, Tirana Intl Film Festival.






    JOHN AND KAREN    Animation   Bonus Short

    Director Mathew Walker, UK, 2007, 3.5 minutes, in English.

    A joy to watch and an utterly charming reflection of a moment that anyone who has ever dated has been through at least once. The animation is spot on with the incongruity of the two leads and the facial expressions are a wonderful match for a wonderful voice cast with flat English accents and deadpan humor. With some of the best lines from real life: "You're a floundering mess!" ... "Yeah, I am, yeah."

    Karen the penguin is not pleased to see John the polar bear on her doorstep. Their argument last night has put her in a very bad mood and John is on egg shells. John has had time to think however and has put together an apology that he hopes will appease her bad temper; he just needs an opportunity to say it out loud with Karen in ear shot. A cup of tea and a sit down would also be good. Karen reluctantly obliges.

    AWARDS  read more
    AWARDS
    Oscar Nominee, Best Animated Short Film, Academy Awards, USA;
    Winner, Best Short Short, Aspen Shortsfest;
    Winner, Special Prize, Hiroshima Intl Film Festival;
    Winner, Jury Award Best Screenplay Animania Intl Animation Festival;
    Winner, Best Animation, Melbourne Intl Film Festival;
    Winner, Jury Mention, Film Festival Nancy-Lorraine;
    Winner, Special Jury Award, Flickerfest;
    Winner, Special Mention - Public Jury, Regard Intl Short Film Festival;
    Winner, Best Short Film, Intl Festival of Television Animation;
    Winner, Best Very Short Film, Trebon Intl Festival of Animated Films;
    Winner, Best Animated Short, Curtacircuito Fim Festival;
    Winner, Best TV Film - International, Tehran Intl Animation Festival.








    Presentation sequence and bonus films are subject to change.

    Back to Top of Page

     
     

    Program B ~ Film Descriptions




    A WORD FROM OUR 'SPONSORS'    Live Action

    Directors: Various, 4 minutes, international.

    A brief compilation of hilarious commercials from around the world.




    AUF DER STRECKE (ON THE LINE)    Live-Action

    Director Reto Caffi, Switzerland, 2007, 30 minutes, in German with English subtitles.

    A good man makes a bad decision in this brilliant, gripping essay on loneliness and guilt.

    A department store security guard is secretly infatuated with a clerk in the store's bookshop. He watches her on the store's video monitoring system and frequently rides the same train home from work. When he witnesses a seeming romantic rival being attacked in the train, he gets off instead of helping him. A fatal decision with devastating consequences.

    AWARDS  read more

    AWARDS - Auf Der Strecke
    Oscar Nomination, Best Live-Action Short Film, Academy Awards, USA;
    Winner, Grand Jury Prize Intl, Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival;
    Winner, Best Narrative Film, Brooklyn Intl Film Festival;
    Winner, Best European Short Film, Les Lutins du Court Metrage, Paris;
    Winner, Silver Moon of Valencia, Cinema Jove Intl Film Festival, Valencia;
    Winner, Best International Short Film - Audience Award, Cork Film Festival;
    Winner, Grand Prize, Sapporo Short Fest;
    Winner, Audience Award, Kinofest Lunen;
    Winner, Best Short Film, Swiss Film Prize;
    Winner, BMW Short Film Prize, Landshut Short Film Festival;
    Winner, Best Student Film, Aspen Shortsfest;
    Winner, Honorary Foreign Film, Student Academy Awards;
    Winner, Best Fiction Film, Algarve Intl Film Festival;
    Winner, Student Jury Award, Krakow Intl Short Film Festival;
    Winner, Innovation Award, Hamburg Intl Short Film Festival;
    Winner, Audience Award, Hamburg Intl Short Film Festival;
    Winner, Audience Award & Best Fiction Film, KRATKOFIL Intl Short Film Festival;
    Winner, Best Short Fiction Film, Tabor Intl Film Festival;
    Winner, Best Actor, Montecatini Intl Short Film Festival;
    Winner, Grand Prize, Angelus Student Film Festival;
    Winner, Prize of the Romanian Ministry of Culture, Intl Short Film Festival;
    Winner, Best Short Film - under 30 minutes, German Short Film Awards;
    Winner, Best German Short Film, Munich Intl Festival of Film Schools;
    Winner, Best Director, German Short Film, Munich Intl Film School Festival.



    THIS WAY UP    Animation

    Directors Alan Smith and Adam Foulkes, UK, 2008, 9 minutes, no dialogue.

    A pair of undertakers has a really, really bad day. From one of London's top animation teams comes an irreverent black comedy - a Tim Burton-meets-Edward Gorey vision that channels Beckett, Laurel & Hardy, Max Fleischer, the "Pink Elephants" number from Disney's "Dumbo" and Hieronymus Bosch. Two top-hatted undertakers must get a coffin and its occupant into hallowed ground, even if that means combating a lethal Rube Goldberg-style chain reaction and enduring their own voyage down the River Styx to the gates of hell and back.

    Filmmakers Smith & Foulkes graduated from the Royal College of Art MORE... read more
    FILMMAKERS

    Filmmakers Smith & Foulkes graduated from the Royal College of Art animation course in 1997, going on to join animation studio Nexus, with a portfolio that spans short films, music videos, commercials and film title sequences. Credits include the title sequence for Thunderbirds and the animated 'film within a film' for DreamWorks and Paramount's Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. They have also directed for the BBC's animated comedy show Monkey Dust.

    Commercial accolades include the Grand Prix Award at Cannes Lions, a Grandy at the Andys, an ITV Award for Best Commercial and two Golds at the D&AD awards. They were the most awarded commercial directors in the US and Europe in 2006.


    AWARDS  read more

    AWARDS - This Way Up
    Oscar Nomination, Best Animated Short Film, Academy Awards, USA;
    Winner, Best In Show Award, SIGGRAPH Asia Animation Festival;
    Winner, Best Humor, Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival;
    Winner, Comedy Award, London Short Film Festival;
    Winner, Best Animated Short Film, Palm Springs Intl ShortFest;
    Winner, Audience Award, Ottawa Intl Animation Festival;
    Winner, Special Mention, Bolzano Short Film Festival;
    Winner, Best International Film, Uppsala Intl Short Film Festival;
    Winner, Special Public Prize, Mundos Digitales Animation Festival;
    Winner, 2nd Place - Animated Film, Rhode Island Intl Film Festival.






    LOS OJOS DE ALICIA (The Eyes of Alicia)    
    Live Action   Bonus Short

    Director Ugo Sanz, Basque/Spain, 2005, 10 minutes, in Spanish with English subtitles.

    This short suspense thriller is well written and executed, with strong twists and dramatic revelations built on a unique premise.

    Andrea wakens in an empty locked room with her hands tied and her eyes covered. As she tries to sit up, a television switches on and a woman speaks to her from the screen, guiding her through a harrowing gauntlet of emotion. The artful use of the TV as a character in the film is noteworthy, as it drives Andrea through the story and also pulls the audience along with her.

    Born in San Sebastián in 1973, Ugo Sanz (Screenwriter, Director) now lives in Madrid, where he combines filmmaking with a high-school teaching position. He studied film directing for two years at the Instituto del Cine in Madrid, and recently completed his fourth short movie as a screenwriter and director, Ya no voia a hablar más.

    FESTIVALS  read more

    FESTIVALS & AWARDS
    Winner, Jury Prize, Short Film Competition, Brussels Intl Film Fest;
    Winner, Best Short, Cutting Edge Competition, Dead by Dawn Film Festival, Scotland;
    Winner, Special Jury Prize, Festival Internacional de Warsaw;
    Winner, Festival de Cine de Alcalá de Henares, Madrid;
    Winner, Certamen de Cortometrajes Cinemálaga, Malaga;
    Official Selection, Festival de Cine “Las Dunas” Fuerteventura, Islas Canarias;
    Official Selection, Miami Intl Film Festival;
    Official Selection, Back Alley Film Festival;
    Official Selection, Sedona Intl Film Festival;
    Official Selection, Intl Festival of New Film, Croatia;
    Official Selection, Oakland Intl Film Festival;
    Official Selection, Festival Internacional de Cine de Elche;
    Official Selection, Indianapolist Intl Film Festival;
    Official Selection, Festival Internacional de Cinema de Catalunya;
    Official Selection, MundoCorto, Milan Intl Film Festival;
    Official Selection, London Spanish Film Festival;
    Official Selection, Bilbao Intl Film Festival;
    Official Selection, Intl Urban Film Festival.






    PRESTO    Animation

    Director Doug Sweetland, USA, 2007, 5 minutes, no dialogue.

    Synapse-tickling visuals, perfectly choreographed wackiness at a three-jokes-a-second pace -- exactly what we've come to expect from Pixar/Disney.

    When Presto the magician forgets to feed his rabbit, the revered conjurer gets more than he bargained for! A series of increasingly outrageous running gags involving an old-school magician, his magic hat, and a mischievous bunny. Animation technique aside, it's pretty much a film ol' Walt himself might have produced in 1937, which is exactly what makes it so charming. There is accidental electrocution, unintentional public display of boxer shorts, a grand piano falling from a great height, a mousetrap snapped on fingers and various other acts of mayhem great and small, all played for laughs. Read more ... Plot and Production Notes. Also see: Pixar website.

    Doug Sweetland joined Pixar Animation Studios in the spring of 1994 to work on Toy Story as an animator. He worked on each subsequent Pixar feature film up to and including Cars. In addition to animating Pixar's timeless characters, Sweetland served as a directing animator on Monsters, Inc., and enjoyed a stint as a storyboard artist for the Academy Award-winning feature, The Incredibles. Besides his feature film work, Sweetland served as supervising animator for the Academy Award-nominated short film Boundin'. Using his vast knowledge from working on these features and short films, Sweetland was able to apply his story and animation skills in the creation of a new Pixar short of his own and served as writer and director for Presto.

    Born and raised in State College, Pennsylvania, Sweetland grew up watching Disney films and classic Saturday morning cartoons. With a life-long love and passion for animation, he attended California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) for three semesters before coming to Pixar. Sweetland currently lives in San Francisco with his wife and son.

    FESTIVALS & NOMINATIONS  read more

    FESTIVALS & NOMINATIONS - Presto
    Oscar Nomination, Best Animated Short Film, Academy Awards, USA;
    Nominee, Annie Award, International Animated Film Association, Los Angeles;
    Official Selection, Festival Intl du Film d'Animation d'Annecy, France;
    Official Selection, Hiroshima Intl Animation Festival, Japan;
    Official Selection, Ottawa Intl Animation Festival, Canada




    SPIELZEUGLAND (TOYLAND)
        Live-Action   OSCAR WINNER

    Director Jochen Alexander Freydank, Germany, 2007, 14 min, in German with English subtitles.

    A poignant, emotionally complex and well-crafted film about two boys - one Jewish, one gentile - in Nazi Germany, with a twist at the end that will break your heart. Toyland is also cinematically complex, as the film's story unfolds in a rare time-sequence series of flashback and flashforward rotations. Embedded in this non-linear progression of events are the multiple experiential perspectives of both the mother and her son, producing an unusual rendering of interactive human memory.

    Set in 1942 Germany, this absorbing 14-minute short film reflects back to harrowing memories about a prelude to the Holocaust, in particular the 1938 Nazi Kristallnacht (The Night of Shattered Crystal) in Germany. Toyland tells the powerful story of a German mother in those early days of WWII whose son is best friends with a Jewish boy living next door.

    AWARDS  read more

    AWARDS
    Oscar Winner, Best Live-Action Short Film, Academy Awards, USA;
    Winner, Best Short Film, Filmfestival Max Ophuls Preis;
    Winner, Best Film under 20 minutes, Victoria Film Festival;
    Winner, Bermuda Shorts Award, Bermuda Intl Film Festival;
    Winner, Murnau-Stiftung Award, Murnau-Stiftung Short Film Awards;
    Winner, Golden Dolphin, Festroia Intl Film Festival;
    Winner, Gold Medal, Giffoni Intl Film Festival;
    Winner, Best International Short Film, Alpinale European Film Festival;
    Winner, 2nd Place - Intl Discovery Award, Rhode Island Intl Film Festival;
    Winner, Best Children's Film - Intl, Odense Film Festival;
    Winner, Audience Favourite - Live Action, Palm Springs Intl ShortFest;
    Winner, Best Short Film, Valladolid Intl Film Festival;
    Winner, Best Short Film, Asheville Film Festival;
    Winner, Best Short Film - Intl, Almería En Corto Intl Short Film Festival;
    Winner, Audience Award - Intl, Almería En Corto Intl Short Film Festival;




    LAVATORY - LOVE STORY
    (UBORNAYA - LYUBOVNAYA ISTORIYA)    Animation

    Director Konstantin Bronzit, Russia, 2007, 10 minutes, no dialogue.

    Old-fashioned hand-drawn line-art technique is charming in this simple, sweet story. The minimalist approach and selective use of color is a refreshing counterpoint to the other animated nominees.

    In Russia, public restrooms often have attendants who clean in exchange for tips. A lonely middle-aged attendant sits in her booth day after day, collecting coins from the lavatory users while she reads the newspaper and fantasizes about the romantic lives that other people enjoy. Secretly, she yearns for a man in her own life, someone who would love and comfort her. Unexpectedly, one day a small bouquet of flowers mysteriously appears in her money-jar. As the film follows the woman's attempts to discover the identity of her secret admirer, it reveals the sadness of a lonely woman, and her transformation into a happy and joyful human being.

    Konstantin Bronzit earned degrees in art, industrial design, screenwriting and directing. In 1988, Bronzit made his first animated film The Roundabout and began drawing cartoons for magazines and newspapers. From 1993 until 1995, Konstantin worked as a scriptwriter, director and animator at Pilot Studios in Moscow. His shorts Switchcraft, Pacifier, Knock-Knock, Die Hard, At the Ends of the Earth and The God received more than 50 awards from festivals worldwide. In 2004, Bronzit directed his first full-length animated feature, Alosha as well as the short film The Cat and the Fox.

    AWARDS  read more

    AWARDS - Lavatory Love Story
    Oscar Nominee, Best Animated Short Film, Academy Awards, USA;
    Winner, Best European Film, Pulcinella Film Fest;
    Nominated, Best Short Animation, BAFTA, UK;
    Winner, Gran Prix, Annecy Film Festival, France;
    Winner, Audience Favorite Award, Annecy Film Festival, France;
    Winner, Performing Arts Rose D'Or.




    SINTONÍA (WAVELENGTH)    Live-Action Bonus Short

    Director José María Goenaga, Spain, 2006, 9 minutes, in Spanish with English subtitles.

    A charming film that subtly develops romantic chemistry between two people who have never met, using a traffic jam and a song on the radio to create a chance encounter.

    José María Goenaga was born in Ordizia, 1976. He studied Business Administration and Management in San Sebastián and Manchester, and studied filmmaking at the Sarobe centre in Urnieta. His short film Sintonía has won more than 80 national and international prizes so far.

    AWARDS  read more

    AWARDS (over 80, total)
    Winner, Best Professional Film, Sagunt Short Film Festival;
    Winner, Best Short Film, Catalonia Intl Film Festival;
    Winner, Special Jury Mention, Arcipelago Intl Festival of Short Films;
    Winner, Special Mention, 5th Festival de Curtmetratges de Torelló
    Winner, Audience Award, Shortmoves Intl Short Film Festival;
    Winner, Special Jury Mention, Shortmoves Intl Short Film Festival, 2007
    Winner, Best Film, CineGlobe Intl Festival of Short Films, Geneva;
    Winner, Audience Award, CineGlobe Intl Festival of Short Films, Geneva;
    Winner, Cinematic Achievement Award, AZA Intl Short Film Festival, Greece;
    Winner, Best Short Film, Festival de Cine Corto de Málaga.
    Winner, Jury Award, Reggio Intl Film Festival, Italy.





    LE DAHU (Dahucapra Rupidahu)    Hybrid Bonus Short

    Directors Thibault Bérard, Vincent Gautier, Frédérique Gyuran, France, 2003, 6.5 minutes, in French and German with English subtitles.

    An engaging and informative mocumentary about the amazing Dahu, native to the French and Swiss Alps, that has the appearance of an ibex but has legs on side of its body that are shorter than the other. While this highly adaptive characteristic enables the Dahu to walk upright on the steep slopes of its mountain habitat, it can only travel in one direction. Illustrations and information can be found here.

    Filmmakers Thibault Bérard, Vincent Gautier, Frédérique Gyuran wrote, directed, filmed and edited this film while students at SupInfoCom.

    FESTIVALS & AWARDS  read more

    FESTIVALS & AWARDS
    Winner, Special Jury Prize, Brest Short Film Festival;
    Official Selection, Clermont-Ferrand Intl Short Film Festival;
    Official Selection, Mar del Plata Intl Film Festival, Argentina.




    Presentation sequence and bonus films are subject to change.
     
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