More than 2,000 short films from over 40 countries were submitted to the 2008 Slamdance Film Festival, and 67 have been selected by the shorts programming committee, which is comprised of Slamdance alumni filmmakers. Each of the 67 shorts is now in competition and eligible for a Grand Jury Award.
As always, the Slamdance Film Festival will run concurrently with the Sundance Film Festival, Jan. 17-25, in Park City, Utah. Slamdance and its box office will be headquartered and its films will screen at the Treasure Mountain Inn at 255 Main Street. For more information and for a complete listing of films in the festival, log on to www.slamdance.com or call 323/466-1786. Festival passes are now on sale and individual tickets go on sale Dec. 14.
There are five short film competition categories at Slamdance: Narrative Shorts Before Features, which screen before like-minded narratives in competition; Gallery Shorts, six one-hour short film programs; Documentary Shorts, which screen before documentaries in competition; the Polish Shorts Block, which was programmed by a festival jury in Krakow; and Animated Shorts.
Slamdance also has two out-of-competition shorts categories, which this year include nine Anarchy Online Finalists and seven $99 Specials. Slamdance developed its Anarchy Online Film Competition in 2000. Each month, from March through November, three short films (10 minutes or under) are selected to play online at www.slamdance.com/anarchy. Anarchy is open to all types of films and the winner is determined by site visitors via online voting. Each month's winner screens at Slamdance, competing for prizes and a coveted Slamdance Sparky Award.
$99 Specials are produced by Slamdance and directed by Slamdance alumni. Slamdance gives $99 to these alums, and sets them loose with the latest in filmmaking technology. Ninety-nine days later they return with a five-minutes-or-under short film experiment. $99 Specials are shown at the festival in January and online at www.slamdance.com/99dollar.
For a complete lineup, visit www.slamdance.com.
Animated Shorts include:
BLOOD WILL TELL (2007, 6 min, Canada)Directed by Andrew McPhillips In 16th-century Holland, a mysterious visitor attempts to hide from death in a dark, mosquito-infested well.
BLUE ROOM, World Premiere (2008, 4 min, USA)Directed by Ivan Orkeny & Sandy WhiteA trapped character's imagination provokes his own disintegration.
BUSH VS BIN LADEN, World Premiere (2008, 4 min, USA)Directed by Darren WayPresident George W. Bush versus Al Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden in an Old Western shootout.
EL VIAJE DE SAID (SAID'S JOURNEY) (2007, 12 min, Spain)Directed by Coke RiobooA Moroccan boy crosses "The Straights," and discovers that the land of opportunity is not as beautiful as he had been told.
EVERYTHING SAID (2007, 2 min, USA)Directed by Andy CahillThree floors: On the first floor, consumption. On the second, interaction. On the third, everything said is stored.
FILM NOIR (2007, 4 min, U.K.)Directed by Osbert ParkerA dark story of romance and psychological tension created from found objects combined with images cut from magazines and manipulated in-camera.
I HATE YOU DON'T TOUCH ME OR BAT AND HAT, World Premiere (2008, 5 min, USA)Directed by Becky JamesA lyrical and monstrous meditation on when the mundane becomes gruesome.
KID SHOW (2007, 3 min, USA)Directed by Tom DesLongchamp Flowers grow, clouds flow, and children giggle--they cannot help it.
LUX, U.S. Premiere (2007, 8 min, Spain)Directed by Vuk JevremovicTravel through the walls of the old cathedral.
My Life at 40 (2007, 7 min, U.K.)Directed by Laurie HillA special collaboration between the director, aged 12, and his 34-year-old self, looking forward to a glorious future.
ONE SKIN (2007, 10 min, USA)Directed by Gudrun Cram-DrachAt the bottom edge of growing up, a woman views her options.
SPONTANEOUS GENERATION (2007, 3 min, USA)Directed by Andy CahillAll about the things that grow, change, resolve and dissolve, follow and consume.
TALES FOR CRUEL PEOPLE (2007, 5 min, Hungary)Directed by Hans Blume, Igor Buharov, Ivan BuharovWhat happens when conscience gets tired?
Five additional animated films will be part of the Anarchy Online Shorts, sponsored by OurStage. Those films include:
APRIL WINNER: UNBLOCKED (2007, 4 min, UK)Directed by Douglas Merton A surreal film about birth, death and being in control of one's own life.
JUNE WINNER: WINDOWS MASKS DOORS (2007, 4 min, USA)Directed by Sarah Orenstein On an old radio, a conductor tunes a medley of tracks revealing masked players hidden.
JULY WINER: DEAD WATER (2007, 5 min, HUNGARY)Directed by Tibor Banoczki The story of the man who used to drive the locomotive of the train passing through the village.
AUGUST WINNER: HOTEL TUBU (2007, 5 min, HUNGARY)Directed by Igor & Ivan Buharov Most souls who live here will move to a higher dimension.
NOVEMBER WINNER: RUNNING IN DARKNESS (2007, 2 min, USA)Directed by Allan JenningsA film exploring different experiences with Alzheimer's disease.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
