This week I have added a new page of romantic short films to my short films website.
The first romantic short film on the new page is Validation by Kurt Kuenne (2007) (US).
Validation is an amusing film that could easily be in the comedy section. Validation is a modern-day fable about a guy who is validating parking tickets at the mall but also validating the customers by giving them compliments. He likes to see people smile but there's one girl he meets who appears to be a lost cause.
A slightly mawkish ending is outweighed by Validation's general awesomeness.
House On Little Cubes (Tsumiki No Ie) by Japenese animator Kunio Kato is the next romantic short film.
This short film won the Best Short Animation Oscar in 2009. As his town floods, an old man is forced to add levels onto his home in order to stay dry. But when he drops his favorite pipe into the watery levels below, his scuba-diving search for the pipe prompts him to keep on descending and relive scenes from his life.
It's a real weepy of a romantic short and could be considered the animated version of The Last 3 Minutes...
The next romantic short film is a science-fiction short romance. World Builder was written and directed by a digital effects artist looking to display his skills: Bruce Branit has worked on Hollywood series such as Lost and Pushing Daisies, and this was his fifth (and by far his best) short film.
The final film is Mei Ling, an unusual 'romantic' animation film but I like it!
Monday, 30 May 2011
Monday, 16 May 2011
Best UK Short Films
This week I have added a new page of the best short films from the UK to my short films website.
The first short film on the page is Sign Language by Stephen Fellows, which won the reed.co.uk short film competition and the Virgin Media Shorts competition in 2010. It is a subtle and very likeable romantic comedy narrated by a 'board guy' - those guys standing on London's Oxford Street holding up signs - who spends his life making announcements but is too shy to talk to the co-worker that he fancies.
The next film is This Way Up by Adam Foulkes & Alan Smith (co-written by Christopher O'Reilly). I assumed it was American the first time I watched This Way Up. It shows just how good a short animation film can be even if you're not Pixar. Nominated for an Oscar in 2009, This Way Up sees two undertakers encounter a series of comical obstacles as they try to get their client to the graveyard in time. Events take a supernatural turn near towards the end with moments reminiscent of Disney's Skeleton Dance (hidden here).
The third films is Soft by Simon Ellis, which won the International Short Filmmaking Award at Sundance and was nominated for a BAFTA in 2008 with his great short film. Soft is the gritty story of a son and father tormented by a gang of youths, but with neither apparently being brave enough to fight back. Simon Ellis went on to make the feature film, Dogging: A Love Story, in 2009 but scored less success with this film.
The final film is Creature Comforts by Nick Park... visit the website to find out more!
The first short film on the page is Sign Language by Stephen Fellows, which won the reed.co.uk short film competition and the Virgin Media Shorts competition in 2010. It is a subtle and very likeable romantic comedy narrated by a 'board guy' - those guys standing on London's Oxford Street holding up signs - who spends his life making announcements but is too shy to talk to the co-worker that he fancies.
The next film is This Way Up by Adam Foulkes & Alan Smith (co-written by Christopher O'Reilly). I assumed it was American the first time I watched This Way Up. It shows just how good a short animation film can be even if you're not Pixar. Nominated for an Oscar in 2009, This Way Up sees two undertakers encounter a series of comical obstacles as they try to get their client to the graveyard in time. Events take a supernatural turn near towards the end with moments reminiscent of Disney's Skeleton Dance (hidden here).
The third films is Soft by Simon Ellis, which won the International Short Filmmaking Award at Sundance and was nominated for a BAFTA in 2008 with his great short film. Soft is the gritty story of a son and father tormented by a gang of youths, but with neither apparently being brave enough to fight back. Simon Ellis went on to make the feature film, Dogging: A Love Story, in 2009 but scored less success with this film.
The final film is Creature Comforts by Nick Park... visit the website to find out more!
Monday, 25 April 2011
New Short Animations
I recently added a new page of animated short films to my short films website.
The first new animation film is Alma by Rodrigo Blaas, a Spanish animator who has worked on Pixar features such as Wall-Eand Up. Alma is something close to an animation horror! Alma is the name of the title character, an angelic little girl who is writing her name on a wall when she spies a doll in a shop window that looks exactly like her.
She enters the empty shop. The doll keeps moving but Alma is determined to get her hands on it…
Alma won the Best Animation award at the LA Shorts Fest.
She enters the empty shop. The doll keeps moving but Alma is determined to get her hands on it…
Alma won the Best Animation award at the LA Shorts Fest.
Another new film is Bob’s Birthday by David Fine and Alison Snowden. This short animation is an amusing look at modern, middle-class life and how the best laid plans can go horribly wrong. It is dentist Bob’s 40th birthday and his wife has organised a surprise party. Unfortunately, the depressed Bob loses his pants as soon as he comes in the door and continues to say the wrong things while his party-guests are hiding and waiting to shout ‘surprise’.
It also won an Oscar in 1995.
It also won an Oscar in 1995.
The God is from Russian Konstantin Bronzit, who was nominated for an Academy Award in 2009. In 2004 he created this brilliant film in which a statue of Shiva is irritated by a fly and comes to life in order to rid himself of it. In his increasingly frustrated attempts, Shiva causes himself more and more problems… enjoy!
Sunday, 27 March 2011
New Oscar Short Films
This week I have done a fair amount of reorganising on my short films website. This was prompted by an email from Shorts International, a company of which I had never heard, claiming copyright on several short films.
Anyway, it has forced me to watch yet more short films from those that were Oscar nominated over the last few years and I have found many that I prefer to the eventual winners.
One of those films now added to the Oscar Short Films page is The Substitute (Il Supplente) by Andrea Jublin. The director plays the main character himself – a substitute teacher who seems to be more hormonal than his class and instigates a series of crazy games in which his students are marked on their ability to mimic animals… you’d be forgiven for asking whether this guy really is a teacher…
Another new short film is Miracle Fish, written and directed by Luke Doolan. This is one of only two Australian films on the site and was nominated for its Short Film Academy Award in 2010. It is something of a slow-burner but worth the patience. We follow unpopular schoolboy Joe on his 8th birthday. After suffering at the hands of the playground bullies, Joe sneaks off to the sick bay, wishing that everyone would go away.
He soon finds that his miracle fish may have turned his wish into bloody reality… enjoy!
Monday, 21 March 2011
Short Film From The Rest Of The World
This week I have added a new global page to my short films website.
South America, Africa and Australasia are underrepresented on my website so this page is the first of two pages from the rest of the world.
The first film on the page is No Support (Sin Sostén) by Mexican duo René Castillo and Antonio Urruti. This stop-motion animation was nominated for a Palm d'Or at Cannes in 1998. It sees a suicidal man climb onto the rooftop between two billboards - one with a busty pin-up advertising a bra (the title is a play on words!) and the other with a mounted cowboy. When the time comes to jump, these two huge advertisements come to life...
The next film is Kibera Kid by Nathan Collett. I spent a long time searching the IMDb for short films from Africa and after watching a few decided Kibera Kid was the best. Collett is actually an American filmmaker who won a Fulbright Fellowship in 2006, allowing him to research and make films in Kibera, Africa's largest slum.
Kibera Kid is one of the resultant pieces, a short fiction film focusing on a young member of a gang caught while on a stealing mission. He is saved from the baying mob by a do-gooder, but this man becomes the victim of the gang's revenge and our Kibera Kid is meant to deliver the fatal blow.
The final two films on my page of short films from the rest of the world are Signs by Patrick Hughes, and Alive In Joburg by Neill Blomkamp. I may have already blogged about these films but will leave them for another day today. Feel free to watch them in the meantime!
South America, Africa and Australasia are underrepresented on my website so this page is the first of two pages from the rest of the world.
The first film on the page is No Support (Sin Sostén) by Mexican duo René Castillo and Antonio Urruti. This stop-motion animation was nominated for a Palm d'Or at Cannes in 1998. It sees a suicidal man climb onto the rooftop between two billboards - one with a busty pin-up advertising a bra (the title is a play on words!) and the other with a mounted cowboy. When the time comes to jump, these two huge advertisements come to life...
The next film is Kibera Kid by Nathan Collett. I spent a long time searching the IMDb for short films from Africa and after watching a few decided Kibera Kid was the best. Collett is actually an American filmmaker who won a Fulbright Fellowship in 2006, allowing him to research and make films in Kibera, Africa's largest slum.
Kibera Kid is one of the resultant pieces, a short fiction film focusing on a young member of a gang caught while on a stealing mission. He is saved from the baying mob by a do-gooder, but this man becomes the victim of the gang's revenge and our Kibera Kid is meant to deliver the fatal blow.
The final two films on my page of short films from the rest of the world are Signs by Patrick Hughes, and Alive In Joburg by Neill Blomkamp. I may have already blogged about these films but will leave them for another day today. Feel free to watch them in the meantime!
Sunday, 6 March 2011
Asian Short Films
This week I have added a new page of Asian Short Films to my short films website.
The first of the new films is Two Solutions For One Problem by Abbas Kiarostami, Iran's most illustrious filmmaker. Kiarostami wrote and directed a whole heap of short films in the 1970s and 1980s, starting at the Centre for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (I kid you not!). Two Solutions For One Problem is a simple story of right and wrong that still resonates today (and Ahmadinejad should watch it!).
The next new film is Strangers by Eraz Tadmor. Ezra, a filmmaker from Tel Aviv, suggested I use one of his short films and I was happy to oblige. Strangers is a vignette from his feature film of the same name, but it works very well as a stand alone short and won several awards on the short film festival circuit. Two strangers exchange glances on the Tel Aviv underground but are then joined by an unwanted mob.
The tension rises as they approach the next station... can they escape the situation?
Another new Asian film is Little Terrorist by Ashvin Kumar. Little Terrorist was nominated for an Oscar in 2005. Set on the border between Pakistan and India, where a village has been split in two during the partition, it follows the travails of a Pakistani boy who is caught on the wrong side of the fence when he goes to retrieve a cricket ball. An Indian father and daughter disguise him and shelter him for the day but their deep-rooted suspicion of Muslims is impossible to disguise.
I'll leave the rest for you to watch. Enjoy!
The first of the new films is Two Solutions For One Problem by Abbas Kiarostami, Iran's most illustrious filmmaker. Kiarostami wrote and directed a whole heap of short films in the 1970s and 1980s, starting at the Centre for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (I kid you not!). Two Solutions For One Problem is a simple story of right and wrong that still resonates today (and Ahmadinejad should watch it!).
The next new film is Strangers by Eraz Tadmor. Ezra, a filmmaker from Tel Aviv, suggested I use one of his short films and I was happy to oblige. Strangers is a vignette from his feature film of the same name, but it works very well as a stand alone short and won several awards on the short film festival circuit. Two strangers exchange glances on the Tel Aviv underground but are then joined by an unwanted mob.
The tension rises as they approach the next station... can they escape the situation?
Another new Asian film is Little Terrorist by Ashvin Kumar. Little Terrorist was nominated for an Oscar in 2005. Set on the border between Pakistan and India, where a village has been split in two during the partition, it follows the travails of a Pakistani boy who is caught on the wrong side of the fence when he goes to retrieve a cricket ball. An Indian father and daughter disguise him and shelter him for the day but their deep-rooted suspicion of Muslims is impossible to disguise.
I'll leave the rest for you to watch. Enjoy!
Monday, 14 February 2011
Best European Short Films
This week I have added a second page of Best European Short Films to my short films website.
But I have rearranged the previous Best European Short Films page slightly to make way for it, adding the brilliant Gridlock by Dirk Belien to the first page - primarily to make sure people see it before anything else.
On the new second page, we start with The Last Gunfighter (L'ultimo Pistolero) by Alessandro Dominici, the one and only Italian film to make it on to the website. I have a theory that the cinematic culture of Italy - espoused by the likes of Fellini - simply does not translate well to short films.
In The Last Gunfighter, heavily indebted to the Spaghetti Western, a solitary gunslinger walks through a desolate industrial estate before firing his gun for the last time. It is dialogue free and much better for it.
The next film is Black Rider (Schwarzfahrer) by Pepe Danquart. This won an Oscar for Best Short Film in 1994 but, shot in black & white, it has a much older feel to it. It is a German film about a bigoted woman berating a black man who has sat next to her on the tram. The black rider sits passively as she throws insults out but then gets a comical revenge at the very end. You'll have to watch it to see what that is!
The third film is Sniffer by Norwegian filmmaker Billie Peers. Sniffer, which won the Palm d'Or for the best short film at the Cannes Film Festival in 2006, is an unusual but beautifully shot tale, set in its own grey and apparently gravity-free world, about a man who works as a sniffer (watch it to find out!) and dreams off escaping the leaden boots that hold him down.
The last film is a Christmas film from Belgium, Tanghi Argentini (Argentine Tangos). It is utterly brilliant and was nominated for a Best Short Film Oscar in 2008 (losing out to this). A beautiful comedy drama full of Christmas spirit, it follows a middle-aged office-worker trying to fulfill his Christmas passion and conceal a snowy-white lie. I promise you will thank me for showing it to you. It is in Dutch with English subtitles.
Enjoy!
But I have rearranged the previous Best European Short Films page slightly to make way for it, adding the brilliant Gridlock by Dirk Belien to the first page - primarily to make sure people see it before anything else.
On the new second page, we start with The Last Gunfighter (L'ultimo Pistolero) by Alessandro Dominici, the one and only Italian film to make it on to the website. I have a theory that the cinematic culture of Italy - espoused by the likes of Fellini - simply does not translate well to short films.
In The Last Gunfighter, heavily indebted to the Spaghetti Western, a solitary gunslinger walks through a desolate industrial estate before firing his gun for the last time. It is dialogue free and much better for it.
The next film is Black Rider (Schwarzfahrer) by Pepe Danquart. This won an Oscar for Best Short Film in 1994 but, shot in black & white, it has a much older feel to it. It is a German film about a bigoted woman berating a black man who has sat next to her on the tram. The black rider sits passively as she throws insults out but then gets a comical revenge at the very end. You'll have to watch it to see what that is!
The third film is Sniffer by Norwegian filmmaker Billie Peers. Sniffer, which won the Palm d'Or for the best short film at the Cannes Film Festival in 2006, is an unusual but beautifully shot tale, set in its own grey and apparently gravity-free world, about a man who works as a sniffer (watch it to find out!) and dreams off escaping the leaden boots that hold him down.
The last film is a Christmas film from Belgium, Tanghi Argentini (Argentine Tangos). It is utterly brilliant and was nominated for a Best Short Film Oscar in 2008 (losing out to this). A beautiful comedy drama full of Christmas spirit, it follows a middle-aged office-worker trying to fulfill his Christmas passion and conceal a snowy-white lie. I promise you will thank me for showing it to you. It is in Dutch with English subtitles.
Enjoy!
Saturday, 5 February 2011
Sundance Film Festival Animations
This week I have added a page of Sundance Winning Animations to my short films website.
The first film, Doc Ellis and the LSD No-No, comes from last year's Sundance Film Festival. Doc Ellis, who died in 2008, was a major league baseball player for the Pittsburgh Pirates and best known for throwing a 'no-hitter' or 'no-no' (like bowling a lot of maiden overs!) against San Diego in 1970 and then admitting that he had thrown this 'no-no' while under the influence of LSD. It is this infamous incident that he narrates himself to a drug-fuelled backdrop in this engrossing Sundance animation.
Ryan by Chris Landreth is on one of my oscar animation pages too so I won't got into too much detail here. It is, of course, brilliant.
The next film is Papillon d'Armour by Nicolas Provost. I will tell anyone who will listen to me that Kurosawa was the best director that ever lived. Most of Hollywood is indebted to him on some level. So imagine my delight that Belgian filmmaker Nicolas Provost created this mesmerizing, reflective montage of Kurosawa's work.
Papillon d'Armour (Butterfly of Love) won an honourable mention at the 2004 Sundance Flim Festival.
The last film on the page is More by Mark Osborne, which won at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival. Mark Osborne was a co-director on the Dreamworks film,Kung Fu Panda, so has now 'made it'. In this Sundance winning and Oscar nominated short, a factory worker is at odds with the dark world he inhabits as he plays his part in the mass production of devices that promise happiness. In his spare time he creates something he wants to share with the world. To embed More I have had to replace the original soundtrack with DJ Shadow's Building Steam with a Grain of Salt...
Enjoy!
The first film, Doc Ellis and the LSD No-No, comes from last year's Sundance Film Festival. Doc Ellis, who died in 2008, was a major league baseball player for the Pittsburgh Pirates and best known for throwing a 'no-hitter' or 'no-no' (like bowling a lot of maiden overs!) against San Diego in 1970 and then admitting that he had thrown this 'no-no' while under the influence of LSD. It is this infamous incident that he narrates himself to a drug-fuelled backdrop in this engrossing Sundance animation.
Ryan by Chris Landreth is on one of my oscar animation pages too so I won't got into too much detail here. It is, of course, brilliant.
The next film is Papillon d'Armour by Nicolas Provost. I will tell anyone who will listen to me that Kurosawa was the best director that ever lived. Most of Hollywood is indebted to him on some level. So imagine my delight that Belgian filmmaker Nicolas Provost created this mesmerizing, reflective montage of Kurosawa's work.
Papillon d'Armour (Butterfly of Love) won an honourable mention at the 2004 Sundance Flim Festival.
The last film on the page is More by Mark Osborne, which won at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival. Mark Osborne was a co-director on the Dreamworks film,Kung Fu Panda, so has now 'made it'. In this Sundance winning and Oscar nominated short, a factory worker is at odds with the dark world he inhabits as he plays his part in the mass production of devices that promise happiness. In his spare time he creates something he wants to share with the world. To embed More I have had to replace the original soundtrack with DJ Shadow's Building Steam with a Grain of Salt...
Enjoy!
Sunday, 30 January 2011
Oscar Winning Animations
This week I have added another page of Oscar winning animations to my short films website.
The first most noticeable addition is House On Little Cubes (aka Maison En Petits Cubes &Tsumiki No Ie) by Japenese animator Kunio Kato. House On LIttle Cubes won the Best Short Animation Oscar in 2009. It is a very touching story so have the tissues ready to wipe away the tears. As his Japanese town floods, an old man is forced to add levels onto his home. But when he drops his favourite pipe into the watery levels below, his scuba-diving search through his house prompts him to relive scenes from his life.
It could be considered the animated version of The Last 3 MInutes...
The fantastic Oscar winning animations, Chubbchubbs! and Father & Daughter were already there so the next addition is really Destino by Dominique Monfery.
Destino was started by Spanish surrealist Salvador Dali in 1945 for the Walt Disney company. The story was created by Dali, J. Hench and D. Ernst with the music composed by Mexican, Armando Domínguez. Destino is perhaps best known as a collision between the two very differnt artists, Dali and Walt Disney, but it was acutally completed in 2003 by French animator Dominique Monfery, who more commonly works on feature animations, and nominated in 2004. It is certainly more Daliesque than Disney.
The last addition is Creature Comforts by Nick Park. This Oscar animation was the first the wider world saw from Nick Park, who would go on to thrill us with his Wallace & Gromit series.
The first most noticeable addition is House On Little Cubes (aka Maison En Petits Cubes &Tsumiki No Ie) by Japenese animator Kunio Kato. House On LIttle Cubes won the Best Short Animation Oscar in 2009. It is a very touching story so have the tissues ready to wipe away the tears. As his Japanese town floods, an old man is forced to add levels onto his home. But when he drops his favourite pipe into the watery levels below, his scuba-diving search through his house prompts him to relive scenes from his life.
It could be considered the animated version of The Last 3 MInutes...
The fantastic Oscar winning animations, Chubbchubbs! and Father & Daughter were already there so the next addition is really Destino by Dominique Monfery.
Destino was started by Spanish surrealist Salvador Dali in 1945 for the Walt Disney company. The story was created by Dali, J. Hench and D. Ernst with the music composed by Mexican, Armando Domínguez. Destino is perhaps best known as a collision between the two very differnt artists, Dali and Walt Disney, but it was acutally completed in 2003 by French animator Dominique Monfery, who more commonly works on feature animations, and nominated in 2004. It is certainly more Daliesque than Disney.
The last addition is Creature Comforts by Nick Park. This Oscar animation was the first the wider world saw from Nick Park, who would go on to thrill us with his Wallace & Gromit series.
Monday, 24 January 2011
Oscar Winning Short Films
This week I have gone Oscars crazy on my short film website.
I have added yet another page of oscar winning films. Unfortunately, I have had to remove some recent winners due to a legal threat but I keep what I can and include the best of the Academy Award nominees.
Wish 143 was nominated for the Best Short Film Oscar this year. A black comedy directed by Ian Barnes and written by Simon Bigwell, Wish 143 follows the efforts of a young cancer patient, David, trying to fulfil his final wish: which is to lose his virginity. The charity offers him Gary Neville (the soccer player) instead and his friendly priest tries to deter him but David is determined to pop his cherry before he pops his clogs.
Another oscar winning short film from America is Two Soldiers by Aaron Schneider. The Academy has been rewarding longer short films during the last decade, and Two Soldiers is an extreme example. However, it is to its credit that it does not feel that long. Set during WWII, it is a touching account of a young boy who wants to join his brother in the "war at Pearl Harbour". It's very American (was 9/11 a factor in its win?) but a great performance by Ron Perlman (Hellboy) makes you more likely to cry than vomit by the end.
I have cheated slightly by adding I'll Wait For The Next One by Philippe Orreindy. I'll Wait For The Next One (J'attendrai le Suivant) was nominated for the 2003 Oscar but I include it because I have been unable to get hold of The Accountant by Ray McKinnon, which is nearly as long as Two Soldiers anyway.
I'll Wait For The Next One is a bitter-sweet tale of a lonely woman being offered the chance of true love on the Paris metro. I actually find it hard to watch it's so sorrowful! Anyway, enjoy the films at filmsshort.com
I have added yet another page of oscar winning films. Unfortunately, I have had to remove some recent winners due to a legal threat but I keep what I can and include the best of the Academy Award nominees.
Wish 143 was nominated for the Best Short Film Oscar this year. A black comedy directed by Ian Barnes and written by Simon Bigwell, Wish 143 follows the efforts of a young cancer patient, David, trying to fulfil his final wish: which is to lose his virginity. The charity offers him Gary Neville (the soccer player) instead and his friendly priest tries to deter him but David is determined to pop his cherry before he pops his clogs.
Another oscar winning short film from America is Two Soldiers by Aaron Schneider. The Academy has been rewarding longer short films during the last decade, and Two Soldiers is an extreme example. However, it is to its credit that it does not feel that long. Set during WWII, it is a touching account of a young boy who wants to join his brother in the "war at Pearl Harbour". It's very American (was 9/11 a factor in its win?) but a great performance by Ron Perlman (Hellboy) makes you more likely to cry than vomit by the end.
I have cheated slightly by adding I'll Wait For The Next One by Philippe Orreindy. I'll Wait For The Next One (J'attendrai le Suivant) was nominated for the 2003 Oscar but I include it because I have been unable to get hold of The Accountant by Ray McKinnon, which is nearly as long as Two Soldiers anyway.
I'll Wait For The Next One is a bitter-sweet tale of a lonely woman being offered the chance of true love on the Paris metro. I actually find it hard to watch it's so sorrowful! Anyway, enjoy the films at filmsshort.com
Sunday, 16 January 2011
Best Short Films From Germany
This week I have added a Best German Short Films page to www.filmsshort.com
It seems to me that German cinema is still struggling to get past the Holocaust and this is partly reflected in the most recent example of a short film from Germany - Toyland (Spielzeugland).
The idea of another Holocaust film, even an oscar winner from Germany, is not necessarily an enthralling idea. However, I challenge you to not have a lump in the back of your throat by the end of Toyland. Set in 1942, and co-written by the director Jochen Freydank and Johann A. Bunners, 'Toyland' is the euphemistic name a German mother invents when her son asks where his Jewish neighbours are going.
An ending reminiscent of Sophie's Choice makes it all worthwhile.
Then comes High Maintenance by Philip Van. A science-fiction short film and Sundance winner, High Maintenance was written by Scot Simon Biggs and directed by American Philip Van, but produced in Germany. Van says, 'I aimed to make a film about the future but emblematic of our era' and thus we find an attractive middle-class couple at dinner, but with the woman failing to get the romantic responses she wants from her 'man'... could I put this on my romance page?
Next comes Black Rider a drama/comedy from German director Pepe Danquart that proves some Germans do indeed have a sense of humor. Filmed in black & white, there is a sure European feel to it but this didn't stop it winning the Oscar in 1994. It is a simple story of bigotry and comical revenge.
I finish off with True by Tom Tykwer, most famous for Run Lola Run!.True stars Natalie Portman and was commissioned as one of the segments of Paris, Je T'aime - a collection of short films financed by the French capital. It is one of the few that stands on its own. Portman is an actress studying at the Conservatoire, who falls for a blind Frenchman. The film starts with what is apparently her break-up telephone call... but watch it!
Enjoy!
It seems to me that German cinema is still struggling to get past the Holocaust and this is partly reflected in the most recent example of a short film from Germany - Toyland (Spielzeugland).
The idea of another Holocaust film, even an oscar winner from Germany, is not necessarily an enthralling idea. However, I challenge you to not have a lump in the back of your throat by the end of Toyland. Set in 1942, and co-written by the director Jochen Freydank and Johann A. Bunners, 'Toyland' is the euphemistic name a German mother invents when her son asks where his Jewish neighbours are going.
An ending reminiscent of Sophie's Choice makes it all worthwhile.
Then comes High Maintenance by Philip Van. A science-fiction short film and Sundance winner, High Maintenance was written by Scot Simon Biggs and directed by American Philip Van, but produced in Germany. Van says, 'I aimed to make a film about the future but emblematic of our era' and thus we find an attractive middle-class couple at dinner, but with the woman failing to get the romantic responses she wants from her 'man'... could I put this on my romance page?
Next comes Black Rider a drama/comedy from German director Pepe Danquart that proves some Germans do indeed have a sense of humor. Filmed in black & white, there is a sure European feel to it but this didn't stop it winning the Oscar in 1994. It is a simple story of bigotry and comical revenge.
I finish off with True by Tom Tykwer, most famous for Run Lola Run!.True stars Natalie Portman and was commissioned as one of the segments of Paris, Je T'aime - a collection of short films financed by the French capital. It is one of the few that stands on its own. Portman is an actress studying at the Conservatoire, who falls for a blind Frenchman. The film starts with what is apparently her break-up telephone call... but watch it!
Enjoy!
Sunday, 9 January 2011
Film London & More Drama
I have broken my word and added two new pages to my website filmsshort.com this week. As my collection of short films grew, and especially as I hunted down those that won major festivals and awards I realised that I had more drama short films than any other genre. This is because festivals tend to reward drama, just as the Oscars do. So I added another drama page. In all honesty I could add several more drama short film pages but that would rather defy the point of having a deliberately small collection of the very best of each genre.
If you haven't seen The Last 3 Minutes by Po Chan then I suggest you go there. Written and directed by American cinematographer Po Chan, The Last 3 Minutes is an unashamedly tear-jerking flashback through a dying man's life. Every shot is lovingly crafted and there are some beautiful American landscapes! I've tried to get in touch with Po to find an official version but have been unable to find a contact. There is high-definition version with lots of background videos on another YouTube page but am not sure if that's Po's upload or not!
Then I really treat you with three festival winning dramas:
Tanghi Argentini (Argentine Tangos) by Belgian filmmaker Gus Thys (2006), Before Dawn by Hungarian Bálint Kenyeres, and Black Rider (Schwarzfahrer) by German Pepe Danquart.
As if all that wasn't enough, I then went and added a Film London page. Film London is taking over responsibility for attracting investment and film productions to the whole of the UK in the government's shake up of the quangos (and subsequent disintegration of the somewhat nepotistic Film Council). Film London has backed many short films over the last decade through various schemes, most notably their Borough Film Fund and Pulse - the latter theoretically being a step up. However, there have been some very bad misses in amongst the hits (and perhaps more misses than hits), which is very worrying to a film-maker looking for backing. When I talk to new producers I often hear the same fears: bodies tend to invest in people they know rather than the strongest script - and let's be honest: at investment stage the script has to come first!
Having said that, Film London has invested in some talented film-makers over the years and I add what I believe are the best of the available short films out there. It's up to you to decide how worthy they are. Peter & Ben is a lovely documentary and Pop Art is a skilful piece of fiction filmmaking - though I'm still not totally sure what it's trying to say. Enjoy!
If you haven't seen The Last 3 Minutes by Po Chan then I suggest you go there. Written and directed by American cinematographer Po Chan, The Last 3 Minutes is an unashamedly tear-jerking flashback through a dying man's life. Every shot is lovingly crafted and there are some beautiful American landscapes! I've tried to get in touch with Po to find an official version but have been unable to find a contact. There is high-definition version with lots of background videos on another YouTube page but am not sure if that's Po's upload or not!
Then I really treat you with three festival winning dramas:
Tanghi Argentini (Argentine Tangos) by Belgian filmmaker Gus Thys (2006), Before Dawn by Hungarian Bálint Kenyeres, and Black Rider (Schwarzfahrer) by German Pepe Danquart.
As if all that wasn't enough, I then went and added a Film London page. Film London is taking over responsibility for attracting investment and film productions to the whole of the UK in the government's shake up of the quangos (and subsequent disintegration of the somewhat nepotistic Film Council). Film London has backed many short films over the last decade through various schemes, most notably their Borough Film Fund and Pulse - the latter theoretically being a step up. However, there have been some very bad misses in amongst the hits (and perhaps more misses than hits), which is very worrying to a film-maker looking for backing. When I talk to new producers I often hear the same fears: bodies tend to invest in people they know rather than the strongest script - and let's be honest: at investment stage the script has to come first!
Having said that, Film London has invested in some talented film-makers over the years and I add what I believe are the best of the available short films out there. It's up to you to decide how worthy they are. Peter & Ben is a lovely documentary and Pop Art is a skilful piece of fiction filmmaking - though I'm still not totally sure what it's trying to say. Enjoy!
Sunday, 2 January 2011
Short Films By Famous Directors
This weekend I have added another new page to my website filmsshort.com and, as is my wont, added an example to the top of the home page, in this case the example being Vincent by Tim Burton.
For, the new page is Short Films By Famous Directors. It's strange to me how little is known about some of these short films when so much is known about these famous directors' feature films.
My favourite director of all time is Kurosawa, but he doesn't have appeared to have made a short film (believe me, I looked!). However, Stanley Kubrick did make some short films and what's strange that his first two short films were in fact documentaries. The one I have added is his 1959 film Day Of The Fight . It reminds me very much of feature length film, The Killing, which would in turn help mould directors such as Quentin Tarantino.
Who's the most famous director of them all? Steven Spielberg of course!
Steven Spielberg has directed (and produced) some of the biggest feature films in box-office history (E.T., Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park). Many think of Duel as his first film, but that ignores Amblin', which would also be the name of his film production company. Spieleberg doesn't particularly like Amblin' - the dialogue-free tale of a couple hitchhickers meeting up as they cross the American desert - being shown but there are great moments that portend those in his feature films (the moon silhouette in E.T. an example)
James Cameron is hot on the heals of Spielberg. Avatar broke most box-office records despite having a script that felt like it was written by a twelve year old. Xenogenesis was made in 1978 and co-directed by Randall Frakes. James Cameron shows he had ambition from the beginning with this sci-fi short film. It is somewhat Tron-like and perhaps not the most polished film in the world but Cameron was only 23-years-old at the time and there are moments that would reappear in both The Terminator and Aliens.
The last film on my new page is Doodlebug by Christopher Nolan. If you don't know who Christopher Nolan is then visit my website. If you do - as I'm sure you do - visit it anyway!
For, the new page is Short Films By Famous Directors. It's strange to me how little is known about some of these short films when so much is known about these famous directors' feature films.
My favourite director of all time is Kurosawa, but he doesn't have appeared to have made a short film (believe me, I looked!). However, Stanley Kubrick did make some short films and what's strange that his first two short films were in fact documentaries. The one I have added is his 1959 film Day Of The Fight . It reminds me very much of feature length film, The Killing, which would in turn help mould directors such as Quentin Tarantino.
Who's the most famous director of them all? Steven Spielberg of course!
Steven Spielberg has directed (and produced) some of the biggest feature films in box-office history (E.T., Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park). Many think of Duel as his first film, but that ignores Amblin', which would also be the name of his film production company. Spieleberg doesn't particularly like Amblin' - the dialogue-free tale of a couple hitchhickers meeting up as they cross the American desert - being shown but there are great moments that portend those in his feature films (the moon silhouette in E.T. an example)
James Cameron is hot on the heals of Spielberg. Avatar broke most box-office records despite having a script that felt like it was written by a twelve year old. Xenogenesis was made in 1978 and co-directed by Randall Frakes. James Cameron shows he had ambition from the beginning with this sci-fi short film. It is somewhat Tron-like and perhaps not the most polished film in the world but Cameron was only 23-years-old at the time and there are moments that would reappear in both The Terminator and Aliens.
The last film on my new page is Doodlebug by Christopher Nolan. If you don't know who Christopher Nolan is then visit my website. If you do - as I'm sure you do - visit it anyway!
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