Fantastic Fest Flashbacks: Appreciating the Shorts
As a film fan, I love short films for the same reason I enjoy short stories -- I get almost instant gratification with little investment of time, and then it's on to the next short. The stories and films might seem easier to forget, but that's not the case when a good story can be told in fifteen minutes or less. Such is the case with several short films I've seen over the years at South by Southwest Film Festival and Fantastic Fest. In the past it was difficult to see these films outside of a film festival, but thanks to the Internet more short films are available to a larger audience.
The most memorable shorts I've enjoyed were those I viewed at Fantastic Fest from 2006-2009, including Phil Mucci's gothic horror film The Listening Dead (view after the jump) which won the Short Film Jury Award for Best of Show in 2006. That same year was the Fantastic Fest debut of British filmmaker Simon Rumley with the well-directed short The Handyman starring Greta Scacchi, along with the full length psychological thriller The Living and the Dead. Rumley has a great behind-the-scenes making of The Handyman.
Want to know how Mucci and his filmmaking team accomplished the various special effects? Check out Behind The Listening Dead.
In 2007, Phil Mucci returned to Fantastic Fest with Far Out, featuring a cast straight out of Russ Meyer's Beyond the Valley of the Dolls but with a horror twist. However, it was the dark humor of Ryan Levin's The Fifth that really left an indelible impression on me that year. In this short film, four poker buddies have trouble finding a fifth player for their weekly game. When one of the players has a career as a murderer, it's even more challenging. Killer Ken is played spectacularly by Sam Lloyd, who worked with Levin on over 70 episodes of the television series Scrubs.
In 2008, Fantastic Fest premiered the collected short works of Nacho Vigalondo, many subtitled in English for the first time. The prior year, Vigalondo had been awarded the AMD Next Wave Award, for excellence by an up and coming new filmmaker for his feature film Timecrimes. The highlight of the Vigalondo shorts program was 7:35 In the Morning probably the strangest love song ever performed under duress. 7:35 is available for viewing on YouTube.
Another personal favorite from 2008 was Blood Will Tell. This six minute sci-fi horror film by Andrew McPhillips is firmly embedded in my mind, with haunting music by Sigur Ros. Set in 16th Century Holland, this 3D animated film centered on a sickened visitor hiding in a dark mosquito-infested well. The animation was based on a Victorian "tin type" photographic process. Blood Will Tell won Best Animated Short at the Slamdance Festival in 2008. I also enjoyed the stylish futuristic Outsource by Dan Trezise, who created a world where Human Processing Units (HPUs) are bred to perform menial tasks for people on Earth. When one HPU discovers he's not alone, he will do anything to make contact with another which results in dire consequences. When I spoke to Trezise after the premiere of Outsource, he had planned on creating a full length version of Outsource. However, his work as a digital compositor and visual effects supervisor on several blockbusters since 2008 have kept him busy.
I didn't see many short films last year at Fantastic Fest, but I definitely enjoyed one of the best animated shorts I've seen in quite some time -- Pigeon Impossible by Austin filmmaker Lucas Martell. What happens when you cross a secret agent with a pigeon? Find out by watching the film at the Pigeon Impossible website, but also check out Jette's theory in this blog entry on landmarks featured in this engaging animated short.
Also in 2009, former Austin filmmaker Tracie Laymon presented Inside, a frightening story with a morbidly humorous ending. When the doctors can find nothing wrong with Luis, he decides to take matters into his own hands -- but what will he find? I spoke to Laymon in our podcast interview about the film, and the different audience reactions. From Poland to Seattle to Burbank, Laymon is staying busy, although she hopes to return to Austin eventually to shoot a feature. She's currently writing an American version of the Polish film The Thief by director Jacek Bromski, with music by former Austinite and composer Ludek Drizhal (Badland, Alabama Moon). Laymon is also currently directing a darkly comedic short film called A Hidden Agender. As if that's not enough, Laymon has been featured by the Independent Film Channel (IFC) for her innovations in film and video. You can view her short film Inside on her IFC Icon page.
What will the 2010 Fantastic Fest short film selections have in store for attendees? Try strange dating opportunities, horror musicals, a wild trip through the brain, monster talent agencies, and more. Check back next week for our 2010 Fantastic Fest short films preview guide.
[Photo credit: "That's a Wrap!" with Antonio Del Prete and Tracie Laymon, courtesy of Tracie Laymon]