AFF 2010 Preview: Selected Shorts
Jenn shared an insightful post earlier this week about why you shouldn't pass on a Austin Film Festival pass this year, and I have another reason for you -- the abundance of amazing short films that have been selected for 2010. AFF is really knocking it out of the park with 12 diverse shorts programs, each of which will be screened twice during this year's fest. These short films range from darkly humorous to heart-wrenching sadness, including narrative and documentaries. So many of the selections are based in Texas that they're too numerous to mention, but there are definitely a few that I'll highlight. Check out the extensive list of Compiled Shorts programs and be sure to add a couple -- if not all -- of them to your AFF film schedule. A few short films will also be screened before selected features.
I had an opportunity to watch several of the short films to be offered at AFF this year, and although I enjoyed many of the films, by far my top recommended shorts are in the Shorts 3 program, including Katrina's Son, which was awarded a grant in 2008 by the Texas Filmmakers Production Fund. From the opening scene to the final moment, Katrina's Son is the most powerful 15 minutes that I've seen all year. Director Ya' Ke Smith (Hope's War) portrays a young Katrina evacuee who has been ignored by society. After losing his grandmother during Hurricane Katrina, he travels to San Antonio, Texas to find his mother, who abandoned him years earlier and has communicated only through postcards. Working with kids and animals is never an easy job, but Smith's writing and tight direction connects the audience to the lead character.
Another short film on the Shorts 3 program that I highly recommend is Drama, directed by Raymond J. Schlogel and written by Timeca M. Serreti who co-stars as "Auntie." Filmed here in Austin, a young girl is forced to face up to the school bully by her alcoholic aunt, with unexpected consequences. Drama has not been without its own drama. Created for Nikon's 140 Second Film Festival, this film received several comments that it was advocating fighting amongst children. Schlogel eloquently addresses criticism in this open letter. Considering that bullying is a major issue amongst children in today's society as reflected in the daily news, the positive effect that I see in Drama is that of inner strength. Watch for yourself here:
Drama from Underground Planet on Vimeo.
Bring tissues along to Shorts 3 -- writer and director Joy Gohring's 18 is another touching and dramatic film on this roster. On her 18th birthday, a young woman is faced with making one of the most important decision in her adult life. With a female filmmaker and mostly women in the lead and supporting roles, 18 could have fit just as well in the Shorts 12 program (LUNAfest), which features films by female filmmakers. In fact, many of the short films at the festival this year are written and/or directed by women, some who have primarily acted -- always a refreshing sight in a male-dominated industry.
Not all the AFF compiled shorts are as dramatic as 18, Katrina's Son and Drama -- the lineup includes plenty of light-hearted comedic shorts that will amuse audiences. Shorts 1 offers up some odd humor in I Love You Will Smith and Taste in Powder. If those short films aren't bizarre enough for you, then try director Lara Everly's Pink Sweat. Think Meet the Feebles meets Bollywood, resembling a less coherent and more risque version of The Guild's "Game On" video. You can watch Pink Sweat on Funny or Die, but be forewarned this film is NSFW.
As part of the Shorts 2 program, A Lone Star State, directed by Joseph Saito, blends drama and humor against a dusty and oily black and white landscape of Texas. Filmed in Lockhard, Luling, and Paige, this film premiered in Texas at Marfa Film Festival in May. This delightful short is centered around a uncle's attempt to reunite his long-lost niece with her father -- who is dead and resides as ashes in an urn. With its gender satire, this film could have easily been a crowd favorite for the aGLIFF audience last month.
Shorts 10 (Doc Shorts) features Gaia Bonsignore's Live your Cinema!, which includes local film community innovators such as Richard Linklater, Lee Daniel, Louis Black and Marjorie Baumgarten. This short film makes use of images from classic and offbeat films in history, but it's a little too loosely organized. It took me several minutes to realize that the primary focus is the creation of the Austin Media Arts (AMA) space. I vaguely remembering attending some film screenings -- and maybe a show or two? -- at AMA back in the day. Located above Quackenbush's, it was a small space where Linklater and Daniel screened the works of Stan Brakhage, Michelangelo Antonioni and Jean-Luc Godard, as well as a host of other artistic endeavors specifically tailored to the funky art-happening groove of the AMA.
Shorts 11 (Young Filmmakers) is more than just screenings for just friends and families of young filmmakers. These filmmakers are definitely ones to watch, and this year is no exception. I found Seeds by Drew Ott to be a delightful gem of a story, and the cinematography and editing is sharp. Even better, the film's lead actors are familiar to me -- longtime buddy Kevin McCarthy and Jourdan Gibson. If you've not seen McCarthy and Gibson yet, then you're missing out on some great local acting talent in Austin. Both can be seen in Mark Gardner's Cell: The Web Series, which had me on the edge of my seat for the last three episodes of Season 1.
Be sure to make some time to see at least a few of these programs that you may not be able to see elsewhere. We'll keep you posted as we discover any of these films available (legally) online.