Cinema Without Borders hosts a SSG Screening Series on Sunday, February 24th, 12:30 PM at the Fine Arts Theater in Los Angeles. This screening is dedicated to the Best films from the 2007 Palm Springs ShortFest International Festival and Film Market. Here are the seven highlights of Palm Springs International ShortFest that provide some distinctly different perspectives on our world:
THE BEST OF SHORTFEST
THE NEXT MOVE Finland, Director: Laura Neuvonen, 13 min.
When a young couple moves into their first home, the wife gets a little carried away with the decorating.
IT SNOWS IN MARRAKECH Switzerland, Director: Hicham Alhayat, 15 min.
A dutiful son tries to dupe his father into believing the illusion that he’s arranged the trip of his lifetime for him… the only question is: who’s foolin’ who?
MOMENT OF TRUTH Canada, Director Jon Knautz, 4 min.
A young man on a hunting trip into the woods suddenly becomes the hunted.
CHAMBRE 24 Switzerland, Director: Andrew Katumba, 14 min.
A man… a woman… a puppy… a hard of hearing hotelier and a slight mistake in the date make for romantic ruin in this amusing homage to Nouvelle Vague
cinema.
SOFT United Kingdom, Director: Simon Ellis, 15 min.
A weak father finds himself confronting a gang of teenage thugs in this unexpectedly complex take on urban angst.
THE GIRL WHO SWALLOWED BEES
Australia, Director: Paul McDermott, 9 min.
Rising Aussie star Pia Miranda is featured in this sublime tale about agirl who decides to end it all with the help of some honeybees. Hugo Weaving narrates.
CONTACT Netherlands, Director: Hanro Smitsman, 10 min.
Everything happens for a reason – a lesson underlined to fascinating effectin this cautionary tale of a bad day in the lives of a number of people whose lives intersect in the course of one fateful day.
Fine Arts Theater is located at 8556 Wilshire Blvd.Beverly Hills, CA 90211
This event is free to attend, just RSVP
Click here to RSVP & Stay for the LIVE Oscar Telecast immediately afterwards beginning at 3pm!
Darryl Macdonald Executive Director of the Palm Springs International Film Society, which produces both the Palm Springs International Film Festival and the Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films believes that: “Short films have been unjustly overlooked in the world of film exhibition, depriving audiences of the chance to discover the rich mother lode of talent and inventiveness that the world of contemporary short films represent. Indeed, given the sheer quality and diversity of the more than 2,500 short films submitted to Palm Springs ShortFest each year, it’s somewhat surprising that a circuit of independent exhibitors or some enterprising theatre chain haven’t found a way to devote screens to this burgeoning art form – and indeed, the Short Shorts Film Festival in Japan has just opened a theatre devoted to the presentation of short films year round in Yokohama.
The shorts on view in this package of personal favorites from last year’s Palm Springs ShortFest certainly provide a clear indication of the range of styles, genres and approaches to storytelling encompassed by the art form – though to truly do it justice, one would have to include documentary shorts and a broader selection of animated short films; hopefully, we can explore the field further with future short film presentations at the Fine Arts. Meanwhile, I’m confident that experiencing the cinematic treats on view in this package of great shorts will inspire those who see it to head on out to Palm Springs in late August to truly immerse themselves in the world of short films and filmmakers, where over 330 short films are presented onscreen over the course of the Festival’s seven-day run, and more than 300 short filmmakers make the annual trek to share their work with audiences and each other.
I certainly want to thank both Cinema Without Borders and the SSG Screening Series for providing this opportunity, and for championing the work of the talented artists involved in the field of short filmmaking. We look forward to working with both organizations to bring more of the highlights of Palm Springs ShortFest and the Palm Springs International Film Festival to audiences in Los Angeles and beyond.”