Shorts News
SHORTSTV LAUNCHES ON UPC IN THE NETHERLANDS
Posted on: Tuesday, 3rd Apr 2012
THE WORLD’S FIRST HD CHANNEL DEDICATED TO SHORT MOVIES
LONDON, UK, 3 April 2012 –
Shorts International, the world’s leading short movie entertainment company, today
announced the launch of ShortsTV on UPC channels 25 (standard definition) and 64
(high definition).
ShortsTV is a unique entertainment channel dedicated to short movies. ShortsTV
broadcasts 24-hours a day in 30-60 minute blocks of short films and is available on
UPC in SD as part of the Royaal tier, and also in high definition in the UPC HD pack.
ShortsTV, which will be subtitled in Dutch throughout the Netherlands, is the world’s
first high definition channel dedicated to short movies.
Launching on the 3rd of April with a collection of highly entertaining short films,
programming is separated into genre ‘Zones’. ShortsTV is dedicating the month of
April to programs from Editor’s Pick, showcasing some of the brightest young stars
and directors, and the terrifying Midnight Zone, featuring the short One Night about
the darker side of love, lust and loneliness.
May brings new Zones, from Stars in Shorts, offering short movies with Hollywood
stars such as Michael Sheen and Dita Von Teese, to Animate! featuring stop-motion
and computer generated animated shorts that push the limits of imagination. Other
new Zones launching then are Docs, Film School, Comedy, Shorts In Love, and Best
in Fest.
Viewers can looking forward to the charms of Robert Pattinson In The Summer
House, award winners Colin Firth & Keira Knightley in the emotionally charged
Steve, and the contemporary dark thriller Trunk. Star Trek fans will be touched by
the loving tribute to the legendary sci-fi saga with Orion Slave Girls Must Die! and
discover the hilarious self-help mockumentary The Pro.
"We couldn't be more excited about bringing ShortsTV to UPC’s cable audience. The
films are the cutting edge of movie entertainment," said Carter Pilcher, Chief
Executive of ShortsTV.
Standard definition channel ShortsTV is available in 3.5 million homes on
Numericable's French-language cable systems in France, Belgium and Luxembourg,
as well as in HD to 20 million homes in the United States with AT&T and DirectTV. It
is also available to 1 million subscribers in Turkey with TTNet.
For more information on the Netherlands launch, contact Judith Huisman:
+33 (0)6.53831316 / Judith@100procentpuur.nl
For U.S. enquiries please contact Marina Bailey:
+1 323.650.3627 / marina@marinabailey.com
For other European enquiries please contact Leif Nelson:
+44 (0) 207 613 5400 / leif.nelson@shortsinternational.com
CALLING ALL FILM MAKERS IN SPAIN, PORTUGAL AND LATIN AMERICA!
Posted on: Monday, 19th Mar 2012
Shorts International is looking for new Spanish and Portuguese language short films for a promotional launch of “Latin Shorts” on iTunes in Spain, Portugal and Latin America. If you have any short films (less than 25 mins) in either language (can be with or without English subtitles), then please contact us right away. We are always looking for exciting new short film content!
Contact us today: acqeurope@shorts.tv
SHORTS AWARDS 2012 HONORS OSCAR NOMINEES, ‘WALLACE & GROMIT’ CREATOR
Posted on: Monday, 27th Feb 2012
Movies: Past, present and future
LOS ANGELES TIMES - 24FRAMES/Emily Rome
Awards Party Coverage - February 25, 2012, 5:08PM
Photo: "Wallace & Gromit" creator Nick Park
Credit: Carlo Allegri / Imagenet
The Film Independent Spirit Awards wasn't the only pre-Oscar ceremony happening this weekend: On Friday, the second annual Shorts Awards presented film slate-shaped plaques to the nominees competing in the short film categories at Sunday's 84th Academy Awards and honored "Wallace & Gromit" creator Nick Park with a lifetime achievement award.
Park was not at West Hollywood's Soho House to accept the prize, but in a video acceptance speech he said, “I’ve always loved making short films. It’s a good way to get ideas out quickly. Many see it as a stepping stone to features, but I will always go back to short films.”
An enthusiasm for shorts permeated the event, which was presented by ShortsHD, a cable network that exclusively airs short films.
“We are entering the golden age of short films,” said producer Marc Bertrand, on hand to support his Oscar-nominated animated short “Dimanche,” citing an increase in options for independent distribution, as well as the technology that makes it easy for anyone to make a film.
To honor that technology, ShortsHD this year created the Shorts Technology Awards, whose winners Friday night included the Apple iPhone 4S and the app Movie Slate by Pure Blend Software.
“I think audiences have now opened their eyes for short films,” said Norwegian director Hallvar Witzø. His 25-minute short “Tuba Atlantic” is nominated in the live action shorts category. He pointed to the success of ShortsHD’s limited theatrical run of the Oscar-nominated shorts, which had earned $1.196 million at the box office as of Friday, ShortsHD chief executive Carter Pilcher announced at the event.
“Nobody knows the directors. Nobody knows the actors. But people want to see them anyway,” Witzø said.
The event seemed to be a bit of a rally for the nominees. During a presentation of clips from the Oscar-nominated films, “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore” got the loudest cheers of the animated group, to which the film’s co-director Brandon Oldenburg said off-stage, “Wow, we have fans."
“I’m king here,” said Luke Matheny, attempting to describe the small celebrity status that has followed his 2011 Oscar win for a live action short. “There are a few communities where people know who I am, and the Oscar-related short film community is one of them.”
Matheny told 24 Frames that he’s “rooting for ‘Raju,’ ” a 24-minute German-Indian film, to win the Academy Award in the live action category. “I thought it had a real battleship of a plot ... and just kept making the right artistic decisions throughout the whole movie until it was over,” said Matheny, who is prepping his first feature, “Love Sick.”
The Shorts Awards also presented visionary awards to Joan Collins, Ray McKinnon, Marcy Page and Bill Plympton, as well as the International Award to Turkey, an honor earned largely because of the Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival, which takes place each fall in Antalya, Turkey.
Marina Bailey Film Publicity
323.650.3627 - Office
323.819.1627 - Cell
marina@marinabailey.com
THE OSCAR 2011 SHORT FILMS
Posted on: Friday, 5th Aug 2011
John Lasseter Wins Lifetime Achievement Award
By DERRIK J. LANG
The Associated Press, Saturday, February 26, 2011; 6:06 AM
WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. -- John Lasseter's pair of Oscars have a new friend: a lifetime achievement trophy.
The Pixar and Disney animation chief received the award Friday night for his dedication to the
40-minutes-or-less medium from Shorts International, an entertainment organization which promotes,
distributes, broadcasts and produces short films.
"It feels fantastic because I love short films," said Lasseter. "I love the art form and what it did for me
as a filmmaker. I learned so much from making short films.
They're these little gems, these fantastic little ideas that are not meant to be a feature film. They're perfect unto themselves.
A great short film leaves you smiling and thinking about it."
"It feels fantastic because I love short films," said Lasseter. "I love the art form and what it did for me as a filmmaker.
I learned so much from making short films. They're these little gems, these fantastic little ideas that are not meant to be a feature film.
They're perfect unto themselves. A great short film leaves you smiling and thinking about it."
Lasseter won the animated short film Oscar in 1988 for "Tin Toy," as well as a special achievement award in 1995 for "Toy Story,"
the first feature-length computer-generated film. The lifetime achievement award from Shorts International may not be his only prize this weekend.
He's nominated with the other "Toy Story 3" filmmakers for best adapted screenplay.
For the full story visit:
www.washingtonpost.com
www.abcnews.go.com
www.news.yahoo.com
www.npr.org
THE OSCAR 2011 SHORT FILM AWARDS PARTY
Posted on: Friday, 5th Aug 2011
Melissa Leo, Oscar winner, Best Supporting Actress - 'THE FIGHTER' with Director, of 'DEAR LEMON LIMA'- Suzi Yoonessi at The SHORTS Awards 2011 Party.
Melissa Leo stars in the short film, 'DEAR LEMON LIMA' directed by Suzi Yoonessi available on iTunes.
Links:
www.suziyoonessi.com
www.dearlemonlimamovie.com
www.twitter.com/dearlemonlima
dearlemonlima.wordpress.com
Photo by Linda Olszewski
THE OSCAR® SHORTS PROGRAMME GROSSES $1 MILLION AT THE US BOX OFFICE
Posted on: Friday, 5th Aug 2011
NEW YORK, US, April 2nd 2010 – Today “The Oscar® Nominated Shorts Films 2010” crossed the $1 Million mark at the Box Office. Released annually by Shorts International and Magnolia Pictures, the program was created 5 years ago to give audiences a chance to see all 10 Animated and Live Action Oscar® Nominated Shorts in theaters nationally prior to the Academy Awards.
“The short film has gone from the occasional feature film accessory, to the main theatrical event,” said Carter Pilcher, Chief Executive of Shorts International. “Audiences for the Oscar nominated shorts jumped by 52% in the short space of a year and more than 1000% in 5 years…and this is just the beginning. For the first time ever these films are also currently available on cable systems through Movies On Demand.”
“It’s an incredible achievement on so many levels,” said Tom Quinn, SVP of Magnolia. “On average, less than 50 specialized films a year cross the $1M mark, so to see our little program blossom into a big contender is a testament to the quality of these films. It’s even more astounding considering that the marketing budget for the program has been the exact same year in and year out.”
“I’m thrilled that so many people have discovered these fantastic short films, and seeing them with an audience on the big screen surpasses any other viewing experience,” said Bill Kroyer, Governor and Chair of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences Short Film and Feature Animation Branch.
The program is entering its seventh weekend in selected cinemas across the US. To find a theater near you, visit www.shortshd.com/theoscarshorts. It is also available through iN DEMAND to US cable audiences via Movies On Demand (MOD). This year’s program includes all the nominees as well as the Academy Award winners for best Live Action short, “The New Tenants”, and best Animated short, “Logorama”.
For information on the U.S. release, contact:
Donna Daniels 347-254-7054 (x101)/ddaniels@ddanielspr.net (East Coast) or Marina Bailey 323-650-3627/marina@marinabailey.com (West Coast).
For U.S. theatrical booking enquiries, contact Neal Block 212-924-6701 (x211)/nblock@magpictures.com
SHORTS INTERNATIONAL RELEASE "THE OSCAR® NOMINATED SHORT FILMS 2009" IN US AND UK ITUNES STORES
Posted on: Friday, 5th Aug 2011
London, UK 19th February 2009
Shorts International, the world's leading short film entertainment company has announced the release of "The Oscar® Nominated Short Films 2009" in the live-action and animation categories on iTunes stores in the US (www.iTunes.com) and UK (www.apple.com/uk/iTunes), giving iTunes users the opportunity to download the "Oscar® Nominated Short Films 2009."
Showcasing diverse work in both the Live-Action and Animation categories, this year's nominees include UK animation duo Smith and Foulkes' hilarious This Way Up, Irish entry New Boy directed by Steph Green and based on a Roddy Doyle short story as well as the Student Academy Award® Winner On The Line directed by Reto Caffi.
"The Oscar® Nominated Shorts Films 2009" continue to enjoy a successful run in US theatres, where its opening weekend broke the record at New York's IFC Center for the highest weekend gross ever on a single screen, at $24,006."
"Even the New York Times has noted that this year's hottest Oscar® nominees are the live-action and animated short films. The theatrical release has broken records in New York, and continues to see very strong numbers across the US. 'The Oscar® Nominated Short Films 2009' are currently on iTunes USA and UK stores. We are thrilled to be iTunes' partner in this endeavour." said Carter Pilcher, Chief Executive of Shorts International.
New York Times critic A. O. Scott called 'The Oscar®-Nominated Short Films 2009' "A perfect antidote" while Steve "Capone" Prokopy from Ain't It Cool News declared it an "Exceptional program". Kelly Jane Torrance of The Washington Times emphasised "These shorts, from the United States, Britain, France, Japan and Russia speak to viewers of all ages and nationalities."
Theatrical releases are also expanding to Mexico, Canada and the UK. Winners for the 81st Academy Awards® will be announced on February 22nd.
For more information on the U.S. East Coast release, please contact:
Donna Daniels
+1 347 254 7054
ddaniels@ddanielspr.net
U.S. West Coast release, please contact:
Marina Bailey
+1 323 650 3627
marina@marinabailey.com.
