SHORTS News
MARTIN FREEMAN, JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS, 2013 OSCAR NOMINEES HONORED AT SHORTS AWARDS
Posted on: Tuesday, 5th Mar 2013
by Emily Rome - ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
Martin Freeman starred in one of the lengthiest movies of 2012, but Friday night he was honored for his work in films with much shorter runtimes and much smaller budgets than the 169-minute-long Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. At the third annual ShortsHD Shorts Awards, Freeman picked up the Visionary Actor Award.
The English actor has continued to make short films, even after performing in high-profile projects like BBC’s Sherlock and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
“I love doing [short films] for the same reason that everyone in this room really likes them – because very often it’s the time that you get to really express an idea or ideas without someone breathing down your neck or without someone arguing about how big your trailer is,” Freeman told the audience gathered at the Paley Center for Media last night. “No one’s getting rich or famous out of it, but people are actually trying to express something – and it doesn’t take 18 months like The Hobbit does.”
True, many shorts have a much leaner production period – like Buzkashi Boys, up for an Oscar this year, which was shot in 16 days – but some are shot over years to gather material for what becomes a 40-minute film, like nominees up for the documentary short Oscar, Mondays at Racine, shot over two and a half years, and Kings Point, which took 10 years to make. Those two films, along with the 13 other films nominated in the Academy’s shorts categories, were also honored at the ShortsHD event Friday.
The attention on the Oscar-nominated shorts has grown a lot in recent years, as Bill Kroyer, longtime member of the Academy’s Short Films and Feature Animation Branch, pointed out at the Beverly Hills event while introducing the animated short filmmakers. He talked about being nominated in 1989 alongside John Lasseter.
“When I was nominated 25 years ago, there was none of this…. We said, ‘Hey, we’re nominated for the Oscars! We should do something,’” Kroyer recalled of meeting his fellow nominees. “And so we did. We all went out for dinner. And we split the check.”
Now the nominated short filmmakers find themselves at the end of several weeks of pre-Oscar frenzy. They’ve made the rounds to multiple Q&A events, press interviews, and, yes, dinners – though this time paid for by the Academy, as with this past Wednesday’s gathering organized by the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch.
At that Beverly Hills dinner producer Ariel Nasr, nominated for live action film Buzkashi Boys, sat next to Disney legend Glen Keane, who worked on Paperman, the House of Mouse’s charming short in the awards race this year. Keane’s resume includes Aladdin, Pocahontas and the film that Nasr, as a child, saw as the bane of his existence: The Little Mermaid. The Afghan-Canadian filmmaker told Keane about being constantly teased about having a girl’s name – a mermaid’s name, at that! – after Little Mermaid opened when he was 11 years old.
“I told him, ‘Oh my God. You are the guy! I hate The Little Mermaid!’ But he was so nice. He was such a gentleman,” Nasr told EW at the ShortsHD event.
At that dinner, Keane told Nasr that he fought to get the gig animating Ariel – instead of the villain as had been his specialty previously – because Ariel, to Keane, was the character “who made the impossible possible.”
“And then I was thinking about that,” Nasr continued, “and I was like, ‘Yeah. I’m okay with that. That’s cool.’”
Making the impossible possible seemed to ultimately be what the Shorts Awards was celebrating. When Asad director Bryan Buckley accepted his award, he said of short filmmakers, “We’re a disturbed bunch of people who are in for pain. The whole process is f—ing pain. Distribution is, like, an impossibility.”
But he pointed out that ShortsHD made it possible for their films to reach a wider audience on the big screen. The cable channel received thanks in the acceptance speeches of many of the honorees for distributing the Oscar-nominated short films. The theatrical run, which ShortsHD organized for an eighth year in conjunction with the Academy, brought these 15 films to over 300 theaters around the country – about 100 theaters more than last year.
Redemption co-director Matthew O’Neill said he heard from someone in Grapevine, Tex. who saw all nominated shorts in theaters. Head Over Heels director Timothy Reckart raved about his experience appearing at a ShortsHD screening in his hometown, Tuscon, Ariz., where his kindergarten teacher was in attendance. Buzkashi Boys director Sam French told EW about the influx of emails he received after the theatrical run began, including messages from schoolteachers across the country asking for copies of the film to show their students.
“My email inbox has exploded,” French said. “I should probably take my email address off the [movie’s] website.”
ShortsHD also facilitated the nominated shorts’ recent release on iTunes and VOD, though ShortsHD chief executive Carter Pilcher recommends seeing them on the big screen, especially the live action line-up.
“This is probably the most cinematic year we’ve ever had [for live action nominees]. They’re short films, but they’re big. They tell big stories and they look gorgeous on the big screen,” Pilcher told EW. “We had huge, epic scenes of horseback riding in Afghanistan, and Curfew has this beautiful, weird, kind of surreal atmosphere. And the cinematography in Death of a Shadow [pictured above] is probably some of the best in any film this year.”
Information on where the shorts continue to screen in theaters can be found on ShortsHD’s website.
Other honorees at the Shorts Awards were:
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus — Visionary Actress Award for starring in short film Picture Paris
• Matthew Modine – Visionary Director Award for helming several short films (most memorably, the controversial Jesus Was a Commie)
• Joan Gratz – Visionary Animator Award for pioneering an animation technique known as clay painting
• Nik Powell – Visionary Leader Award for his work as director of the National Film and Television School in England, where Reckart made Head Over Heels for his thesis project – and the alma mater of Wallace and Gromit creator Nick Park (recipient of ShortsHD’s Lifetime Achievement Award at last year’s Shorts Awards)
Additional notable attendees included Luke Matheny, who won an Oscar for his student film in 2011; Cambria Russell, one of the subjects in Mondays at Racine, about breast cancer patients’ experience losing their hair – she was all glammed out and had a head full of hair Friday night; and Fawad Mohammadi and Jawanmard Paiz, the two young Afghan actors in Buzkashi Boys, who traveled to the U.S. for the first time to attend the Academy Awards.
OSCAR'S ANIMATED SHORTS: A STUDENT FILM AND A COOKING LESSON TAKE ON DISNEY, 'THE SIMPSONS'
Posted on: Tuesday, 5th Mar 2013
by Steve Pond - THE WRAP Covering Hollywood
The three shorts categories used to be the tie-breaker categories in Oscar pools, the ones where conventional wisdom (look for the movie about the Holocaust!) was all you had to go on in choosing potential winners.
But since ShortsHD and Magnolia Pictures began showing the films theatrically eight years ago, the nominees have been easier to see -- and the categories easier to predict. (They're still not easy, but they're easier.)
This week, TheWrap will survey the Best Animated Short, Best Live-Action Short and Best Documentary Short category, running down the nominees with an eye to what might appeal to Oscar voters.
It's likely there will be more of those voters this year than ever before, because the requirement that Academy members see the nominees in special AMPAS screenings has been scrapped; instead, all voting members will receive screeners in the animated and live-action categories, and they'll all be eligible to vote.
(For what will probably be the final year, the Documentary Short category will still require attendance at special screenings.)
The animated-short category brings together some heavy hitters: one film produced by Disney, another made by a Disney animator and one from the creators of "The Simpsons."
Those will go up against a student film from the U.K, and a two-minute stop-motion cooking lesson.
The animated and live-action shorts will open in Los Angeles on Friday, the doc shorts on Feb. 8.
This year's contenders, followed by my take on the likeliest winners:
"Adam and Dog"
Directed by Minkyu Lee
16 minutes
Gorgeously animated by Disney employee Minkyo Lee, who raised $25,000 of his own to make the movie while also working in character design on "Winnie the Pooh" and "Wreck-It Ralph," "Adam and Dog" was named Best Animated Short at last year's Annie Awards, beating Pixar's "La Luna" and Warner Bros.' "I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat. "
Quiet, stylish and sweet, the short goes back to the Garden of Eden (sort of) to examine the first friendship between Man and Dog -- a friendship tested when Woman comes along and Man's Best Friend becomes his second-best friend. The slight story moves at a slow, deliberate pace and is more about mood than plot, but the 2D animation fits the mood and sets a lovely tone.
"Fresh Guacamole"
Directed by Pes (Adam Pesapane)
2 minutes
By far the shortest of the shorts, "Fresh Guacamole" is a delightful stop-motion cooking lesson that creates the title dish from an unlikely batch of ingredients: a hand grenade, a baseball, dice, a pin cushion, a golf ball, a light bulb, monopoly houses and chess pieces.
Ingenious, playful and wonderfully well-executed, it's a treat that's almost certainly too short and slight to win.
"Head Over Heels"
Directed by Timothy Reckart
11 minutes
This student film from the U.K is the story of a longtime couple who have literally grown apart: Walter lives on the floor, and Madge lives on the ceiling. How can they see eye to eye when gravity keeps them apart?
Made using stop-motion animation, which seems to be the medium of the moment for Oscar voters (it's used in three of the nominated features and two of the shorts), "Head Over Heels" is the most openly emotional of the bunch, which is often the ticket to victory. The one thing that seems to stand in its way is that the technique is rough and the characters a bit unattractive; if not, it could have gone from being a contender to a frontrunner.
"Maggie Simpson in 'The Longest Daycare'"
Directed by David Silverman
5 minutes
Yes, the Simpsons have crashed the Oscars. Although "The Simpsons Movie" didn't receive a nomination in 2007, its director, David Silverman, is back with a short film in which pacifier-sucking Maggie is sent to a daycare center: the Ayn Rand School for Tots. There, the gifted children are ruthlessly separated from the merely normal, and Maggie must help a caterpillar live long enough to escape from a bug-squashing kid and a specimen-collecting principal.
Like most things Simpsons-related, "The Longest Daycare" is satiric and smart and weird; it's a silent movie riffing on prison-escape movies, with Maggie as a cross between Buster Keaton and Steve McQueen.
The biggest hurdle it faces is its identification with TV's longest-running series and the strength of its brand name. As Pixar and Aardman's Nick Park have learned in the past, once voters in this category perceive you as playing in the big leagues, they tend not to vote for you anymore.
"Paperman"
Directed by John Kahrs
7 minutes
This blend of hand-drawn and computer animation is considered the odds-on favorite in many circles, but it faces the same problem that "The Longest Daycare" does: It was made by a major player in the animation field, in this case Disney.
The simple, wordless story of a big-city office worker who spots the girl of his dreams on a train platform and then uses paper airplanes to pursue her, the film has an imaginative look (even if the heroine does look an awful lot like a Disney princess who's found herself in the secretarial pool).
The narrative is an emotional one, which his good; it also goes a little over the top when the action heats up toward the end. It has a shot at winning if voters ignore that "Disney" logo at the beginning, but that's a big if.
MY TAKE:
Likeliest winners: "Head Over Heels," "Adam and Dog"
If the voters can forget about who made them: "Maggie Simpson in 'The Longest Daycare,'" "Paperman"
Delicious, but not nourishing enough: "Fresh Guacamole"
SHORTSHD ACQUIRES LIBRARY OF HIGH QUALITY ANIME SHORTS FROM FUNIMATION ENTERTAINMENT
Posted on: Tuesday, 10th Jul 2012
ACCLAIMED ANIME TITLES FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST, GHOST HUNT, D.DRAY-MAN, JUY OH SEI AND TRINITY BLOOD HEADED TO NETWORK
Los Angeles July 2, 2012---ShortsHD is adding a catalog of high quality Anime titles to it’s channel lineup. The world’s only TV network dedicated to short movies has acquired a library of high quality Anime short movies from FUNimation Entertainment, the leading Anime company in the U.S. and the include such popular anime series and fan favorites as: Fullmetal Alchemist, D.Gray-man, Juy Oh Sei, Ghost Hunt, Aquarion, Sands of Destruction, Kenichi, and Trinity Blood.
“We are pleased to be offering an assortment of high quality Anime films from FUNimation on ShortsHD ,” said Carter Pilcher, Chief Executive of ShortsHD. “Anime and animation lovers nationwide are in for a real treat with this launch.”
The announcement comes on the heels of ShortsHD teaming up with the British Film Institute (BFI) to world Vintage Jubilee Shorts, a series of vintage short films and documentaries from the prestigious BFI national archive film vaults. The airing of the Anime films on the channel is already underway and can be seen beginning this week.
About FUNimation® Entertainment
FUNimation® Entertainment is the leading anime company in North America. FUNimation has a proven formula for launching and advancing brands. They manage a full spectrum of rights for most of their brands including broadcasting, licensing, production, internet, and home video sales and distribution. For more information about FUNimation Entertainment and its brands, visit www.funimation.com.
Contact
Fabric Media
Theo Dumont
424-228-2114
theo@dumontmarketing.com
SHORTSHD™ TO PREMIERE VINTAGE JUBILEE SHORTS FROM BRITISH FILM INSTITUTE’S (BFI) NATIONAL ARCHIVE IN CELEBRATION OF THE DIAMOND JUBILEE OF QUEEN ELIZABETH II
Posted on: Thursday, 5th Jul 2012
Shorts International To Honor BFI For Preservation of Historic Short Film at
London BFI Film Festival 2012
London UK, Los Angeles May 30, 2012---In honor of the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, the international celebration which marks 60 years of The Queen’s reign, ShortsHD™, the world’s only TV network dedicated to short movies, is teaming up with the British Film Institute (BFI) to world premiere Vintage Jubilee Shorts, a series of vintage short films and documentaries from the prestigious BFI national archive film vaults. The ShortsHD™ Vintage Jubilee Shorts promotion kicks off on the network on June 4 and 5 surrounding the actual dates of the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations and will feature vintage docs about the Queen and Britain during her era.
To commemorate the special, ShortsHD ™ is also announcing today that it will honor the BFI by presenting the organization a special “Shorts Award” for significant contributions to the “Preservation of Short Film” during the London BFI Film Festival in October (10-25, 2012).
Vintage Jubilee Shorts is a series of fascinating short vintage documentaries from the vaults of the British Film Institute’s national archive. A collection of memorable and influential shorts made in Britain between the 1930’s and 1970s, the films in the series all emerged from a vibrant public service tradition of filmmaking that started with pre-war General Post Office (GPO) and culminated in the vast post-war output of the Central Office of Information (COI). These films informed audiences in Britain and abroad about a range of issues from health and education at home to the UK’s role at large with skill, imagination and filmmaking brilliance.
The June 4 and 5 ShortsHD™ Vintage Jubilee Shorts special schedule will run as follows:
• “Daily Zone” - Weekend Premiers and Weekday Repeats:
• @1pm EST / 10am PST
• @5pm EST / 2pm PST
“We are delighted to be premiering these vintage short films and docs in celebration of The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations, no other channel has anything like them on TV,” said Carter Pilcher, Chief Executive of ShortsHD™. “These authentic shorts have a tremendous amount of British historical appeal and it’s exciting to share with our viewers this great content from the BFI’s vaults. We also look forward to honoring the organization for its outstanding achievements in preserving film history at this year’s London BFI Festival.”
Marking 60 years of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II to the thrones of seven countries, the Diamond Jubilee celebrations will take place June 2-5. The Queen celebrated her Silver Jubilee (25 years) in 1977 and her Golden Jubilee (50 years) in 2002. She is today queen regnant of 16 sovereign states, 12 of which were British colonies or Dominions at the start of her reign.
About the BFI
The BFI is the lead body for film in the UK with the ambition to create a flourishing film environment in which innovation, opportunity and creativity can thrive by:
• Connecting audiences to the widest choice of British and World cinema
• Preserving and restoring the most significant film collection in the world for today and future generations
• Investing in creative, distinctive and entertaining work
• Promoting British film and talent to the world
• Growing the next generation of filmmakers and audiences
Contact
Fabric Media
Theo Dumont
424-228-2114
theo@dumontmarketing.com
SHORTS INTERNATIONAL APPOINTS NEW PRESIDENT FOR EMEA
Posted on: Wednesday, 13th Jun 2012
THE WORLD’S FIRST HD CHANNEL DEDICATED TO SHORT MOVIES
LONDON, UK, 12 June 2012
Shorts International, the world’s leading short movie entertainment company, today announced the appointment of Philip Mordecai to the newly created role of SHORTS INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT EMEA and will report to CEO and founder Carter Pilcher.
At SHORTS International he will be responsible for all SHORTSTV channel network activities and oversee all group commercial development in the regions.
Mordecai brings over 12 years of international broadcast experience to SHORTSTV. Formally he was the General Manager at MGM Channel Central Europe and oversaw the studio channel network Central European business. Prior to that he held several strategic and commercial roles at ChelloZone, SES and BSkyB.
In a statement, Carter Pilcher CEO of SHORTS INTERNATIONAL commented “Philip brings with him comprehensive experience in television that incorporates a forward-looking perspective that will greatly contribute to accelerating our growth. We are immensely thrilled to have him join the Shorts International family.”
The appointment of Mordecai follows several high profile news stories from Shorts International in 2012, when they successfully launched the new ShortsTV HD channel brand across EMEA and subsequently followed it by launching ShortsTV Standard Definition, High Definition and a unique Shorts movie VoD library on UPC Netherlands digital platform in April. ShortsTV is also available in Belgium, Luxembourg and France on Numericable, and in Turkey on TTNet. ShortsHD is available to 30 million homes in the United States on DirecTV and AT&T.
For more information on the Netherlands launch, contact Judith Huisman on
+33 (0)6.53831316 / judith@100procentpuur.nl
For U.S. enquiries please contact Marina Bailey on
+1 323.650.3627 / marina@marinabailey.com
For other European enquiries please contact Kim Partington on
+44 (0) 207 012 1585 / k.partington@shortsinternational.com
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.
