It was a long long day for me at the Florida Film Festival today. I had one volunteer shift to complete myself and then I spent the rest of the day watching films. I spent 2pm to 11om at the Winter Park regal watching two short film programs (short programs) and two features. The first short program that I watched was Shorts #2: Scales of Justice 1 and Shorts #4 Love Me Not 2. My favorite film from Shorts#2 was a film entitled Thule which made its world premier at the festival. It was about men in the service working out of a secluded artic base where the only good thing is news from home. The short starred Chris Marquette (The Girl Next Door) and Noel Fisher. The only part that stunk a little bit was that there were some audio problems during the screening of this and two other shorts in the program, which made it heard to hear. Luckily the director was very nice and eager to answer questions after the screening, which was great to hear about the film and invited people to stop him during the festival for a chance at a proper viewing of his film.
In Shorts #4 there were a lot of films that I enjoyed. This set included Oscar winning short narrative God of Love which was an adorable film with an original idea around an age old question, "Can't I get this person to like me?". One film that hit many audience members over the head with surprise was The Candidate, which features well known character actor Robert Picardo (Stargate: Atlantis, Star Trek Voyager).
My first feature length film was called Norman. It was about a boy that was a very self loathing individual that accidentally gets a rumor started that he has cancer. The film stars Dan Byrd (Easy A, The Hills Have Eyes, Cougar Town) Emily VanCamp (Brothers and Sisters) and Richard Jenkins (Six Feet Under, Hall Pass).
The second film that I watched was The Happy Poet. The film is about a man that has hit a few dead ends in his life and decides to make a small change in his life by opening a vegetarian food cart. The film has a simple direction and a some interesting performances. The director also wrote, produced and starred in the film.
All of the films/ programs have at least another showing coming up this week (The Happy Poet has two more screenings) and I would suggest that anyone go ahead attend anyone of them.
1. Shorts #2 Line up
Inside Out
DIRECTED BY JIM O’DOHERTY
USA, 2010, 24 MIN
SOUTHEAST PREMIERE
Producer Denis Leary presents this hilarious glimpse at the privileged inmates and blue collar corrections officers inside a minimum security prison.
We’re Leaving
DIRECTED BY ZACHARY TREITZ
USA, 2010, 12.5 MIN
SOUTHEAST PREMIERE
Rusty and Veronica have 30 days to vacate their mobile home and find a new place that will accommodate Chopper, their 19-year-old pet alligator.
LaSalle de Jeux (The Playroom)
DIRECTED BY TIM MILLER
USA, 2010, 5 MIN
IN FRENCH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES
WORLD PREMIERE
Amid a moody black-and-white tableau of cigarette smoke and low-key lighting, two existentialists discuss (en Français, natch) the nature of art, life, and cheese.
Captain Fork
DIRECTED BY G.J. ECHTERNKAMP
USA, 2010, 13 MIN
EAST COAST PREMIERE/2ND US SHOWING
Lyle wonders what his life would be like if his four-year-old, Fox News-loving son were to tragically die. His conclusion: it’d be pretty sweet. A darkly funny new work from the director of Frank & Cindy (FFF 2007).
Spider Fang!
DIRECTED BY JUSTIN PERKINSON
USA, 2010, 2 MIN
2ND US SHOWING
A cute little girl and her goofy grandpa make scary faces at each other—some scarier than others.
After the Snow
DIRECTED BY BROOKE SEBOLD
USA, 2010, 9 MIN
EAST COAST PREMIERE/2ND US SHOWING
In the dead of winter, a very pregnant woman with a gun shows up on the doorstep of the man who raped her eight months ago. A powerful new drama from the director of “The Last Cigarette” (FFF 2010).
Thule
DIRECTED BY ROBERT SCOTT WILDES
USA, 2010, 27 MIN
WORLD PREMIERE
For men in the arctic desolation of a Cold War air base, mail from home means everything—even if retrieving it means risking their lives.
2. Shorts #4
California Romanza
DIRECTED BY EVA MENDES
USA, 2010, 19 MIN
WORLD PREMIERE
No one wants to spend Christmas Eve tracking down her aunt and uncle’s lost cat, but Lena may luck out with love after all. The directorial debut of noted actress Eva Mendes stars Christina Ricci, Daniel Stern, and Kathy Najimy.
¡Una Carrerita, Doctor! (A Doctor’s Job)
DIRECTED BY JULIO O. RAMOS
USA, 2010, 10.5 MIN
IN SPANISH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES
EAST COAST PREMIERE
A doctor, forced by circumstance to also drive a cab, finds himself challenged by his latest fare.
God of Love
DIRECTED BY LUKE MATHENY
USA, 2010, 18 MIN
A love-struck lounge singer is gifted with a box of darts worthy of Cupid in this Oscar-nominated short. Winner of the 2011 Academy Award for Best Live Action Short!
Ex-Sex
DIRECTED BY MICHAEL MOHAN
USA, 2010, 9 MIN
EAST COAST PREMIERE
She calls him, suggesting one last hook-up for fun. Can he do just sex, though?
The Strange Ones
DIRECTED BY CHRISTOPHER RADCLIFF AND LAUREN WOLKSTEIN
USA/FRANCE, 2011, 14 MIN
EAST COAST PREMIERE
Stranded on the road, a young boy and his older brother each ask a hotel clerk for help in this short from the director of “Cigarette Candy” (FFF 2010 Special Jury Award-winner).
The Candidate
DIRECTED BY DAVID KARLAK
USA, 2010, 20 MIN
WORLD PREMIERE
If you could kill off your most aggravating co-worker and get away with it, would you?
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