Aspen Shortsfest

Aspen Shortsfest Announces 2012 Program

Devin Lee Fuller — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 14:36:03 GMT

Aspen Film has announced the finalists for its 2012 Aspen Shortsfests International Competition.

The program will feature 79 films from 30 countries. Nearly 3,300 films were considered, a 20 percent increase over last year.

"It's once again time for our annual banquet of short cinema, bringing together international filmmakers and audiences to celebrate a unique art form, one that allows moviemakers to give free reign to their imagination, passion and curiosity," said program director George Eldred. "Each of our eleven International Competition programs serves up a richly varied sampler plate chock-full of engaging stories and the filmmakers who tell them."

The full line-up can be found here.

Full press release below:

Aspen Film Announces
Aspen Shortsfest 2012 Program

Premier North American Showcase for Short Film Marks 20th Anniversary With a Five-Day Program Featuring Comedy, Drama, Animation and Documentaries

March 14, 2012 (Aspen, CO) - Aspen Film announced today the International Competition finalists invited to screen at Aspen Shortsfest 2012, April 10-15, at the Wheeler Opera House in Aspen and the Crystal Theatre in Carbondale. Aspen Shortsfest is widely recognized as a premier North American showcase for short film. Marking its 20th Anniversary, the festival has honored the work and creators of a ground-breaking and often career-making medium that is largely unavailable to general audiences.

Close to 3,300 films from around the world were considered, indicating a twenty percent increase over last year. The Aspen Shortsfest International Competition, a qualifying festival for the Oscar's short film awards, will feature 79 short films representing thirty countries. From a powerful 40-minute Academy Award winner to a 45-second amuse bouche, Shortsfest will showcase a vibrant array of comedy, drama, animation and documentaries.

Program Director, George Eldred notes, "It's once again time for our annual banquet of short cinema, bringing together international filmmakers and audiences to celebrate a unique art form, one that allows moviemakers to give free reign to their imagination, passion and curiosity. Each of our eleven International Competition programs serves up a richly varied sampler plate chock-full of engaging stories and the filmmakers who tell them."

This year's crop of films touch on reoccurring themes from outdoor adventure, heroes, artists, and romance to social change, the environment, loss, and the future. Shortsfest will also screen seven new films by Colorado filmmakers, including two world premieres. The recognizable (Judi Dench, Martin Freeman, Tom Hollander, Helena Bonham Carter) and emerging alike will bring amusement, imagination and inspiration from the screen to audiences over this six-day festival.

Aspen Shortsfest Wraps, Doles Out Awards

Nigel M Smith — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 08:32:55 GMT

The 2011 Aspen Shortsfest wrapped up last weekend in Colorado. The big winners were Jean-Claude Rozec's "Specky Four Eyes," Christopher Strollery's "dik," Robert-Jan Lacombe's "Goodbye Mandima" and Brent Bonacorso's drama "West of the Moon."

Next year, Aspen Shortfest celebrates its 20th anniversary from April 10 - 15, 2012. To check out indieWIRE's highlights from the festival, click here.

Shortsfest 2011 Awards Winners:

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION JURY AWARDS
Jury explanations courtesy of Aspen Shortsfest

BEST ANIMATION ($2,500, Oscar®-qualifying award)
"Specky Four Eyes"
(Jean-Claude Rozec, France)
For its excellent marriage of craft and story, as well as its whimsical and imaginative storytelling through a child's eyes.

BEST COMEDY ($2,500, Oscar®-qualifying award)
"dik"
(Christopher Stollery, Australia)
For its hysterical, no-holds-barred story that suggests, even in marriage, honesty is not always the best policy.

BEST DOCUMENTARY ($2,500)
"Goodbye Mandima"
(Robert-Jan Lacombe, Switzerland)
For its resourceful telling of a deeply personal tale that challenges the traditional documentary style.

BEST DRAMA ($2,500, Oscar®-qualifying award)
"West of the Moon"
(Brent Bonacorso, USA)
For its wildly inventive and captivating singularity of voice and vision.

BEST SHORT SHORT ($1,000, Oscar®-qualifying award)
"Das Tub"
(James Cunningham, New Zealand)
For its creativity, humor, and ability to surprise.

BEST STUDENT ($1,000)
"The Wind is Blowing in my Street"
(Saba Riazi, Iran)
For its courage, subtlety, and authenticity.

SPECIAL JURY RECOGNITION

"Animal Beatbox"
(Damon Gameau, Australia)
For its unpretentious, enormously fun celebration of the animal kingdom.

"The Lost Thing"
(Andrew Ruhemann and Shaun Tan, Australia)
For its exceptional craft in creating a vibrant world that Salvador Dali would feel comfortable in and for its embrace of all things unusual.

"Raju"
(Max Zähle, Germany/India)
For its terrific performances, enormous scope, and perfect depiction of the color and chaos of India.

"The Screamers"
(Roberto Pérez Toledo, Spain)
For capturing a universally recognized human emotion in the perfect screen minute.

"Yuri Lennon's Landing on Alpha 46"
(Anthony Vouardoux, Germany/Switzerland)
For its gut-wrenching, compelling depiction of an astronaut who becomes the last man in the universe.

For additional winners click here.

Colin Firth, Unhinged! and Other Highlights from Aspen Shortsfest 2011

Kim Adelman — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 07:55:13 GMT

Colin Firth playing a pesky neighbor in Rupert Friend’s “Steve” is just one of the many unexpected scenarios to be found among the 80-plus short films screening at Aspen Shortsfest, which opens today and runs through April 10. With a heavy emphasis on international filmmaking, the prestigious Colorado festival culled 2,500 submissions to find shorts that are exciting to watch, often weird and always surprising.

Here's a preview for nearly a quarter of the festival’s competition films, many of which are making their North American debut. To indicate the strength of the festival's international focus, only four of the 19 narrative shorts that were made available to indieWIRE for preview originated in the USA.

* Deb Shoval’s “AWOL” is a very dramatic and real-feeling film about a young female soldier on leave for the holidays. This Columbia University student film garnered a lot of attention when it premiered at Sundance earlier this year.

* Andrew Bowler’s “Time Freak” is a wonderfully neurotic comedy in which the hapless hero makes his own “Groundhog Day”-style hell via ineffective use of his homemade time machine. Kudos to Bowler for packing so much humor into 10 minutes. Hollywood, take note!

* In “Animal Love,” Mollie Jones directs Selma Blair and Jeremy Davies in a futuristic brief encounter. Terrific performances, excellent production and costume design, and a satisfying ending makes Jones’ film, which previously played Slamdance, a real standout.

* “Hector Is Gonna Kill Nate” by Ari Issler is a tense drama about a dedicated high school basketball coach and his emotionally charged students. Judging from the dedication in the end credits, the compelling main character appears to be a tribute to the filmmaker’s father. This short world premieres at Aspen.

The United Kingdom also contributed four of the 19 films available for preview.

* Helmed by actor-turned-writer/director Rupert Friend, “Steve” focuses on a bickering young couple (played by Keira Knightley and Tom Mison) who get repeated visits from a pushy neighbor, played by an unhinged Colin Firth. Friend first wrote the scenario as a short story, sent it to Firth, who then suggested it be turned into a film in which he would star.

* Victoria Mather’s “Stanley Pickle” is a live-action/stop-motion twisted tale about a man-child living in a world of his own making. It’s the kind of macabre yet uplifting film that Tim Burton would be first in line to buy a ticket to see.

* An interesting companion piece to “Stanley Pickle” is directing team Karni & Saul’s “Turning.” This flight of fantasy is another strange yet satisfying piece involving creatures that are not what they seem.

* The final UK short is “Birthday Circle,” an effective five-minute piece by Philip Lepherd that would be ruined by too much plot description. Suffice it to say that the ending makes this birthday celebration mean so much more than expected.

* From Romania comes Alexandru Mavrodineanu’s “Music in the Blood” in its North American premiere. This well-told story of a little boy with dreams of becoming a recording star culminates in an energetic public-transportation sing-along.

* The Czech Republic contributes an animated short in its North American premiere: “Swimming Pool,” by Alexandra Hetmerova. What seems like a straightforward encounter involving a couple of strangers' illicit late-night skinny-dipping turns out to be something completely unexpected and delightful.

* Another North American premiere, “The Mirror” by the directing team Ramon & Pedro, comes from Switzerland. This mesmerizing portrait of a man standing in front of his bathroom mirror is a poetic illustration of time’s relentless toll.

* Kristian Ussing Andersen’s “The First Anders” centers around a well-meaning dad telling his bullied son a fable that encourages bravery.

* Also from Denmark is René Frelle Petersen’s “Going Nowhere,” a relationship drama centering around two adult brothers coming to terms with the younger’s physical debilitation. Both Danish films boast excellent acting and top-notch filmmaking.

* From Norway comes Maria Bock’s exuberant musical “Baldguy,” in which a young man and his entire small town join together for a toe-tapping number celebrating the joys of kissing a bald guy.

* Morocco’s contribution is Adil El Fadili’s “Short Life,” a fictional autobiography of a man born in Casablanca. The narration and the acting are so welcoming that the viewer is left unprepared for the unexpected turns in the narrator’s saga. “Short Life” makes its North American premiere at Aspen.

* A Germany/Switzerland co-production, “Yuri Lennon's Landing on Alpha 46” from filmmaker Anthony Vouardoux is a visual wonder. What happens during the course of the film’s fifteen minutes surprises cosmonaut Yuri and viewers alike.

* New Zealand contributes Tammy Davis’s heartwarming Christmas-set “Ebony Society,” in which two troublemaking Maori boys wearing Santa hats discover their hearts aren’t as black as they thought.

* Australia offers up Raphael Elisha’s “Chocolate Cake” in which the seductive lead character (writer Romi Trower) looks straight into the camera and narrates her adventures in love.

* Also from Australia is Susan Danta & Wendy Chandler’s “Heirlooms.” A chaptered, animated documentary, the narrators are often off-screen as they tell the history of their most treasured family heirlooms.

“Shortsfest is our celebration of new ﬁlmmakers who approach their craft with spirit, soul, irreverence, and visual flair,” said Aspen’s artistic director Laura Thielen in her welcome notes. “A curious mind, a sense of adventure, and an open heart are all you’ll need to navigate the imaginative waters of Shortsfest’s eclectic line-up.”

Aspen Shorts: Finding God and Other Revelations from Aspen Shortsfest 2010

Kim Adelman — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 10:20:57 GMT

Move over, Morgan Freeman. There's a new actor taking over the role of God, and his name is David Wenham. Wenham portrays the Almighty as a tie-wearing office worker in Frazer Bailey's irresistible Australian short "Glenn Owen Dodds," which picked up the Audience Favorite Award at the 2010 Aspen Shortsfest.

Over 100 international shorts screened at the 19th annual Aspen Shortsfest, which ran from April 6-11, 2010 in Aspen and Carbondale, Colorado. "This year the variety and quality were high enough that we decided to add a night - and two programs - to showcase this bounty of new talent," reported George Eldred, Program Director for Aspen Film, who added that there were a record 86 films in competition.

This year's Aspen Shortsfest jury consisted of actress Meg Ryan, Academy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker Daniel Junge, Smokewood Entertainment co-founder Sarah Siegel-Magness, and Oscar-nomination "Children of Men" scribe David Arata.

The jury honored Anita Killi's "Angry Man" as the best animation of the fest. "Angry Man" was one of three Norwegian shorts screening in Aspen, all of which walked away winners. Iram Haq's "Little Miss Eyeflap" took home the festival's Ellen prize while Tomas Sem Lokke-Sorensen 5-minute "The Unhappy Woman" happily accepted the Best Short Short trophy.

The documentary prize went to the Cambodian-set "Born Sweet" by Academy Award-winner Cynthia Wade ("Freeheld"). Other short docs that impressed include Wendy Greene's Oklahoma-set "Snake Fever," which world premiered in Aspen; Vance Malone's touching portrait of an aging circus performer, "The Poodle Trainer;" and Matt Faust's haunting, impressionistic look at his Katrina-destroyed family dwelling, "home."

The jury selected "Seeds of the Fall" as the festival's Best Comedy. Fans of Patrik Eklund's previous short, the Oscar-nominated "Instead of Abracadabra," will share the jury's enthusiasm for the warm-hearted suburban quirkiness that has become Eklund's trademark.

Best Drama went to "The Six Dollar Fifty Man," Mark Albiston and Louis Sutherland's memorable look at schoolyard bullying.

Shorts centering on little boy leads were a definite trend at Aspen - and were some of the most memorable shorts playing the festival. In addition to "The Six Dollar Fifty Man," there was Bassam Ali Jarbawi's "Chicken Heads," Hannah Hilliard's "Franswa Sharl," Tim Dean's "Fences," Steve Audette's documentary "Nico's Challenge," and Gregg Helvey's Oscar-nominated USC student film "Kavi," which was given Aspen's Youth Jury Prize.

Strong shorts from film schools was another trend. While Esther Siton was singled out by the jury for her Israeli student film "I'm Ready," there were many outstanding student films, including another Israeli student short, Maya Tiberman's "Ramlod."

The Polish National Film School delivered two tense dramas: "Echo," in which two teenager suspects are forced to recreate their crime in an open field, and "Birthday" in which a woman ruins her partner's birthday party when she's told that their plans for artificial insemination are no longer necessary.

From the NYU's Tisch Asia program in Singapore came Eric Flanagan's captivating "Teleglobal Dreamin,'" a twisty cautionary tale that could only take place in the current era of celebrity worship.

Columbia University's contributed Lauren Wolkstein's stunning soldier's homecoming story, "Cigarette Candy," and Isold Uggadottir's unflinching drama showcasing a female drug addict unraveling, "Clean."

Animation schools in London also made notable contributions, with NFTS offering up Philip Bacon 's "Yellow Belly End" and the Royal College of Art presenting Rafael Sommerhalder's two remarkable pieces, "Wolves" and "Flowerpots."

Another trend at this year's Shortfest was the emphasis on shorter pieces, with more work falling in the five to fifteen minute range, and fewer in the over twenty-five.

Five noteworthy shorts in the fifteen-or-less category include Evan Wolf Buxbaum's six-minute charmer, "Anything You Can Do," which delightfully captures the energy of its preteen heroine. Clocking in at 12 minutes, Ruben Oestlund's "Incident by a Bank" must be appreciated for its bystander point of view of a crime in progress. Thierry Espasa's 14-minute "Park" expertly utilizes a classic short film formula in which seemingly unrelated stories intersect with unexpected results.

Mike and Tim Rauch's four-minute animation/documentary "Q&A" depicts a simple yet very touching real life conversation between a straight-talking mother and her inquisitive special-needs son. David O'Sullivan's 6-minute "Moore Street Masala" is best described by the filmmaker himself as "an Irish director doing his take on Indian cinema in a Dublin setting."

There were so many impressive films at this year's Shortsfest that the jury felt the need to give five additional special recognitions. Jon Goldman's "Diplomacy," Jason Stutter's "Careful with That Powertool," Ruben Ostlund's "Incident by a Bank," Bassam Ali Jarbawi's "Chicken Heads," and Luke Matheny's "God of Love" were all honored.

Shorts Monthly: "The Witness" Captivates Audience and Jury at Aspen Shortsfest 2009

Kim Adelman — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 07:59:19 GMT

On February 22, 2009, Adam Pertofsky walked away empty handed when his 32-minute documentary, "The Witness: From the Balcony of Room 306," lost the Oscar race to "Smile Pinky." On April 5, 2009, Pertofsky's film was trophy magnet, winning both Best Documentary and Audience Favorite at the 18th annual Aspen Shortsfest.

At Aspen, five different groups sit in judgment on the films that play the highly prestigious international short fest. This year, 60 short films from 21 countries screened from April 1 - 5 in Aspen and Carbondale, Colorado. On Sunday afternoon in the bar area of Aspen's historic Wheeler Opera House, champagne glasses were raised after a dozen accolades and cash prizes totaling $14,500 were doled out at the festival's low-key but extremely heartfelt award ceremony.

The Los Angeles branch of BAFTA sponsors an Award for Excellence, which this year went to "Concerto," directed Columbia University student Filippo Conz. The taunt 16-minute drama follows a detective who forces his wife's violin teacher/lover to take a trip to a crime scene. Luke Doolan's suspenseful school-set mystery "Miracle Fish" was additionally honored by the BAFTA/LA team with a certificate of excellence, as was Martina Amati's captivating seafaring adventure "A'Mare."

The second group to judge at Aspen is a youth jury consisting of a panel of local teenagers. The teens also named "Miracle Fish" as their pick.

The Ellen Award, given by the original founders of the festival, was bestowed on Nicolas Engel's delightful French short "Copy of Coralie," whose Hollywood elevator pitch is "Amelie" meets "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg," set in Kinkos.

The fourth group empowered to bestow an award at Aspen Shortsfest is the audience, who in the past have tended to favor documentaries. This year there were many short docs that generated much audience discussion at the post-screening question and answer sessions. Jill Orschel fielded questions about the very candid Mormon heroine in her 11-minute portrait entitled "Sister Wife." Will Parrinello offered details about his Richard Gere-narrated restoration project "Mustang - Journey of Transformation." And a young man asked filmmaker Susan Cohn Rockefeller "What can we do to help?" after "Making the Crooked Straight" showed what medical maladies Dr. Rick Hodes is up against in Ethiopia.

When all the audience ballots were tallied, the $1000 prize went to "The Witness: From the Balcony of Room 306," which documents Rev. Samuel "Billy" Kyles's remarkable first-person account of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s ill-fated mission in Memphis.

The international competition jury also contributed to filmmaker Adam Pertofsky's coffers, giving "The Witness"' a $2,500 Best Documentary cash prize. Sadly, although Pertofsky flew into Aspen for his screening, he was not able to stay in town long enough to attend the award ceremony and accept his trophies in person.

In addition to the traditional awards, jury members Lisa Kennedy, Jon Bloom, Louis Teague and Robert Weide anointed four films with special recognition at the ceremony.

Louis Teague began by honoring Deborah Koons Garcia's organic farming doc "Soil in Good Heart" for exploring a topic "close to our hearts and important to the world." Lisa Kennedy next paid tribute to the cheeky tone of Doug Karr's family history "Ten for Grandpa." Robert Weide followed with praise for Destin Daniel Cretton's youth rehabilitation center-set drama "Short Term 12," which Weide described as eye-opening. And Jon Bloom called Rene Hernandez's teen bullying coming-of-age story "The Ground Beneath" "superb." Upon accepting his award, Hernandez credited Aspen Shortsfest, which had previously shown two of his shorts, as motivating him to become a better filmmaker.

"Most accomplished in its entirety" is how the jury described "Ralph," the story of a British lad stranded in France with only an incomplete phone number to reconnect with his one true love. Columbia University student Alex Winckler was not on-hand to receive his Best Student Film cash prize.

"Lynchian" was the high praise adjective the jury gave to the animated winner, Veljko Popovic's "She Who Measures." Best Comedy went to Katie Wolfe's very funny husband-stealing narrative "This Is Her." Denis Villeneuve's Gilliam-esque extreme carnivore adventure "Next Floor" split the Best Drama Award in a tie with David Michod's pitch perfect father-son-bunny tale "Netherland Dwarf."

[Full list of Winners on page 2]

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Two short comedies rounded out the festival's remaining prizes. Declan Cassidy, who flew in from Ireland, enthusiastically accepted the Best Short Short for his charming 4-minute "Whatever Turns You On" while NYU animator Stephen Neary picked up the High Five to Lo-Fi award for his kooky western "Chicken Cowboy."

In his entertaining acceptance speech in which he mentioned his father and brother accompanied him to Aspen to show support and to get some skiing in, Stephen Neary expressed a sentiment that the many filmmakers attending this year's Aspen Shortsfest felt after spending five days embraced by the welcoming mountain community: "It's awesome."

The full list of Shortsfest 2009 Award Winners

International Competition Awards

Animated Eye Award - $2,500
"She Who Measures," by Veljko Popovic, Croatia

Best Comedy - $2,500
"This is Her," by Katie Wolfe, New Zealand

Best Drama (shared) - $2,500
"Netherland Dwarf," by David Michod, Australia and "Next Floor," by Denis Villeneuve, Canada

Best Documentary - $2,500
"The Witness: From the Balcony of Room 306," by Adam Pertofsky, USA

Best short short - $1,000
"Whatever Turns You On," by Declan Cassidy, Ireland

Best Student - $1,000
"Ralph," by Alex Winckler, UK/France; Columbia University

Special Jury Recognition

"Ground Beneath," by Rene Hernandez, Australia
"Short Term 12," by Destin Daniel Cretton, USA
"Soil in Good Heart," by Deborah Koons Garcia, USA/India/Norway/UK
"Ten for Grandpa," by Doug Karr, Canada

The Ellen Award - $1,000
"Copy of Coralie," by Nicolas Engel, France

BAFTA/Los Angeles Award for Excellence
"Concerto," by Filippo Conz, USA

BAFTA/Los Angeles Certificates of Excellence
"Miracle Fish," by Luke Doolan, Australia
"A'Mare," by Martina Amati, UK

High Five to LO-FI
"Chicken Cowboy," by Stephen Neary, USA

Youth Jury Prize - $500
"Miracle Fish," by Luke Doolan, Australia

Audience Favorite Award - $1,000
"The Witness: From the Balcony of Room 306," by Adam Pertofsky, USA

Check out indieWIRE's New Guide to Film Festivals (listings will be updated throughout the year):
JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC