The SXSW Film Festival has announced its complete line-up of shorts for the 2007 festival, including nearly 100 films from around the globe, covering the worlds of animation, documentary, experimental filmmaking, music videos, and more. For those of you who love your Film Threat, make sure you check out the Chris Gore co-starring, Sally Foster directed “A Sim-ple Romance,” playing before “King of Kong.” Yeah, that’s right, Gore acts…
REEL SHORTS 1
Heavy Metal Drummer
Dir/Scr: Luke Morris & Toby MacDonald, Prod: Luke Morris, DP: Natasha Brier
A young Heavy Metal fan in Morocco struggles with his passion for the music.
Forward
Dir/Scr/Ed: Cecily Rhett, Prod: Sandi Johnson, DP: Andreas Burgess
A short film involving a re-enactment of the Civil War and other, more personal, bad breakups.
LOOPS: A Portrait of Caddie Life
Dir/Prod: M. R. Dhar & Stephen McFarland
This true story interweaves the hopes, fears, and ambitions (or lack there of) of three golf caddies working at Winged Foot Golf Club.
Buttercup
Dir/Ed/Scr: Simon Hawkins, Prod: Peter Hawkins, Phyllis Hawkins, Zeke Hawkins, Scr: Zeke Hawkins, DP: Nick Wong
Craig Tyler had the life he always planned. With his wife, Mary Anne, and his daughter, Buttercup, Craig lived a picture perfect existence in Darien, Connecticut. That is, until Mary Anne fell ill, and Jacques the herbalist moved in.
Coney Island, USA
Dir/Scr/Co-Ed/Prod/DP: Craig Butta, Co-Ed/ DP: Alex Schwartz, DP: Loren Hammond
A down and out carnival hustler tries to cope with the changing world of Coney Island, while falling for a sideshow freak.
Trout
Dir/Scr: Johnny Barrington, Prod: Anna Duffield, Ed: Bert Eeles, DP: Manuel Alberto Claro
Alex and Mari are highland lovers living in an isolated caravan in the west of Scotland. An absurd chain of events involving a highland cow, a superhero costume and a faulty light socket, shows that true love may just triumph above all.
The Rapture of the Athlete Assumed into Heaven
Dir/Prod: Keith Bogart, Prod: Barbara Price, Henrietta Pearsall, Scr: Don DeLillo, Ed: Howard Heard, DP: Stephen Sheridan
A reporter interviews a tennis player who achieves his greatest thrill as an athlete on the last day of his life.
Morning
Dir/Scr: Leland Orser, Prod: Tegan Jones, Ed: Matt Absher, DP: Alison Kelly
Four mornings in the life of a man experiencing great loss.
REEL SHORTS 2
The Saddest Boy in the World
Dir/Scr: Jamie Travis, Prod: Randy Steven White, Constantine Carmichel, Amy Belling, Ed: Jason Schneider, DP: Amy Belling
Timothy Higgins, picked last for the team, is the saddest boy in the world. Friendlessness, suburban complacency and prescription drugs have conspired against the youngster to make this his worst year yet. Musical Chairs and birthday cake can’t save him now, at his ninth birthday party, Timothy prepares for a show-stopping suicide.
Clear Cut, Simple/ Khayen
Dir: Vineet Dewan, Prod: John Blair & Jason Stone, Ed: Jay Visit & Michael Swingler, DP: Rob Connolly & John Harrison
The friendship between an American soldier and his Iraqi interpreter is put to the ultimate test when his friend is suspected of smuggling weapons.
The Job
Dir/ Scr: Jonathan Browning, Prod: Amanda Veith & Leslie McManus, Ed: Danny Simonzad, DP: David Jones
An off-beat look at one of the political hot-button issues of the year.
Happiness
Dir/Scr/Prod: Sophie Barthes, Prod/DP: Andrij Parkeh, Ed: Joey Grossfield
What if happiness was for sale? One evening, after work, Iwona buys a box of happiness in a strange discount store and has to decide what to do with it.
The Definition of Sex
Dir/Co-Ed: Peter R. Mervis, Prod: Brian Sacca, Peter Karinen, Eric Brown, Co-Ed: Craig Johnson, DP: Charles Van Winkle
Set against the backdrop of a film-within-a-film, this is the story of Skip (Brian Sacca), a highly insecure b-movie actor who is desperate to determine whether or not his intimate experience the previous night constitutes intercourse. Enter Jason (Peter Karinen), Skip’s arrogant co-star, who grows increasingly frustrated with Skip because he is unable to remember his lines on account of his troubles.
Death to the Tinman
Dir/Scr/Ed: Ray Tintori, Prod: Dan Janvey, Music: Dan Romer & Benh Zeitlin, DP: Robert Leitzell
An adaptation of the origin story of the Tinwoodman of Oz, based on a later novel by L. Frank Baum. Depicts the mostly unknown, dark, and romantic story of how the Tinwoodman lost his limbs, his heart, his lover, and how he fought to get her back.
Un attimo di respiro (A Moment to Breathe)
Dir/Scr/Prod: Sara Colangelo, Prod: Sharon Barnes, Ed: John Nijhawan, DP: Jimmy Lee Phelan
A young pig slaughterer dreams of escaping from his suffocating life in the Italian countryside. In a moment of panic, he makes a break for the big city– bringing along his girlfriend’s teenage sister for the ride.
REEL SHORTS 3
Make a Wish
Dir/Scr/Prod/Ed: Cherien Dabis, DP: Alison Kelly, Music: Kathryn Bostic
A young Palestinian girl will do whatever it takes to buy a birthday cake. What begins as a simple trip to the bakery turns into a journey that depicts not only the subtle tensions of a politically charged environment, but also illustrates the grief that can result from growing up under occupation.
FOR A SWIM WITH THE FISH
Dir/Prod/Scr/Ed/DP: Tara Autovino, Prod: Jae-Ho Chang, Music: Sarah McLachlan
A girl pays her dead mother, whom she believes to be living in the Gulf of Mexico as a mermaid, a birthday visit.
Monday Night
Dir/Prod/Scr/Ed: Karl Raudsepp-Hearne, Music: Daniel Toussaint
A man comes unhinged on the squash court, while his partner tries to schmooze money out of him.
Tom’s War on Terror
Dir/Scr: Cameron Fay, Prod: Kandis Erickson, Ed: Dan Elortegui, DP: Todd Liebman, Music: Brandon Sweeney
Tom’s a man on the edge. Pressures from his daily life are bearing down on him… not to mention the constant tension of living under an “orange alert.” Or is it a yellow alert today? Or red? Everything boils to the surface on a day where he’s forced to ride the public bus to work.
Pop Foul
Dir/Prod/Scr: Moon Molson, Prod: Geneva Molson, Scr: Anthony Eleftherion, Ed: Paul Frank, DP: David Robert Jones, Music: John Jennings Boyd
A boy sees his father take a “beat down” from a local thug on the way home from a Little League game. When his father forces him to lie to his mother about the incident, the series of betrayals that follow send the boy down a shocking path of destruction.
Piece by Piece
Dir: Sachi Schuricht, Emma Thatcher, Isaiah Allekotte, Grace Rathbone-Webber, Prod: Jeff Castle, Jigar Mehta
Welcome to the world of speedcubing. Meet the 1982 Swedish speedcubing champion. Hear from a speedcubing couple about the cube’s power to impress women. Watch different types of speedcubing, including one-handed cubing and the extra-large 5-by-5 cube. Whether young or older, clean-cut or covered in tattoos, these different characters will entertain as they explain what goes on inside their heads as they solve the cube.
By Modern Measure
Dir/Prod/Scr/Ed: Matthew Lessner, DP: Kevin Burnstein
An amateur French sociologist presents his observations on a day in the life to two young Americans who meet by chance outside a Taco Bell on October 08, 2006.
We’re Going To The Zoo
Dir: Josh Safdie, Scr/Prod: Josh Safdie, Sam Lisenco, Brett Jutkiewicz, Dan Samiljan, Prod: Trudie Styler, Ed: Brett Jutkiewicz & Dan Samiljan, DP: Brett Jutkiewicz, Music: Stephen Valand & Carson Werner
This is the story of a brother and sister and their journey to a zoo. They accidentally pick up a hitchhiker on the way.
ANIMATED SHORTS
Animation vs. Animator
Dir: Alan Becker
An animator faces his own animation in deadly combat. The battlefield? The Flash interface itself.
Guide Dog
Dir: Bill Plympton
Guide Dog is a sequel to the Oscar nominated short Guard Dog. This time our hero dog helps blind people with typical disastrous results.
One Rat Short
Dir: Alex Weil
A tale of a subway rat who is led, by the mesmerizing ballet of a discarded food wrapper, into an adventure of love and loss on a dark Manhattan night.
Windows Masks Doors
Dir: Sarah Orenstein
In an old radio, a conductor tunes a medley of tracks revealing masked players hidden.
Potl
Dir: Rick Guinan
At the mercy of the natural and unnatural elements surrounding him, Potl’s chances for survival greatly increase when a drunken sailor drops a gun in the penguin’s lap. But will this new found power corrupt our small hero?
Kuro Kumo
Dir: Jesse Norton
Nomura is haunted by dreams of a ronin (masterless samurai) that she believes is her past life. Animated using non-traditional hand-drawn techniques.
Bolt
Dir: Joey Ingram & Josh Mahan
What happens when a robot questions a world where actions are predetermined and authority is absolute?
When You Grow Up
Dir: milk (Sean Pecknold, Matt Daniels)
Tony is a young man who has never seen his mother. One day he receives an unexpected gift, which turns out to be an ordinary seed. Thinking nothing of it, Tony plants the tiny seed and goes about his business. This is where Tony’s adventure begins, an adventure of epic heights.
Dragon
Dir: Troy Morgan
After her parents die in a tragic fire, a young girl is sent to an orphanage where she begins sketching fiery visions. When the head of the orphanage sees her talent, he exploits her art for profit. After he demands more work, the girl unleashes a fire breathing creation that takes on a life of its own.
Tragic Story With Happy Ending
Dir: Regina Pessoa
A little girl finds acceptance in embracing her own difference. This whimsically lyrical film has the timeless charm of an old fable – one whose subject is difference and self-affirmation.
Adicolor “Red”
Dir: Roman Coppola & Andy Bruntel
A brief history of the color RED.
Paper
Dir: Elliot Kealoha Blanchard
A man realizes that unexpected guests have moved in – guests who have plans.
Loom
Dir: Scott Kravitz
A street musician risks his life to save a child and meets his fate at the hands of an old woman who is more than she seems.
Tunnel Vision
Dir: Matt Laster
Blinky and Pinky from Pacman get curious about those side tunnels. Nothing good comes of it.
The Toll
Dir: J. Zachary Pike
The Toll delves into the realm of not-so-fantastic myth of a troll who lives under a bridge.
EXPERIMENTAL SHORTS
27,000 Days
Dir/Scr/Co-Ed: Naveen Singh, Prod: Greg Johnson, Co-Ed: Jeremy Phillips, DP: Bryon Cunningham, Music: Carrie McGlothlen
A dying man confronts his estranged family and the remnants of his religion within the confines of his mind.
Startle Pattern
Dir/Prod/Scr/Ed/DP: Eric Patrick
The interior space of a puppet becomes increasingly reflective, revealing the artifice of his own creation.
Tic Tac Toe
Dir/Scr: Matthew Swanson, Prod: Oliver-Barret Lindsay, DP: Philip Lanyon
A high-stakes game of tic tac toe turns ugly in this short film shot entirely on a mobile phone.
Alice Sees The Light
Dir/Prod/Ed/DP: Ariana Gerstein, Music: Monteith McCollum
Alice laments the loss of her view of the universe, one of her initial reasons for living in the country. The change in her environment is the result of “security lighting” for a large corporate storage facility.
Elizabeth Short
Dir/Scr/Prod/Ed/DP: Deco Dawson, Music: Matthew Patton
Using archival footage, newsprint images, text and an innovative use of audio, award winning filmmaker Deco Dawson has fashioned a sensitive yet harrowing collage account of the 1947 Black Dahlia murder. Created exclusively using crude digital technology, the film presents a human side to the murder, focusing on the victim Elizabeth Short and not the often-sensationalized aspects of the murder and unknown murderer.
Teargas & Plateglass, ‘Plague Burial’
Dir/Prod/Ed/DP: Andrea Giacomini, Prod: Jeff Antebi, Music: Teargas & Plateglass
First visual painting from a series created for the artist “Teargas & Plateglass”.
The Lonely Lights. The Color of Lemons.
Dir/Scr/Prod/Ed: Benjamin M Piety, Prod: Scott Uhlfelder, Constantin Traian Preda, DP: Scott Uhlfelder
A visual study of a young jogger who is shown a series of inkblot paintings that propel him into a collection of stories and memories centered on childhood, questions of sexuality and an enigmatic girl.
Hinge
Dir/Prod/Scr/Ed: Aldo Velasco, DP: John Solomon, Music: Johnny Wilson
Hinge is a three-minute tone poem in honor of that happy device, the Hinge, which has changed the course of human history. Music, graphics, history lessons, and personal testimonials all weave together to pay a richly deserved homage to our gentle servant, the Hinge.
Les Malaventures de Zut-Alors
Dir/Prod/Scr/Ed: Jeanne Stern, DP: Jason Eitelbach, Music: Silky Shoemaker, Lana Whitehurse, Amanda Jones, Casey Cooper, Markus Truesdale
“Zut-Alors” uses mechanical puppetry to tell the story of Siamese brother and sister, Zut & Alors. Includes many bizarre wonders, including a parade of animals, pop-up gardens, and party blower puppetry. Puppets and set made of old books, World War II gummed paper, crepe paper, bicycle bells and more.
Ride
Dir/Prod/Scr/Ed/DP: Arthur Bell, Music: Arthur Bell & Jason Cooley
Ride is an experiment in ‘hopeful protest’ by using a speech given by John F Kennedy at his inauguration, played against scenes of everyday America as it passes by. As part of the experiment, Ride like a previous short – ICE – was shot with the Canon point and shoot Elph camera.
TEXAS SHORTS
Snail
Dir: Sharad Patel
Within a 16mm film’s narrative, a man slowly puts together the horrible events of the night before, putting clues into a spiraling, solidifying memory. But this narrative itself is framed within a slowly changing reality as it jumps through layers of technological venues.
Playing Chicken
Dir: Bradley Jackson
Can a guy in a chicken suit overcome impossible odds and get the girl?
I Am Nick Robinson
Dir: Nick Robinson
A delivery mix-up spells doom for Nick Robinson when he meets his neighbor…Nick Robinson.
Memory Scars
Dir: Sarah Lipstate
Memory Scars explores the impressions left behind by a dream.
The Trouble With Jumpsuits
Dir: Joshua Krilov & Craig Elrod
Gabe works at a plant nursery. Heather does too. The only thing between them is the man in the green jumpsuit.
art/work
Dir: Avram Dodson
Artists walk among us—bringing your coffee, handing you a book, programming your computer. art/work is a glimpse into the lives of four Austin artists. They discuss the joys and hardships of creating art while working a day job.
The Mechanic
Dir: Chris Rusch
A thief tries to find balance his life, while staying true to his love of cars.
Life is Marbleous
Dir: Mike Woolf
Another short doc from Beef and Pie. This one meshes music and marbles. There is something about them. Simple. Nostalgic. A perfect sphere. The Marble Lady takes us through her collection and then to the Men National Marble Shooting Contest. Over a dozen bands provide the original music.
Today, I Become a Man
Dir: Mocha Jean Herrup
Today, I Become a Man is a nine minute documentary about a man who tries to pass as a “real” drag king by pretending to be a woman pretending to be a man.
The safety of others
Dir: Jenni Tooley
A 30-something-corporate-guy falls in love with a co-worker, only he doesn’t know it yet. Enjoy a ‘Heart of the Irish’ margarita during Happy Hour with him as he rides an emotional roller coaster that races across a landscape of bitterness, self-flagellation, transference, love and acceptance in a short film that celebrates the joy of filmmaking.
Baby Cakes: Diary #1
Dir: Brad Neely
Page one in the day to day life of a giant 30 year old man-child.
SHORTS SCREENING WITH FEATURES
Lola
Dir: Matthew Ross
Curtis lies in bed, housebound with a badly broken leg in a ramshackle Brooklyn walk-up. Meanwhile, his girlfriend, Lola is getting ready for a night out. She tells Curtis that she’s seeing her mother and some family friends, while Curtis, jealous and insecure, wants her to stay in. As it turns out, Lola is headed to dinner with Alan, a well-known novelist and notorious ladies’ man. As the night goes on, Lola continues to test the boundaries of fidelity, and ends up finding herself in over her head. Screens with Pretty in the Face
XX
Dir: Cristián Jiménez
Julio is a man from the XX Century. One day he unexpectedly realizes he wants to become a dad. With no girlfriend at hand, he decides to ask Cristina out, a girl he hasn’t heard from for a long time. Screens with Scrambled Beer
Face Value
Dir: Jeff Israel & James Israel
A lonely office worker from another country becomes entranced by a seductive barfly. Screens with Silver Jew
Day 73 With Sarah
Dir: Brent Hanley
Day 73 With Sarah tells the story of a little girl who, with the help of her dead father, comes up with a plan to free her and her mother (Amber Heard) from her abusive stepfather, but the plan has unexpected consequences. Screens with Twisted
Grammy’s
Dir: Bryan Poyser
Two brothers have a really bad time on a fishing trip until a stranger makes them a bizarre but lucrative offer. Screens with Trigger Man
A Sim-ple Romance
Dir: Sally Foster
Abandoned by her friends, Maggie turns to a computer game for love. Screens with King of Kong
Alive and Well
Dir: Chris Peckover
After an emergency landing in a field, a hungry pilot tries to convince his onboard badminton team that they need to resort to cannibalism. Screens with American Zombie
Equal Opportunity
Dir: Howard Duy Vu
Everyday life for an employee is rough. Everyday life for a bigot is even harder. Screens with Dirty Country
God Provides
Dir: Brian Cassidy & Melanie Shatzky
Filmed in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina along the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, this piece challenges our assumptions that people necessarily behave more nobly when faced with catastrophe. Employing stylized wit and devastating imagery, God Provides is a glimpse into faith-based religious sentiment and inexplicable loss in the American South. Screens with Kamp Katrina
The Grass Grows Green
Dir: Jesus Beltran
A Marine’s complicated relationship with life and death- from behind the recruiting-office desk. Screens with James Blunt: Return to Kosovo
Scenic Highway
Dir: Evan Mather
Due to the recent unpleasantness, Baton Rouge has eclipsed New Orleans as the largest city in Louisiana. Is the city destined for greatness? Scenic Highway is the name of US Highway 61 as it passes through northern Baton Rouge. This darkly affectionate memoir is also an exposé of the city’s colorful history, told through the use of animated motion graphics, archival Super 8 footage, and re-created & faux-created elements. Screens with Fish Kill Flea
The Pipe
Dir: Dan Brown
A pill-popping paramedic and a stoic security guard work the midnight shift, protecting the air pipe of a radio personality who has been buried alive for 46 days as a publicity stunt. A lot can happen when two crazy people are left alone in the dark with a pipe. Screens with Murder Party
Money the Hard Way
Dir: Bradley Beesley
A look at a prison rodeo, giving hope and purpose to inmates in Oklahoma. Screens with Hard Road Home
MUSIC VIDEOS
Chad Van Gaalen, ‘Clinically Dead’
Thom Yorke, ‘Harrowdown Hill’
Dir: Chel White
Patricia Vonne, ‘La Gitana De Triana’
Dir: Marcel Rodriguez
Colorforms, ‘Nothing Can Come Between Us’
Dir: Tom Cabela
Stephen Malkmus, ‘Baby C’mon’
Dir: Lana Kim & Andy Bruntel
Flipron, ‘Raindrops Keep Falling On The Dead’
Dir: Alex de Campi
Your Heart Breaks, ‘Secret Someones’
Dir: Clyde Petersen
The Gaskets, ‘Eiffel Tower’
Dir: Grier Hillman Dill
Fat Boy Slim, ‘That Old Pair of Jeans’
Dir: Andrea Giacomini
The Octopus Project, ‘Music Is Happiness’
Dir: Nick Smith
Victor Scott, ‘Gotta Go’
Dir: Michaelle Stikich
Amber Rubarth, ‘Washing Day’
Dir: The Control Freak Club
Herman Dune, ‘I wish that I could see you soon’
Dir: Toben Seymour
The Heathens, ‘Stickin’ Around’
Dir: Benjamin M Piety
Single Frame, ‘People Are Germs (Nick Zinner Remix)’
Dir: Christopher Rose
Bonnie Prince Billy, ‘Cursed Sleep’
Dir: Andy Bruntel
”Weird Al” Yankovic, ‘Don’t Download This Song’
Dir: Bill Plympton
Tom Dimenna, ‘Ode to Fredo’
Dir: Zeke and Simon Hawkins
Constantines, ‘Working Full-TIme’
Dir: Drew Lightfoot
The Blood Brothers, ‘Set Fire to the Face on Fire’
Dir: Robert Schober
TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL SHORTS
Devil Town Music Video
Dir: Erika Houle
The Kelso Burger
Dir: Sam Leatherwood
The Drag Race
Dir: William Campbell
A Day in ’67
Dir: Chris Hergert
Beneath the Surface
Dir: Chris Hergert
Blood is Thicker
Dir: Jennifer Bryden
Daily Routine
Dir: Adela Escobar
The El
Dir: Mark Sheridan
Stones on the Road
Dir: Roseann Garcia
Through the Eyes of Love
Dir: Kyle Paulus
Oh My Darling, Clementine
Dir: Margaret Ross-Martin
Murder for 9 Points
Dir: Brandon Day
