Second Annual
The World According to Shorts
August 1–2, 2001 at BAMcinématek, Brooklyn, NY
Films from Czech Republic, Switzerland, Germany, Wales, Denmark, Brazil, France, Sweden, Iran, Finland. Curated by Jonathan Howell
Program One
The Fall
Aurel Klimt, 1999, 14 min, Czech Republic, animated, U.S. Premiere. The director utilizes stop-motion puppet animation to wordlessly and colorfully depict what seems like a non-event: An old man hangs from the gutter of a tall building, while a crowd gathers in the street below waiting for him to fall. Though satisfying to read as political allegory (the old man bears a passing resemblance to Lenin), it is ultimately open to a variety of interpretations.
Summertime
Anna Luif, 1999, 27 min, Switzerland, N.Y. Premiere.
This film follows the non-adventures of Nadja, a thirteen-year-old girl languishing at her mother's apartment during summer vacation. She and her diminutive neighbor, the landlady's daughter, clearly envy the sexual exploits of their more mature neighbors. Nadja sees a chance for her own romantic escapade when she finds a handsome pilot living in the apartment block. Summertime received both the Prix de la Presse and the Prix du Jury Oecumènique at Clermont-Ferrand.
Ring of Fire
Andreas Hykade, 2000, 15 min, Germany, animated, N.Y. Premiere. Replete with outrageous sexual imagery, this tale of innocence lost and ultimately redeemed is accompanied by a lyrical voiceover (in appropriate cowboy drawl) that seems to have only the loosest of connections to the action on-screen.
A Heap of Trouble
Steve Sullivan, 2000, 4 min, United Kingdom/Wales, U.S. Premiere.
Suffice it to say that there's trouble in the streets, and suburbia may never be the same. This film was featured in the Semaine de la critique at Cannes this year.
A Rare Bird
Kenneth Kainz, 1999, 25 min, Denmark, U.S. Premiere.
This films expands the boundaries of the dark fairy tale subgenre in an unpredictable story line that involves cosmetic surgery, terminal illness and a malevolent goose with magical powers. Kainz's highly-developed visual sensibility makes the film a delight to watch, while the plot delves into uncharted territory. The film has won multiple awards, including the Jury Grand Prize and the Director's Award at the Poitiers International Film Festival earlier this year.
Program Two
The Red BMW
Reinaldo Pinheiro and Edu Ramos. 2000, 20 min, Brazil. U.S. Premiere. Odilon is unemployed and living in a shantytown on the edge of Sao Paulo. When he wins a BMW in a raffle, his troubles really begin. Though he can't afford gasoline—much less insurance—the contest rules prohibit him from selling the car for a period of two years. Both directing and acting manage to balance pathos and stoicism with impeccable comic timing; ultimately, the sad-sack paterfamilias succeeds in taking his family for a ride of sorts, to the sweetly dissonant strains of Thelonius Monk's piano.
Raoul & Joceline
Serge Ellisalde. 2000, 12 min, France, animated, U.S. Premiere.
The "faux naif" animation style is initially disarming, but it soon becomes clear that this is no film for five-year-olds. When Raoul and Joceline have a fling in a hotel one afternoon, she decides to consult Mr. Kaba, the African marabout, to find out if it's really love. Meanwhile, Raoul finds and takes home—then discards—a magical knick-knack from a flea market, only to find himself haunted by its oracle.
To Be Continued
Linus Tunstrom. 2000, 5 min, Sweden, U.S. Premiere.
A real-time exercise in suspense, the film begins with a time bomb set to detonate in five minutes, and proceeds to interweave fragments of plot into a tightly-edited and masterfully-structured film that only seems to be moving toward an inevitable conclusion. Rarely, if ever, in the history of cinema has a boiling egg proven such a source of dramatic tension. Best Short Film at last year's Semaine de la critique at Cannes.
Hands of Stone
Mohsen Amiryousefi, 2000, 26 min, Iran, U.S. Premiere.
An old man performs the ritual washing of the bodies of the dead in preparation for burial. Though he feels that his time is near, he is concerned that there will be no one to administer these rites to him, and he seeks reassurance from his various compatriots. Shot in a documentary style, with non-actors playing themselves and incorporating actual documentary footage, the film allows insights into an aspect of Islamic culture rarely seen on screen. Hands of Stone received the grand prizes at both Aubagne and Tehran Art University's film festival.
A Stone Left Unturned
Maarit Lalli, 2000, 19 min, Finland, US Premiere.
With characteristic Nordic restraint, the film portrays the comically troubled relationship between father and son, as they play to the hilt a game of macho one-upmanship. One of five films nominated for Best Short Film last year by the European Film Academy.