Monday, February 22, 1999
Films may be short in length, but long on spirit, energy
OSCARS: Too focused on feature movies, Academy too often
overlooks genre
By Jeffrey R. Korn
The short film category is still one of the most poorly
recognized categories at any awards ceremony, even though these
films usually represent some of the truly great creative talent
emerging on the film scene.
Well, I am happy to say that the genre is still alive and well
despite its lack of attention in mainstream and recently
popularized, non-mainstream circuits.
Through my work as a co-producer on a short film, I know that
the same spirit and energy that goes into a feature exists in this
format as well. Usually left to students and daring entrepreneurial
directors, this type of filmmaking puts the "guerrilla" back into
micro-budgets. Most shoots are done with budgets of $20,000 or less
and sometimes rely on non-traditional means of acquiring crews,
equipment and talent. The usual motto is that no one is paid,
leaving terms such as "golden" time as more of a mythical allusion
left to film school classes on theory and business, than a standard
labor practice.
This type of filmmaking is pure heart, sweat and
determination.
Working in this genre might prove to be unstable and unnerving
and a little unsatisfying, especially if the project does not take
off or worse yet is never completed due to myriad reasons, but
usually related to financial ones.
Larger film festivals usually focus on feature films, since they
represent the most marketable option to distributors. Fortunately,
most larger festivals still show a short film category – Sundance,
New York, Toronto, Berlin and Venice to name a few. But for the
most part, short films are seen through another festival network,
which includes the names of lesser-known cities, like
Clermont-Ferrand, France, and Uppsala, Sweden.
These short film festivals specialize in this genre. And in this
world, Clermont-Ferrand functions as Cannes. Everyone wants to be
seen there and every major film for the season will be shown there.
As is the case with most art house films, Europe already has a big
headstart. In countries with fewer commercial fetters, short films
thrive.
Since I had the good fortune to reside in Uppsala last fall,
during festival time, I was able to experience this unique and
creative festival form firsthand. It is quite a production. I was
amazed by the amount of work required to put on a short film
festival. First, filmmakers must have enough interest in the
festival to send a dub of the film. Then, the selection process
begins. The films are selected, the categories created, and the
promotional material disseminated. Finally, the fun part – films
must be received, theaters must be booked, crews must be assembled,
and directors must be wooed.
If I have not piqued your interest enough already, I should
mention that two of Uppsala’s festival entries this year were
nominated for this year’s Academy Awards. These films are
definitely worthy of these accolades.
"La Carte Postale" by Vivian Goffette of Belgium is a wonderful
film about childhood grieving. The film takes place in a small
Belgium town at the time of the death of a little boy’s father.
Although the theme is solemn, Goffette manages to sneak in episodes
of levity through the boy’s actions. The visual components and
acting complement each other. It makes for a very engaging and
poignant film.
"Victor" by Joel Bergwall and Simon Sandqvis of Uppsala was
placed in Uppsala’s children’s category, but its power and
relevancy are only truly appreciated by adults. This film shows the
realization of a dying boy’s last wish to become a fireman. The use
of musical score, visuals of fire and fire houses make this a
definite consideration for this year’s Oscar. I saw the film three
times and wept after each viewing. Although the directors are new
to filmmaking, they have mastered the art of affecting human
emotion through imagery, dialogue and acting. My only hope for this
film is that it reaches even more people and receives wider
distribution to audiences in countries outside of Sweden. I could
not recommend it more highly.
Although I am only a small voice in the larger scheme of
Oscar-mania, a mania which will soon engulf Los Angeles, and may I
dare say the world, I hope that Academy members and audiences alike
will remind themselves of the importance of short film to the film
industry. The only category less neglected than short films in
cinema today are documentary short films. But, this is another
category for another day.
Comments, feedback, problems?
© 1998 ASUCLA Communications Board[Home]