Life is Short…

Now in its sixth year, Japan's largest festival of short movies is set to showcase an even wider selection of films this year making this year’s selections one of the best in variety.

The Sixth Annual Short Shorts Film Festival

The Short Shorts Film Festival was the first of its kind in Japan to showcase short films. These films can run from one or two minutes to as long as 30 minutes, and cover any number of genres including comedy, suspense, human interest and animation. Limited budgets and time are forcing young filmmakers to focus their creativity and resourcefulness on these films but they really do open doors for many aspiring filmmakers. George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and Luc Besson all used short films to promote themselves to the world. In the last five years, the film festival has attracted an audience of over 90,000 in eight cities around the country. In addition to the national tour, the Short Shorts Film Festival kicked off its international tour with screenings in Singapore and Los Angeles and many enjoyed the opportunity to view this unique collection.

The festival kicked off on June 5th in Tokyo to rave reviews and a special appearance by Sofia Coppola, this year’s Academy Award recipient for Best Original Screenplay for Lost in Translation which was based on her own experiences visiting Japan in her early twenties. Her short film, which paved the way for her screenplay and directing career, is Lick the Star, a 14 minute film she made in 1998 which is very much like a precursor to her critically acclaimed feature film, The Virgin Suicides.

Lick the Star

The aim of the festival is to stimulate interest in the short medium-both in audiences and filmmakers. With the International Programs, there will be some competition and non-competitive programs, which include Documentary Short Shorts, Children Short Shorts and Non-Dialogue Short Shorts. And to commemorate the Olympic Year, the festival has added five short Greek Films with the cooperation of the Greek Film Center.

Mellow

The main aim of the festival is to showcase works by young directors, the future talent that will drive the Hollywood of tomorrow, and the majority of the festival is given over to such newcomers. The film lineup is more impressive than last year, with styles from animation to black comedy to suspense, themes from the horrors of war to first love, 3D toads to first kisses. The eclecticism is representative of the energy brought to the festival by its young, dedicated staff who put on the festival for no other reason than a love of film and a desire to spread their enthusiasm in Japan. Tetsuya Bessho, actor and president of the committee for Short Shorts, states that these films are the guides to the future direction of the movie industry and visual culture. It truly is a one-of-a-kind experience for both the creator and the moviegoer.

Each program is about 80 minutes long and is divided up into six International Programs (Programs A thru F) and one Program for the Greek Short Shorts (Program G).

Short Shorts Film Festival 2004: MID Theater inside Osaka Business Park, (IMP). July 29 (Thursday) – August 1 (Sunday). Tickets: One program, ¥1000 (advance), ¥1300 (same day). One Day Pass ¥3000 (advance) ¥3500 (same day). Tickets available at Ticket Pia, Lawson, Play Guides. Schedule changes daily. Info (In Japanese) 06 6316 8533. Special offer for KS readers: ¥200 off on each ticket.

PROGRAM 1-A

Excursion
Director : Cris Jones
3:00/Experimental/2002/Australia
Miguelina
Director : Reyther Ortega
13:00/Drama/2002/Venezuela
Dangle
Director : Phil Traill
5:54/Experimental/2003/Germany
Aslyum
Director : Sandy McLeod
20:00/Documentary/2002/Ghana/USA
Hello
Director : Jonathan Nix
6:30/Animation/2003/Australia
Water and Flowers
Director : Mohammadali Safoura
15:00/Drama/Iran
Pink Balloons
Director : Kataneh Vahdani
2:07/Animation/2003/USA
And The Red Man Went Green
Director : Ruth Meeha
2:00/Drama/2003/UK
L’Homme sans tête
Director : Juan Solanas
15:00/Experimental/2003/France

PROGRAM 1-B

Two Cars, One Night
Director : Taika Waititi
12:00/Drama/2003/New Zealand
The Trinket-Maker
Director : Paul Daley
9:00/Animation/2002/UK
Redd Brana (Save the Children)
Director : Terje Rangnes
6:00/Comedy/2002/Norway
Milton Rogovin The Forgotten Ones
Director : Harvey Wang
12:00/Documentary/2003/USA
Pyongyang Robogirl
Director : Jouni Honkkanen and Simojukka Ruippo
3:30/Documentary/2001/Finland
Underground
Director : Aimee Lagos and Kristin Dehnert
11:00/Drama/2003/USA
Topeka
Director : Asier Altuna
4:00/Comedy/2002/Spain
Neo-Noir
Director : Chase Palmer
10:00/Drama/2002/USA
The School
Director : Jonathan Hayes
8:00/Comedy/2002/Canada
Cane-Toad
Director : Andrew Silke & David Clayton
4:00/Aniimation/2002/Australia

PROGRAM C

A Kiss is a Kiss is a Kiss
Director : Uri Bar-on
6:00/Documentary/2003/Israel
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Bed
Director : Lino Escalera
23:00/Drama/2003/Spain
Early Bloomer
Director : Kevin Johnson
3:50/Animation/2003/USA
Like Twenty Impossibles
Director : Annmarie Jacir
16:30/Drama/2003/Palestine
Krickel’s Adventure
Director : Michael Zamjatnins
5:47/Animation/2003/Germany
Free Dub 1
Director : Stephane Elmadjiam
8:00/Experimental/2003/France
Guernica
Director : Marcelo Ortiz
3:40/Animation/2002/Canada
The Call
Director : Theo Delaney
12:00/Drama/2002/UK
Fish
Director : Kim Spurlock
4:35/Drama/2003/USA

PROGRAM D

Nassrasur
Director : Boris Schaarschmidt
9:41/Thriller/2003/Germany
601-S
Director : Marton Nyitrai
1:50/Comedy/2002/Hungary
The Blanket Area
Director : Han Woo-Jung
21:40/Thriller/2002/South Korea
The Hole
Director : Vahd Nasirian
7:00/Animation/2003/Iran
Deadline
Director : Massimo Coglitore
14:00/Drama/2002/Italy
Dykk (Dive)
Director : Sirin Eide
6:00/Comedy/2002/Norway
Old Glory
Director : Andy Schocken
7:03/Documentary/2003/USA
Houdini’s Hound
Director : Sara Johnsen
14:00/Drama/2002/Norway
The Projects Lumiere
Director : Waleed Moursi
1:30/Experimental/202/USA

PROGRAM-E

Gowanus, Brooklyn
Director : Ryan Fleck
19:00/Drama/2003/USA
Stoned
Director : Leonard Palmestål
0:30/Comedy/2002/Sweden
The Runaway
Director : David Gonzalez Bermudez
2:27/Animation/2002/Spain
The Matchmaker
Director : Michelle Lehman
1:00/Comedy/2002/Australia
Lick the Star
Director : Sofia Coppola
14:00/Drama/198/USA
Roof Sex
Director : PES
1:10/Animation/202/USA
Me, Myself and the Universe
Director : Hajo Schomerus
13:20/Documentary/2003/Germany
United We Stand (De Beste Går Forst
Director : Hans Petter Moland
9:00/Comedy/2002/Norway
Silencio Profundo
Director : Gustavo Loza
15:00/Drama/2003/Mexico

PROGRAM-F

Rattle
Director : Ed Chen
3:00/Animation/2003/USA
Fricasse
Director : Martin Krejci
14:00/Drama/2003/Czech Republic
Looking for Mr. Right
Director : David M. Young
4:00/Comedy/2003/USA
The Trumouse Show
Director : Julio Robledo
5:30/Animation/2002/Spain
Last Wish
Director : Peter Pasic
9:35/Experimental/2003/Slovenia
Kitty
Director : Patrick Gilles
5:00/Comedy/2002/New Zealand
Maree
Director : James Pellerito
14:30/Drama/2003/Italy/USA
Merci!
Director : Christine Rabette
8:00/Comedy/2002/Belgium
Thomas and the Elephant
Director : Verena Kraeer
1:30/Documentary/2003/Germany
How I Walked on the Moon
Director : Samuel Jadok
12:00/Comedy/2002/France

PROGRAM-G

Greek Short Shorts

Listen…
Director : Katerina Filiotou
26:00/Drama/2000
Amerika
Director : Savvas Karydas
15:00/Drama/1999
Chryssa
Director : Alexios Riglis
8:04/Documentary/2003
Destroy All Brains!
Director : Dimitris Emmanouilidis
22:00/Drama/2003
Kreas (Meat)
Director : Cristo Petrou
5:00/Experimental/2002