I was so lucky that somehow I saw a sign announcing the Sundance Short Films Festival at the Michigan Theatre right at the last day. And I was even luckier because I managed to ‘kidnap’ a friend to go with me to the last show…yeah..thanks a lot.
It was an interesting collection of movies…some were cute…some were sweet…some were very disturbing. Well, what do you expect from Sundance finalists, hm?
Anyway, here are some ultra brief summaries of the movies we watched…
SIKUMI (ON THE ICE) (Director: Andrew Okpeaha MacLean)–An Iñuit hunter takes his dog team out on the frozen Arctic Ocean in search of seals, and inadvertently becomes a witness to a murder.
MY OLYMPIC SUMMER (Director: Daniel Robin; Screenwriters: Daniel Robin,M.R. Dhar)–After his marriage fails, the filmmaker looks at home video footage of his parents when they were young in hopes to understand how they kept the magic. This film is set against the historical backdrop of the hostage crisis at the Munich Olympic games of 1972.
YOURS TRULY/ United Kingdom (Director: Osbert Parker)– Animation and live action collide in the story of Frank and Charlie, a dark romance of psychological tension that unfolds as both sacrifice their morals in search of what they love.
DENNIS/ Denmark (Director: Mads Matthiesen)– When Dennis, an introvert bodybuilder, invites a local girl out on a date his mother is hurt and disappointed. Despite the pressure she puts on him to cancel the date, Dennis ventures into a night that he will never forget.
FCU: FACT CHECKERS UNIT (Director: Dan Beers; Screenwriters: Dan Beers, Peter Karinen, Brian Sacca)– After being assigned to check a bizarre fact about Bill Murray’s love for drinking milk, two magazine fact checkers break into Bill’s house to spy on him. Cast: Bill Murray
MAN (Director: Myna Joseph)– Maggie and her sister form an unusual bond during an encounter with a young man.
I LOVE SARAH JANE/ Australia (Director: Spencer Susser)– Jimbo is 13 and can think of only one girl–Sarah Jane. And no matter what stands in his way–bullies, violence, chaos, or zombies–nothing will stop him from finding a way into her world.
W./ Germany (Director: The Vikings)– A social outcast describes how he finally found his place in the world.
SPIDER/ Australia (Director: Nash Edgerton)– It’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye.
The summaries are from here
These movies are so cool. I guess my favourite were Dennis and W (stands for The Wind). FCU was really entertaining. And Sikumi and My Olympic Summer were kind of reflective. Spider…hm…it was kind of entertaining, in its own way…jokes that turned out rather nasty..made you confused on whether to laugh or to shriek…
Ann Arbor, Friday - Sunday, November 7 - 9, 2008
