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Hiya from California. I’m still on vacation, so this is another lean and mean edition of Shorts Weekly. Before we dive in, I want to thank everyone who turned up to our LA meetup—it was a great mix of new faces and old friends, and I had a blast. Much appreciation to Bigfoot Lodge for hosting. Will be making this a more regular occurrence, so stay tuned for future cities/events.
I also want to recognize last week’s quiz winner. David Burgis was the first to ID the shorts used in promoting Hertzfeldt’s upcoming Animation Mixtape, so congrats to Dave, who gets a free S/W submission!
With that, let’s begin with our usual recommendations of items worth knowing about.
🔗 10 Things We’re Paying Attention To
SIGGRAPH: Best in Show Winners - I’ve always liked the programming at SIGGRAPH. It’s not a film fest primarily, and so this reputable conference dedicated to computer graphics tends to be a bit more populist and a bit more concerned with the state of the art. They wrapped up their 52nd annual edition on Thursday, and Trash is the latest “Best in Show”. I took a trip down memory lane and collected the winners from each edition of the SIGGRAPH and SIGGRAPH Asia since 2015 for this collection.
Locarno Wraps - The Swiss festival finished up this weekend, and Hollywood Reporter has the winners. In addition to the short awards, we spotted Sophy Romvari pick up a prize for debut feature with Blue Heron. Nice! Laurence Boyce provided his usual preview of the shorts lineup for CineEuropa.
The Climb Co-Creator Profiled in Hollywood Reporter - Speaking of alums, Kyle Marvin’s career took off after he and a buddy made one of the great comedy shorts of the century. Ahead of the theatrical release of his Neon-released feature, Splitsville, THR has a glossy profile on the comedy talent.
Dick’s is Latest Brand with a Content Studio - The sporting goods giant has produced 10+ shorts in recent years and is formalizing their content ambitions with the opening of a new studio. Another sign that the Brand Film concept is gaining steam.
Brand Short Watch: Ralph Lauren Jumps into the Game - This is the most unexpected brand film I’ve seen in a long time. Not that having a 3D-animated version of the Lauren Polo Bear engaged in James Bond-level hijinks is inherently a bad idea, it’s just…unusual, isn’t it?
Friday the 13th IP Reboots with a Brand Film - Teased last week, this 16-minute short film dropped online to enthusiastic audiences this week. Directed by horror veteran Mike P. Nelson, the film doubles as brand content for Angry Orchard. Folks, what do we think?
Criterion Reboots Its Eclipse Line - The sublabel dedicated to unusual or obscure works kicks off its comeback with a treat for shorts lovers—a disc dedicated to early shorts from Iranian master Abbas Kiarostami.
The Tragedy of KPop Demon Hunters - Puck delivers the industry article I’ve been waiting weeks to read—the inside story of Sony’s decision to sell, for peanuts, the year’s biggest new franchise smash.
In Defense of the Traditional Review - Richard Brody delivers a rousing defense of art “reviews” as a concept, in the wake of chatter that they are outdated or irrelevant. Strong co-sign from me.
What To Watch This Weekend - This one slipped by me after opening in US theaters last weekend, but Sketch, a new kids’ film released by Angel Studios, is from alum Seth Worley! If you were in the early online DiY film scene pre and immediately post DSLR, you may remember Seth for his amazingly good brand shorts for Red Giant—like the meta-narrative Plot Device. Other popular figures from the era, like Freddie Wong, are supporting the film, and it’s got strong reviews so far!
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