What’s up, good people?! Ready to raise the curtain on short film news this week? let’s do It.

Director Alejandro Iñárritu gets the band back together with cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki for a new  experimental project. The Oscar-winning duo who worked on Birdman and The Revenant, are collaborating with Legendary Entertainment and Lucasfilm to create a new virtual reality short film.

Word on the street is it will be a subversive look into the world of immigration. Considering the big players, this short film is a “must-watch.”

 

Lucasfilm is no stranger to short film, though. In fact, this year they teamed with StarWars.com to host a fan film contest. Above is the director’s cut of “TK-436: A Stormtrooper Story” which was selected as the Filmmaker Select award winner by a jury that included Gareth Edwards, director of Rogue One. The Force was strong with this one!

To watch all of the award winners from each category, click here.

Short of the Week – LIVE!

We announced last week the premiere launch event of the highly anticipated short film, “22 Years.” With the multi-talented Dawn Noel at the helm as both lead actor and producer, “22 Years” is proof of what good things may come when skill, creativity, and passion are employed to share diverse perspectives.

Join us for the FREE premiere today followed by a live-streamed interview with the cast Dawn Noel, Luis Jose Lopez, Kearran Giovanni, Alexander E. Garland, and director Fred Thomas. Get your popcorn ready!

The event airs Tuesday, October 4, 8:00pm Central Time, 6:00pm Pacific Time, 9:00pm Eastern.

 

Chicago Int’l Film Festival

Now in its 52nd year, it’s clear why CIFF is the longest running film festival of its kind. Arresting films from around the world light the screening rooms with the goal of cultivating diverse cultural conversations through international and independent art.

The festival runs October 13 – 27 and showcase  200 total films. If you’re in Chicago you’re bound to find something you like and discover something you love. Heavy buzz surrounds the Barry Jenkins film, Moonlight, about love and self-identity. Rumblings are also increasing about 9 Rides, a film by writer/director Matthew A. Cherry about a driver who sees himself through the lives of his passengers.

Plus, it was filmed entirely on an iPhone!

The short film slate looks more promising each year. One of the more compelling is “Moriom,” a Swiss film about the lasting effects of trauma. It’s part of the It’s All True shorts, one of 6 short film programs throughout the fest.

For the complete list of short films, from claymation to documentary, click here.

Around the Web…

Soooo… Luke Cage broke Netflix last weekend. The latest Marvel series available for streaming was so popular that the site shut down. Things eventually worked themselves out and the show appears to live up to the hype.

Marvel is taking a certain amount of care with their first black super hero show. There is grit to Mike Colter’s Luke Cage but the story arranges its players like chess pieces. We’ll see if execs will make the move for a second season.

Not familiar with Luke Cage? Check out his story here and let us know what you think.

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