SFF: day 3, shorts, shorts, and more!

Yes, I realize this is Monday and I had class tonight...but the Savannah Film Festival is in town!
My day began with 'a short and a feature' block.
"STUTTERER" is a brilliant look at communication problems - and creative paths to get the words out. What a great way to start my day!
That was followed by a science fiction piece, "Embers". Set in a future where the air carries an amnesia virus, these characters are beset by a different type of communication problem. They must spend their days devoid of the knowledge not only of their own identity, but also of their relationships to those they find as they wander.
Truly excellent!
We even had an unexpected bonus after the films screened! Benjamin Cleary, the writer/director/producer of "STUTTERER", stepped up for an impromptu Q&A session! Of course I stayed to listen!

I dined at Juarez afterward, for a leisurely early lunch. After I was fed, I fed the meter - a nice 5-hour one near Columbia Square! - and ventured to the Lucas Theatre for the next film.
I already knew I would have to leave it early to make the next item on my agenda, but I wanted to see as much of "Call Me Lucky" as I could. Bobcat Goldthwait was there to answer questions afterward, so I wanted to see what the deal was with this movie. Good thing I went! I glancingly knew of Barry Crimmins, though his style of political riffing wasn't really for me in the 1980's. Watching the footage, I realized his goal was education (about government) through laughter.
Good goal.
He carried that on to political demonstrations against war. In one especially poignant scene, he is relating to an audience his visit to wounded children. "I know the sound of one hand clapping", he said. The comedy club audience didn't get the visual.
Later, he went after America OnLine for allowing child pornography chat rooms on its website. AOL remedied the situation, but the anonymity of the ethernet means the purveyors of such material simply moved elsewhere. Barry Crimmins, molested as a child, still carries on his crusade against those who would do harm to children.
Why was Bobcat involved? Barry had two comedy clubs in Boston, partly to help him pursue his goal of educating the public. Along the way, he helped start the careers of a lot of young comics, including the director of this film. Just giving props, y'all.

As I said, I had known I would be cutting my schedule tightly to make the 2 PM block of 'Super Shorts'. I left the Lucas near the end of the documentary on Crimmins and made it into the Trustees Theatre just as the lights were dimming.
That was very close!
Here are the fourteen shorts, all under 7 minutes, in the order in which they were screened. (Yes, that does make a difference!)
How appropriate as Halloween nears! "Semblance" was a creepy tale of things that go bump in the night... bwah ha ha!
This isn't your mother's game of "Life", but "Lyfe" is still a game. This time, points are obtained by physically accomplishing goals, like travel, dining out, jobs, dates.
"A Paralysis" was lovely to watch, as an attractive young woman played in the surf and turf, but this short was not for me. Perhaps Jaime Schirmer based it on photos on a sharing site?
"Theodora" featured a tea party, of sorts, with an unusually toothy guest. (But the sign says 'Don't feed the alligators', right?)
"Ryan McGinness:Studio Process" was an educational look at a multi-faceted artist. The bright abstractions with their 3-D accents remind me of my friend Bill Peterson's work.
This one was hilarious! In "Opt Out", a guy tries to get unsubscribed from an email list...only to find himself pursuing screen after screen of queries. Very funny!
"Flying Lessons With Mr. Smolin" documented the style of an enthusiastic English teacher! Go, big daddy Smo! (Be sure to click the link to watch the video!)
"Adventure Katz - Wales: Madman Or Poet?" was filmed by a young man with his own award-winning web series! This was beautifully done and reminded me of the "Matt Dancing" travelogue series (prior to his finding love and becoming a family man). You can view this video from Joey Katz right here.
An artist in search of inspiration is the focus of "These Words Illuminated". (I think the version shown today was edited, as there was no electrician in it.) Nice look at reconnecting to the world by use of smell, sound, taste, sight, and touch, i.e., becoming human again.
Hunting for pasta is the subject of "The Ramens" - funny! First, we see a father and son, in the woods, eating pasta soup-in-a-cup, each with a distinctive style. That was pretty funny right there! Then, their prey appears and they must react!
In "2084", aliens demand "You must conform." Now, regard these Borg-like creatures up against a complete moron who hears "Do not think" as "donut thing" and you have a farce that Sgt. Schultz would have definitely understood!
That bit of looniness was followed by "Une Passion D'or Et Du Feu (A Passion Of Gold And Fire)", a documentary about an aging beekeeper and the few students to care for his apiary. I was reminded of the beekeepers in Chicago, transporting their precious bees by bike from one rooftop garden to another. Here's hoping that André Fontignie will inspire others to love his pollinators.
Back to tickling the funnybone! "The Fly" provided continual laughs as a hapless getaway driver got flummoxed by the insect! Clearly, the rabbit's foot on his keychain was of no use to him (much less the rabbit)! Do yourself a treat and watch it!

As humorous as that film was, my absolute favorite in this block was "Globe Trot". It was truly a world film, from its crowdsourcing genesis to the collective efforts of 54 filmmakers and 111 'dancers' in 23 countries and all seven continents. Whew! Why did I say 'dancers'? because none of the dippers and swayers and twirlers were professional dancers. Each was an individual, an ordinary person on the street, taught a 2-second snippet of motion. Absolutely incredible!!! Matt Harding would be so proud! Oh, lest I forget...here's the video! How heartening that so many would unite forces for a common good!
A brief Q&A ensued with two directors, the enthusiastic Joey Katz of "Adventure Katz - Wales: Madman Or Poet?" and the quieter Susan O'Brien of "These Words Illuminated". What an unexpected treat!

Then it was time for the 'Historical Shorts'! Only six films in this batch, with most being about fifteen minutes in length. On with the history lessons!
"The Girl In The Green Dress" drew us back to the 1950's and a conservative housewives' book club...and a new wife, with a lively imagination, in the group. This was an interesting merge of dance, sexuality, and the social mores of that time. I would have liked to talk to Mama about it.
Jump ahead a decade for "American Falls". A Japanese-American innkeeper has an unusual guest arrive: a black man. Vincent D'Onofrio was a nice familiar face, serving as the ultimate bigoted cop. Another interesting look at social mores, this time in the context of bias and three races of people.
"Shooting An Elephant" bounces backwards, into the 1920's or so, and is based on George Orwell's story. Set in Burma, it pits a reluctant English peace keeper against a reportedly rampant elephant. What it really showed was the tendency of the man to do "anything to avoid being thought a fool". Tell it to the elephant, dude.
"Odessa" jumps into a post-apocalyptic world, at some unspecified future time, and the Texas desert. Fuel is in short supply and a woman has risked her life for it. Great twist at the end of the film!
We get to stay at some unspecified time, and place, for "The Future Perfect". Time travel has become possible, at least for the very rich. Here, we find it being utilized by large pharmaceutical companies...to make sure a demand exists for their products. Quite nefarious schemers! But a time-traveler with a conscience may foil their plans...maybe. I really loved the open question at the end!
"Sabre Dance" was a delightful, and lighthearted, return to the real world! Featuring a purported luncheon meeting in the 1940's between the Russian composer, Aram Khachaturian, and the Spanish painter, Salvador Dali, on the occasion of a concert in Spain. The piece was live action, but the tale is told in this cartoon video, possibly inspired by Khachaturian's composition, "Sabre Dance". Enjoy - I sure did!
I enjoyed the Q&A, too! Barry Sloane, the actor in "Shooting An Elephant" was there! Also, "Odessa" was represented by actress/producer Grace Santos Feeney! Leah McKendrick, the lovely writer/actress/producer of "The Girl In The Green Dress" also was present!

I even made it all the way from downtown to the school with five minutes to spare before my 6 PM lecture on acids, bases, and buffers.
Success!!!
(smile!)