Five finalists have been selected for the 2017 Tribeca Snapchat Shorts, now an official category at the Tribeca Film Festival. The five Shorts finalists will premiere during the NYC fest on Tuesday, April 25, at the Cinepolis Chelsea Theatre. Eva Longoria, Andy Cohen, Tracee Ellis Ross, Jason Biggs and Dillon Francis comprise the panel of jurors who will select the winner of this year’s program. The Tribeca Snapchat Shorts was created in an effort to discover visionary artists in the mobile space.
The finalists were chosen from hundreds of submissions, all under two minutes, and are: Annie Hubbard’s Magic Show, about a quick-witted magician; Jeff Ayars’ The Notebook Snapstory, a Ryan Gosling Notebook spoof; Doug Larlham and Sarah Albonesi’s Puppy Love, about a precocious dog who fears losing his owner’s affection; Anna Roisman’s Owen Wilson Dates Himself, an Owen Wilson parody; and Brannen Haderle, Alex Berry and Stanley Kalu’s Live Colorfully, about a father who transports from a mundane lifestyle to a world of color to connect with his son.
As part of the Tribeca Snapchat Shorts screening on April 25, five additional films will premiere that have been created specifically for the 2017 program from filmmakers, including Tribeca alumni. The filmmakers are: Matt Wolf (Teenage, 2011, The Marion Stokes Project, 2015), Natalia Leite (Bare, 2015), Boman Modine, (Merry Xmas – 2015), Parker Hill (One Good Pitch – 2016) and Dasha Battelle and Ani Acopian.
Following the screenings, the creators will participate in a conversation about storytelling on new platforms. Tickets to the screening are free, on a first-come, first-served basis, and can be reserved here.
The 2017 Tribeca Snapchat Shorts five finalists through submissions are:
Live Colorfully, directed by Brannen Haderle, Alex Berry, Stanley Kalu.
A young father steps out of the comfort zone of his mundane lifestyle to further connect with his son.
Bios: Brannen Haderle: Born and raised in Los Angeles, USC Sophomore and an avid Snapchat enthusiast. Alex Berry: Brooklynite before it was trendy, USC Sophomore. Favorite movie: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Stanley Kalu: Born in Nigeria and raised all over Africa. USC Sophomore.
Snapchat: bhaddzzz
Magic Show, directed by Annie Hubbard.
The only attendee to Peter’s traditional magic show is preoccupied with her phone, and he must discover a way to get her attention.
Bio: Annie Hubbard is a director and editor currently working as a production coordinator with Notable Pictures.
Snapchat: anne-droid​
The Notebook Snapstory, directed by Jeff Ayars.
A young woman spends a lazy Sunday with Ryan Gosling.
Bio: Jeff Ayars is one-half of the comedy duo Cannibal Milkshake, and he produces, directs and acts in projects around NYC.
Snapchat: JEFFAYARS
Puppy Love, directed by Doug Larlham, Sarah Albonesi.
From within his LA apartment, a precocious dog fears he is losing the affections of his owner to her new flame.
Bios: Doug and Sarah are longtime friends who only just decided to start creating stories together, and this is their first project as a team. Look forward to more to come from them.
Snapchat: dougcomedy
Owen Wilson Dates Himself, directed by Anna Roisman.
In this quaint romantic art film, Owen Wilson explores life with his one true love. But does that make them a perfect match?
Bio: Anna Roisman is a comedian/actress/creator in Brooklyn whose work has been featured on MTV, Just For Laughs, Funny Or Die, Elite Daily, Huffington Post, People, LA Times.
Snapchat: annaroserois
The 2017 Tribeca Snapchat Shorts from alumni filmmakers are:
The Future is Female, directed by Matt Wolf.
When online archivist Kelly Rakowski found a 1975 photograph of a woman wearing a t-shirt that says, “The Future is Female,” she shared it with her friend Rachel Berks, whose store Otherwild remade the shirt. The feminist slogan went viral and now twenty-five percent of the profits for the t-shirt goes to Planned Parenthood.
Bio: Matt Wolf’s feature docs include Wild Combination about the avant-garde cellist and disco producer Arthur Russell, and TEENAGE about the birth of youth culture. His most recent short Bayard & Me, about the civil rights leader Bayard Rustin premiered at Sundance.
Good Things Happen, directed by Boman Modine.
Sometimes there’s a delay on karma.
Bio: Boman Modine is a director and producer living in Los Angeles who has a new appreciation for Snapchat.
New Look, directed by Dasha Battelle,Ani Acopian.
In a doodle-filled world, a stylist struggles to meet the needs of her difficult client.
Bio: Dasha and Ani both went to Wesleyan, but not at the same time. They have both worked at Snapchat, but not together. Dasha likes to doodle and Ani likes to make films. Sometimes they do this at the same time, and together.
READY, directed by Parker Hill.
A girl struggles to decide what to wear for the big night.
Bio: Parker Hill is a New York based writer and director. 2017 marks her third consecutive year of having a short film at Tribeca Film Festival. Parker is currently an artist of choice with the Kevin Spacey Foundation for her upcoming short film Homing In.
Strangers, directed by Natalia Leite.
A study on first impressions.
Bio: Natalia Leite is a Brazilian-born writer, director, and actor most-known for her debut feature Bare, starring Dianna Agron, her latest feature M.F.A., and her series Be Here Nowish.
“Sonic the Hedgehog 3” Tops Weekend Box Office
In the holiday season battle of big-budget family movies, Paramount Pictures' "Sonic the Hedgehog 3" sped past the Walt Disney Co.'s "Mufasa: The Lion King" to take the top spot at the box office ahead of the lucrative Christmas corridor in theaters.
"Sonic the Hedgehog 3" debuted with $62 million in ticket sales over the weekend, according to studio estimates. With strong reviews (86% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and a high score from audiences (an "A" on CinemaScore), "Sonic 3" is well positioned to be the top choice in cinemas during the busiest moviegoing period of the year.
It was telling of some wider trends that "Sonic 3" — made for $122 million — bested one of Disney's top properties. Videogame adaptations, once among the most derided movie genres, have emerged as one of the most dependable box office forces in recent years. The two previous "Sonic" movies together grossed more $700 million worldwide and the third installment appears likely to do better than both of them. A fourth "Sonic" movie is already in development.
"Mufasa," however, was humbled in its opening weekend, with its $35 million in domestic ticket sales coming in notably shy of expectations . The photorealistic "Lion King" prequel even opened wider than "Sonic 3," launching on 4,100 theaters and gobbling up most IMAX screens, compared with 3,761 locations for "Sonic 3."
Though "Mufasa's" reviews were poor (56% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes), audiences gave it an "A-" CinemaScore.
"Sonic 3" nearly doubled the haul for "Mufasa," which cost more than $200 million to make. Disney could look to $87.2 million in international sales to help make up the difference. The third "Sonic" will rollout in most overseas markets in the coming weeks.
In director Jeff... Read More