It’s been an eventful week for directors Lucy Walker and Grant Orchard as both have seen their short films not only earn Academy Award nominations on Tuesday morning (see separate SHOOT Oscars rundown), but also that evening garner jury prizes at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City. Their parallel universe also includes Walker’s film, The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom, having been produced by the company that handles her for commercials and branded content, bicoastal Supply & Demand Integrated, while Orchard’s short, A Morning Stroll, too was produced by his spotmaking roost, Studio AKA in London.
The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom picked up the Sundance Jury Prize in Short Film, Non-Fiction. A visual haiku and a story of survival, this short film documents the resurrection of life in Japan following the triple disaster of a devastating earthquake which triggered a tsunami as well as a nuclear radiation crisis.
“I think the film is about life and death and truth and beauty,” said Walker upon accepting the award. She was flustered by the remarkable events of the day, “I got nominated for an Academy Award and I got carded here,” she joked.
Walker’s short was shot by DP Aaron Phillips, who’s handled by The Skouras Agency, and edited by Aki Mizutani of Cutters Editorial.
As for A Morning Stroll, it won the Sundance Jury Prize in Animated Short Film. The short centers on a New Yorker walking past a chicken on his morning stroll, leaving us to wonder which one is the real city slicker.
The other five short film Jury Prize winners at Sundance were:
o Fishing Without Nets /USA, which took the Jury Prize in Short Filmmaking. (Director: Cutter Hodierne, Screenwriters: Cutter Hodierne, John Hibey) — A story of pirates in Somalia, told from the perspective of the pirates themselves. Said the Short Film Jury of the film, “By approaching a story of epic scope with an intimate perspective, this visually stunning film creates a rare, inside point of view that humanizes a global story.”
o The Black Balloon / U.S.A. won The Jury Prize in Short Film, U.S. Fiction. (Directors: Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie) — The Black Balloon strays from the herd and experiences what life as an individual is like. He explores New York City in the deepest way, seeing all of its characters.
o The Return (Kthimi) / Kosovo copped the Jury Prize in Short Film, International Fiction. (Director: Blerta Zeqiri, Screenwriter: Shefqet Gjocaj) — A man comes back from a Serb prison to his wife and son. Much has changed since he was declared missing and continuing where they left off four years ago may not be as easy as it seems.
o The Arm / U.S.A. won the Special Jury Award for Comedic Storytelling. (Directors and screenwriters: Brie Larson, Sarah Ramos, Jessie Ennis) — In an attempt to keep up with social pressure in a technologically advanced world, Chance starts a texting relationship with Genevieve, a girl he meets at a yogurt shop.
o Robots of Brixton / United Kingdom earned the Special Jury Award for Animation Direction. (Director: Kibwe Tavares) — The trials and tribulations of young robots surviving at the sharp end of inner city life, living the predictable existence of a populous hemmed in by poverty, disillusionment and mass unemployment.
Select company
These seven shorts are in select company, pointed out Trevor Groth, director of programming for the Sundance Film Festival.
“The explosion of interest in the short form is evidenced by the record number of short films submitted to this year’s Festival,” said Groth. “Our shorts programming team as well as audiences at the Festival have been struck by the depth of quality and uncompromised voices present in these stories from around the world. Our esteemed jury selected seven winners from a field of 64 that represent a talented group of artists who are sure to continue pushing the limits of creative filmmaking.”
Gene Hackman Died Of Heart Disease; Hantavirus Claimed His Wife’s Life About One Week Prior
Actor Gene Hackman died of heart disease a full week after his wife died from hantavirus in their New Mexico hillside home, likely unaware that she was dead because he was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease, authorities revealed Friday. Both deaths were ruled to be from natural causes, chief medical examiner Dr. Heather Jarrell said alongside state fire and health officials at a news conference. "Mr. Hackman showed evidence of advanced Alzheimer's disease," Jarrell said. "He was in a very poor state of health. He had significant heart disease, and I think ultimately that's what resulted in his death." Authorities didn't suspect foul play after the bodies of Hackman, 95, and Betsy Arakawa, 65, were discovered Feb 26. Immediate tests for carbon monoxide poisoning were negative. Investigators found that the last known communication and activity from Arakawa was Feb. 11 when she visited a pharmacy, pet store and grocery before returning to their gated neighborhood that afternoon, Santa Fe County Sheriff Adan Mendoza said Friday. Hackman's pacemaker last showed signs of activity a week later and that he had an abnormal heart rhythm Feb. 18, the day he likely died, Jarrell said. Although there was no reliable way to determine the date and time when both died, all signs point to their deaths coming a week apart, Jarrell said. "It's quite possible he was not aware she was deceased," Jarrell said. Dr. Michael Baden, a former New York City medical examiner, said he believes Hackman was severely impaired due to Alzheimer's disease and unable to deal with his wife's death in the last week of his life. "You are talking about very severe Alzheimer's disease that normal people would be in a nursing home or have a nurse, but she was taking care... Read More