Welcome to the 2nd Annual San Jose Short Film Festival
If you’re having a difficult time waiting for Cinequest 2011 (March 1!) or if you’re just looking for an excellent way to spend a few hours this weekend, the 2nd Annual San Jose Short Film Festival is for you. Held at Camera 3 downtown this Saturday and Sunday, you will be treated to several short films per session and even have a chance to speak to the filmmakers when it’s over.
Yes, to be clear, this is not a short film festival, this is a festival of film shorts. This means all films are 15 minutes or less, and some are as short as two minutes. There are two different groupings of films: Program 1 has 16 different films, and Program 2 has 13 films, and there is a great variety of genres and types of films to see. Everything from drama to comedy to Sci Fi is represented, and I enjoyed almost every film of Program 1 on Thursday evening. But the best thing about film shorts is that even if you don’t like one particular film it is over in 15 minutes or less! And then you’re on to the next one! Program 1 is about 2 hours 30 minutes long and Program 2 is just under 2 hours, and both have a good variety of shorts with some crossover.
Some highlights from Program 1:
BLUEBERRY is the charming story of a darling young girl whose mother has left “on holiday”. One day her father, who has suffered from “allergies” ever since mummy left, takes little Daisy to the pet store. When they come home with their new pet, Blueberry the snake, the story really begins.
WINNER BEST SHORT FILM is actually the title of one of the shorts, and is the hilarious story of a man who is sure he will be successful in the industry based on the results of his recent award winning short film. This film will be fully appreciated by anyone who is in the film business, who has tried or failed to make their own short film, or who has had to sit and watch endless screeners of bad films. But truly the audience of film lovers last night were laughing themselves silly.
SHELDON is the sad story of a washed up television show puppet, fresh out of rehab. With no one willing to give him a second chance on film, what choice does he have but to accept the offer of a celebrity wrestling match?
COCKPIT: THE RULE OF ENGAGEMENT is an excellent Sci Fi entry taking place in 2103 when humans are battling creatures who have perfected mind control. When one fighter returns from battle claiming he never had any contact with the alien mind controllers, should he be believed, or should he be destroyed to protect the human race? The moral question in this short makes it an excellent Sci Fi pick.
In my opinion, short films are always a great choice, and with $8 for a ticket that allows you to see 13 – 16 films, you can’t beat the price. If your mind isn’t made up yet, keep in mind that Camera 3 contains the awesome Psycho Donuts in their lobby AND they serve alcohol. Pop corn, donuts, wine and beer, and two hours of great film… what better way to spend your weekend?
San Jose Short Film Festival
Tickets $8
Camera 3
288 S. Second Street
Program 1
Saturday, December 11th, 4pm
Sunday, December 12, 4pm
Program 2
Saturday December 11th, 1pm
Sunday December 12th, 1pm
Tickets $8
Camera 3
288 S. Second Street
Program 1
Saturday, December 11th, 4pm
Sunday, December 12, 4pm
Program 2
Saturday December 11th, 1pm
Sunday December 12th, 1pm
There is also a FREE Film Forum (at their Festival Headquarters: 110 Paseo de San Antonio) from 1pm – 9pm TODAY (Friday, December 10) with filmmaker interviews, equipment and product demonstrations including Red Cameras, DLSRs and sound equipment, plus a terrific panel discussion where you get to ask the questions from their panel of film experts (starts at 6:30pm) and discuss the state of indie filmmaking in the Bay Area.nd Program 2 has 13 films, and there is a great variety of genres and types of films to see. Everything from drama to comedy to Sci Fi is represented, and I enjoyed almost every film of Program 1 on Thursday evening. But the best thing about film shorts is that even if you don’t like one particular film it is over in 15 minutes or less! And then you’re on to the next one! Program 1 is about 2 hours 30 minutes long and Program 2 is just under 2 hours, and both have a good variety of shorts with some crossover.
Some highlights from Program 1:
BLUEBERRY is the charming story of a darling young girl whose mother has left “on holiday”. One day her father, who has suffered from “allergies” ever since mummy left, takes little Daisy to the pet store. When they come home with their new pet, Blueberry the snake, the story really begins.
WINNER BEST SHORT FILM is actually the title of one of the shorts, and is the hilarious story of a man who is sure he will be successful in the industry based on the results of his recent award winning short film. This film will be fully appreciated by anyone who is in the film business, who has tried or failed to make their own short film, or who has had to sit and watch endless screeners of bad films. But truly the audience of film lovers last night were laughing themselves silly.
SHELDON is the sad story of a washed up television show puppet, fresh out of rehab. With no one willing to give him a second chance on film, what choice does he have but to accept the offer of a celebrity wrestling match?
COCKPIT: THE RULE OF ENGAGEMENT is an excellent Sci Fi entry taking place in 2103 when humans are battling creatures who have perfected mind control. When one fighter returns from battle claiming he never had any contact with the alien mind controllers, should he be believed, or should he be destroyed to protect the human race? The moral question in this short makes it an excellent Sci Fi pick.
In my opinion, short films are always a great choice, and with $8 for a ticket that allows you to see 13 – 16 films, you can’t beat the price. If your mind isn’t made up yet, keep in mind that Camera 3 contains the awesome Psycho Donuts in their lobby AND they serve alcohol. Pop corn, donuts, wine and beer, and two hours of great film… what better way to spend your weekend?
San Jose Short Film Festival
Tickets $8
Camera 3
288 S. Second Street
Program 1
Saturday, December 11th, 4pm
Sunday, December 12, 4pm
Program 2
Saturday December 11th, 1pm
Sunday December 12th, 1pm
Tickets $8
Camera 3
288 S. Second Street
Program 1
Saturday, December 11th, 4pm
Sunday, December 12, 4pm
Program 2
Saturday December 11th, 1pm
Sunday December 12th, 1pm
There is also a FREE Film Forum (at their Festival Headquarters: 110 Paseo de San Antonio) from 1pm – 9pm TODAY (Friday, December 10) with filmmaker interviews, equipment and product demonstrations including Red Cameras, DLSRs and sound equipment, plus a terrific panel discussion where you get to ask the questions from their panel of film experts (starts at 6:30pm) and discuss the state of indie filmmaking in the Bay Area.
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