Showtime: TheWrap CEO and Editor-in-Chief Sharon Waxman gives her take on the first inaugural Short Film Festival at the Sony Pictures Studios Backstage Theater. The event was sponsored by Cinedigm, MTV and Panavision. Twelve films, ranging from three to 19 minutes in length, contended for top prizes.
Jury member Cassian Elwes, gesturing, drew upon his experience as a producer of “Blue Valentine” and “Lawless” during the panel discussion. From left: TheWrap CEO and founder Sharon Waxman; Michelle Satter, Founding Director, Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program; actor and producer Zachary Quinto; producer Lynette Howell (“Blue Valentine,” “Half Nelson”); Evolution Entertainment’s Elwes; and Howard Cohen, Co-President of Roadside Attractions.
"Star Trek" actor Zachary Quinto, who also produces and stars in his own short films, encouraged young filmmakers to be specific as possible about their goals with their agents and production teams.
Virginia native Cutter Hordierne won the jury award for “Fishing Without Nets,” a story about Somali pirates told from their point of view. Hordierne’s win netted him a $60,000 prize package from Panavision to use on camera equipment for a future project, as well as a Sony handheld camera, which he’ll use for a feature-length version of his short. Fun fact: Hordierne, who spent his infant years sailing the Pacific Ocean with his parents, was named after a sailboat.
Director Christopher Kezelos’ short, “The Maker,” which follows a lonely creature determined to create a friend from scratch, won the audience’s top prize by a landslide with 4,262 votes. He is working on a feature-length version of his stop-motion animated film. “'The Maker' explores the preciousness of our moments on earth, the short time we have with loved ones and the enjoyment of ones life’s work and purpose,” Kezelos wrote on the film’s website.
Audience participation was encouraged during the panel discussion, and filmmakers in the crowd shared how much they spent on their own shorts. Their budgets ranged from under $1,000 to $12,000.
From left: Howard Cohen, Michelle Satter, Zachary Quinto and Lynette Howell form a judges’ huddle outside the event. During their discussion, they also highlighted how the short-film format gives young filmmakers the chance to experiment – and how little projects can actually cost using the current technology and production tools now at their disposal.
Christopher Kezelos and his wife and co-producer, Christine, pose with their Audience award prizes for “The Maker.” Kezelos and fellow winner Hordierne each received a new Sony Alpha A77 DLSR camera as well as a first-look deal with Cinedigm.
Actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead presented the Cinedigm Jury Prize to director Cutter Hodierne for “Fishing Without Nets.” Event co-sponsor MTV will air the two winning shorts on VH1 Classic and MTV.com, promoting the films across its family of channels.
"Catfish" star Nev Schulman, far right, presented the awards along with Winstead. The jury gave a special mention to “A Brief History of John Baldessari,” made by “Catfish” filmmakers Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman. From left: “Baldessari” editor Max Joseph and writer Gabriel Nussbaum with Schulman.
Director Danny Madden, whose short film "(notes on) biology” (running time: 5:38) was on the fest’s list of 12 finalists, mingles at the ShortList Awards.
“Suborgatory” actress Carly Chaikin came to the awards festivities to take a look at the featured films.
TheWrap’s first inaugural Short Film Festival unspooled Tuesday night on the Sony Pictures lot at the Backstage Theater, where two winners and a special citation were announced from a list of 12 contenders. More than 11,000 votes were cast online for "The ShortList” films. Here are highlights as filmmakers, actors and movie buffs took in in the short films and participated in a panel discussion led by a jury of five industry insiders. Click here to watch a video of the event.
.
