PBS is offering up six independent short films today, about subjects ranging from immigrant skyscraper cleaners to the life of a hunk of wood.
In a partnership with Independent Lens and POV, PBS.org is offering films ranging in length from three to 20 minutes. All were curated by PBS, Independent Lens and POV to draw young, diverse audiences.
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Paraíso, about three immigrants who rappel from Chicago skyscrapers to clean their windows, is fascinating from the opening frame.
The network also announced its popular Online Film Festival will return June 16-July 31. PBS plans to release an additional 20 shorts in the coming months.
The six films premiering today are:
“Mr. Smith’s Peach Seeds” (POV) — Meet the retired meter reader and cattle rancher who has carved hundreds of peach seeds into hummingbirds, stingrays, gospel choirs, entire villages, and even a baseball stadium. The film is available here: http://www.pbs.org/indiefilms/
“Wood” (POV) — Follow the journey of timber from the forest to the sawmill, and meet the working men who guide it along the way. The film is available here: http://www.pbs.org/indiefilms/
“Paraíso” (POV) — Experience the danger that immigrant window cleaners face each day as they risk their lives rappelling down Chicago’s tallest skyscrapers. The film is available here: http://www.pbs.org/indiefilms/
“Lucky Dip” (Independent Lens) — Meet a little girl in a stormy seaside town who encounters a magical amusement arcade rabbit and the foreboding Pin Man. The film is available here: http://www.pbs.org/indiefilms/
“Here and Away” (Independent Lens) — Two people–an old man living on a small island and a young woman living in one of the world’s biggest cities–describe why no other place on earth could ever be home. The film is available here: http://www.pbs.org/indiefilms/
“Home” (Independent Lens) — Take a bittersweet, evocative journey through the filmmaker’s childhood home, which was flooded during Hurricane Katrina and mistakenly torn down a year later. The film is available here: http://www.pbs.org/indiefilms/
Enjoy.