‘Blindspotting’ Star Rafael Casal Explains Why We Shouldn’t Doubt Short Filmmakers (Video)
2018 ShortList Film Festival: “It’s like asking a writer whether or not a haiku is valid,” the “Blindspotting” actor tells TheWrap’s Sharon Waxman
Brian Welk | August 24, 2018 @ 12:28 PM
Last Updated: August 24, 2018 @ 1:56 PM
Should short films be able to stand on their own? It’s a question that always comes up when critics debate the merits of short filmmaking and whether its an art form worthy of its own medium or if a short is just a condensed version of a feature film.
Speaking on behalf of the jury at TheWrap’s 2018 ShortList Film Festival, “Blindspotting” star and co-writer Rafael Casal may have finally put that question to rest.
“It’s like asking a writer whether or not a haiku is valid,” Casal told TheWrap’s Sharon Waxman on Thursday at the AMC Century City 15 in Los Angeles. “It has its place, it has its purpose, it has its power. Medium is entirely arbitrary.”
Casal explained that beyond more easily being able to secure funds or manage time, we frequently see shorts that succeed when the same technique stretched out into a 90-minute feature would struggle.
One great example of this was Casal’s fellow juror Irene Taylor Brodsky. Her film “Homeless: The Soundtrack” is a documentary short that has no backing score, but is half-filled with music that the characters listen to or perform live.
“I don’t know if I would’ve tried that in a feature, because it was an awkward tool to use,” Taylor Brodsky said. “But in a short, in a 26-minute film, I could do it.”
Studios and distributors too are looking more intently at short films and how they can best be shared.
“It’s always a great opportunity to take a peek into someone’s talents,” said Jihan Robinson, vice president of nonfiction programming at Topic Studios, a unit of First Look Media. “Deeply powerful stories can be told in a short form. And given the nature of how people are viewing media today in shorter formats in general on the internet, I think to be able to have platforms on the web that are showcasing shorts are a great opportunity for people to connect with filmmakers and material that is really impactful.”
Now in its seventh year, the ShortList Film Festival gathers together award-winning short films from festivals across the country to compete in one showcase. And this year’s ShortList jury, which also included “Thunder Road” filmmaker Jim Cummings and Dana Gills, director of production and development with Lionsgate motion picture group, recognized Randall Christopher’s “The Driver is Red” for the festival’s top Industry Prize.
The hybrid, animated-documentary tells the story of the hunt for a Nazi war criminal hiding in South America. The jury called it “an incredibly crafted, elegant, and possibly timely story of the execution of civilized justice under circumstances where no civility was due.”
But regardless of the length of a film, filmmaking still comes with challenges and adversity that must be overcome. Casal also offered some advice to any aspiring directors who might hope to find their way to a future ShortList.
“Do it with your friends. Do it with people you love,” Casal said. “Issa Rae says a great thing, she says network across, not up. Stick with the people next to you who have the same ambition, same heart and same love, even if they’re a little less qualified. Straight up. Even if they’re a little less qualified, they’ll run 10 miles longer than the person who is that clocks out.”
Watch a clip from the jury panel at the 2018 ShortList Film Festival above.
The Scene at ShortList 2018: TheWrap's 7th Annual Short Film Festival (Photos)
TheWrap founder and CEO Sharon Waxman and awards editor Steve Pond join the filmmakers featured in the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival at AMC Century City on Thursday.
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Jurors Dana Gill, Jim Cummings, Irene Taylor Brodsky, Jihan Robinson and Rafael Casal at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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"Weekends" director Trevor Jimenez at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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Student director Cecilia Albertini at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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"The Goodnight Show" actress Ellie Dubin and director Charlie Schwan join the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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Filmmakers Cecilia Albertini and Andrea Brusa are featured in the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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The "Labor" film team joins the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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Actress Ellie Dubin, who starred in "The Goodnight Show," at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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The "Labor" film team and "Magic Alps" co-director Andrea Brusa at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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Filmmakers David Fortune, Dominique Koski, Aqsa Altaf, Charlie Schwan and Cecilia Albertini.
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"Night Shift" team before the awards ceremony at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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"Night Shift" actor Calvin Picou at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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"My Dead Dad's Porno Tapes" producer Josh Polon joins the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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TheWrap's Sharon Waxman at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival
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"The Goodnight Show" director Charlie Schwan joins the crowd before the awards ceremony.
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TheWrap team celebrates before the awards ceremony.
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The jurors of the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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TheWrap founder and CEO Sharon Waxman kicks off the awards ceremony.
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Sharon Waxman speaks about the selection of short films featured in the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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The audience at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival awards ceremony.
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Guests mingle at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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Filmmakers Quran Squire and David Fortune.
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Sharon Waxman welcomes guests to the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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Filmmaker Irene Taylor Brodsky speaks at the jury panel at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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"Blindspotting" co-writer and star Rafael Casal speaks during the jury panel at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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Juror Jihan Robinson, VP of nonfiction programming at Topic Studios, speaks about the short film format.
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"Thunder Road" filmmaker and Shortlist 2016 winner Jim Cummings joined the jury at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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The "Labor" team before the awards ceremony.
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Guests at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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Guests converse at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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Eleven filmmakers sit down to talk about their projects during the panel and awards ceremony.
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"Z-MAN" director David Fortune speaks about his film during the filmmakers panel.
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"Magic Alps" co-director Andrea Brusa speaks about some of the challenges working with a goat in his film.
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Aqsa Altaf, director of the student short "One Small Step," joins the filmmaker panel.
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Student director Aqsa Altaf speaks abut her film, "One Small Step."
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Filmmakers Randall Christopher, Quran Squire and David Fortune meet up during the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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"Z-MAN" director David Fortune takes a selfie with Sharon Waxman and filmmaker Quran Squire.
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Sharon Waxman and filmmakers Quran Squire and Marshall Tyler converse during the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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"The Goodnight Show" director Charlie Schwan speaks at the filmmakers panel.
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"Night Shift" director Marshall Tyler speaks about the challenges of making his film, which is set in a bathroom.
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"My Dead Dad's Porno Tapes" producer Josh Polon.
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"Night Shift" director Marshall Tyler.
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Program director Landon Zakheim announces the student prize winner, "The Peak."
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TheWrap's awards editor Steve Pond announces the audience prize winner, voted on by the public.
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Co-director Andrea Brusa accepts the audience prize for "Magic Alps."
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"Magic Alps" co-director Andrea Brusa accepts the audience prize on behalf of his co-director, Marco Scotuzzi and the rest of the film's team.
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"Magic Alps" co-director Andrea Brusa with Steve Pond after his win.
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"The Driver Is Red" director Randall Christopher accepts the industry prize, voted on by the jury.
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"The Driver Is Red," directed by Randall Christopher, is the industry prize winner.
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"The Driver Is Red" director Randall Christopher with jurors Rafael Casal and Jim Cummings.
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Producer Dominique Koski holds the student prize for "The Peak."
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Director Randall Christopher holds the industry prize for "The Driver Is Red."
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"The Driver Is Red" director Randall Christopher with Steve Pond.
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Juror Irene Taylor Brodsky after the awards ceremony.
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Juror Jim Cummings and director Randall Christopher at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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Sharon Waxman with winners Randall Christopher and Andrea Brusa.
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"My Dead Dad's Porno Tapes" producer Josh Polon with guests at the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival.
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Sharon Waxman with winner and director of "The Driver is Red," Randall Christopher.
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Filmmakers and filmgoers gathered at AMC Century City to celebrate this year’s slate of award-winning shorts
TheWrap founder and CEO Sharon Waxman and awards editor Steve Pond join the filmmakers featured in the seventh annual ShortList Film Festival at AMC Century City on Thursday.