See the collection of shorts from the world’s most notable directors
Kyiv film buffs have a wonderful opportunity to see the collected works of some of the world’s most notable directors, including George Lucas, Tim Burton, Gus Van Sant and others, at the festival of short films “Legends.Shortly.” The festival presents a certain outlook on the history of American and European cinema from 1943 to the present, with most of the films supplied with commentary from the directors themselves, giving additional insight.
The program includes 15 shorts, from high brow to comedy, from documentaries to stop-motion animation, from color to black-and-white.
Winner of the Golden Palm for Best Short Film at Cannes in 1990 and Oscar for Best Short Film a year later, Adam Davidson’s “The Lunch Date” is an acclaimed cinematic achievement. Beautifully shot in black and white, this is the story of a white woman and her uncomfortable encounter with a black man in a cafeteria at Grand Central Station. With minimal dialog (and none between the two main characters), Davidson manages to tell a complete, complex, compelling and compassionate story in a mere 10 minutes. He initially entertains the viewer by masterfully crafting a concise screenplay that contains a surprising twist and an even more surprising reversal.
“Freiheit” is the first film ever made by George Lucas. Naturally no one can underestimate the influence Lucas has had on American cinema and its development, however this is more due to the technical advances in CGI, sound and digital moviemaking that he introduced, rather than his skills as a filmmaker. “THX 1138,” “American Graffiti” and the first three “Star Wars” movies are certainly great films, but Lucas hasn’t directed anything of creative value since 1977. As for “Freiheit,” it will be interesting for Lucas’s dedicated fans to see, although there is no special artistic merit to it.
An innovator in documentary filmmaking, D.A. Pennebaker started his career in the 1950s, making experimental films. His directorial debut was a 1953 film called “Daybreak Express” beautifully photographed around the Third Avenue elevated railway in New York, presenting an experiment with technique and a great soundtrack.
It was 25 years ago that Tim Burton made his first short, and it was based on actor Vincent Price, one of his childhood heroes, who later appeared in “Edward Scissors Hands.” The six-minute stop-motion short, called “Vincent,” is a story of a boy who imagines that he is an epically creepy actor. Based on a poem written by Burton, “Vincent” is clearly the forerunner to “Nightmare before Christmas,” in which the same stop-animation style is used and the voice was provided by Vincent Price himself.
Gus Van Sant’s early short film, “The Discipline of D.E.,” based on a story by William S. Burroughs, is all about the discipline of “do easy” – doing things with an effortless quality. Though it’s indeed a student film, it’s so witty and crisp that you’re hardly going to notice. Perhaps the most intriguing film of the festival is Maya Deren’s “Meshes of the Afternoon.” Despite being shot in silent, grainy, 16mm black-and-white film, Deren’s non-narrative work feels like it was cut out of David Lynch’s “Mulholland Drive.” Deren stars in her own film (she died at the age of 44, the victim of a drug habit). “Meshes of the Afternoon” is definitely her most popular work, and is said to be her best.
“Carmen” is Alexander Payne’s first short film, made while he was still a student at UCLA Film School. This 18 minute silent comedy was based on the opera of the same name. In the film, a mentally challenged gas station attendant is put in charge of the store, which leads to love and a tragic-comic end.
Among other shorts are: “Gizele Kerozene” by Jan Kounen, “Jabberwocky” by Jan Svankmajer, “All the Boys Are Called Patrick” by Jean-Luc Godard, “Nocturne” by Lars Von Trier, “The Man Without a Head” by Juan Diego Solanas, “Epilog” by Tom Tykwer, “The Lunch Date” by Adam Davidson and “Screen Test: Helmut” by Andy Warhol.
Kyiv (19 Chervonoarmiyska, 234-7381). Sept. 13 – Oct. 6, 7 p.m., 9 p.m. With Afisha Card – 25 percent discount
