Genres

Why do filmmakers create short films? Sometimes they are truly motivated to tell a story which only fits in a short format. Other times, it is to show off their skills in order to establish their credentials. Once in a while, they may make a short version of a film that they ultimately want to turn into a feature length production. At this year’s Dances With Films (DWF) festival, held in Hollywood in June, the selection of short films was impressive and contained examples which both fit into and transcended the above reasons. Three films I found impressive all dealt with our perception of what is real: 'Funny Love,' 'Waste Paper,' and 'Waiting for You.'

One of the amazingly enjoyable aspects of the Dances with Films Festival is the opportunity to see short films you might never otherwise never screen.

When news reports of Kurt Cobain's suicide came out, the world was in shock and then settled back to thinking it was another of example of a rocker living fast, dying young and leaving a good looking corpse. Only in Cobain's case it wasn't so good looking; a shotgun blast to the head killed him. Or was it? After the case was closed by the Seattle Police Department another investigator who had information pieced together details and information that he had that the police didn't want to see. His conclusions are explosive and may result in re-investigating Kurt Cobain's death, this time as a homicide.

Wildlike, a film by writer/director Frank Hall Green, was shown during the eighteenth Dances With Films (DWF) indie-film festival in Hollywood. Dances With Films promotes itself as relying on “innovation, talent, creativity and sweat equity” rather than celebrity. All those good qualities are evident in Wildlike. The film has an intriguing story, great characters and an interesting production history.

Without doubt, the escapades of Allan Karlsson and his adventitious group of friends, will leave audiences reflecting on what it really means to grow old while attempting to retain the most valuable of all possible possessions.

I think there’s a lot of smart people who have seen what is being fought and won in the food movement and they are channeling that progress into what’s been taking place in the fashion industry.

Did you purchase a piece of clothing today or yesterday? Do you know that 1 in 6 people work in the fashion industry? Do you know that only 3% of the workers are in the US? Before Andrew Morgan made this film, he probably knew as much as you do about how clothes are made. We don't source our clothes, but maybe we should. This is a vital topic because every piece of clothing we wear is made by human hands and many of the workers go through a lot to make them.

If you were at the NuArt Theater in Los Angeles on May 15 or 16, you could have gotten a ticket for a tat. If that tattoo was based on the work of H.R. Giger, that is, and you wanted to see the premiere of 'Dark Star: H.R. Giger’s World.' H.R. Giger was a relatively obscure surrealist artist until 1979 when the world saw his design work in Ridley Scott’s 'Alien'. From that moment, the world of science fiction and horror, rock music album covers, punk and goth culture, and tattoos and fetish art was changed forever.

Blogcritics' interview with Director Cosima Spender, who has has created an amazing documentary of the iconic Palio of Siena, the oldest and one of the most crazy and exciting horse races in the world.

Assaya’s talent for cleverly depicting the complex insecurities of these women makes for mesmeric storytelling in 'Clouds of Sils Maria.'