HOLLYWOOD—Father’s Day is this coming weekend, with that in mind, it’s time to go shopping. What should you buy? You can be creative and make a beautiful frame full of beautiful memories. You can surprise him with a golf outing. Another fabulous idea is BBQ tools and dinner is always a great idea. Nothing says Happy Father’s Day like a homemade meal prepared on the grill.
If the dad in your house is a barbecue fan, Father’s Day is the perfect occasion to give dad a break from grilling duty. Or you can surprise him by taking him to the Palm Springs International Shortfest. The festival is celebrating its 25th anniversary-the largest short film event in North America. The festival begins on June 18 and runs until June 24. The glitz and glamour of Palm Springs and the dazzling annual Palm Springs International Short Film Festival will over plenty of entertainment.
A highly competitive festival, Shortfest receives 5,000 submissions from over 100 countries around the globe. About 325 shorts are selected and screened in 90-minute themed programs. With hundreds of filmmakers and industry professionals in attendance and an audience of 22,000 avid filmgoers, ShortFest is defined by a decidedly casual atmosphere and a taste for the unconventional.
When attending a Shortfest screening, you’ll view between 4 and 10 short films that have been curated into a themed program. Each year, the festival welcomes a long list of working industry professionals from a variety of disciplines to share their knowledge and practical experience in the ShortFest Forum. These panels, master classes and roundtable discussions cover a wide range of emerging trends and new practices in the global film community.
The Shortfest Festival has 17 competitive categories with prize money and services valued at over $70,000. First-place winners in the non-student Animation, non-student Documentary and non-student Live-Action categories, as well as the Best of the Fest Award winner will automatically become eligible for nomination consideration by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the short film categories. The films must be no more than 40 minutes in length, credits included.
The festival is interesting, since all films submitted—regardless of whether they ultimately screen during the Festival—are automatically included in the Market. The Market runs concurrently with the Festival and consists of secure viewing stations open to accredited sales agents, distributors and other industry representatives. The Market is not considered a public screening and does not affect a film’s premiere status.
Rose’s Scoop: Congratulations, to the St. Louis Blues on winning the Stanley Cup on June 12. Laura Branigan’s “Gloria,” became the championship anthem. After three decades, “Gloria,” is a bigger hit than ever in the sports world. Kathy Golik, who is Branigan’s legacy manager has done a great job in continuing her legacy. Branigan died of a brain aneurysm at the age of 52 in 2004.
Happy Father’s Day, to all the wonderful dads!