Wexner Center for the Arts scheduled to show Sundance short films

Abigail Hofrichter
Fri, 30 Aug 2013 00:49:09 +0000
Events, Movies, Theater, dave filipi, mike plante, short films, sundance film festival, the wexner center for the arts

A scene from the short film ‘K.I.T.’ The film is scheduled to be shown at the Wexner Center for the Arts Aug. 30 along with seven other films from January’s Sundance Film Festival. Credit: Courtesy of K.I.T. / Michelle Morgan

Telling a story about love, a severed foot and the apocalypse in the span of a standard commercial break sounds impossible, but a select group of filmmakers have proved otherwise.

The Wexner Center for the Arts is scheduled to screen eight short films from the 2013 Sundance Film Festival Friday night beginning at 7 p.m.

Mike Plante, short film programmer for Sundance, explained the Wexner Center’s thoughtful and at times risky programming of unique films made it a great candidate to host the event.

“We looked for venues that were showing the most interesting and vibrant movies around the country,” Plante said.

Dave Filipi, director of Film/Video at the Wexner Center, welcomed the idea and hopes it will provide a new, authentic film viewing experience.

“It is often hard for short films to be screened, so this is a good opportunity for people to view them the way it’s meant to be opposed to online,” Filipi said.

In addition, Filipi expects the Sundance name will pique curiosity and encourage students to broaden their film horizons.

Jennifer Wray, marketing and media assistant for the Wexner Center, also has high hopes for the indie film event.

“We think that both the quality and variety of shorts included in this evening of Sundance selects will make it a compelling, fun and illuminating night for all,” Wray said in an email.

Wray said the Wexner Center regularly features short films created by Wexner curators, such as the annual Ohio Shorts program, as well as those compiled by outside sources on the Film/Video schedule.

Friday is set to feature eight of the 80 shorts from the 2013 Sundance Film Festival in January. The films range in length from four to 23 minutes and cover a wide range of sub-genres, such as drama, comedy, animation and documentary.

“We like to take the audience on a roller coaster ride of thoughts and emotions over the 90-minute show,” Plante said.

He said the Sundance Film Festival defines a short as 50 minutes or less, with an average run time of 12-14 minutes.

“We chose a variety of films or different styles and a mix of serious and fun in order to show the wide variety of films we show at the Sundance Film Festival every January,” Plante said.

Featured shorts include the award-winning comedy film “The Date,” an award-winning, four-minute short about the projects of Los Angeles entitled “Until The Quiet Comes” and an animated portrayal of the end of the world and a severed foot, called “The Event.”

“Everyone that comes to a shorts program may have a different experience than the person sitting next to them,” Plante said. “We hope it starts conversations that last long after the show as well.”

The Wexner Center is just one of many stops the program will make across 50 cities this fall. The program began in July and will wrap up in January, right before the next Sundance Film Festival.

The screening is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. Friday with an approximate 99-minute run time. Tickets cost $8 for general public and $6 for students.