by Kyna Morgan
The Sundance Film Festival officially begins today and we are so excited to bring you a wonderful lineup of interviews with the women filmmakers included in the Shorts Program at Sundance this year! The Screening Room YouTube Channel will be showing 12 of the shorts in the Sundance Shorts Program over the next few days, so be sure to check out Kat Candler's "Black Metal" (U.S. Narrative) and Julia Potts' "The Event" (Animated), the only two women directors whose work is included in those 12 films, and both of whom were at Sundance in 2012 with films.
We'll be bringing you the interviews over the course of the 11 days of the festival, but for now, here are the names of all of the women filmmakers (directors and screenwriters) in the shorts program, with some interesting statistics at the end to see how women are represented at this year's Sundance Film Festval:
U.S. Narrative Short Films
Black Metal / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Kat Candler) — After a career spent mining his music from the shadows, one fan creates a chain reaction for the lead singer of a black metal band.
Boneshaker / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Frances Bodomo) — An African family, lost in America, travels to a Louisiana church to find a cure for its problem child.
K.I.T. / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Michelle Morgan) — A guilt-ridden, but well-intentioned, yuppie goes to great lengths to prove she is a decent person.
#PostModem / U.S.A. (Directors and screenwriters: Jillian Mayer, Lucas Leyva) — A comedic, satirical, sci-fi pop musical based on the theories of Ray Kurzweil and other futurists, #PostModem is the story of two Miami girls and how they deal with technological singularity, as told through a series of cinematic tweets.
Skin / U.S.A. (Director: Jordana Spiro, Screenwriters: Jordana Spiro, David Pablos) — A young taxidermist and small town loner is entranced by a girl who finds his work beautiful. Just as their relationship begins to progress, he does something that drastically changes everything.
Social Butterfly / France, U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Lauren Wolkstein) — When a 30-year-old American woman attends a teenage party in the south of France, guests wonder who she is and what she is doing there.
We'll be bringing you the interviews over the course of the 11 days of the festival, but for now, here are the names of all of the women filmmakers (directors and screenwriters) in the shorts program, with some interesting statistics at the end to see how women are represented at this year's Sundance Film Festval:
U.S. Narrative Short Films
Black Metal / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Kat Candler) — After a career spent mining his music from the shadows, one fan creates a chain reaction for the lead singer of a black metal band.
Boneshaker / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Frances Bodomo) — An African family, lost in America, travels to a Louisiana church to find a cure for its problem child.
K.I.T. / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Michelle Morgan) — A guilt-ridden, but well-intentioned, yuppie goes to great lengths to prove she is a decent person.
#PostModem / U.S.A. (Directors and screenwriters: Jillian Mayer, Lucas Leyva) — A comedic, satirical, sci-fi pop musical based on the theories of Ray Kurzweil and other futurists, #PostModem is the story of two Miami girls and how they deal with technological singularity, as told through a series of cinematic tweets.
Skin / U.S.A. (Director: Jordana Spiro, Screenwriters: Jordana Spiro, David Pablos) — A young taxidermist and small town loner is entranced by a girl who finds his work beautiful. Just as their relationship begins to progress, he does something that drastically changes everything.
Social Butterfly / France, U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Lauren Wolkstein) — When a 30-year-old American woman attends a teenage party in the south of France, guests wonder who she is and what she is doing there.
Quvenzhané Wallis, star of Frances Bodomo's "Boneshaker," and also star of 2012 Sundance favorite "Beasts of the Southern Wild."
International Narrative Short Films
The Date / Finland (Director and screenwriter: Jenni Toivoniemi) — Tino’s manhood is put to the test in front of two women when he has to host a date for Diablo, the family’s stud cat.
Le Futur Proche / Canada (Director: Sophie Goyette, Screenwriters: Sophie Goyette, Madeleine David) — A French immigrant pilot receives an unexpected phone call that changes his life forever. He must deal with the emotional consequences of the call while still completing his work duties in this impressionistic depiction of an all-but-ordinary day.
Night Shift / New Zealand (Director and screenwriter: Zia Mandviwalla) — Salote, an airport cleaner, starts another long night shift. She keeps her head down, does her job, and gleans the means for her survival from what others leave behind.
On Suffocation / Sweden (Director and screenwriter:Jenifer Malmqvist) — This dialogue-free film about an execution describes what happens when the system becomes more important than human life.
Scrubber / United Kingdom (Director and screenwriter: Romola Garai) — A mysterious and disturbing suburban narrative about a listless young mother who is torn between family duty and self-serving fantasies. (Cinematographer: Kate Reid)
Summer Vacation / Israel (Directors: Sharon Maymon, Tal Granit, Screenwriters: Tal Granit, Sharon Maymon) — The family summer vacation: sea, sun and sand, and all Yuval wants is to get the heck out of there.
Volume / United Kingdom (Director: Mahalia Belo, Screenwriter: Ingeborg Topsøe) — Sam’s perfectly polished world is upended when Georgina goes missing. As everyone acts like nothing has happened, Sam drifts back into his memories of Georgina and realizes he may know more than he wants to remember.
The Date / Finland (Director and screenwriter: Jenni Toivoniemi) — Tino’s manhood is put to the test in front of two women when he has to host a date for Diablo, the family’s stud cat.
Le Futur Proche / Canada (Director: Sophie Goyette, Screenwriters: Sophie Goyette, Madeleine David) — A French immigrant pilot receives an unexpected phone call that changes his life forever. He must deal with the emotional consequences of the call while still completing his work duties in this impressionistic depiction of an all-but-ordinary day.
Night Shift / New Zealand (Director and screenwriter: Zia Mandviwalla) — Salote, an airport cleaner, starts another long night shift. She keeps her head down, does her job, and gleans the means for her survival from what others leave behind.
On Suffocation / Sweden (Director and screenwriter:Jenifer Malmqvist) — This dialogue-free film about an execution describes what happens when the system becomes more important than human life.
Scrubber / United Kingdom (Director and screenwriter: Romola Garai) — A mysterious and disturbing suburban narrative about a listless young mother who is torn between family duty and self-serving fantasies. (Cinematographer: Kate Reid)
Summer Vacation / Israel (Directors: Sharon Maymon, Tal Granit, Screenwriters: Tal Granit, Sharon Maymon) — The family summer vacation: sea, sun and sand, and all Yuval wants is to get the heck out of there.
Volume / United Kingdom (Director: Mahalia Belo, Screenwriter: Ingeborg Topsøe) — Sam’s perfectly polished world is upended when Georgina goes missing. As everyone acts like nothing has happened, Sam drifts back into his memories of Georgina and realizes he may know more than he wants to remember.
Anapela Polakaivao, star of the film "Night Shift" by Zia Mandviwalla. The film also screened at Cannes in 2012.
Documentary Short Films
30% (Women and Politics in Sierra Leone) / United Kingdom, Sierra Leone (Director: Anna Cady) — Oil-painted animation brings to life the stories of three powerful women in postconflict Sierra Leone, revealing the violence and corruption women face as they fight for fairer representation in the governance of their country.
The Battle of amfAR / U.S.A. (Directors: Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman, Screenwriter: Sharon Wood) — When AIDS strikes, two very different women – Hollywood icon Elizabeth Taylor and research scientist Dr. Mathilde Krim – join forces to create America’s first AIDS research foundation. The fight against HIV/AIDS has never been the same.
Endless Day / Germany (Director: Anna Frances Ewert) — For most people, sleep comes naturally, but for others, the night turns into an ongoing struggle to drift off into oblivion. This film explores what it’s like to be awake involuntarily and the feelings that accompany the passing of sleepless time.
Fall to Grace / U.S.A. (Director: Alexandra Pelosi) — Former New Jersey governor Jim McGreevy famously resigned from office after declaring himself “a gay American.” Since then, he has been working as a spiritual advisor to women in prison.
Outlawed in Pakistan / Pakistan, U.S.A. (Directors: Habiba Nosheen, Hilke Schellmann) — Kainat Soomro, a Pakistani teenager, accuses four men from her village of gang-raping her. She takes her case to the Pakistani courts and faces a deeply flawed criminal-justice system.
30% (Women and Politics in Sierra Leone) / United Kingdom, Sierra Leone (Director: Anna Cady) — Oil-painted animation brings to life the stories of three powerful women in postconflict Sierra Leone, revealing the violence and corruption women face as they fight for fairer representation in the governance of their country.
The Battle of amfAR / U.S.A. (Directors: Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman, Screenwriter: Sharon Wood) — When AIDS strikes, two very different women – Hollywood icon Elizabeth Taylor and research scientist Dr. Mathilde Krim – join forces to create America’s first AIDS research foundation. The fight against HIV/AIDS has never been the same.
Endless Day / Germany (Director: Anna Frances Ewert) — For most people, sleep comes naturally, but for others, the night turns into an ongoing struggle to drift off into oblivion. This film explores what it’s like to be awake involuntarily and the feelings that accompany the passing of sleepless time.
Fall to Grace / U.S.A. (Director: Alexandra Pelosi) — Former New Jersey governor Jim McGreevy famously resigned from office after declaring himself “a gay American.” Since then, he has been working as a spiritual advisor to women in prison.
Outlawed in Pakistan / Pakistan, U.S.A. (Directors: Habiba Nosheen, Hilke Schellmann) — Kainat Soomro, a Pakistani teenager, accuses four men from her village of gang-raping her. She takes her case to the Pakistani courts and faces a deeply flawed criminal-justice system.
Animated Short Films
Benjamin's Flowers / Sweden (Director and screenwriter: Malin Erixon) — Lovelorn and lonely Benjamin lives on the blurry borderline between fantasy and reality.
Bite of the Tail / South Korea, U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Song E Kim) — Life is a constant struggle for a husband and wife. She is suffering from stomach pain, and the doctor has no clue about a cure. Meanwhile, her husband is on his own journey of hunting a snake.
The Event / U.S.A., United Kingdom (Director: Julia Pott, Screenwriter: Tom Chivers) — Love and a severed foot at the end of the world.
Oh Willy... / Belgium, France, Netherlands (Directors and screenwriters: Marc James Roels, Emma De Swaef) — Willy returns to his naturalist roots as he bungles his way into noble savagery.
Tram / France, Czech Republic (Director and screenwriter: Michaela Pavlátová) — The humdrum daily routine of a tram conductress is jolted when the vibrations and rhythm of the road turn her on and take her on an erotic and surrealistic fantasy journey.
Benjamin's Flowers / Sweden (Director and screenwriter: Malin Erixon) — Lovelorn and lonely Benjamin lives on the blurry borderline between fantasy and reality.
Bite of the Tail / South Korea, U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Song E Kim) — Life is a constant struggle for a husband and wife. She is suffering from stomach pain, and the doctor has no clue about a cure. Meanwhile, her husband is on his own journey of hunting a snake.
The Event / U.S.A., United Kingdom (Director: Julia Pott, Screenwriter: Tom Chivers) — Love and a severed foot at the end of the world.
Oh Willy... / Belgium, France, Netherlands (Directors and screenwriters: Marc James Roels, Emma De Swaef) — Willy returns to his naturalist roots as he bungles his way into noble savagery.
Tram / France, Czech Republic (Director and screenwriter: Michaela Pavlátová) — The humdrum daily routine of a tram conductress is jolted when the vibrations and rhythm of the road turn her on and take her on an erotic and surrealistic fantasy journey.
Still from Song E. Kim's film "Bite of the Tail."
New Frontier Short Films
The Capsule / Greece (Director: Athina Rachel Tsangari, Screenwriters: Athina Rachel Tsangari, Aleksandra Waliszewska) — Seven young women. A mansion perched on a Cycladic rock. A series of lessons on discipline, desire, discovery, and disappearance. A melancholy, inescapable cycle on the brink of womanhood – infinitely.
Primate Cinema: Apes As Family / Scotland, U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Rachel Mayeri) — Chimpanzees, our closest relatives, like to watch television. What would a film made expressly for chimps look like? Created with a primatologist and actors in chimp suits, a primate drama is presented to chimpanzees at the Edinburgh Zoo.
Reindeer / United Kingdom (Director: Eva Weber) — A lyrical and haunting portrait of reindeer herding in the twilight expanses of the Lapland wilderness.
The Capsule / Greece (Director: Athina Rachel Tsangari, Screenwriters: Athina Rachel Tsangari, Aleksandra Waliszewska) — Seven young women. A mansion perched on a Cycladic rock. A series of lessons on discipline, desire, discovery, and disappearance. A melancholy, inescapable cycle on the brink of womanhood – infinitely.
Primate Cinema: Apes As Family / Scotland, U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Rachel Mayeri) — Chimpanzees, our closest relatives, like to watch television. What would a film made expressly for chimps look like? Created with a primatologist and actors in chimp suits, a primate drama is presented to chimpanzees at the Edinburgh Zoo.
Reindeer / United Kingdom (Director: Eva Weber) — A lyrical and haunting portrait of reindeer herding in the twilight expanses of the Lapland wilderness.
Still from Rachel Mayeri's film "Primate Cinema: Apes as Family."
And now for some statistics to look a little closer at how women filmmakers who made short films fared in the Sundance Shorts Program this year (because we all know by now that women directors' films make up half of all official Sundance selections in the dramatic feature film category this year!)
There were 65 films chosen for the 2013 Sundance Film Festival's Shorts Program across five categories: U.S. Narrative, International Narrative, Documentary, Animated, and New Frontier.
In the U.S. Narrative category, six of the total 18 films (or 33%) had a woman director or a woman writer or co-writer. Of the 18 films, four (or 22%) had sole women writer-directors.
In the International Narrative category, seven of the total 14 films (or 50%) had a woman director or a woman writer. Of the 14 films, four (or 28.5%) had sole women writer-directors. Also, of the 14 films, two (or 14%) had two female screenwriters and also had a female director.
In the Documentary category, the showing for women was quite poor, which surprised me because women tend to be more commonly found working as directors in the documentary arena than in the dramatic feature arena. In this category, three of the total 15 films (or 20%) had a sole female director. Of the 15 films, one (or less than 1%) had two female directors. There were no female-male directing teams.
In the Animated category, four of the total 10 films (or 40%) were directed by women, with three of the total 10 (or 30%) having a sole female writer-director. One of the films (or 10%) had a female screenwriter with a male director, and one of the films (or 10%) had a male director with a female screenwriter.
In the New Frontier category, three of the total eight films (or 37.5%) had female directors, with one of the films (or 12.5%) having two female screenwriters that also had a woman director.
Sundance 2013 coverage continues later today with an interview with Song E. Kim, writer-director of the animated film Bite of the Tail.
There were 65 films chosen for the 2013 Sundance Film Festival's Shorts Program across five categories: U.S. Narrative, International Narrative, Documentary, Animated, and New Frontier.
In the U.S. Narrative category, six of the total 18 films (or 33%) had a woman director or a woman writer or co-writer. Of the 18 films, four (or 22%) had sole women writer-directors.
In the International Narrative category, seven of the total 14 films (or 50%) had a woman director or a woman writer. Of the 14 films, four (or 28.5%) had sole women writer-directors. Also, of the 14 films, two (or 14%) had two female screenwriters and also had a female director.
In the Documentary category, the showing for women was quite poor, which surprised me because women tend to be more commonly found working as directors in the documentary arena than in the dramatic feature arena. In this category, three of the total 15 films (or 20%) had a sole female director. Of the 15 films, one (or less than 1%) had two female directors. There were no female-male directing teams.
In the Animated category, four of the total 10 films (or 40%) were directed by women, with three of the total 10 (or 30%) having a sole female writer-director. One of the films (or 10%) had a female screenwriter with a male director, and one of the films (or 10%) had a male director with a female screenwriter.
In the New Frontier category, three of the total eight films (or 37.5%) had female directors, with one of the films (or 12.5%) having two female screenwriters that also had a woman director.
Sundance 2013 coverage continues later today with an interview with Song E. Kim, writer-director of the animated film Bite of the Tail.
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