ENZIAN announced today the program of short films selected to screen at the 17th Annual Florida Film Festival, March 28 through April 6, with screenings at Enzian Theater and Regal Cinemas Winter Park Village 20. This year 10 separate programs showcase 109 short films representing 16 countries from 800 submissions by U.S. and international filmmakers. Submissions include 18 world premieres and five North American and U.S. premieres.

"This year our patrons will experience a broad scope of work ranging from outrageous animation and captivating short documentaries, to original and untamed comedies and exceptional dramas," said Matthew Curtis, Florida Film Festival Director of Programming.

Short films screen in Festival theaters as part of one of the Festival's nine short film programs or in the case of documentary short films, preceding feature length documentary films. This year’s American Independent Competition Short Film Program and Midnight Shorts have been graciously supported by sponsor Metromix Orlando. American Independent Competition Animated Shorts are sponsored by Lure Design, inc., and all short films in the International Showcase are sponsored by Schenck Company & Peroni.

Visit Enzian.org/FFF for a complete listing of films in competition.
Highlights from the American Independent and International Showcase competition include:


AMERICAN INDEPENDENT COMPETITION: LIVE ACTION SHORTS,
sponsored by Metromix Orlando
American independent cinema yields some of the most exciting and highly anticipated films in the world. This category celebrates the diverse aesthetics, subjects, and perspectives that constitute the vision and creativity of American film storytellers, in short form.

Selected shorts from the American Independent Competition include the following:

CUTLASS (Directed by Kate Hudson)
A first car and a new guitar spark emotions for a mother (Virginia Madsen) about her relationships with her father (Kurt Russell) and her daughter (Dakota Fanning). Hilarious cameo by Chevy Chase and the directorial debut of Kate Hudson.

HOLE IN THE PAPER SKY (Directed by Bill Purple) - World Premiere
A misanthropic genius finds himself inexplicably drawn into an unexpected bond. Producer Jessica Biel co-stars along with Stephen Collins, Garry Marshall, and Jason Clarke.

X (Directed by Josh Brolin) - East Coast Premiere
An escaped con and his wise-beyond-her-years daughter bond over the loss of her mother as they cross the desert to give her a proper burial. Written and directed by actor Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men) in his debut behind the camera.

FCU: FACT CHECKER’S UNIT (Directed by Dan Beers) - Florida Premiere
Lowly fact-checkers at the fictional men’s magazine Dictum are tasked with confirming whether Bill Murray actually drinks a glass of warm milk before going to bed. They have less than 24 hours…


AMERICAN INDEPENDENT COMPETITION: ANIMATED SHORTS,
Sponsored by Lure Design,Inc., and Metromix Orlando
Transcending traditional storytelling and fueled by artistic expression, American independent animated shorts are free from the boundaries imposed on live-action films.

Selected shorts from the American Independent Competition’s Animated Shorts include the following:

ZOMBIE DEAREST (Directed by Lee Stringer) - World Premiere
Central Florida is the source for this clever CGI horror spoof with tributes galore. Welcome to the first adventure of Tofu, The Vegan Zombie.

TEAT BEAT OF SEX (Directed by Signe Baumane) - North American Premiere
FFF favorite Signe Baumane has come up with the perfect vehicle for her unique talents and obsessions: an “explicitly educational” series of films that talk about sex exclusively from a woman’s point of view. A record breaking 8 animated works are featured in the 2008 Festival, the most ever by any one filmmaker.

TALES OF MERE EXISTENCE (Directed by Lev Yilmaz) - East Coast Premiere
The two-time FFF Audience Award Winner for Best Short Film returns with three more unique commentaries on life and how to live it: “How I Found Out About Girls, “ “A Typical Conversation With My Mom,” and “How to Break Up With Your Girlfriend.”

A LETTER TO COLLEEN (Directed by Andy and Carolyn London) - Southeast Premiere
FFF veterans (“The Backbrace,” “The Shit Chronicles”) and 2004 Audience Award winners (“Subway Salvation”), the Londons are back with this edgy work about a man trying to put his 18th birthday demons to rest by composing a letter.


INTERNATIONAL SHOWCASE: ANIMATED & LIVE ACTION SHORTS,
Sponsored by Schenck & Peroni and Lure Design, Inc.

Both animated and live action short subjects fill the wildly popular International Showcase shorts programs. These entertaining and "compressed" international tidbits illustrate the truth of great gifts arriving in small packages.

Selected shorts from the International Showcase include the following:

BITTER SWEET (Directed by Yurat Safarov, Russia) - World Premiere
The trust between Moscow newlyweds is tested when an unexpected guest appears at their wedding photo shoot.

SHAUN THE SHEEP: STILL LIFE (Directed by Richard Golesowski, U.K.) - East Coast Premiere
From the good folks at Aardman Animations comes this wacky tale of a farmer who takes up oil painting. When his back is turned, Shaun and company have a go at it.

TANGHI ARGENTINI (Directed by Guido Thys, Belgium) - Southeast Premiere
*2008 Academy Award Nominee – Best Live Action Short Film
A meek office clerk enlists the help of an arrogant co-worker to teach him the tango in two weeks and win over his pending internet date.

MADAME TUTLI-PUTLI (Directed by Chris Lavis & Maciek Szczerbowksi, Canada)
*2008 Academy Award Nominee – Best Animated Short Film
Weighed down with earthly possessions and ghosts from her past, Madame Tutli-Putli boards a night train and gets caught up in a desperate metaphysical mystery, adrift between worlds real and imagined.


AMERICAN INDEPENDENT: DOCUMENTARY SHORTS
From exploring cultural trends and political movements to examining deeply personal issues, documentary films frame the "real world" in unforgettable and unique ways. These film programs feature the most powerful and provocative new work in American nonfiction filmmaking.

Selected shorts from the American Independent Competition’s Documentary Shorts include the following:

LA CORONA (Directed by Amanda Micheli & Isabel Vega) - East Coast Premiere
*2008 Academy Award Nominee for Best Documentary Short Film
If only every beauty pageant had contestants who were assassins, thieves, and murderers—perhaps they would all be this entertaining.

SALIM BABA (Directed by Tim Sternberg) - Florida Premiere
*2008 Academy Award Nominee for Best Documentary Short Film
Salim Muhammad wants his children to inherit the cinematic legacy of the push-cart hand-cranked projector that his father passed down to him.

MY OLYMPIC SUMMER (Directed by Daniel Robin) – East Coast Premiere
* Winner of the Short Filmmaking Award at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.
Words and images no one was supposed to see reveal the love that was nearly lost behind the headlines of a historic tragedy.


MIDNIGHT SHORTS, Sponsored by Metromix Orlando
Midnight shorts amuse, surprise, or shock the bleary-eyed viewer, providing a late-night dose of cinematic nourishment for the film obsessed. These shorts offer an eclectic mix of horror, over-the-top comedies, surreal tales, explicit animation, and bizarre stories that defy categorization.

Selected shorts from the Midnight Shorts program include the following:

THE SLEUTH INCIDENT (Directed by Jason Kupfer) - World Premiere
Out of Central Florida comes this tender tale of a teddy bear and his travels—and his touch!

THE RAMBLER (Directed by Calvin Reeder) - East Coast Premiere
A disquieting night with a drifter, a mad scientist, his two distinctly unwell daughters and a molested mummy. The latest completely deranged, darkly funny slice of indescribable cinema from the director of “Little Farm” (FFF 2007).

KIRKSDALE (Directed by Ryan Spindell)
A troubled teenager and a lecherous deputy fight for their sanity and their lives in Kirksdale Hospital, a decaying mental asylum in the deep south of 1960s Florida.


FLORIDA SHORTS: BEST OF BROUHAHA
This program showcases the best locally produced films and videos from film schools statewide that has previously won the Brouhaha competition earlier in the year.

Selected shorts from the Florida Shorts: Best of Brouhaha program include the following:

PENGUIN: THE MUSICAL (Directed by Dave Metzger) – World Premiere
A delightful fantasy about sacrifice in the name of true love. Abe is madly in love with Lilly but must find a way to tell her before she leaves to tag penguins in Antarctica.

PROMBIES! (Directed by Fredrick Snyder) - East Coast Premiere
In this clever homage, a young couple must deal with the issues of sex and zombies on the night of their high school prom.

FOOBIE JESUS (Directed by Katherine Leis)
A woman believes she is receiving signs from above that her cat may be of a divine nature.