“The Last Gun,” “The Big Shave,” “Day of the Fight.”
If the film titles don’t ring a bell, the big-name directors surely will.
Before going on to red-carpet fame and critical acclaim, Spielberg, Scorsese and Kubrick were all short-film directors.
Crafting a compelling short film is both a litmus test for feature film-dom and an art form unto itself.
Check out these home-grown filmmakers, part of NC Shorts, a new program at this year’s RiverRun International Film Festival in Winston-Salem.
Film: “All That You Love Will Be Carried Away”
Filmmaker: Rob Sterling
Triad connection: Student at UNC School of the Arts.
Plot: The suicidal thoughts of a traveling salesman are punctuated by memories.
Inspiration: Based on a Stephen King short story. Thanks in part to an enthusiastic community of King fans, Sterling’s film is making the festival rounds overseas. As for the high expectations of King aficionados: “I wasn’t worried,” Sterling says, laughing, though the film “does follow the story pretty closely.”
Message: “We want there to be something else out there. … That’s the human condition.”
Film: “First Sunrise”
Filmmaker: Kenneth Price
Triad connection: Raleigh native and UNCG graduate student
Plot: “A bite-sized 'Lost in Translation’ about two people meeting and that initial spark.”
Inspiration: A friend of Price’s moved to Japan and experienced cultural isolation, then love. The title refers to the Japanese tradition of visiting the east coast for the first sunrise of the year; much of that coast was devastated by the recent tsunami. Everyone involved with the film is safe, Price says, but the emotions in the film resonate a little more than before.
Message: “The infinite possibilities in that initial moment when you first meet someone.”
Film: “I’ll Be Seeing You: The Andrews Sisters Tribute Show”
Filmmakers: Brenton Richardson, Sana Haq
Triad connection: Graduate students in the documentary film program at Wake Forest University
Plot: Complemented by archive footage and interviews, the film focuses on members of an Andrews Sisters tribute show.
Inspiration: The doc started out as a class assignment (they got an A), but the filmmakers became interested in the fans, some of whom saw the group live during World War II.
Message: “Being out there, performing for the troops, it’s such a noble thing to do,” Sana Haq says. “It’s important to preserve this legacy.”
Film: “Patty — This Is My Normal”
Filmmaker: Martin Tucker
Triad connection: Winston-Salem resident
Inspiration: Tucker, a photojournalist, passed a woman on the street and “something told me I had to check this lady out.” Patty, 29, started jumping trains with her mother at age 12; her mom died the following year. A self-proclaimed hobo, Patty visits acquaintances across the country and lives in the woods when the weather is fair, catching fish and trapping small animals.
The message: “There can be a joy of life without any material things at all” plus a subtext about the power of a woman: “If this had been a man, it wouldn’t have been the same story.”
Film: “Regular Kids”
Filmmaker: Richard Leder
N.C. connection: Resides in Wilmington.
Plot: On Halloween night, a circus family’s journey to the next town is interrupted by pleas from the kids, who want to go trick-or-treating like normal kids do. After pulling into an empty parking lot, the parents make it happen in an unexpected way.
Inspiration: Artist Fritzi Huber, whose parents were a circus high-wire act. Huber told her story to fellow Wilmington resident Lee Lowrimore, who wrote the screenplay and had friend Leder direct.
Message: “The power of family: being with your family, loving your family. … I’m not sure there’s a greater power.”
Film: “Love Recall”
Filmmaker: Michael Heil
Triad connection: Heil and crew are students at Elon University
Plot: “A simple, beautiful story about the joy of love and agony of heartbreak in any relationship.” The tale unfolds forward and backward simultaneously, split-screen style, from first glance to betrayal and breakup, with a crucial kiss in the middle.
Inspiration: “My mom would tell you that I’ve always been a hopeless romantic.” Heil had outlined the concept for the film but never written it down; he says it was collaboration with the actors and director of photography that made it happen.
Message: “Two sides to every story exist, and the truth is somewhere in the middle.”
Film: “Twice As Bright”
Filmmaker: Leo Hageman
N.C. connection: Holly Springs resident.
Plot: A young widower discovers that his late wife has left him a to-do list to ease his pain and help him begin living again.
Inspiration: In the space of one year, Hageman lost three family members to cancer. His mother requested he make a video of his grandmother, who was battling the disease. “It was one of the most hard-to-watch yet most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. … It was this idea of a memento mori that kept me interested in the project.”
Message: “I hope the film helps others say goodbye and begin again.”
Contact Julie Crawford at jcrawfordfilm@gmail.com
