Shorts Monthly:  First Timers Dominate this Year’s Oscar Short Film Derby

Another cartoon comedy is “Oktapodi,” a romp starring a pair of squid.  Hailing from France, the filmmakers are a collective of recent graduates of Gobelins, Ecole de L’Image.  Although the credited directors are Julien Bocabeille, Francois-Xavier Chanioux, Olivier Delabarre, Thierry Marchand, Quentin Marmier, and Emud Mokhberi, due to the Academy’s rules about the number of nominees, only Mokhberi and Marchand will pick up statues should “Oktapodi” win. From Russia comes the delightful romance, “Lavatory - Lovestory.”  Writer-director Konstantin Bronzit already has an animated feature under his belt, “Melnitsa’s Alosha.” The Japanese-produced “La Maison En Petits Cubes (Pieces Of Love, Vol 1)” is an elaborate animation about an elderly man who relives past memories while exploring his flooded home.  Writer-director Kunio Kato studied graphic design at Tama Art University and has previously animated ads and TV shows.

Short film fans who downloaded the ten free 2009 Sundance Film Festival shorts on iTunes last month will be familiar with “This Way Up.”  The comedic adventure of two undertakers foiled by a troublesome coffin was created by the team of Alan Smith and Adam Foulkes.  The London-based Smith & Foulkes have an impressive list of credits, including the title sequence for “Thunderbirds,” the film-within-a-film’ in “Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events,” and segments of the cult favorite BBC series “Monkey Dust.”  According to their bio, the duo were the most awarded commercial directors in the US and Europe in 2006.

In the live action category, Reto Caffi contributes the top-notch security guard drama “Auf Der Strecke (On the Line),” which Industry insiders were buzzing about early last year when it played the Aspen Shortsfest.  And Jochen Freydank delivered the Holocaust-themed “Toyland.”

Noteworthy, there are three shorts directed by women nominated in the live action category.  Elizabeth Marre co-directed with Olivier Pont “Manon sur le Bitumen (Manon on the Asphalt),” a captivating look at a young woman’s life after she’s involved in a bike accident.  Marre has a background in French law, has studied acting, and has worked as 1st Assistant Director on feature films.

Irish-American writer/director Steph Green is responsible for the school-set “New Boy,” A graduate of Northwestern University and University College Dublin, Ms. Green shoots both short films and commercials.  Her work has been featured in the Cannes Lions Young Director’s showcase and the Young Guns Advertising Awards.

Dorte Hogh filmed the hospital roommate conflict, “The Pig.”  Making her directorial debut with “The Pig,” Hogh has previously written for television and film, including the feature films “The Inheritance” and “Manslaughter.” She is a graduate of the National Film School of Denmark.

On Oscar night, clips from each of the nominated films are sure to be shown.  But if you want to check out the filmmakers’ full achievements, you have several options.  The live action and animated nominated shorts have been screening at cinemas around the country in programs organized by Magnolia and Shorts International.  For anyone who wants to watch the films immediately, select shorts are available via iTunes.  As for the docs, HBO and PBS have always been keen supporters of the short documentary format; it’s highly likely the four Oscar contenders will make their way to your television set very soon.