Congratulations to this week’s animators, Adel Kerpely (”Levitation“), Joseph Herman (”Art Appreciation“) and Tin Pak Lau (”Belle“).

The Winning Film is “Art Appreciation” directed by Joseph Herman - a humorous and lighthearted 3D animated short which reflects upon the meaning of art and ponders the age old question of whether beauty truly lies in the eye of the beholder. Joseph Herman is the Director of Legend Animation, a digital media and entertainment company.

BROADCAST TIME: “Art Appreciation” will be broadcast tomorrow evening, Saturday, May 2nd, 2009 on Thirteen/WNET at 12:07AM (Rebroadcast: 4:55AM) Eastern Standard Time.

Enjoy and Have a Great Weekend!

- Duana C. Butler, Curator/Producer, Reel 13 Shorts

This week’s lineup for Reel 13 Shorts has fun with a showcase of different animation techniques.

Art Appreciation by Joseph Herman. After getting some inspiration from a book on still-life painting, Benny decides to liven up his walls with a new piece of artwork. However, things don’t go quite as expected, and the outcome leaves us pondering whether the end really does justify the means. A humorous and lighthearted 3D animated short, it reflects upon the meaning of art and ponders the old question of whether beauty truly lies in the eye of the beholder. Meet the delightful character of Benny as he sorts through this question.

Levitation directed by Adel Kerpely is a stop motion animation which uses oil painted on canvas. A tender tale of a captured bird who really wants to fly free. “Levitation” features a beautiful use of color and is supported by a well crafted soundtrack.

Belle directed by Mihir Desai features an old woman who tells her grandson a bedtime story about a witch. Is it a fairytale or a nightmare? A  mix of live action and animation, “Belle” is a trippy descent into the stuff that fables are made of.

–Duana C. Butler, Curator/Producer, Reel 13 Shorts

Congratulations to this week’s filmmakers, Jim Curlis (”The Stars Down to Earth“), Kiara C. Jones (”Basura“) and Tin Pak Lau (”Fell In Love With A Girl“). Appreciations to all for sharing such beautiful films that explore the depths of human emotion — and longing. Each filmmaker presents with subtlety of craft the true sentiments that lie beneath the surface of our interactions with loved ones.

The Winning Film is “Fell In Love With A Girl”. Directed by Tin Pak Lau, “Fell In Love With A Girl” is the story of a man who hopelessly tries to save a relationship with a girl that has fallen in love with someone else. The film is beautifully and poetically shot with a unique approach to storytelling .

Tin Pak Lau is a Cantonese Director, writer and producer. He is an independent filmmaker that strives for new ways of storytelling. He is recognized by his peers as a renowned auteur for his visually unique and highly stylized films. His films generally deal with the conflict between values and ideals, and the wrong in human society. Common themes found in his films are nihilism, desire and isolation.

Kiara C. Jones “Basura” is possessed with the power of conveying story through silent and strong imagery. Kudos to Kiara’s assured direction of featured actress Frances Turner for her powerful performance.

“The Stars Down to Earth” showcases a directing talent to keep an eye on in Jim Curlis for his gift of cinematic storytelling. One can only get lost in the world that Jim creates in his short and it possesses the viewer’s imagination.

BROADCAST TIME: “Fell In Love With A Girl” will be broadcast tomorrow evening, Saturday, April 25th, 2009 on Thirteen/WNET at 10:39PM (Rebroadcast: 02:49AM) Eastern Standard Time.

Enjoy and Have a Great Weekend!

- Duana C. Butler, Curator/Producer, Reel 13 Shorts

This week’s lineup for Reel 13 Shorts features Tales of Unrequited Love.

The Stars Down to Earth directed by Jim Curlis. A young man lives on the border of between the ordinary world and his imagined life as a Russian cosmonaut. After being unceremoniously dumped by his girlfriend, he loses grip on reality completely and embarks on a perilous journey into outer space. (RT: 9:45m)

Fell In Love With A Girl directed by Tin Pak Lau. A man hopelessly tries to save a relationship with a girl that has fallen in love with someone else. (RT: 7:17m)

Basura directed by Kiara C. Jones. A woman discovers that the trash isn’t the only thing being discarded in her home. (RT: 4:07m)

Enjoy this week’s films and vote for your favorite!

–Duana C. Butler, Curator/Producer, Reel 13 Shorts

Congratulations to this week’s filmmakers, William Harkins (”Home Free“), John Plausse (”Bravo, Giorgio!“) and Travis L. Cook (”A Hopeless Romantic“).

The Winning Film is “Home Free”. Directed by William Harkins, “Home Free” is based on Director Harkin’s experiences of moving to New York City at the age of five. On the first day in their new inner-city neighborhood, a seven-year-old boy runs away from his mother and sister into the mayhem of the city streets. He sets out to pursue his independence, but gets more than he bargained for. Check out this quintessential New York Film on Saturday night. (Broadcast time listed below.)

And a big thanks to all of this week’s filmmakers for presenting such insightful tales of youth. For me, all of the films are winners.

BROADCAST TIME: “Home Free” will be broadcast tomorrow evening, Saturday, April 18th, 2009 on Thirteen/WNET at 10:48PM (Rebroadcast: 02:16AM) Eastern Standard Time.

Enjoy and Have a Great Weekend!

- Duana C. Butler, Curator/Producer, Reel 13 Shorts

In anticipation of Reel 13’s April 18th broadcast of The Squid and the Whale, Richard Peña, program director of the Film Society at Lincoln Center, sat down with the film’s star, Jeff Daniels. In this interview, Daniels discusses stage acting versus screen acting, the state of American regional theater, and his awkward love scene with former on-screen daughter Ana Paquin.

This week’s lineup for Reel 13 Shorts features Coming of Age tales.

Home Free directed by William Harkins. On the first day in their new inner-city neighborhood, a seven-year-old boy runs away from his mother and sister into the mayhem of the city streets. He sets out to pursue his independence, but gets more than he bargained for. (RT: 7:53m)

Bravo Giorgio directed by John Plausse. With his own son standing near, a man views his beloved grandfather’s body and recalls in detail the day his grandfather took him to get his first barbershop haircut. (RT: 9:12m)

A Hopeless Romantic directed by Travis L. Cook. A boy is in love with an older girl. Having no experience with talking to girls, he tries to figure out the best way to approach her and learns something more valuable out of life. (RT: 8:16m)

Enjoy this week’s films and vote for your favorite!

–Duana C. Butler, Curator/Producer, Reel 13 Shorts

Congratulations to this week’s animators, Soyeon Kim (”Where,There, Here“), Olivier Pierre-Noel (”Keys“) and Charles Bandla (”Edinboro Improvisation“).

The Winning Film is “Where, There, Here”. Directed by Soyeon Kim, “Where, There, Here” is a playful visualization of “Hide and Seek”. Masked African characters dance to a pounding afro-beat in this snappy and fluid animation using only sand.

Soyeon Kim and her partner, Todd Hemker specialize in various animation techniques, illustration, and design. Since 2001, They have been involved with a broad range of projects, working professionally in the world of advertising and film production as directors, art directors, designers, and animators through their production company Yellowshed — a collaborative effort between the two artists.

A big thanks to all of this week’s filmmakers!

Enjoy and Have a Great Holiday!

- Duana C. Butler, Curator/Producer, Reel 13 Shorts

This week’s lineup presents animated shorts that feature music and dance.

Where, There, Here, directed by Soyeon Kim, is a playful visualization of “Hide and Seek”. Masked African characters dance to a pounding afro-beat in this snappy and fluid animation using only sand.

Keys directed by Olivier Pierre-Noel. The piano’s keys The piano’s keys are alive. They fly away and become real characters. A 3-D animation in music, on an arrangement of Schubert’s famous op.100 trio.

Edinboro Improvisation, directed by Charles Bandla. A hand drawn experimental animation based on an animated drawing of a line that appears, transforms then disappears. The initial loop is repeated and expanded on by manipulating scale, orientation and rhythm. The visuals are accompanied by an original loop-based soundtrack.

Enjoy this week’s films and vote for your favorite!

–Duana C. Butler, Curator/Producer, Reel 13 Shorts