The Screening Room – February 2013

Not only is Europe delicious, but it is also getting a visit from Show Me Shorts director Gina Dellabarca in February. She’s flown to Europe to attend the Berlinale in Germany and the largest short film festival of all: The Clermont-Ferrand Festival in France.

May she eat all the cheese she can find, drink their wine and come back telling her stories with a fancy accent!

Now I don’t know about you guys but I am not going anywhere except the supermarket, perhaps the pub. The beach… life is just so hard.

Yes, the Auckland summer is great and I waited a long stupid winter for it. Still, I think thoughts like “Oh Europe… you are so delicious.” So between my sunscreen applications and daily ice cream quotas I looked up some European produce online that I want to share with you. This way we can all have a taste and take a short, imaginary trip.

Pixels

Patrick Jean, France

Wait. What? Did I just say Europe? This short film is clearly set in New York but writer/animator Patrick Jean is French, so there’s our connection. He made this great story where pixels escape a TV set and start taking over the city, 8 bit by 8 bit. I am sure that is a secret dream of many a gamer out there.

La Partita Lenta (The Game Is Slow)

Paolo Sorrentino, Italy

Sports. Who doesn’t love sports? Many people don’t, that’s who. It is no secret I might be one of them, but then I had a thought: Are we not emotionally connected to sports whether we like them or not? I mean, who doesn’t remember the shock of Mike Tyson biting chunks out of his opponent’s ear? Who amongst us didn’t feel disappointment or justified in their suspicions when Armstrong said he did it but it didn’t feel wrong at the time? And where were you when poor Sonny Bill ripped his shirt?

If you haven’t found the path to the heart of sports, this short about the emotional preparations before a rugby game might help you see why people connect to it so much.

“La partita lenta” di Paolo Sorrentino… by PerFiducia

Tanghi Argentini

Guy Thys, Belgium

Ah love. Everybody wants some. It is one of the forces that drives us humans through life, next to thirst and hunger. And what dance expresses love stronger than the Argentinian Tango?

In this sweet and funny Belgian short we meet a man who insists a co-worker should help him learn the Tango so he can dance with a woman he fell in love with over the internet. The results are not what you would expect – you’ll be glad you watched this film.

That’s all for this time around and a big SMS thanks go out to the German Foreign Office and the Goethe-Institute, who have helped sponsor Gina’s travel and accommodation. Bleiben classy Deutschland!

– Aasta L. Otnes