Every year the Houston Film Commission presents a collection of the Best of Texas-made short films, and 2011 is no exception. There is something for everyone in the 90 minute Showcase comprised of projects selected by the jury panel that represent the creative, bold filmmaking that comes from Texas.
This event is a fundraiser for the Texas Filmmakers' Production Fund, with 100% of the ticket sales going to helping Texas independent filmmakers achieve their goals.
8
Directed by Julie Gould and Daniel Laabs - Dallas, Texas
A daughter spends the anniversary of her father's death with her mother.
The experimental documentary and 2011 SXSW Texas Short Grand Jury Award Winner, "8", is Julie's writing, producing and directorial debut.
Daniel Laabs is currently in pre-production for his first feature.
Fatakra
Directed by Soham Mehta - Katy, Texas
Naveen left India to chase his dreams in America. Today, three years and a recession later, his wife and son join him.
Soham Mehta is a theatre and film artist who splits his time between Texas and New York. Born in India but brought up in Houston, Soham spent the early part of his professional life working in technology by day and directing plays by night.
LCD Soundsystem - "Home"
Directed by Mark Armes and Rick Darge - Houston, Texas
A lone robot leaves its maker to discover a new life and ultimately return home.
Mark Armes and Rick Darge are the co-founders of FUNWUNCE, a production company and artist collective based between Houston and Los Angeles. FUNWUNCE's work emphasizes an edgy, fun, and hands on approach to the film making process.
The Man Who Never Cried
Directed by Bradley Jackson - Austin, Texas
Rafe Winston has never cried; not when he was a baby, not when his heart was crushed by his high school sweetheart, not even when he first saw Steven Spielberg's E.T. So when his father dies, Rafe - at the age of 32 - decides to embark upon a true emotional journey with hopes to shed his first tear before the funeral - and before it's not too late.
Bradley Jackson has won numerous awards for his short films, including "Play Land" (finalist of the 2009 Doorpost Film Project), "Playing Chicken" (Audience Award and Best Narrative Short at the SXSW Click Film Festival), and "The Man Who Never Cried" (2010 Doorpost Film Project $100,000 Grand Prize and $10,000 Audience Choice Award).
TFPF Travel Grant Recepient.
Noc na Tanecku (Night at the Dance)
Directed by Annie Silverstein - Austin, Texas
A profile of the last days of a Czech dance hall in rural Texas - and the old-timers who come there to polka.
Annie is currently earning her MFA in Film at University of Texas-Austin. Most recently she produced/directed the short documentary "Noc na Tanecku" (Night at the Dance) (SXSW, Silverdocs 2011), and wrote/directed her first short fiction film "Spark."
TFPF Travel Grant Recepient.
Pioneer
Directed by David Lowery - Dallas, Texas
A father tells his son the most epic bedtime story ever.
David Lowery is an award-winnning filmmaker from Texas. His work has been shown at festivals around the world, including Sundance, SXSW, Slamdance and Thessaloniki, among others. He is an alumni of the Berlinale Talent Campus, and in 2010 was named an Independent Icon by IFC Films.
Sasquatch Birth Journal 2
Directed by David and Nathan Zellner - Austin, Texas
An unprecedented peek at the mysteries of nature.
David and Nathan Zellner are siblings who have written, produced, directed and edited numerous films and music videos that have screened at festivals worldwide. This includes five shorts ("Flotsam/Jetsam", "Redemptitude", "Aftermath on Meadowlark Lane", "Fiddlestixx", and "Sasquatch Birth Journal 2") which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival ('05-'11). In 2008 their feature "Goliath", which also premiered at Sundance, went on to be distributed by IFC Films and aired on The Sundance Channel. That same year they made Filmmaker Magazine's annual 25 New Faces of Independent Film.
TFPF Grant Recepient.