EXPERIMENTAL SHORT FILMS - 3
Four more of the best experimental short films from around the world.
Butterfly of Love by Nicolas Provost (2003) (Belgium) (4m) *
I will tell anyone who will listen that Kurosawa was the best director there ever was (making only one not great film). Most of Hollywood is indebted to him on some level. So imagine my delight that Belgian filmmaker Nicolas Provost created this mesmerising, reflective montage of Kurosawa's work, Papillon d'Armour (Butterfly of Love), which won an honourable mention at the 2004 Sundance Flim Festival. It falls into the category of experimental but is mesmerising!
LXIV by Damian Livesey (2011) (UK) (3m) *
LXIV (64 in Roman numerals - see if you can work out why!) is dedicated to Damien's father, Jack, who died in 2009. A beautifully shot montage, it was his final year film from Staffordshire University, England, and pieces together a dazzling array of shots that condense our existence into a three-minute film. It is a bit like the Sundance/Youtube feature experiment A Life In A Day (though thankfully with less animal slaughter) and was shot on the Canon DSLRs.
Mona Lisa Descending A Staircase by Joan Gratz (1992) (USA) (7m)
Joan Gratz is an artist and animator who pioneered the technique of claypainting - working with bits of clay she blends colors and etches fine lines to create a seamless flow of images. Mona Lisa Descending A Staircase is a dazzling example as famous paintings from history blend into each other in a seemless journey through art. It must have taken a lot of time and skill to create this masterpiece! Gratz still animates and often sits on the judging panels for animation festivals.
Cocoon by Nuri Bilge Ceylan (1995) (France) (20m)
Cocoon (Koza), the first short film by Turkish director Nuri Ceylan, was selected in the Cannes competition in 1995. Both the director's parents acted in this film. Ceylan is perhaps best known for the feature film, Three Monkeys, which won him Best Director award at Cannes in 2008. He retuned to Cannes again with Once Upon a Time in Anatolia, which won him the Grand Jury Prize in 2011.
