The Fan and the Flower
USA, 2005, 7 Minutes
A narrator tells us the story of a ceiling fan, ensconced in the spare room of a house occupied by an old woman. The fan is lonely, and its life takes a turn for the better when the old woman puts a flowering plant in the spare room.
A romance develops between fan and flower, until the old woman’s decrepitude puts one of the lovers’ life at risk. The fan must act.
Stutterer
United Kingdom, 2015, 12 Minutes
For a lonely typographer, an online relationship has provided a much-needed connection without revealing the speech impediment that has kept him isolated. Now, however, he is faced with the proposition of meeting his online paramour in the flesh, and thereby revealing the truth about himself.
Are You the Favorite Person of Anybody?
USA, 2005, 4 Minutes
A man stands on a sidewalk, waiting to ask passersby a single question: “Are you the favorite person of anybody?” Remarkably simple, yet profound. This script, penned by performance artist Miranda July, asks viewers to take an inward glance at their own lives.
While the Widow is Away
USA, 2005, 20 minutes
A New York building superintendent makes himself at home in the posh Manhattan apartment of a lonely widow.
Time Piece
USA, 1965, 9 minutes
Dislocation in time, time signatures, time as a philosophical concept, and slavery to time are some of the themes touched upon in this experimental film, which was written, directed, and produced by Jim Henson (The creator of the Muppets). Jim Henson is also the star of the show! Screened for the first time at the Museum of Modern Art in May of 1965, Time Piece enjoyed an eighteen-month run at one Manhattan movie theater and was nominated for an Academy Award for outstanding short subject.
Music for One Apartment and Six Drummers
Sweden, 2001, 10 minutes
An award-winning short about six drummers who participate in a well-planned musical attack on the suburbs. As an elderly couple leave their apartment the drummers take over. On everyday objects they give a concert in four movements: kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and living room. The drummers perform on everything from dog dishes and slippers to toilet brush and microwave oven. The hidden music in the household objects is just waiting to be brought to life.
Intermission
The Danish Poet
Norway, 2006, 15 Minutes
In The Danish Poet, filmmaker Torill Kove asks whether our lives are just coincidence – or do little things really matter?
The film follows a poet whose creative well has run dry, on a holiday to Norway to meet a famous writer. As his quest for inspiration unfolds, it appears that a spell of bad weather, an angry dog, slippery barn planks, a careless postman, hungry goats and other seemingly unrelated factors might play important roles in the big scheme of things after all.
The Bigger Picture
United Kingdom, 2014, 8 Minutes
'You want to put her in a home; you tell her; tell her now!' hisses one brother to the other. But Mother won't go, and their own lives quickly unravel as she clings to life. Director Daisy Jacobs uses two-meter-high painted characters in full-size sets to tell the stark and darkly humorous tale of caring for an elderly relative. Academy Award Nominee, The Bigger Picture is quite simply the most innovative, animated short you will see this year.
Fresh Guacamole
United States, 2012, 2 Minutes
An unseen cook uses a series of unusual ingredients to prepare a bowl of guacamole.
This is the shortest film ever nominated for an Oscar.
Our Time is Up
USA, 2004, 15 Minutes
Dr. Stern, a clinical psychologist, leads a well ordered life, self-contained, neat, precise, and scheduled. We watch his appointments with eight patients, as he asks questions, listens, and advises them that all will improve in due time.
Then, he gets a call from an oncologist who gives him very bad news. Suddenly, "in due time" becomes "right now": Stern’s therapy methods change, and so do the fortunes of his patients.