ShortFest Day 2: Ending to begin

Today the fest began in full force, with more films, more filmmakers and more good times. One of the evening's unique programs was Odds & Endings, a batch that ranged from the final page to the final breath and contained a good share of World Premieres.

Directors Kevin Acevedo ("The Last Page"), the Salto Brothers [Jesse & Louie] ("Finding"), producer & Ryan Goebel ("Confinement")

•"The Last Page" (WP) comically teases about the drama of a tortured prisoner that is in fact taking place inside the mind of a tortured author attempting to find the perfect ending to his novel. In order to clear his head, our literary hero sets out for coffee, only to find himself in absurd situations that still fail to provide inspiration. The director, who made the short as his thesis film for Chapman University, attended with co-writer Matt Akey and actress Mekenna Melvin. When asked about his favorite director, Acevedo replied that it was himself, because otherwise no one else would root for him -- to which Jesse seconded the motion.
•"A Small Silent Film about Death" (WP) plays off of a joke about the worst thing that could happen when an e-mail mistakenly gets sent to a widow.
•"The Last Thing to Go through a Fly's Mind" follows the reincarnation of a crude Brit who never seems to get it right as he transforms from cat to crustacean.
•"The Weight of Sunken Treasure" cleverly unfolds the memory of a man consumed by a life long past in such a way that all is far from what it seems. Tragedy finds no comfort in the passing of time.
•"Confinement" won the local Palm Springs Student Film Fest and concerns a boy who finds himself part of a tragic countdown. The Corona High School filmmakers said they were inspired by a friend with the same affliction as the central character.
•"Finding" is an impressively polished film that, like "Sunken Treasure," prefers to reveal the full picture pixel by pixel, building anticipation to the conclusion. Jesse said the secret was to make the film conclude just as the audience would prefer, yet without them being able to anticipate that desire. Tricky business. The directors revealed that they are working on creating a feature-length version that expands the short's ending, making the fact that this was the short's World Premiere all the more exciting.
The internationally-raised brothers with parents of Swedish, Polish and Dutch ancestry revealed the importance of language in film. When later speaking with Louie, he claimed that though the film takes place in Paris, it had to be in English, just as other comic videos they've made had to be in French. Expanding from dramatic sensibilities, each language expresses far more than a country's culture. He would love to do a film in Brazil or some other country where he didn't speak the language in order to tap into that unique state of mind.
•"Lightborne" is a remarkably gentle telling of a mother's final night, as her son attends to her medically while her daughter-in-law recognizes the need for a peaceful release. The film focuses on a very short period and yet alludes to an entire lifetime. An absolutely beautiful film, there were few dry eyes left in the house. Jesse complimented the film by stating that it takes a long time to start but rises like a soufflé.