SHORT SHORTS FILM FESTIVAL & ASIA 2015

For our 1st program, Asia International & Japan G, we had 3 sets of guests for the post-screening Q&A.                                                                              1st up was director Chun Wong from Hong Kong brought his short “Good Take.” It’s a funny yet bittersweet story about an old actor whose wife of many years passes away & he gets involved with a crime downstairs from his apartment. Chun told the audience that a key scene in the short where the couple are dancing was inspired by Al Pacino’s dance scene in “Scent of a Woman.” He just reversed the dialogue from the man to the woman. Well done to this young & talented director.

Nest up was director Keisuke Hakomori & actor Chabetaro Ishizaki for the short titled “barrier.” This story of a bitter young man who loses the use of his legs & drives away his girlfriend who is the one person who understands & wants to support him. The whole short film is well directed & acted. It is compact, has weight, is full of emotion & has a perfect ending. This is absolutely one of my favorites out this year’s outstanding crop. Keisuke told the audience that he did have a hard time deciding if he wanted to use the final voice over as a coda but in the end, he decided to pout it in t give some ray of hope to the main character.                                                                                                                 Finally we had director Yoshiaki Sajima & his cast for his funny, quirky short about 2 minor actors who are told to wait in a room until they are called. A deep conversation on whether they should eat the provided lunch boxes or not in the possibly “haunted room” provides droll humor that gives a glimpse at “behind the scenes of filmmaking in Japan.

On to the next program!                                                                                     DJ John