Short Film Showcase

Hunting and Dating These four shorts share little thematically - although they can loosely be said to deal with retribution; they are simply among the best films we viewed this year, and no survey of American shorts would be complete without them. Deliverance meets Monty Python in Matt Smith's Hunting Earl, in which a group of young people hunt old men in the forest. Ruvin Orbach's Lucky Man, featuring Frank Vincent, John Ales and Joe Spataro, is a tale of two brothers and the tough-love morality of the mob. Jimmy, a gambler, owes a great deal of money to Paulie, the head mob boss in Brooklyn. Anthony, who wants to prevent Jimmy from getting killed over his debts, pleads for his brother's life. But after a bungled robbery attempt, the brothers suddenly find themselves pitted against each other for survival. Peter Burstin wrote, directed and stars in Rendezvous, a hilarious film about the pitfalls of blind dating. Cariton Prickett's Winterlude is a gorgeously photographed, emotionally complex film about two young, disaffected people and the solace they find in each other's presence. Their love affair is tainted by the echoes of lost loves, until one's determination to seek revenge mobilizes the other to move on. Donal Logue (best known as the obnoxious cab driver in a series of MTV spots) and Galaxy Craze (NADJA) turn in outstanding performances in this North-Carolina native's narrative film debut. Hunting Earl Directed by Matt Smith United States, 1996, 16mm, Color, 13 minutes, World Premiere Lucky Man Directed by Ruvin Orbach United States, 1996, 16mm, Color, 29 minutes, U.S. Premiere Rendezvous Directed by Peter Burstin United States, 1996, 16mm, Color, 11 minutes, World Premiere Winterlude Directed by Cariton Prickett United States, 1996, 16mm, B & W, 33 minutes, World Premiere