Traditionally, film festivals have provided filmmakers with a venue for showing their more artistic or nontraditional works. Film festivals serve as one of the only places where movie connoisseurs can see a lot of different genres and styles — especially short films. While your local movie theater or cinema may offer some independent or controversial films, it is rare to see short films on the line-up.
There are quite a few short films that will be screened at the East Lansing Film Festival this year. Here's a sampling so you know what to expect.
"Corduroy"
Director: Dave Kendall and Bryan Falcon
Running Time: 20 minutes
This short film manages to be hilarious, tragic and ironic within its short time span. A grown man passes by a store and is reunited with his childhood obsession — a red pair of corduroy pants. He tries them on — they're perfect, and so begins the love affair.
His relationship with the pants sour a bit as the corduroy lover learns things are not always as good as they look.
"Corduroy" utilizes limited dialogue and creative cinematography to get its point across. The creative plot line will keep viewers totally invested in the character throughout the whole film.
Check "Corduroy" out at the East Lansing Film Festival on March 26.
"Patterns"
Director: Jamie Travis
Running Time: 9 minutes
"Patterns" is the most visually stimulating film you will ever see. It manages to include elements of suspense, horror, mystery and comedy in its brief time frame.
The backdrop is colorful and fraught with, you guessed it, various patterns on the walls, furniture and costumes. The sole character viewers see is a beautiful mod-inspired, 20-something female.
The film fails to really tell audiences anything. The plot, if you can call it that, is truly vague and there is no discernible conclusion. Despite these shortcomings, "Patterns" is still truly intriguing. The film is worth watching for its spectacular cinematography alone.
Check "Patterns" out at the ELFF on March 25.
"Pencillia"
Director: James Rewucki
Running Time: 19 minutes
"Pencillia" manages to make a very strong comment on society, despite never coming out and saying anything. Every element of the film emphasizes its critique of the workplace drudgery that has come to characterize modern life. "Pencillia" is dark and gritty, falling somewhere between black and white and color.
The film revolves around an employee who breaks a pencil at work. The company, which provides its employees with inspirational posters sporting their logo and messages like "work hard to feed your babies," is overly bureaucratic and somewhat tyrannical when it comes to replacing office supplies.
"Pencillia" is more provocative than a good proportion of feature length films. Check it out at the ELFF on March 25.
For more information on these, or any other films featured in the festival, visit www.elff.com.
