Short stuff

Sanford’s Love Your Shorts Film Festival celebrates sixth year

From The Orlando Weekly, February 10, 2016

“I think that short films often contain an originality, a creative freedom, an energy and an invention that is inspiring and entertaining,” Kenneth Branagh once said. “I think they are, as Shakespeare put it, a good deed in a naughty world.”

Naughty or not, our world is richer for short films. Specifically, Sanford has become a bigger cultural contributor to Central Florida since the Love Your Shorts Film Festival was launched in 2011. The four-day event returns to the historic Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center on February 11-14 with 62 short movies (under 30 minutes) from 17 countries.

The event begins with a free “education day” featuring filmmaker workshops and movies from University of Central Florida students. The first of nine film blocks kicks off the festival proper at 7 p.m. on February 12. While that block offers various genres, the next seven blocks cover one genre or theme each. They are E for Everyone, Documentary, Animation, Comedy and Sci-Fi/Horror on February 13 and Drama and Florida Flavor on February 14. The event concludes with the Best of the Fest block, containing the top films from the previous blocks, as voted by attendees.

A block costs $8, except E for Everyone, which costs $2. A weekend pass is $55. See www.loveyourshorts.com for more information.

For information on opening night, see my blog.

© 2016 Orlando Weekly / MeierMovies, LLC