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20 January 2012

movies for a rainy weekend

Sundance shorts stream on Yahoo for online Audience Award voting

From the LA Times:
In the past, any independent film fan who couldn’t make it to Park City, Utah, in the last two weeks of January had to wait until distribution deals went through to see Sundance Film Festival hits such as “Little Miss Sunshine” and “Napoleon Dynamite.” That’s starting to change. Recently, Sundance started bringing its programming into select cities during the festival, and starting this year, nine of the short films in the festival will be available to watch online.
Starting yesterday, the short films premiering at Sundance are viewable at sundance.yahoo.com via Yahoo, a sponsor of the festival. Through Jan. 27, Web users can watch the films and vote on them for the Yahoo! Audience Award. The winning filmmaker will be announced  Jan. 28 and will receive $5,000.
“Some of the best filmmakers started their careers developing short films and now our audience has the chance to pick what could be the next big name in the film industry,” Mickie Rosen, senior vice president of Yahoo Media Network, said in a statement.
The nine films were selected by festival organizers and Yahoo movie editors. See the full list along with synopses below:
“ '92 Skybox Alonzo Mourning Rookie Card”
Jim and Dave, two brothers who don't like each other very much, are forced to come together when their dad dies. Dave is pretty sure he has an Alonzo Mourning Skybox Series rookie card, but Jim has other ideas.
“Aquadettes”
A meditation on life, death and synchronized swimming.
“The Arm”
To keep up with social pressure in a technologically advanced world, Chance starts a texting relationship with Genevieve, a girl he meets at a yogurt shop. But tragedy forces Chance to realize that he was never in a relationship at all.
“Debutante Hunters”
In the low country of South Carolina, some true Southern belles reveal their more rugged side, providing a glimpse into what drives them to hunt in the wild.
“Dol (First Birthday)”
A gay Korean American man yearns for a family life that is just out of reach.
“Henley”
Meet 9-year-old Ted Henley, budding motel manager and roadkill entrepreneur.
“Long Distance Information”
Father always told us, “Never talk to strangers.”  But surely we have to phone home sometimes.
“Odysseus’ Gambit”
During his lifetime, each man plays cosmic chess against the devil.
“Una Hora por Favora”
A woman hires a day laborer for an hour and gets more than she bargained for.

The Sundance Film Festival 2012 kicked off Thursday and continues through  Jan. 29.

Photo: Ten-minute documentary "Aquadettes" is one of nine Sundance films contending for the Yahoo! Audience Award. Credit: Sundance Film Festival

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