The Folklorist Goes To Hollywood!

As many of you may know if you follow my Instagram (Kissonthewind), I spent this weekend schmoozing in LA with some of my former London crew. The whole getaway was a delicious break from the constant snow of Brooklyn (seriously, it was the first time in two months that I could feel the tip of my nose), but the highlight of the weekend was the Shorts HD party at the Paley Center for the Media.

Palm trees everywhere! #defrost2015

 

Just getting to go to the Paley Center itself was a treat; you hear so much about Paleyfest, it seems like somewhere that a TV and Film devotee like myself just needs to visit. It looks good when you check in there on Facebook. Don’t pretend you don’t give yourself a prestige check in once in a while.

I went to the Ladies’ just before the shindig got started and imagine my surprise when I nearly walked into two people wearing gold paint and not a lot else. They were still in the process of turning each other into very flexible human Oscar statues. Eventually, they left to delight the crowd with their incredible strength and ability to pose for hours of pictures, but they left a fine veil of gold glitter over the restroom. Not that the women at this party didn’t shine enough on their own!

Just some light yoga to set the mood.

 

As Shorts HD CEO Carter Pilcher pointed out, there were a notable amount of female directors and producers nominated across the three Oscar Short Film categories (animated, live action, and documentary). Three of these women (Ellen Goosenberg Kent and Dana Perry for Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1 and Kristina Reed for Feast) got up to accept an Academy Award the next night, along with three men. Women are making progress in Hollywood, but is there anywhere else they are being recognized in literally equal numbers to male filmmakers?

With all of the compelling actresses in front of the camera, many casual film fans may not realize that there is an appalling lack of women behind the cameras, especially in positions of creative and financial power. But short film is an important site for emerging talents to launch themselves into a wider spotlight, so I personally hope that the success of these women presages even greater achievements from female filmmakers.

I was also excited to meet Mat Kirkby and James Lucas, who won Best Short Film Live Action for The Phone Call, which stars my favorite Anne Elliot, Sally Hawkins (if you don’t know who Anne Elliot is, I’m not sure we can be friends). Kirkby was wearing a plaid suit that can only be described as “fly as hell.” He definitely gets my vote for Best Dressed. When I complimented him on his pocket square, he lamented that it wasn’t folded with enough flair for the occasion and gave it a fluffing.

Then he was ready to party.

I think we all know who the Best Dressed Blogger was. Mmmhmm.

As the Prohibition-inspired cocktails flowed around the room, born aloft by attractive servers, the love and passion in the room was palpable, along with the nervousness of the nominees. I couldn’t help noticing that the people deftly whisking glasses of moonshine or champagne around the room were wearing two distinct costumes: classic tuxs for the boys and a rainbow of modish wigs for the women. The contrast wordlessly articulated a great fact about the Oscars and the weekend of revels preceding them. No one can resist the lure of Old Hollywood, that aesthetic of winking diamonds and a silk sleeve falling over a delicate shoulder, and that keeps us looking back to the grand tradition of the Academy Awards. But the film world is also looking forward, for new stories, techniques, and talents. Progess in art, technology, and social issues.

One of the great beauties of short film is that they can arguably push more boundaries and be a more effective vehicle for innovation than features that are more encumbered by financial expectation. So I will end by echoing a sentiment held by more than a few of the short film luminaries that descended upon Beverly Hills this weekend: these shorts deserve to be seen on the big screen, like any other great works of film. If you have the chance to see them at your local theater, they are worth your time.