If you're like us, every once in a while you find yourself asking "What's going on with Juliette Binoche?" The all time great has been a bit quiet this past year (apart from that unfortunately hushed release of The Truth) but this week she'll be honored at the Meihodo International Youth Visual Media Festival. If your reaction is "third annual what?" don't feel ashamed. There are so many festivals -- even in this virtual year - that it's hard for even the most devout cinephiles to keep track. But this one will be easy to get familiar with. The nominees are all on YouTube and the Meihodo ceremony will stream live on YouTube this Thursday (January 7th) at 3 PM EST. Juliette will open the ceremony and give a short interview from the set of the Claire Denis new movie (!!!) Radioscopie...
The Meihodo International Yough Visual Media Festival is already one of the largest short film festivals in the world despite its youth (it's just three years old). They attract big names like Binoche, and Oscar winning composer Tan Dun (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon who serves as special advisor). This year's ceremony will also feature a musical tribute to the animation icon Hayao Miyazaki.
Since this festival is all about youth, they offer cash prizes to support emerging careers. This year they'll be giving out prizes totalling over $50,000 to 18 different filmmakers. We love short films and since we don't discuss them as much as we'd like we should at least point you to celebrated titles. Here are the finalists in two of the categories with links to watch them if you so desire.
"A Country in Moving Pictures" looks at a sex worker in the Philippines- ”Elephantbird” Masoud Soheili (Afghanistan) - 15 minutes
A old man wants to give his turkey to his grandchild before he dies.
- ”A Country In Moving Pictures” Arjanmar Rebeta (Philippines) - 16 minutes
A young Filipino woman videochats with an older white man and he sees a picture of life in The Philippines while watching her.
"On the Border"
- ”On The Border” Tynchtyk Abylkasymov (Kyrgyzstan) -20 minutes
A conflict arises between an old man and donkey and two pairs of soldiers on the border of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
- ”Heimat Europa” Isabel Jansson (Germany) 30 minutes
A period and contemporary drama about refugees via a modern woman and her grandmother's diaries from 1945. - ”Dusk” Ujjal Paul (India) 23 minutes
A sex worker meets with one of her clients outside but must then return to her brothel.
- ”So long, Paris” Charles Dudoignon (France) 17 minutes
A comedy about a daughter coming to terms with her parents divorce.
"CoExist" has gorgeous cinematography. But so do some of its competitors- ”Antarctica” Jivko Konstantinov (Bulgaria) - 17 minutes
Famous Bulgarian musicians perform a concert for... a large colony of penguins
- ”Five Hearts” Martin Parlato (Argentina) - 35 minutes
A documentary on Argentina's animal abuse problems and horses - ”Waiting for Jean Paul” Pater/Son (France) - 8 minutes
This is about an older man renovating a castle that was built in 1090
- ”Coexist” Komeil Soheili (Iran) - 12 minutes
A blind captain in Southern Iran fishes each day and makes bread
"Unfinished Life" has qualified for the Oscars
- ”Unfinished Lives” Yucong Chen (United States) - 23 minutes
A lawyer and grieving parents advocate for jusice after a grad student is murdered by four teenagers. This won the Gold Medal at the Student Academy Awards so it is definitely qualified for the Documentary Short longlist for the Oscars in April.
- ”Home” Yali Sharon (United States) - 8 minutes
A profile of a man who has been living in a tent and climbing mountains for years
Perhaps we'll see a couple of these shorts make their way to an Oscar longlist? Maybe some important new filmmaker will mark this year's festival circuit as the moment their career truly began?