My mission in 2018 is to continue bringing people together through the magic of the moving image while also providing ways for budding filmmakers to get their work in front of a wider audience. I have many plans to make that happen including putting on the Short Film Slam -- a semi-monthly screening series that showcases films from the U.S. and abroad during live screenings at my new studio and through an online members-only viewing room.
Official Selections for the 2018 Short Film Slam will be revealed starting 7PM this Friday January 12th during a kickoff screening at the Sci Fi Center in Las Vegas. The audience vote will determine the winning film(s) for each “round” of this tournament-like series. The great thing about this Vegas debut is local movie fanatics will get to watch and cast their votes on the 2018 Short Film Slam program lineup before anyone else in the country.
Another great thing about this kickoff screening is it creates opportunities for relatively little-known films to be discovered and celebrated in new places well beyond where they were made. Whether you are in Las Vegas (if so, see you at the show!) or itching for a ticket to the online viewing room, here is a sampling of the films to be featured in this month’s showcase and where they hail from.
U.S. States Represented: California, Colorado, Maryland, Pennsylvania
Countries Represented: Lativa, France, Australia, Germany
Schools Represented: Temple University, International Film School of Paris, Montgomery Blair High School
Featured Genres: Action, Horror, Documentary, Sci-Fi, Drama, Experimental
Featured Storylines:
- A lonely taxi driver is befriended by a passenger who tries to coax him out of his shell.
- A backpacker wakes up in a rice paddy field in Cambodia with no recollection of how he got there, what happened the night before, or where his girlfriend is.
- A young girl named Emily hears strange noises in her bedroom.
- A man travels by foot, Jeep and a Harley-Davidson to paint scenes in all 64 counties in Colorado.
- A man who lost both his legs in a childhood accident comes to the rescue of the girl he loves when she is victimized by villains.
- An unexpected dream brings an 85-year-old lady to relive the last moments of life at the museum with her deceased husband.
- An 18-year-old Chinese girl enters a televised competition for free plastic surgery, in an effort to look more “Western.”
- A good robot goes to battle with an evil robot, to protect an Alien princess.
- An estranged couple tries to ease their child’s distress.
- A high school student explores the many sides and issues underlying America’s immigration system.
The Short Film Slam is playing Friday, January 12, 2018 at the Sci Fi Center located at 5077 Arville St. Las Vegas, NV 89118
Showtime: 7PM Admission: $5
Which of the states, countries, schools, genres and/or stories would YOU vote for (and why?) to be represented by a film, during the 2018 Short Film Slam?