shnit Happening in Philadelphia: Advance Movie Tickets, Feria del Barrio and Global Expansion

Travel lover Lena visits my pop-pp shnit CINEMAS box office at 31st Annual Feria del Barrio.For several years, I’ve championed the community building endeavors of Couch Fest Films, an annual event where people meet to watch award-winning motion pictures in strangers’ houses, aboard their boats and inside other unconventional venues around the world -- all on one day. During that time I also became an official ambassador for this cozy “little festival that could,” hosting movie screenings in Philadelphia.

So when Couch Fest -- which was founded on the west coast -- became part of the shnit International Short Film Festival (juried in 2014 by Oscar winning screenwriter Paul Haggis of Crash, Million Dollar Baby, Casino Royale) based in Switzerland, I jumped at the chance to bring their 2015 shnit CINEMAS worldwide installment to the city known as the birthplace of America.

The British romantic comedy "Love is Blind," directed by Dan Hodgson is among several short films playing at shnit CINEMAS Philadelphia.shnit International Short Film Festival is the first global, multicultural event catering to motion pictures that are 40 minutes or less.

Hosted simultaneously in select cities across 5 continents, the festival unites filmmakers and movie lovers for an exceptional short film experience.

Now, film fans in Philly have an opportunity to watch a curated selection of 8 shorts from around the world that are nominated for the international competition of this festival. The Philadelphia audience will also operate as the jury by choosing the winner of THE FLAMING FAUN award, which includes prize money of $20,000 for the winning filmmaker.

On Saturday October 17^th, the shnit CINEMAS worldwide exhibition hits the big screen in the Roberto Hernandez Theater at Taller Puertorriqueño (2557 N. 5^th Street, Philadelphia, PA; map address here). Residents in the Greater Philadelphia area were able to score Early Bird tickets to this upcoming event during my pop-up shnit Cinemas box office launch at the Feria del Barrio arts celebration that took place in September. Advance Tickets to see this diverse collection of short films, including an Academy Award contender, two successfully backed Kickstarter projects, and a Palme d’Or nominee from Cannes, are ON SALE NOW!

Let’s come together to watch, discuss and vote on some of the world’s best films!

Monday Movie Meme – Wash, Rinse and Repeat

Enjoying massage chairs at The Laundry Cafe while passing out flyers to customers for the Couch Fest 2014 Film FestivalAs an official Ambassador of the Couch Fest Films 2014 Festival, I am pleased to announce that the theme for this week’s Monday Movie Meme is inspired by The Laundry Café at One & Olney Square Plaza, where over one dozen short movies from around the globe are showing in Philadelphia on Saturday, December 6^th in the afternoon: Spin Cycles.

Share on your blog or in the comments section, movies featuring scenes where people are washing clothes. The characters or films you reference can be anywhere…in a Laundromat, at sea, in a laundry room, dormitory, etc. you get the picture. Only two movies that fit this bill come to mind for me, including “DIRTY LAUNDRY (AIR IT OUT),” a comedy about colorful characters who find themselves asking questions about life, morality and normality while washing clothes in an all-night Laundromat at 2:13am. They become clean of their life problems by nights end. Directed by Temple University graduate Shannon Newby, this movie was made in Philadelphia.

There is also a laundromat scene in "THE TOWN” where a guy gets chummy with the manager of a bank he just robbed, while she tries to wash a co-workers blood off her shirt in this heist movie directed by Ben Affleck.

What movies have YOU watched that feature scenes where people are washing clothes?

Join us on Saturday, December 6, for what MovieMaker Magazine calls one of the "top 5 coolest short film festival in the world."

Couch Fest is a cozy shorts film fest that brings world-class short movies out of the cinema and into non-traditional venues like living rooms, boats, community centers, and more. Meet your neighbors and see the best short films of the year.

Couch Fest Philadelphia is showing at The Laundry Café at One & Olney Plaza Shopping Center (Front and Olney sts).

Showtimes for The "BEST OF COUCH FEST FILMS" 2014:

3:00pm

*Free to the public—limited seating—no ticket required*

Don’t live in Philadelphia? Find showtimes for Couch Fest movie screenings in your area!

Monday Movie Meme - The Little People

Remember the British filmmaker Duncan Cowles, whose short film “The Lady with the Lamp” screened during the 2012 Couch Fest Film Festival? Well, he recently touched base with me regarding some good news -- the movie (which also won Best Family Portrait at #2012CFF, by the way!) is now available online via Vimeo and YouTube.

So, if you have four minutes to spare during a lunch break or need some quick laughs, Cowles has made his short available for your viewing pleasure. Speaking of short stuff, allow me to introduce the theme of this week’s Monday Movie Meme: The Little People.

Share on your blog or in the comments section, the shortest movie characters that you’ve ever seen on the big (or small) screen. These characters do not have to be midgets per se -- they just have to be shorter than average height of all the other people in the film. Here are my selections for this week’s The Little People theme.

Bad Santa

The elf in this movie is about as short as they come but what he lacks in height, he makes up for in humor.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring & The Two Towers & Return of the King

Frodo, Sam, Pippin and Merry may be Hobbits who are so short that many of the women including Princess Arwen and Eowyn -- the lady of Rohan -- tower over these little guys, but they still have a lot of inches on Gimli, the Dwarf who is a bit overconfident in what he can contribute during the battles of Middle Earth.

Honey I Shrunk the Kids

If you think life is hard, try to walk a mile in the shoes of kids whose scientist father accidentally turned them into miniatures! Can the children in this movie still count as a proper selection for this week’s theme, even if they were at a normal height in some scenes? I don’t know but since I am having difficulty thinking of more short characters that fit the bill, I’ll let you all be the judge of that!

Who are the shortest movie characters that you’ve ever seen?

Watch "The Lady with the Lamp" by Duncan Cowles: http://vimeo.com/33969679