The Oscar Nominated Animated Shorts 2009

Laemmle Theatres is pleased to present all the 2009 Oscar-nominated Animated Short Films in one place.

Lavatory - Lovestory - dir. Konstantin Bronzit - Russia - 10 min
Oktapodi - dir. Julien Bocabeille - France - 3 min
Le Maison en Petits Cubes - dir. Kunio Kato - Japan - 12 min
This Way Up - dirs. Adam Foulkes and Alan Smith - UK - 9 min
Presto - dir. Doug Sweetland - United States - 5 min

plus the following "Commended Films":
Varmints - dir. Marc Craste - UK - 24 min
John and Karen - dir. Matthew Walker - UK - 5 min
Gopher Broke - produced by Blur Studios - USA - 4 min.
Skhizein - dir. Jérémy Clapin - France - 14 min.
Hot Dog - dir. Bill Plympton - USA - 6 min. PRESTO
USA/5 mins/2008

Writer/Director: Doug Sweetland
Producer: Richard Hollander
Music: Scot Stafford
Dignity. Poise. Mystery. We expect nothing less from the great, turn-of-the-century magician, Presto. But, when Presto forgets to feed his rabbit, the revered conjurer gets more than he bargained for!
Director's Biography:
Doug Sweetland joined Pixar Animation Studios in the spring of 1994 to work on Toy Story as an animator. He worked on each subsequent Pixar feature film up to and including Cars. In addition to animating Pixar's timeless characters, Sweetland served as a directing animator on Monsters, Inc., and enjoyed a stint as a storyboard artist for the Academy Award®-winning feature, The Incredibles.
Besides his feature film work, Sweetland served as supervising animator for the Academy Award®-nominated short film Boundin'. Using his vast knowledge from working on these features and short films, Sweetland was able to apply his story and animation skills in the creation of a new Pixar short of his own and served as writer and director for Presto.
Sweetland admits that not even all his years of experience being an animator prepared him for the challenges of writing a story from scratch, but with extraordinary Pixar talent on his side, the story came to life. Presto was released with the Disney/Pixar feature film, WALL E and was recently nominated for an Academy Award® for Animated Short Film.
Born and raised in State College, Pennsylvania, Sweetland grew up watching Disney films and classic Saturday morning cartoons. With a life-long love and passion for animation, he attended California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) for three semesters before coming to Pixar. Sweetland currently resides in San Francisco with his wife and son.

Awards:
(Nominated) Best Short Subject, Annie Awards, 2008

Festivals:
Annecy International Film Festival, 2008; Ottawa International Animation Festival, 2008; 12th Hiroshima International Animation Festival, 2008; Siggraph, 2008
For all Presto publicity, please contact Amanda Sorena - asorena@pixar.com


LAVATORY – LOVESTORY
RUSSIA/10 MINS/2007

Writer/Director: Konstantin Bronzit
Producers: Alexander Boyarsky, Sergey Selyakov
Music: Valentin Vasenkov
A lonely toilet attendant attempts to uncover the identity of her secret admirer.
Director's Biography:
Konstantin Bronzit has earned degrees in art, industrial design, screenwriting and directing. In 1988, Bronzit made his first animated film The Roundabout and began drawing cartoons for magazines and newspapers. From 1993 until 1995, Konstantin worked as a scriptwriter, director and animator at Pilot Studios in Moscow. His Shorts Switchcraft, Pacifier, Knock-Knock, Die Hard, At the Ends of the Earth and The God have received more than 50 awards from festivals worldwide. In 2004, Bronzit directed his first full-length animated feature, Melnitsa's Alosha as well as the short film The Cat and the Fox.
Awards:
Diploma, 5 to 10 minutes, 14th Krok: International Animated Film Festival, 2007; Animated Eye Award, Aspen Shortsfest, 2008; Special Prize, 12th Hiroshima International Animation Festival, 2008; Grand Prize, Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival, 2008; Best Animated Short Film, 17th St Louis International Film Festival, 2008
Festivals:
Krok International Animated Film Festival, 2007; Aspen Shortsfest, 2008; 20th Filmfest Dresden: Internationales Kurzfilmfestival, 2008; 4th AnimaBasauri: Festival Internacional de Cinema de Animacion de Basauri-Bizkaia, 2008; 6th BIMINI: International Festival of Animated Films, 2008; 3rd Festival Animiranog Filma, 2008; 10th Short Shorts Film Festival, 2008; 12th Hiroshima International Animation Festival, 2008; 13th One Reel Film Festival, 2008; 10th Bunter Hund Internationales Kurzfilmfestival München, 2008; Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival, 2008; 17th St Louis International Film Festival, 2008










LA MAISON EN PETITS CUBES (PIECES OF LOVE, VOL 1)
JAPAN/12 MINS/2008

Writer/Director: Kunio Kato
Producers: Kusakabe Masanori, Yuko Shin
Music: Kenji Kondo
An old man battles to save his house in an attempt to beat the rising tide.
Director's Biography:
While studying graphic design at Tama Art University, Kunio Kato won various awards for his animated short films. Later, Kunio joined Robot Communications, Inc., creating animations for advertising and television programming.
Awards:
Best Short Film, 4th AnimaBasauri: Basauri-Bizkaia International Animation Festival, 2008; Junior Jury Award, 32nd AnnecyInternational Animated Film Festival, 2008; The Annecy Cristal, 32nd Annecy International Animated Film Festival, 2008; Best Animated Film, 18th Message to Man International Film Festival, 2008; Best Script, 16th Anima Mundi, 2008; Hiroshima Award/
Audience Award, 12th Hiroshima International Animation Festival, 2008; Best Animation, 12th LA Shorts Fest, 2008; Grand Prize/Special Jury Distinction for Best Directing, 2nd International Animation Festival ANIMANIMA, 2008; Grand Prize, 32nd Cinanima: International Animated Film Festival, 2008; Onda Curta Prize, 32nd Cinanima: International Animated Film Festival, 2008;
Alves Costa Prize, 32nd Cinanima: International Animated Film Festival, 2008
Festivals:
4th AnimaBasauri: Festival Internacional de Cinema de Animacion de Basauri-Bizkaia, 2008; 6th BIMINI: International Festival of Animated Films, 2008; 32nd Annecy International Animated Film Festival, 2008; 18th Message to Man International Film Festival, 2008; 16th Anima Mundi, 2008; 12th Hiroshima International Animation Festival, 2008; 12th LA Shorts Fest, 2008; 2nd ANIMANIMA: Medunarodni Festival Animacije, 2008; 13th Milano Film Festival, 2008; Ottawa International Animation Festival, 2008; 9th AniMadrid: Festival Internacional de Imagen Animada, 2008; 4th Animacor: Festival Internacional de Animacion, 2008; 32nd Cinanima: Festival Internacional de Cinema de Animação, 2008








OKTAPODI
FRANCE/3 MINS/2007
Directors: Julien Bocabeille, Francois-Xavier Chanioux, Olivier Delabarre, Thierry Marchand, Quentin Marmier, Emud Mokhberi
Music: Kenny Wood
Two Octopi fight for their lives in a comical escape through the streets of a small Greek village.
Filmmakers Biography:
The filmmakers are all recent graduates of Gobelins, Ecole de L'Image.
Awards:
Special International Jury Prize, 12th Hiroshima International Animation Festival, 2008; Special Mention for Student Film, Anim'est International Animation Festival, 2008; Best of Show/Audience Prize, Siggraph, 2008; Best Character Animation, Aniwow! (Beijing), 2008; Best Animated Film, Casablanca, 2008; Canal+ Family Award, Annecy International Film Festival, 2008; Children Jury Special Mention, Animafest Zagreb, 2008; Honorary Mention, Prix ARS, 2008; Best Student Animated Short Film, Ficci Baff, 2008; Best Animation, Imagina, 2008; Gran Premio, ArtFutura, 2007; Grand Prix, Courts Devant, 2007; La Bourse Lagardére, E-Magiciens, 2007
Festivals:
12th Hiroshima International Animation Festival, 2008; 35th SIGGRAPH Computer Animation Festival, 2008; 5th London International Animation Festival, 2008; Ottawa International Animation Festival, 2008; 15th Krok: International Animated Film Festival, 2008; Anim'est International Film Festival, 2008; 16th Hamptons International Film Festival, 2008; 51st DOK Leipzig: Internationales Leipziger Festival für Dokumentar- und Animationsfilm, 2008; 7th Brisbane International Animation Festival, 2008; 1st SIGGRAPH Asia Computer Animation Festival, 2008; Puchon International Student Animated Festival, 2008; Alcine 38 (Madrid), 2008; Montra Lisbon Animated Film Festival, 2008; Seoul International Cartoon and Animation Festival, 2008; Stuttgart Trickfilm Festival of Animated Film, 2008; Festival International des Trés Courts, 2008










THIS WAY UP
UK/9 MINS/2008

Directors: Smith & Foulkes
Writers: Christopher O'Reilly, Smith & Foulkes
Producers: Charlotte Bavasso and Christopher O'Reilly
Co-Producer: Christine Ponzevera
Music: John Greswell, Christopher Taylor

Laying the dead to rest has never been so much trouble.

Directors' Biography:
Smith & Foulkes graduated from the Royal College of Art animation course in 1997, going on to join producers Christopher O'Reilly and Charlotte Bavasso at animation studio Nexus.

They have gone on to develop a reputation as one of London's top animation teams with a portfolio that spans short films, music videos, commercials and film title sequences.

Credits include the title sequence for Thunderbirds and the animated 'film within a film' for DreamWorks and Paramount's Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. They have also directed for the BBC's animated comedy show Monkey Dust.

Their commercial work has won them numerous awards and accolades including the Grand Prix Award at Cannes Lions, a Grandy at the Andys, an ITV Award for Best Commercial and two Golds at the D&AD awards. They were the most awarded commercial directors in the US and Europe in 2006.

Selected Awards:
Best Humour, 11th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival + Animated Dreams, Sleepwalkers, Just Film, 2008; Shooting People Comedy Award, London Short Film Festival, 2008; Special Mention, No Words category, 40th Bolzano Short Film Festival, 2008; Best In Show Award, 1st Siggraph Asia Computer Animation Festival, 2008; Best Children's Film, Uppsala International Short Film Festival, 2008; Special Public Prize in International Animation Short, Mundos Digitales Animation Festival, 2008

Selected Festivals:
40th Bolzano Short Film Festival; 11th Tallinna Pimedate Ööde Filmifestival; 1st Siggraph Asia Computer Animation Festival; Sundance International Film Festival, 2009; 14th Encounters Film Festival, 2008; Brest European Short Film Festival, 2008; Anim'est, 2008; Holland Animation Film Festival, 2008; Cork International Film Festival, 2008; AniMadrid Animation Film/TV Festival, 2008; The Times BFI London Film Festival, 2008; Los Angeles International Short Film Festival, 2008;










HIGHLY COMMENDED

VARMINTS
UK/24 mins/2008
Writer/Director: Marc Craste
Producer: Sue Goffe
Music: Jóhann Jóhannsson

A creature struggles to preserve a world in danger of being destroyed through recklessness and indifference.

JOHN AND KAREN
UK/5 mins/2007
Writer/Director: Matthew Walker
Producer: Sarah Cox
Music: Oliver Davis, Tom Russell

Two animals attempt to resolve their relationship issues.

GOPHER BROKE
USA/4 mins/2004
Produced by: BLUR Studio

There is no such thing as a free lunch.

SKHIZEIN
France/14 mins/2008
Director: Jérémy Clapin
Writer: Jérémy Clapin, Stéphane Piera
Producers: Wendy Griffiths, Stéphane Piera
Music: Nicolas Martin

Poor Henry has been struck by a meteorite and yet, miraculously, he’s still here. Well, not exactly ‘here’, just a few centimetres further along than the rest of us. 91 centimetres to be precise!

HOT DOG
USA/6 mins/2008
Writer/Director: Bill Plympton
Producer: Biljana Labovic
Music: Cory A. Jackson

An intrepid dog goes to work for the fire department.