SHORT & SILENT & A BIT KINKY

THE NEOMUET

MANIFESTO




I am the short film, from the Cinema family. My species is ART.
I am the step before the red carpet, the one we sweep under the rug.
My big brother the full feature looks down on me and turns his back.
I try to remind him that I came to life before he did but that is a time he has long forgotten.
So have you, my dearest film apprentices and movie makers.
Your memories are blurred and sometimes, even out of sight.
You want to tell stories through cinema, without knowing the story of cinema.

Filmmaker Florian Quittard curates this cabinet of filmed curiosities, or "Neomuets" -- short, black-and-white, silent films, rife with title cards, creaky background music, and actors with oversized emotions. By definition, the films are moody and atmospheric. Witness the existential marionette piece "The Shadow Who Fell in Love," or the decidedly grim Nazi's last supper in "Auf Wiedersehen." But they can also be unashamedly goofy, as in "Richard III." They remind us of David Lynch's "Eraserhead" or the creepy, old-but-new work of Guy Maddin. What's more, Mr. Quittard accepts submissions. With all the high-tech gadgetry available today, there's no reason you can't write, star in, and direct your own silent film. So go ahead, create a quiet masterpiece.
Thanks to Yahoo Picks...

Also check out the links.