What can you do in a minute? You can start a relationship, break up or unintentionally complicate one. You can recap two decades of a person’s life or you can hock a cream that makes you juggle. You can do quite a bit in a minute, especially if it’s on film and the Montreal 60 Second Film Festival is proof.
The event, concluding its second edition tonight, features more than a solid hour of filmmaking from 73 different individuals and groups. Each one is given no more or less than a minute to tell their tale cinematically.
The application process is simple: be one of the first 120 people to sign up at a registration party held in July. Then you have one month to make and submit your film. There are no registration fees or restrictions based on filmmaking experience or genre, just technical requirements and a theme.
This year’s theme is “deception” which was interpreted a number of different ways, in some cases directly and in others loosely. There’s the assumed deception that leads to pain in John Kavanagh’s “Let me see” as well as the direct deception that leads to 20 years of waiting in Sean Michaels’ “The Meaning of Life” and the unintentional deception that leads to romance and a missed chance in Forget The Box’s contribution “Looking 4 Luv.”
There are no judges, jury or prizes. This isn’t a contest, but rather a celebration of Montreal filmmakers (pros and amateurs alike) and their work. If you’re not into a particular genre or film, don’t worry, it’ll only take a minute. If you are into it, you’ll probably want more and much more is coming. No deception here.
If you missed the screenings Wednesday and Thursday nights, there’s another chance to catch them tonight (Friday, September 11th) at Sala Rossa (4848 boul. St-Laurent). Doors open at 8pm and the show starts at 9pm. Tickets are $7 and can be purchased in advance or at the door.
If last night is any indication, though, the place will fill up quickly and the seating really quickly. They’re also selling DVDs of the whole program on a sliding scale of $5 to $10.
To whet your appetite, here’s one of the minutes you can expect to see. It’s called Looking 4 Luv and it’s produced by Forget The Box members Jerry Gabriel, Stephanie Laughlin and Chris Zacchia:
