In the wake of the canceled 2020 SXSW Film Festival edition, Mailchimp has teamed with Oscilloscope and SXSW to launch Support the Shorts, a streaming event to view select short films from the fest for free on the Mailchimp Presents platform starting today. This will include over 70 short films, including the four festival winners and seven special recognition films which were recently announced.
“The night that SXSW was cancelled, filmmakers were wondering what to do next, and prominent members of the tight-knit film community offered support and a signal-boost — we wondered if we could do the same at scale. With this project, we’re trying to accomplish two things: to offer these artists a platform for exposure, and to provide access to some amazing work from artists I’m sure we’ll be hearing about for a long time to come. And, we’re excited that many people who weren’t planning on attending the festival, as well as those who were, will get to enjoy them too,” said Sarita Alami, Director of Programming for Mailchimp Studios.
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“We have been heartened by the outpouring of sympathy and support for our filmmakers from so many corners since the cancellation of SXSW,” said Janet Pierson, Director of Film for SXSW. “Our inboxes blew up with some variation of “I’m so sorry, what can we do to help?” In the face of this unprecedented crisis, it was exciting for SXSW to be able to pass on this lucrative opportunity for all the official short film selections for SXSW 2020.”
Following its cancellation due to the current COVID-19 health crisis, SXSW organizers have offered alternative outlets for filmmakers in order for their work to be seen, which included sending screening links to jurors and an option for filmmakers to showcase their work via the festival’s secure online screening library Shift72 to make content available for press, buyers, and others.
Yesterday, SXSW unveiled the jury and special award-winning submissions. Winners in the animated, documentary and narrative short film categories are still eligible for the Oscars.
Below are a few titles from Support the Shorts:
DOCUMENTARY SHORTS
Special Jury Recognition for Acting: Dirty
Director: Matthew Puccini
Actors: Morgan Sullivan, Manny Dunn
Special Jury Recognition: Single
Director: Ashley Eakin
MIDNIGHT SHORTS
Winner: Regret
Director: Santiago Menghini
Special Jury Recognition: Laura Hasn’t Slept
Director: Parker Finn
ANIMATED SHORTS
Winner: Symbiosis
Director: Director: Nadja Andrasev
TEXAS SHORTS
Winner: Just Hold On
Director: Sam Davis, Rayka Zehtabchi
Special Jury Recognition: Coup d’etat Math
Director: Sai Selvarajan
TEXAS HIGH SCHOOL SHORTS
Winner: Wish Upon a Snowman
Director: Miu Nakata
Special Jury Recognition: Narrative
Winner: Ultimatum
Director: Kai Hashimoto
Special Jury Recognition: Documentary
Winner: Unveiled
Director: Sofia Bajwa
Special Jury Recognition: Animation
Winner: The Orchard
Director: Zeke French
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