Arriving on DVD without having experienced a Us theatrical release, The Dark Valley toured several smaller film festivals after premiering a year ago at the Berlin International Film Festival. Multiple category winner at both the German Film and Bavarian Film Awards, with a stop at Karlovy Vary and a late 2014 North American stint, which included programming in the mini German Currents events in Los Angeles, it’s unfortunate the title didn’t receive a wider platform considering its rather curious elements.
Selected as Austria’s entry for this year’s Foreign Language Oscar submission, this is perhaps director Andreas Prochaska’s most accomplished narrative effort, as he’s generally steeped in television or pulpy genre. His latest, a by-the-numbers Western, captures a rather poetic ambience, even as it manages to neglect both its protagonist and rather garish details that skews the film into horror film territory. UK star Sam Riley...
Selected as Austria’s entry for this year’s Foreign Language Oscar submission, this is perhaps director Andreas Prochaska’s most accomplished narrative effort, as he’s generally steeped in television or pulpy genre. His latest, a by-the-numbers Western, captures a rather poetic ambience, even as it manages to neglect both its protagonist and rather garish details that skews the film into horror film territory. UK star Sam Riley...
- 1/20/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Why Watch? If you want to mine this short film for its most profound nugget, you’ll find a question of what it’s like to live in a completely transparent society, one where your deepest shames and desires aren’t secret. How do you live when your inner world is made public? If you don’t want to look that deep, you can still revel in Nick Offerman playing a trickster god narrator who tries his best to send bullets flying in a stereotypical Western saloon. Marked by poetic voice over, it’s also fantastically funny. Written by Kevin Tenglin and given cinematic life by director Eric Kissack, The Gunfighter twists the plot conceit of Stranger Than Fiction into a commentary on genre tropes, whiskey-slinging and itchy prostitutes. Clever and thorough in its execution, everyone on the production team is game for the absurdity, showing both the love required to truly lampoon something and the wit...
- 9/2/2014
- by Scott Beggs
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Eric Kissack's “The Gunfighter” is a finalist for the top prize at TheWrap's third annual 2014 ShortList Film Festival. Written by Kevin Tenglin, the story follows a weary gunfighter who walks into a bar, looking for a drink. What he finds instead is a building full of raunchy people and an audible, bloodthirsty narrator. The cast includes Shawn Parsons, Scott Beehner, Eileen O'Connell, Jordan Black and Timothy Brennan, though it's the unseen narrator voiced by “Parks and Recreation” star Nick Offerman who steals the show. Also Read: ‘Tropical Sunday’ Director Fabián Ribezzo on Maputo's Street Children: TheWrap's ShortList Quickie Kissack spent 10 years.
- 8/19/2014
- by Jeff Sneider
- The Wrap
The third annual ShortList Film Festival, which runs through August 27, 2014 just announced the 12 finalists.
The 12 finalists include shorts prize winners from the Sundance Film Festival, SXSW, the La Film Festival, Tribeca, Aspen, Clermont-Ferrand and other prestigious festivals. The films and filmmakers come from the United States, Mexico, Mozambique, Germany, Brazil and elsewhere around the globe.
All films are available now through August 27 for online voting Here. The shorts will also air on the Epix network August 24 at 6pm Et/3pm Pt and again in Epix’s Drive-In on August 25 12midnight Et/August 24 9pm Pt.
Two winners will each receive $5,000 cash prizes, the Audience Prize sponsored by YouTube and the Industry Prize sponsored by Epix at an awards ceremony on August 28 at the YouTube Space Los Angeles.
The Industry Prize winner, chosen by a jury of independent film experts, will also receive a pitch meeting at Paramount Pictures, MGM or Lionsgate to pitch their next project. The Audience Prize winner determined by popular vote will also receive the use of the YouTube Space for their next project.
Each winner will receive the opportunity to consult with the independent movie studio Cinedigm.
The Shortlist is proudly sponsored by Cinedigm, Epix, MTV and YouTube. It is presented by The Wrap and programmed by Nancy Collet.
Here are the finalists in three categories:
Animation
"Eager"
Directed by: Allison Schulnik
USA, 8 Minutes
A rhythmic ritual is performed by a bizarre ensemble of macabre figures.
Special Jury Recognition, South by Southwest ’14
"Macropolis"
Directed by: Joel Simon
UK, 8 Minutes
Two discarded toys find a new lease of life in a big alien city full of humans.
Family Choice Award, Ashland International Film Festival ‘ 14
"Me + Her"
Directed by: Joseph Oxford
USA, 13 Minutes
When Jack and Jill of Cardboard City are separated by Jill's untimely death, Jack goes on a journey to mend his (literally) broken heart.
Best Animated Short, Aspen Shortfest ’14
Narrative Fiction
"The Gunfighter"
Directed by: Eric Kissack
USA, 9 Minutes
A gunfighter in the old West starts off a chain reaction when the voiceover announcing his entrance to a saloon proceeds to give a laundry list of the town’s deepest secrets.
Audience Award, Los Angeles Film Festival ‘14
"My Friend Nietzsche"
Directed by: Fáuston da Silva
Brazil, 15 Minutes
The improbable meeting between Lucas and Nietzsche will be the beginning of a violent revolution.
Audience Award, Clermont-Ferrand Iff '14
"Noah"
Directed by: Patrick Cederberg; Walter Woodman
Canada, 18 Minutes
A relationship steeped in social media and told through the lens of Noah’s computer screen.
Best Short Film, Toronto International Film Festival ’13
"Off Ground"
Directed by: Boudewijn Koole
Germany, 13 Minutes
A dance film about a boy that says farewell to his mother.
Audience Awards, Netherlands International Film Festival ’14
"The Phone Call"
Directed by: Matt Kirby
UK, 19 Minutes
When a shy lady (Sally Hawkins) who works in a suicide helpline call center takes a phone call from a distraught man (Jim Broadbendt), she has no idea that the encounter will change her life forever.
Best Narrative Short, Tribeca ’14
"A Tropical Sunday"
Directed by: Fabian Ribezzo
Mozambique/Italy, 15 Minutes
It's Sunday and crowds of eager children line up for rides at the fairground. Among them are four street kids, who have spent the week begging and scavenging. Today all they want is to feel like children again.
Best Drama, Aspen Shortsfest ‘14
"Verbatim"
Directed by: Brett Weiner
USA, 7 Minutes
A jaded lawyer wastes an afternoon trying to figure out if a dim-witted government employee has ever used a photocopier. All the dialogue comes from an actual legal deposition.
Best Short Film, Dallas International Film Festival ’14
"Not It (Zafo)"
Directed by: Pablo Orta
Mexico, 5 Minutes
An afternoon with a group of young boys who draw straws to see who will perform a grim task
Best Short Film, Guadalajara International Film Festival ’14
Documentary
"The Silly Bastard Next to the Bed"
Directed by: Scott Calonico
UK, 9 Minutes
JFK places a salty call to his staff, questioning a potentially embarrassing expenditure.
Audience Award, Full Frame Documentary Film Festival ’14
The 2014 festival is programmed by Nancy Collet.
About The ShortList:
The ShortList (http://shortlistfilmfestival.com ) represents the best of the best of filmmaking in the format that young filmmakers and enthusiasts use most often: shorts. The ShortList showcases 12 award-winning short films hand-picked from world’s top film festivals of the past year. An Audience Award is chosen by viewers’ online votes and a Jury Prize is chosen by the Industry jury, a six-person panel of veteran independent film professionals. Winning films will be announced at a special live event on August 28 in Los Angeles and will air on the Epix network.
About The Wrap News Inc.:
The Wrap News Inc., founded by award-winning journalist Sharon Waxman in 2009, is the leading digital news organization covering the business of entertainment and media. As a multi-platform media company, The Wrap News Inc. is comprised of TheWrap.com, the award-winning, industry-leading outlet for high-profile newsbreaks, investigative stories and authoritative analysis; PowerGrid Pro, the most current, relevant film development database; and TheGrill, an executive leadership conference centered on the convergence of entertainment, media and technology. The Wrap News, Inc. is backed by Maveron, a venture capital firm based in Seattle, Washington and co-founded by Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz and Dan Levitan.
The 12 finalists include shorts prize winners from the Sundance Film Festival, SXSW, the La Film Festival, Tribeca, Aspen, Clermont-Ferrand and other prestigious festivals. The films and filmmakers come from the United States, Mexico, Mozambique, Germany, Brazil and elsewhere around the globe.
All films are available now through August 27 for online voting Here. The shorts will also air on the Epix network August 24 at 6pm Et/3pm Pt and again in Epix’s Drive-In on August 25 12midnight Et/August 24 9pm Pt.
Two winners will each receive $5,000 cash prizes, the Audience Prize sponsored by YouTube and the Industry Prize sponsored by Epix at an awards ceremony on August 28 at the YouTube Space Los Angeles.
The Industry Prize winner, chosen by a jury of independent film experts, will also receive a pitch meeting at Paramount Pictures, MGM or Lionsgate to pitch their next project. The Audience Prize winner determined by popular vote will also receive the use of the YouTube Space for their next project.
Each winner will receive the opportunity to consult with the independent movie studio Cinedigm.
The Shortlist is proudly sponsored by Cinedigm, Epix, MTV and YouTube. It is presented by The Wrap and programmed by Nancy Collet.
Here are the finalists in three categories:
Animation
"Eager"
Directed by: Allison Schulnik
USA, 8 Minutes
A rhythmic ritual is performed by a bizarre ensemble of macabre figures.
Special Jury Recognition, South by Southwest ’14
"Macropolis"
Directed by: Joel Simon
UK, 8 Minutes
Two discarded toys find a new lease of life in a big alien city full of humans.
Family Choice Award, Ashland International Film Festival ‘ 14
"Me + Her"
Directed by: Joseph Oxford
USA, 13 Minutes
When Jack and Jill of Cardboard City are separated by Jill's untimely death, Jack goes on a journey to mend his (literally) broken heart.
Best Animated Short, Aspen Shortfest ’14
Narrative Fiction
"The Gunfighter"
Directed by: Eric Kissack
USA, 9 Minutes
A gunfighter in the old West starts off a chain reaction when the voiceover announcing his entrance to a saloon proceeds to give a laundry list of the town’s deepest secrets.
Audience Award, Los Angeles Film Festival ‘14
"My Friend Nietzsche"
Directed by: Fáuston da Silva
Brazil, 15 Minutes
The improbable meeting between Lucas and Nietzsche will be the beginning of a violent revolution.
Audience Award, Clermont-Ferrand Iff '14
"Noah"
Directed by: Patrick Cederberg; Walter Woodman
Canada, 18 Minutes
A relationship steeped in social media and told through the lens of Noah’s computer screen.
Best Short Film, Toronto International Film Festival ’13
"Off Ground"
Directed by: Boudewijn Koole
Germany, 13 Minutes
A dance film about a boy that says farewell to his mother.
Audience Awards, Netherlands International Film Festival ’14
"The Phone Call"
Directed by: Matt Kirby
UK, 19 Minutes
When a shy lady (Sally Hawkins) who works in a suicide helpline call center takes a phone call from a distraught man (Jim Broadbendt), she has no idea that the encounter will change her life forever.
Best Narrative Short, Tribeca ’14
"A Tropical Sunday"
Directed by: Fabian Ribezzo
Mozambique/Italy, 15 Minutes
It's Sunday and crowds of eager children line up for rides at the fairground. Among them are four street kids, who have spent the week begging and scavenging. Today all they want is to feel like children again.
Best Drama, Aspen Shortsfest ‘14
"Verbatim"
Directed by: Brett Weiner
USA, 7 Minutes
A jaded lawyer wastes an afternoon trying to figure out if a dim-witted government employee has ever used a photocopier. All the dialogue comes from an actual legal deposition.
Best Short Film, Dallas International Film Festival ’14
"Not It (Zafo)"
Directed by: Pablo Orta
Mexico, 5 Minutes
An afternoon with a group of young boys who draw straws to see who will perform a grim task
Best Short Film, Guadalajara International Film Festival ’14
Documentary
"The Silly Bastard Next to the Bed"
Directed by: Scott Calonico
UK, 9 Minutes
JFK places a salty call to his staff, questioning a potentially embarrassing expenditure.
Audience Award, Full Frame Documentary Film Festival ’14
The 2014 festival is programmed by Nancy Collet.
About The ShortList:
The ShortList (http://shortlistfilmfestival.com ) represents the best of the best of filmmaking in the format that young filmmakers and enthusiasts use most often: shorts. The ShortList showcases 12 award-winning short films hand-picked from world’s top film festivals of the past year. An Audience Award is chosen by viewers’ online votes and a Jury Prize is chosen by the Industry jury, a six-person panel of veteran independent film professionals. Winning films will be announced at a special live event on August 28 in Los Angeles and will air on the Epix network.
About The Wrap News Inc.:
The Wrap News Inc., founded by award-winning journalist Sharon Waxman in 2009, is the leading digital news organization covering the business of entertainment and media. As a multi-platform media company, The Wrap News Inc. is comprised of TheWrap.com, the award-winning, industry-leading outlet for high-profile newsbreaks, investigative stories and authoritative analysis; PowerGrid Pro, the most current, relevant film development database; and TheGrill, an executive leadership conference centered on the convergence of entertainment, media and technology. The Wrap News, Inc. is backed by Maveron, a venture capital firm based in Seattle, Washington and co-founded by Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz and Dan Levitan.
- 8/19/2014
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Mark Strong stars for his Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy screenwriter Peter Straughan in the darkly comic slice of life.
Meanwhile Josh Tanner’s The Landing was named best foreign film, Eric Kissack’s The Gunfighter won best comedy and Andrej Gontcharov claimed best drama for Berlin Troika.
Ned McNeilage’s Showfolk won best documentary, Blank: A Vinylmation Love Story earned best animation, Roman Kaelin claimed best experimental honours for Wrapped and Bouha Kazmi took best music video for The Ramona Flowers ‘Tokyo’.
The screenplay competition prize went to Kevin Walsh for Grocery Day.
The festival ran from July 24-31 and presented 233 films from 17 countries. ScreenDaily Us editor Jeremy Kay was among the jurors.
Meanwhile Josh Tanner’s The Landing was named best foreign film, Eric Kissack’s The Gunfighter won best comedy and Andrej Gontcharov claimed best drama for Berlin Troika.
Ned McNeilage’s Showfolk won best documentary, Blank: A Vinylmation Love Story earned best animation, Roman Kaelin claimed best experimental honours for Wrapped and Bouha Kazmi took best music video for The Ramona Flowers ‘Tokyo’.
The screenplay competition prize went to Kevin Walsh for Grocery Day.
The festival ran from July 24-31 and presented 233 films from 17 countries. ScreenDaily Us editor Jeremy Kay was among the jurors.
- 8/5/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
I feel like you either love westerns or hate them. Growing up on a steady diet of Tombstone, The Quick and the Dead, and Young Guns – I have an appreciation for the pseudo modern western genre. Why The Quick and the Dead you may ask? I have no idea. I don’t particularly buy Sharon Stone as a wild west outlaw. Wow that was an off topic rant – lets move on.
The Gunfighter is nothing like those other westerns, which I wasn’t sure if I would like. The Gunfighter is very much a comedy that almost has the feel of the Abbott and Costello “Who’s at First?” bit. The joke wasn’t at all the same, but the setup and the tone was somewhat reminiscent.
Starring the voice of Nick Offerman as ‘The Narrator’, he really sets the tone for the type of comedy being told in this short.
The Gunfighter is nothing like those other westerns, which I wasn’t sure if I would like. The Gunfighter is very much a comedy that almost has the feel of the Abbott and Costello “Who’s at First?” bit. The joke wasn’t at all the same, but the setup and the tone was somewhat reminiscent.
Starring the voice of Nick Offerman as ‘The Narrator’, he really sets the tone for the type of comedy being told in this short.
- 6/27/2014
- by Ryan
- City of Films
"The weary gunfighter walked slowly through the saloon..." Something fun to start the day - another short film, this one a "period western meta comedy short film" titled The Gunfighter. It's smart, it's funny, its got foul language, and it actually looks good. The Gunfighter, starring Nick Offerman as the narrator and Shawn Parsons as The Gunfighter, just won the Audience Award for Best Short Film at the La Film Fest and was also a Best of the Fest Selection at the Palm Springs Short Fest. You'll see why once you watch this. With all the language it may by Nsfw, but it is certainly worth watching whenever you get a chance. Enjoy! Thanks to our friends at SlashFilm for the tip. From the official Vimeo: "Just another period western meta comedy short film. Featuring the mellifluous voice of Nick Offerman. I hope you enjoy it!" The short was directed...
- 6/26/2014
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
What if voice-over narration and scene-setting music could be heard by the characters in a film? The split between diegetic and non-diegetic sound (ie, stuff characters can hear vs. stuff only the audience can hear) prevents voice-overs from intruding on the lives of the people in a story. But in The Gunfighter, a lone man […]
The post In Short ‘The Gunfighter,’ Nick Offerman Is a Sadistic Omnipotent Narrator appeared first on /Film.
The post In Short ‘The Gunfighter,’ Nick Offerman Is a Sadistic Omnipotent Narrator appeared first on /Film.
- 6/26/2014
- by Russ Fischer
- Slash Film
If you have eight minutes to spare and love to laugh, you should watch the short film The Gunfighter. A narrator voiced by the mustached Nick Offerman sets up the story of a lone gunslinger who walks into a saloon. However, the catch here is that the people in this saloon can hear the narrator, who is either out for blood or is just pissing around with all of the clichéd characters. Short of the Week summarizes it saying: If I were a Hollywood underling pitching to a studio...
- 6/25/2014
- by Graham McMorrow
- JoBlo.com
I will forever beat the drum that Hollywood needs more westerns because honestly there are only so many times I can say 'I'll be your Huckleberry.' I've not found the limit yet, but trust me I'm working on it. We need more wild west one-liners guys. Luckily 'The Gunfighter' is here to help. Voice over narration may have fallen out of favor with filmmakers as a lazy way of doling out exposition, but maybe it's time for a comeback. 'The Gunfighter' is a quick clever piece of meta comedy directed Eric Kissack and written by newcomer Kevin Tenglin. It is a promising debut that asks the question, "What if the characters could hear everything the narrator is saying?" The answer is a quickly escalating series of secrets usually reserved for the depths of our super secret inner thoughts we never share even with our best friends or therapists.
- 6/24/2014
- by Donna Dickens
- Hitfix
Parks and Rec star Nick Offerman narrates this hilarious western genre short film called The Gunfighter. The narrator plays a huge part in this story, not only can the audience hear what he's saying, but so can the characters in the film. The narrator begins to talk about the gunfighter's inner thoughts and feelings as he enters a saloon full of people for a drink. The only thing the gunfighter can do is deny everything as it all unfolds. The short was directed by Eric Kissack from a script written by Kevin Tenglin, and it's amusingly vulgar and inappropriate. Enjoy the show! ...
- 6/24/2014
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Man From Reno, a Kickstarter-backed movie about a Japanese crime novelist investigating a murder mystery in San Francisco, won the Best Narrative Feature at the Los Angeles Film Festival. “Its exploration of barriers of age, language and success set against a noir plot line infuses a pop energy into the well observed portrayal of its unique characters,” the jury stated, awarding director Dave Boyle the $5,000 prize. The film stars Ayako Fujitani as the novelist as well as Pepe Serna (Scarface) and Kazuki Kitamura (The Raid 2).
Stray Dog, Debra Granik’s first film since Winter’s Bone, won the festival prize for Best Documentary Feature.
Stray Dog, Debra Granik’s first film since Winter’s Bone, won the festival prize for Best Documentary Feature.
- 6/20/2014
- by Jeff Labrecque
- EW - Inside Movies
Top brass at the Los Angeles Film Festival unveiled the winners of jury and audience awards as the festival came to a close.
Dave Boyle earned the Narrative Award for Man From Reno, Debra Granik’s Stray Dog took documentary honours and the inaugural La Muse Award was presented to Damian John Harper for Los Ángeles.
Each award carried an unrestricted $5,000 cash prize for the winning director.
Winners of the short film awards each received a $1,500 cash prize.
Best Narrative Short Film went to The Runaway by Jean-Bernard Marlin, while Best Documentary Short Film went to The Queen by Manuel Abramovich. The Award for Best Animated or Experimental Short Film went to Hu Wei’s Butter Lamp.
In the audience awards, best narrative feature went to Kerem Sanga’s The Young Kieslowski and Geeta V Patel and Ravi V Patel’s Meet The Patels prevailed in the documentary strand.
Someone You Love by Pernille Fischer Christensen won the...
Dave Boyle earned the Narrative Award for Man From Reno, Debra Granik’s Stray Dog took documentary honours and the inaugural La Muse Award was presented to Damian John Harper for Los Ángeles.
Each award carried an unrestricted $5,000 cash prize for the winning director.
Winners of the short film awards each received a $1,500 cash prize.
Best Narrative Short Film went to The Runaway by Jean-Bernard Marlin, while Best Documentary Short Film went to The Queen by Manuel Abramovich. The Award for Best Animated or Experimental Short Film went to Hu Wei’s Butter Lamp.
In the audience awards, best narrative feature went to Kerem Sanga’s The Young Kieslowski and Geeta V Patel and Ravi V Patel’s Meet The Patels prevailed in the documentary strand.
Someone You Love by Pernille Fischer Christensen won the...
- 6/19/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
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