January 28, 2008

 

Magnolia Pictures and Shorts International have announced they will partner for the third year running to bring the Oscar®-nominated short films (live-action and animated) to U.S. theatres on Friday, February 15th, including the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor, giving audiences an opportunity to see all 10 nominated films prior to the 80th Academy Awards® ceremony.

Magnolia President Eamonn Bowles said: "Last year's program was a success, and we're anticipating an even bigger opening this year. People are excited about having the opportunity to see these excellent films together in one place, not to mention getting a leg up in their office Oscar® pools."

" The Oscar® Shorts are some of the year's best entertainment," said Carter Pilcher, Chief Executive of Shorts International. "Great laughs. Shocking twists. Incredible highs and lows. These shorts are rocking the cinema experience. A better night out than most full-length movies."

Academy Governor Jon Bloom, who represents the Short Films and Feature Animation branch, said: "This is a wonderful opportunity for moviegoers across the country to enjoy our nominated Shorts, and to do so before the Oscar® telecast on February 24."
This year's Oscar® Shorts program will be shown digitally by co-sponsor RAIN Network. RAIN Network has innovated unique digital solutions for the independent film market and will be powering the program with their proprietary digital distribution system.

"We’re honored to be a part of this," said Fabio Lima, Chief Operating Officer, RAIN Network. "RAIN's mission is to democratize culture by providing access to films from all over the world, which is now viable through the power of digital distribution."

Eight of the 10 nominated filmmakers are newcomers to the Oscars® this year. The two returning nominees are director Alexander Petrov and producer Anja Daelemans. Petrov, who is up for his fourth nomination, was nominated in 1989 for THE COW and in 1997 for THE MERMAID. In 1999, his film THE OLD MAN AND THE SEA won the Academy Award® for Best Animated Short. Daelemans was nominated in 2002 for FAIT D’HIVER in the live-action category.

In addition to a 2007 Oscar® nomination, many of the short films have garnered awards from U.S. and international film festivals. PETER & THE WOLF, the animated short from director Suzie Templeton and producer Hugh Welchman, was nominated for a BAFTA last year. I MET THE WALRUS, from director Josh Raskin, won Best Animated Short at the 2007 AFI Film Festival. TANGHI ARGENTINI, the live action short from director Guido Thys and producer Anja Daelemans, has received 18 wins including the Best Foreign Film at the L.A. Shorts Fest in 2007. THE TONTO WOMAN, based on the Elmore Leonard short story, from director Daniel Barber and producer Matthew Brown won Best in Fest from the L.A. Shorts Fest, as well as Best Film Over 30 Minutes at the Palm Springs Festival, both in 2007.

The nominated Live Action Shorts are:

AT NIGHT; Denmark, Oscar® Nominees: Christian E. Christiansen & Louise Vesth. Three young women share their problems while spending the holidays in a hospital cancer ward.

IL SUPPLENTE (THE SUBSTITUTE); Italy, Oscar® Nominee: Andrea Jublin. The arrival of an unusual newcomer galvanizes the students in a high school classroom.

LE MOZART DES PICKPOCKETS (THE MOZART OF PICKPOCKETS); France, Oscar® Nominee: Philippe Pollet-Villard. A pair of unlucky thieves find their fortunes have changed when they take in a deaf homeless boy.

TANGHI ARGENTINI; Belgium, Oscar® Nominees: Guido Thys and Anja Daelemans. A man who must learn to dance the tango in two weeks asks an office colleague for help.

THE TONTO WOMAN; United Kingdom, Oscar® Nominees: Daniel Barber and Matthew Brown. A cattle rustler meets a woman who is living in isolation after being held prisoner for eleven years by the Mojave Indians.

The nominated Animated Shorts are:

I MET THE WALRUS; Canada, Oscar® Nominee: Josh Raskin. In 1969, 14-year-old Jerry Levitan snuck into John Lennon's hotel room with his tape recorder and persuaded him to do an interview.

MADAME TUTLI-PUTLI; Canada, Oscar® Nominees: Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski. A timid woman boards a mysterious night train and has a series of frightening experiences.

MEME LES PIGEONS VONT AU PARADIS (EVEN PIGEONS GO TO HEAVEN); France, Oscar® Nominees: Samuel Tourneux and Simon Vanesse. A priest tries to sell an old man a machine that he promises will transport him to heaven.

MY LOVE (MOYA LYUBOV); Russia, Oscar® Nominee: Alexander Petrov. In 19th Century Russia, a teenage boy in search of love is drawn to two very different women.

PETER & THE WOLF; United Kingdom & Poland, Oscar® Nominees: Suzie Templeton and Hugh Welchman. A young boy and his animal friends face a hungry wolf in Prokofiev's classic musical piece.

For a complete list of opening cities and theatres, visit www.magpictures.com.

About Magnolia
Magnolia Pictures (www.magpictures.com) is the theatrical and home entertainment distribution arm of the Wagner/Cuban Companies, a vertically integrated group of media properties co-owned by Todd Wagner and Mark Cuban that also include the Landmark Theatres chain, production companies 2929 Productions and HDNet Films, and high definition cable networks HDNet and HDNet Movies.