Reel Women Shorts
By Sarah Hepola, Fri., Oct. 15, 1999
D: various
Family woes, the minefield of adolescence, depression, mortality, and, of course, love were all there in the spotlight at this (mostly) pleasant evening of shorts made (mostly) by women and sponsored by Reel Women, our local network of women filmmakers. Although weightier shorts like Annette Apitz's "A River in India" showed an artful construction, the audience seemed to favor lighter fare like Amy Talkington's "Bust" (about a teenage girl's attempt to sneak out) and Courtney Davis' "Love Me Tender" (a goofily askew take on obsessive love). Also premiering was the much-touted "Edna McCoy's Festival," a digital short following an 80-year-old aging screen diva at her first film fest, written by Karen Black (Nashville, Easy Rider) and directed by her husband, Stephen Eckelberry (Charades). The piece was shot in only three days, and quite frankly, it shows. In a time when how quickly something can be done is tantamount to how well it can be done, making a short in three days to prove it can be done isn't the world's worst idea. But clearly this is the rushed work of preoccupied filmmakers trying to beat the clock. So, in case you were wondering, it's been proven: You can make a short in three days. But, really, you probably shouldn't.
