La Luna

USA, 2011, 7 Minutes

We like to start with a cartoon and this one is beautifully made: La Luna is a fable of a young boy who is coming of age in the most peculiar of circumstances. Tonight is the very first time his Papa and Grandpa are taking him to work. In an old wooden boat they row far out to sea, and with no land in sight, they stop and wait.

A big surprise awaits the little boy as he discovers his family's most unusual line of work. Should he follow the example of his Papa, or his Grandpa? Will he be able to find his own way in the midst of their conflicting opinions and timeworn traditions?

Le Voyage Dans la Lune (A Trip to the Moon)

France, 1902, 14 Minutes

In May 1902, Georges Méliès shot the film, A Trip to the Moon. It was released in black and white, and also in color, hand painted. The color version had been mostly lost until a restoration was undertaken in 2010. A colossal amount of work was done in order to breathe life back into this color masterpiece.

A Trip to the Moon is the most famous of the over 500 short films produced by the cinema pioneer betwen 1896 and 1912, and its signature image of a bullet-shaped rocket lodging itself in the eye of a smirking moon is one of the most recognizable images in cinema history.

An accomplished magician, Méliès moved from simple recordings of his stage shows to dazzling fantasy epics which were among the first narrative films ever made. These "trick films" combined fantastic yarns, intricate painted sets, and elaborate costumes with such simple but effective special effects as slow motion, dissolves, and superimpositions.

Like Méliès's other long films of the period, Trip to the Moon is composed of a series of tableaux, each featuring chaotic action and multiple camera tricks photographed with a stubbornly static camera, which work together to tell a simple story.

It proved sensationally popular with audiences, though Edwin S. Porter's The Great Train Robbery rode a slightly more sophisticated narrative to greater success the following year.

As one of the earliest examples of cinematic fantasy, A Trip to the Moon paved the way for such filmic flights of fancy as The Wizard of Oz and Star Wars, as it proved that the seduction of the audience through special effects has roots deeper than the blockbusters of the Seventies.

The Phone Call

USA, 2013, 20 Minutes

Oscar Winner: 2015 Best Short Film, Live Action

Heather is a shy lady who works in a helpline call center. When she receives a phone call from a mystery man, she has no idea that the encounter will change her life forever.

Treffit (The Date)

Finland, 2012, 7 Minutes, Subtitled

Tino, 16, has to host a date for Diablo, the family’s stud cat. Tino’s manhood is also put to test in front of two women, Mirka, 25 and Lissu, 54.

Intermission

Crush

USA, 2013, 6 Minutes

Rachel Antonoff is a fashion designer who also makes very nice films. Crush is a family affair. It stars Antonoff’s brother Jack Antonoff (lead guitarist of the indie rock band Fun), and depicts the real life story of how Antonoff’s parents met, developed crushes on each other, and fell in love. Community‘s Gillian Jacobs plays Antonoff’s love interest and there are cameos by other cool, indie actors. It’s as adorable as it sounds.

Dotty

USA, 2012, 11 Minutes

This funny and touching film about an old lady struggling to send a text message has been charming the pants off film festival audiences from Tokyo to Nantucket – where it won Best Short Film. It will have you both laughing and reaching for a tissue.

The Gunfighter

USA, 2014, 9 Minutes

In the tradition of classic westerns, a narrator sets up the story of a lone gunslinger who walks into a saloon. However, the people in this saloon can hear the narrator and the narrator just may be a little bit bloodthirsty.

Tuba Atlantic

Norway, 2010, 25 Minutes, Subtitled

Everybody is going to die one day. Oskar (70) is going to die in 6 days. He is now ready to forgive his brother for a disagreement years ago. Will he reach his brother, who he believes live on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, before it is too late?