The new short from director Shawn Christensen, helmer of this year’s Oscar winning short “Curfew,” and perfs from thesps including Elle Fanning, Dominic West, Elijah Wood and Lauren Ambrose are in the mix for the 60-title lineup of shorts that will play the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival.
Slate, pulled from a pool of some 2870 submissions from a total of 19 countries, will be divided into eight categories, with five narrative sections, two docu groups and one experimental bill.
Christensen’s “Grandma’s Not a Toaster,” about three siblings battling over a hefty inheritance from their grandmother, is among the 30 world preems on tap. As was the case last year, winners of the fest’s competitive awards in the narrative and doc short categories will qualify for consideration in respective Academy Award races without the usual qualifying theatrical run, assuming the films also complies with other Oscar requirements.
“Curfew” played Tribeca last year alongside “Asad,” which also was nommed.
“Grandma’s Not a Toaster” will screen as one among the seg of shorts presented under the banner title of “The End Is Near,” grouped around the theme of personal and global endings. Narrative sections also include “Skin Deep” focused on self-image and discovery, Gotham-centric slate “Unlimited Ride” and bad-times collection “Worst Day Ever.” There’s also a genre anthology called “Deadbolt.”
The doc segs includes “Character Witness,” which collects first-person views of significant events including “Wilt Chamberlain: Borscht Belt Bellhop,” Caroline Laskow and Ian Rosenberg’s look at a little-known chapter in the life of the titular ball player. There’s also “History Lessons,” with a roster that includes Steven Kochones’ rock photog tale “Who Shot Rock and Roll.” Thirteen titles, including a couple of world preems, make up the lineup for the experimental section, “Let There Be Light: The Cycles of Life.”
Also announced as a Tribeca special screening is “The Battle of amfAR,” the latest from the “The Celluloid Closet” filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, about the launch of the first U.S. AIDS research foundation.
The 2013 edition of Tribeca runs April 17-28, launching with an opening night screening of doc “Mistaken for Strangers.”
