Centenniel senior is surprised, excited
Geri KoeppelThe Arizona Republic
Apr. 14, 2007 12:00 AM
The 10th annual Arizona State University Art Museum Short Film and Video Festival Saturday night will screen 24 works by filmmakers ranging from a Peoria high school student to an Academy Award-nominated animator.
Cruz Perez, 17, of Peoria beat out 22 other films by high school students with his film Untitled Number One to secure a spot in the festival.
In February, the museum did an outreach video art program with high schools as part of its New American City exhibit, which examines the role culture plays in the development of Phoenix. Perez's work was the audience favorite.
-- BOXAD TABLE --> "I was very surprised" to win said Perez, a Centennial High School senior. "My heart was racing waiting for them all to vote."
His film centers on the concept that "people are responsible for their own actions and responsible for what they can do to their world," he said.
"We're microorganisms to something bigger in the universe, like bacteria are microorganisms to us."
Bill Plympton, whose works have been on MTV and in Spike Mike's Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation through the years, was nominated for best short film in 1987 and 2004. He submitted Guide Dog, a sequel to his most recent Oscar-nominated short, Guard Dog.
It's about a hero dog that helps blind people with disastrous results.
"It's heavy on animation this year," said John Spiak, ASU Art Museum curator and co-founder of the film festival. "It's a lot of stop-motion animation.
Why that is, I'm not sure. We were surprised by the number of animation that was submitted and the quality of animation."
Spiak narrowed the selections from 333 entries from around the world.
Films from as far as Australia, Germany and the United Kingdom will be shown.
The ASU Art Museum Short Film and Video Festival also has spawned No Festival Required, a monthly screening of short films and videos at 8 p.m.
the first Sunday of each month at the Paper Heart Gallery in central Phoenix. There are no prizes and no entry fees; it's simply a showcase for filmmakers.
"I saw the work was coming in to him (Spiak) and I thought we could get it going on a local level," said Steve Weiss, founder of No Festival Required.
Many filmmakers send works to film festivals around the world and have to pay entry fees, he said, which can rack up a lot of money.
"And many times, their films aren't even screened," he added. "With John's show, it's all about getting it in front of an audience.
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