JON MENDENHALL writes:
The first day of the festival started with a walk down the Riviera to the Palais. I then had to watch in horror as my walking buddies decided to get breakfast from a French McDonalds. (I will post an embarrassing picture of the back from them later.) I had the morning off and decided to view some of the films in the Short Films Corner. The three films I saw were astonishing in technical and storytelling abilities. Jerrycan involved an Australian teenager dealing with a bully who forces him to try and ignite a gas can. 411-Z showed a second-in-command on a large boat who sees that they have hit a small canoeing couple but cannot convince the captain. The final film was My Rabbit Hoppy. A "home movie" of two kids talking about the rabbit who undergoes mysterious changes. These three films are up for the Official Selection, hopefully they will get distribution in a short-films compilation. The only other films I saw were horrendous market films that were only there to sell to buyers. Hopefully I will be able to pick my way through the bad features and find some good ones, but if all else fails, I'll be returning to the Short Films Corner for a nice film snack.
Jon Mendenhall is a Critical Studies major.
