The Drift

Mike Plante, Short Film Programmer

Man about town and sandwich aficionado Todd Sklar shows that you can really do a lot with a little, by using a small amount of resources to sculpt what amounts to be a hilarious short with a cryptic title: ’92 Skybox Alonzo Mourning Rookie Card. A real lesson in comic timing and sharp dialogue, Skybox draws from personal experience to offer great family insight through a unique comic voice. Before tackling this short, Sklar and his tight-knit group of frequent collaborators cut their teeth on his first feature, a scrappy do-it-yourself feature that taught them how to work fast and cheap, a practice that has contributed to their unmistakable style of comedy. Keep an eye out for the just completed feature-length version of this short, titled Awful Nice, coming to you soon.

Next, we go from small-town Missouri to the depths of outer space to experience the beautiful and subtle collage animation of Kelly Sears. A remarkably creative presence who straddles both the film and art scenes, Sears’ vibrant, experimental, and emotionally resonant films often have a haunting effect on the viewer. Her mesmerizing avant-garde sci-fi tale of The Drift was the first of 4 shorts from Sears that have played at the Sundance Film Festival, three of which played in consecutive years, a shockingly rare feat. Using her meticulous signature style, combined with a deeply transfixing voice-over, Sears spins an indelible space odyssey with such detail and attention to story that many audiences became convinced that the story is true. Though the film is indeed fictional, a number of viewers were stunned that they had never heard of this momentous event. You’ve been warned.

Join us next week for two weird tales concerning viral videos, dentistry, blood, guts and Texans. Check out all of the YouTube Screening Room short films here. Happy watching!