Sundance shorts for free

Institute shows five short films by established Indie filmmakers online.

by Amber Wilkinson

A year ago the Sundance Institute invited six of its filmmaking alumni to make some short films for mobile phones - and now they are streaming them online for free at www.sundance.org.

The filmmakers featured as part of the Sundance Film Festival Global Short Film Project include Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris (Little Miss Sunshine), Justin Lin (Better Luck Tomorrow), Maria Maggenti (Puccini For Beginners), Cory McAbee (The American Astronaut) and Jody Hill (The Foot Fist Way).

Director of Programming John Cooper said: "Sundance is dedicated to the discovery and development of short filmmakers. We are always exploring ways to give artists a sense of what is possible and helping their work reach larger audiences.

"The experience that we've had through our shorts initiatives, including commissioning these five films for the Sundance Global Short Film Project and creating one-of-a-kind distribution partnerships with iTunes, Netflix and Xbox for Festival shorts, is that there is a vast global audience for these films."

Filmmaker Maria Maggenti, added: "The Sundance Global Short Film Project allowed filmmakers to be at the cutting edge of new technology. It was a fantastic experience and I am thrilled that my film is going to reach so many new viewers online."

From flying dogs to dancing cowboys, the five independent shorts available free are:

A Slip In Time (Directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris) – A motion study of slapstick comedy.

Learning To Skateboard (Directed by Jody Hill) – A corporate worker calls in sick. In his quest to liberate himself from the daily grind he embarks on a quest for freedom by learning how to skateboard.

¡La Revolucion de Iguodala! (Directed by Justin Lin) – tracks one man’s passionate message as it travels through various forms and agendas.

Los Viajes De King Tiny(Directed by Maria Maggenti) – a small dog takes off by himself while his owner is at work. Set in Los Angeles, King Tiny travels the city but is confronted by his own personal demons in the process.

Reno (Directed by Cory McAbee) – A singing cowboy brags about his travels through Nevada on a Honda 50 to a store security camera.

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