Palm Springs ShortFest: What filmmakers said about their opening night films

The 29th annual Palm Springs International ShortFest kicked off its opening night celebration with a lineup of films showcasing silly grandmothers, a grieving flight attendant, an emotional focus group and Catholic nuns who apparently make the world go round.

Palm Springs International Film Society Chairman Nachhattar Singh Chandi called the 2023 iteration of the short film festival "nothing short of extraordinary" during Tuesday night's event. The festival received more than 6,000 submissions from 121 countries this year, he said, and a total of 299 films will be screened through 50 curated programs. ShortFest marked his first festival as chairman, having succeeded Harold Matzner, who announced his retirement in April after two decades in the position.

To kick off the annual celebration, the opening night program included "Help Me Understand," "Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó" (Grandma & Grandma), "Parker," "The Old Young Crow," "AirHostess-737" and "Sisters of the Rotation." Filmmakers from all six shorts were in attendance at the Cultural Center, and participated in a Q&A following the screening where they shared the inspiration for their films and how they made movie magic happen with short runtimes.

Here's what filmmakers had to say about their short films during opening night.

'Sisters of the Rotation' by Gaby and Michel Zarazir

Lebanese brothers Gaby and Michel Zarazir teamed up to direct and write a short film based on religion and which one reigns supreme. At the Sisters of the Rotation convent, set in a snowy landscape, the Earth doesn’t spin by itself, and a group of Catholic nuns are tasked with literally keeping this planet turning. Sister Zeina (Zeina Sfeir) struggles with hearing the Lord's words, but an incident with an Orthodox bishop opens her eyes to what else is out there.

Michel Zarazir said they "don't have any idea how we got this idea" for the short film, but they suspect it has to do with the importance of religion in their native country.

"Because we are living in this part of the world in the Middle East in Lebanon, religion is present in our daily life," he said. "We have maybe 18 religions in Lebanon, and every religion thinks it's moving the world forward, but in fact, they are moving the world in a circle."

Ultimately, the short film is about coexistence, not only with religion, but "between any community, any two countries, any two entities, genders, anything," he added.

'Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó' by Sean Wang

If you thought your grandmothers were hilarious, just wait until you see the hijinks Sean Wang's get up to. In "Nǎi Nai & Wài Pó," he showcases his maternal and paternal grandmothers who live together, share the same bed, dance like no one's watching and make fun of each other daily. Featuring both documentary and narrative elements, the film manages to find a balance between silly moments and moving, introspective views on death and love of one's family.

Wang, who wore director, editor and producer hats on the project, called the film a "love letter to my grandmas." It was filmed during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when he was living with them.

"It was really organic," he said of the filming process. "It was one of those, it sounds cliché, but 'follow the feeling' type of movies."

The most exciting aspect for cinematographer Sam Davis was making a film about old age and reflecting on life while still having a "really vibrant, youthful spirit" throughout the process.

"They're in their 80s and 90s, but they still have their inner children," Davis said.

'Parker' by Catherine Hoffman and Sharon Liese

In "Parker," three generations of a Kansas City family can finally unify when they do something that countless African Americans before them could not do: choose their own last name.

Adolphus Parker's child and grandchildren had the last name "Harris" because, at the time of his son's birth, his wife was still legally married to her first husband. But after more than 30 years, the family decides it's time to reclaim their name.

Co-director Sharon Liese met Adolphus Parker more than 20 years ago, and he has been her house painter ever since. He always had "lots of stories to tell me," she said, and she always knew that one day she wanted to tell one of them. When she found out about the name change journey and how multiple generations would be participating, it was something she had to capture.

"It's got Black joy and reclamation and lots of things you can try to pack in 13 minutes," Liese said.

The Parker family saw the film at the Sundance Film Festival, and she said Adolphus Parker was very emotional watching it.

"It meant so much to him. They didn't know that their story meant anything," Liese said. "When we film people, they say, 'Why do you want to do that? I have no story to tell.' And then when they see the response, it's amazing."

'Help Me Understand' by Aemilia Scott

In "Help Me Understand" (which director Aemilia Scott revealed had the working title "Six Angry Women" as an homage to "12 Angry Men"), six women are selected to participate in a focus group to select a detergent brand's next scent. Five of them believe scent A is the best one, but one participant can't budge from scent B. While the other women believe scent B "smells like feet" or a "public restroom floor by the beach," the lone participant has a very moving and heartbreaking reason for choosing that fragrance. The short film stars Ken Marino ("The Other Two"), Rachael Harris ("The Hangover"), Kate Flannery ("The Office"), Dana Powell ("Bridesmaids"), Dierdre Friel ("New Amsterdam"), Nicole Michelle Haskins ("Chasing Normality)" and Kali Raquel ("Good").

Scott films focus groups when she's not making films, she explained, and had an idea for one of them to go awry in her short. She specifically wanted it to be about a smell "because in a film you can't smell the things, you have to trust the characters."

Scott also managed to tie in an emotional, personal component of her life — grieving from a miscarriage — into the comedic short.

"I had been trying to have children and had a miscarriage before this happened. When something like that happens, what you see is all of the women in your life who had miscarriages that you didn't know come out and tell you, and what you learn is that that's a thing that no one talks about because there's so much shame and sadness and isolation," Scott said. "I knew I wanted to tell that story, and I didn't know these two pieces would fit together in this way."

'The Old Young Crow' by Liam LoPinto

In Liam LoPinto's half-animated, half-realist film, he follows an artistic and imaginative Iranian boy who befriends an old Japanese woman at a graveyard in Tokyo.

The director said the idea for the story started when he found himself sketching in a graveyard in Tokyo, similar to what his main character does. He "forgot" about the project, but when he went to a retrospective series dedicated to Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami and met one of his translators, the two found interest in the short film. They worked on it together, but LoPinto admitted "I never finished editing or animating it" afterward. It wasn't until he was going through a personal crisis that pushed him to get it over the finish line.

The short film was also a family affair, because his grandfather recorded the narration.

'AirHostess-737' by Thanasis Neofotistos

In "AirHostess-737," flight attendant Vanina (Lena Papaligoura) is visibly agitated. She blames her new braces, which she obsessively talks about to all her colleagues, but they know the plane is carrying her mother’s dead body to her hometown, which she doesn't want to confront.

Producer Dimitris Tsakaleas said the short is a very personal story for director Thanasis Neofotistos, who conceived the film in a dream. As Vanina's character finds a way to reconnect and forgive her mother for her mistakes, Thanasis was able to go through a similar journey during filming.

The festival continues through June 26 at the Palm Springs Cultural Center. The schedule of daily screenings and ticket information can be found at www.psfilmfest.org/shortfest-2023.

Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Palm Springs ShortFest: Opening night filmmakers share inspirations