Wes Anderson’s Rarely-Seen Short Films to Screen for One-Night Only in New York and Los Angeles

Samantha Bergeson
·2 min read
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Netflix is unveiling a very special screening series inspired by Wes Anderson’s “Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar” short film.

The series will kick off at the Paris Theatre in New York City on November 4, followed by a premiere at the newly reopened Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles on December 5. Anderson’s other short films including “Hotel Chevalier,” “Castello Cavalcanti,” and more of Anderson’s shorts will play at the respective theaters. Across his career, Anderson has helmed over a dozen short films, with a select curated assortment now screening as part of the series.

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Per the official announcement, “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Other Short Films by Wes Anderson” will be a big screen spotlight on Anderson’s triumphant “Henry Sugar” and some of his favorite one-reelers from 1995 through 2021. The screening series will take place for one night only at both theaters to focus on the “rarely screened” shorts by Anderson.

For the first time this year, the Short Film category at the Academy Awards is open to the full Academy to Opt-In to vote for short films if they choose, similar to the International Feature category.

“The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar” draws from Roald Dahl’s stories, like “Poison,” “The Swan,” and “The Rat Catcher.” Benedict Cumberbatch stars as the titular Henry Sugar, with Ben Kingsley and Rupert Friend also starring.

Auteur Anderson told audiences at the Lumière Film Festival that he hoped “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar” would introduce new audiences to Dahl’s work.

“My thought was that this way of telling a story might relate to reading, and particularly if young people saw them, it might introduce them to certain authors and draw attention to writing,” Anderson said, adding, “I feel my movies connect to each other in ways that I don’t make an effort for them to, and I accept that about myself. But for me, each movie is a completely new adventure…The one thing I never think about, really, when I’m making a film is myself or my own style, my voice. And yet every time I make a movie, the first thing people say is, ‘You can sure tell who made this one!'”

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