ONE WORLD. ONE VOICE.The following 8 films were announced Friday, September 4, 2015 as the First Wave of Official Selections for the 2015 edition of the 24fps International Short Film Festival. Two more waves of official selection announcements will follow--September 18, 2015 and finally September 28, 2015. The exhibition/competition programs will contain a total of thirty films. All of these exhibition screenings take place in the landmark Paramount Theatre, a restored movie palace from 1930 listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 24fps, a premiere international short film competition, is now in its 17th year.

BILLY THE KIDDirector: Sam JohnsonProducers: Sam Johnson, David Wade, Simon WestUnited KingdomNarrative, 2015, 15 min.

15-year-old Billy finds it particularly hard to fit in at a new school. This is especially true when he was just bullied out of the last one for living as a lasso wielding, John Wayne quoting, bubblegum chewing cowboy.About the DirectorSam Johnson is an award-winning British film director. He studied film at Kings College London, and then went on to work in production for such films as Skyfall and X-Men: First Class. His first short film, Jasmine’s Revolution, premiered at the 57th BFI London Film Festival. He shoots commercially for brands like Adidas and Peter Wirth, working in the studio he shares with his brother in Shoreditch, London. Billy the Kid was funded by BFI and Creative England, in partnership with the charity “BeatBullying.” It was recently named Best of the Fest at the 2015 Palm Springs Shortfest.

OH LUCY!Director: Atsuko HirayanagiProducers: Razmig Hovaghimian, Michael ChuaJapan/Singapore/USANarrative, 2014, 20 min.

Setsuko, a 55-year-old single so-called “office lady” in Tokyo is given a blonde wig and a new identity, Lucy, by her young, unconventional English-language teacher. “Lucy” awakens desires in Setsuko she never knew existed.About the DirectorAtsuko Hirayanagi was born in Nagano and raised in Chiba, Japan.

She is a recent graduate of the Tisch School of the Arts, Asia, with an MFA in Film Production. Oh, Lucy! is her thesis short, which garnered her the Cannes International Film Festival Cinéfondation selection (World Premier) -2nd Place award. She is the first Japanese filmmaker to win an award in that category. It has also been featured at the NYU First Run Film Festival where it was presented the Wasserman Award and the overall NYU NY and Singapore Audience Award. Atsuko was invited as one of fifteen filmmakers to attend the first Berlinale Talent Campus Tokyo, to develop the feature length version of “Oh Lucy!”. Ultimately, the film was the winner of the 2015 Short Film Jury Award at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival.

FIRST WAVEOfficial Selection Films

2015

TEMPÊTE SUR ANORAK(Storm Hits Jacket)Director: Paul CabonProducers: Mathieu Courtois, Jean-Francois Le CorreFranceAnimation, 2014, 13 min.

A storm reaches the shores of Brittany. Nature goes crazy, and two young scientists get caught up in the chaos. Espionage, romantic tension, and mysterious events clash with enthusiasm and randomness.About the DirectorBorn in Brest in April 1985 Paul Cabon is a Young Breton director and animator. After a course in applied arts at Estienne (Paris), he attended ESAAT in Roubaix where he graduated in animation. Between 2007 and 2009 he studied at La Poudrière in Valence, where he directed Sauvage, selected at Premiers Plans in 2010 in the Plans Animés. Following that he worked as an animator, scriptwriter and background artist and character designer for the series Michel at Folimage. He has worked as an illustrator in various fanzines. Storm Hits Jacket is his first professional film. The film was the Short Film Jury Prize winner for Animation at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, as well as the 2015 SACD Prize winner at Annecy International.

THE FACE OF UKRAINE: Casting Oksana BaiulDirector: Kitty GreenProducers: Philippa Campey, Kitty Green, Michael LathamAustraliaDocumentary, 2014, 7 min.

Adorned in pink sequins, little girls from across a divided, war-torn Ukraine audition to play the role of Olympic champion figure skater Oksana Baiul, whose tears of joy once united their troubled country.About the DirectorAustralian born Kitty Green graduated from Victorian College of the Arts with a Bachelor of Film and Television. Her work has screened at festivals across Australia and internationally. In 2012, Kitty spent over a year in her mother’s native Ukraine shooting with the provocative protest movement ‘Femen’. Her abduction by the KGB made headlines across the globe. Her independent feature documentary, Ukraine is Not a Brothel premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2013 and was nominated for the Grierson Trust award at the London BFI Film Festival. Ukraine is Not a Brothel has been nominated for the AACTA award for Best Feature Length Documentary. The Face of Ukraine: Casting Oksana Baiul, screened at Berlinale and won the Short Film Jury Prize, Best Non-Fiction Short at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. It was also nominated for the Grand Jury Prize.

SAFARIDirector: Gerardo HerreroProducers: Gerardo Herrero, Mintxo Diaz, Luis HerreroSpainNarrative, 2014, 15 min.

What starts out to be an ordinary day in an American high school, will be a day like no other.About the DirectorGerardo Herrero is a native of Spain, where he developed his career as director of cinema and commercials for international brands such as Ferrari, Coach and Grazia. His multi-awarded shorts have been in such prestigious film festivals as Tribeca Film Festival, SITGES Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic de Catalunya and La Semaine de la Critique of Cannes Film Festival, receiving more than 100 prizes. He is currently preparing a feature film with La Semaine de la Critique´s “Next step” in collaboration with the TorinoFilmLab. Safari, has been seen at over 120 festivals worldwide, received numerous awards, and was nominated for Spain’s prestigious Goya Award for Best Dramatic Short Film in 2015. Director Herrero was nominated for the Cannes International Film Festival Discovery Award for his work on the film in 2014.

BABYDirector: Samuel Aaron BennettProducers: Rachel Felice Smith, Samuel Aaron BennettUSANarrative, 2014, 14 min.

Naomi’s got a problem. The vodka in the hotel mini-bar may not be the answer, but it helps her escape a reality she won’t face, at least for a little while.About the DirectorSamuel Aaron Bennett is a filmmaker and composer from New York. At age 25, he is creating commercials for major brands, music videos, and other content for which he writes, directs, shoots, and edits. For much of his work, he also composes the music. Baby is his narrative short film debut. It received its world premiere at the 2015 SXSW Film Festival.

MADAM BLACKDirector: Ivan BargeProducers: Ivan Barge, Matt HarrisNew ZealandNarrative, 2015, 12 min.

When a glamour photographer runs over a child’s pet, he’s forced to fabricate a story about its disappearanceAbout the DirectorIvan Barge is a New Zealand director and Producer. Madam Black is his second short film and was funded by the New Zealand Film Commission. The film was completed in March 2015 and had it’s World Premiere at the 18th Dances with Films festival in Los Angeles where it won the Industry Choice Award. Ivan’s first short film Snooze Time was released online in October 2014 by Short of the Week, it received a Vimeo Staff Pick, has had over 175,000 views and was selected for the new directors section of Shots 154. Madam Black has also been seen at DC Shorts, and the New Zealand International Film Festival.

ROARDirectors: Stuart Langfield, Dylan RekertProducers: Jesse Savath, Dan KeelerCanadaNarrative, 2014, 14 min.

In this supernatural drama about generational bonds, a family divided by age and pride comes to terms with a promise made many years ago.About the DirectorsStuart Langfield is a director of film, animation, and photography. He was born and raised in Scotland, and currently lives in Canada. His extensive client list includes Nike, the New York Times, and artist Julien Mier.Dylan Rekert comes from a film industry family, and is currently the Graphic Design Manager of Kit and Ice in Vancouver, British Columbia.Stuart and Dylan have been working together on commercial projects for a number of years. Over that time they’ve developed a complimentary working process through their shared passion for film and storytelling. Roar was nominated for seven of Canada’s Leo Awards, including Best Short Drama, Direction, Cinematography, Editing and Screenwriting.