Independent Lens Launches Second Annual Online Shorts Festival

San Francisco, (December 11, 2007)—The Emmy Award-winning PBS series Independent Lens announced today the launch of the second annual Online Shorts Festival, a “film festival at your fingertips.” Animation, comedy, drama and documentary provide an eclectic mix of stories and storytelling. The Online Shorts Festival site features an opportunity for viewers to watch the shorts on small or large players, download films, vote for the Audience Award, read about the films and filmmakers and post their comments in Talkback. The Audience Award winner will be announced February 2008. The 11 Audience Award contenders can be viewed and downloaded at: www.pbs.org/independentlens/onlineshortsfestival/. 

The 2007 Online Shorts Festival Audience Award Contenders Winners of the Independent Lens Online Shorts Festival II 

C. BECK (7:53) By Deb Wallwork and Mike Hazard Grand Prize “I call myself a scavenger. I use the stuff that other people throw away.” Follow artist Charles Beck as he discovers beauty in obscure places. 

BULLET PROOF VEST (5:27) By May Lin Au Yong Grand Jury Prize Nine-year-old Jyeshria wants a bulletproof vest—and she's dead serious. In a city riddled with gun violence, fed up residents take action. 

DRY CLEAN ONLY (6:26) By J.P. Chan When a couple shows up at a dry cleaners in bloody clothes, the clerk recalls one of the first rules of the trade—don't ask questions. 

THE FURNITURE (2:23) By Tyler Measom Short, sweet, dark and funny—when confronted by the demons of loneliness, are you really alone? 

HOUSE OF ELEGANCE (8:22) By Amy Bench For 40 years, women have been coming to this salon for shampoos, weaves, sisterhood... and stories. 

L.A. NOIR (10:22) By Jed Rhein Equal parts Twilight Zone, Bukowski and film noir, this tale of suspense follows a working stiff/poet stalked by a mysterious woman. 

THE METAMORPHOSIS (10:01) By Ari Mark It’s hard to say what came first—the pain, the pounding or the tiny growth on the back of Stan Leiber’s head. 

PIN POINT (3:43) By James Kim When an evil orphanage caretaker tries to poison the children, a little girl takes matters into her own hands... 

TRANSLATE (6:55) By Rocco Michaluk and Rachel Ferro Are you male or female? For members of the transgender community, the answer is often complex. 

WAVING THE FLAG (4:16) Sheila M. Sofian and Harryette Mullen Spoken word poetry and digital animation combine to create a thought-provoking and visceral critique. 

WE ARE MADE AS ONE (6:32) By Philip Eastman Homeless war veterans discover the healing power of song in a choir that spreads joy and inspiration. 

About Independent Lens Online 

Independent Lens on PBS presents interactive features throughout the series Web site at pbs.org. Site visitors can learn more about each Independent Lens film, watch video clips, read filmmaker interviews, get updates on the people profiled and delve deeper into the issues. After each television broadcast, viewers can vote for the Audience Award, which honors one special film at the end of the season. In “Your Lens” users share their views by posting comments, photos and videos. “Inside Indies” online magazine goes behind the scenes with articles, resources, favorite film lists and more. Independent Lens also presents award-winning Web-original content with interactive documentaries, online storytelling, arts and culture sites and social issue games, all created by independent media makers. And finally, Independent Lens Online presents “a film festival at your fingertips” with the Online Shorts Festival featuring eclectic short independent films. All this and more can be found at pbs.org/independentlens/ 

CONTACT: Voleine Amilcar, 415-356-8383 x 244, voleine_amilcar@itvs.org Cara White, 843-881-1480, cara.white@mac.com