- April 26, 2024
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The Museum of Arts and Sciences and Asbury Shorts USA are bringing award-winning short films to the community, all in a fast-paced evening in front of a real screen.
Unless you're a short film connoisseur, chances are you haven't seen the films selected to be showcased at the Asbury Short Film Concert at MOAS on Friday, Jan. 31, said Doug LeClaire, director for Asbury Shorts USA. The concert is returning to Daytona Beach for the second year in a row, though it is the 39th-annual tour for the Brooklyn, New York-based traveling film show. It is also the longest running short film exhibition in New York City.
The films are always an eclectic mix; one of LeClaire's favorites this year is "A Whole World for a Little World," by French director Fabrice Bracq. The 2017 short film is about a mother telling her baby a fairytale as a way to explain how she met the baby's father.
Another notable one is the 2010 film "Death, Taxes and Apple Juice," by Tamar Halpern, which is about two young ladies discussing their problems in life. One of them is helping the other file her taxes.
The twist? The protagonists are 9 years old.
“So there’ll be a representation of comedy, drama, animation — all in one sitting, but very fast paced and very entertaining,” LeClaire said.
The concert first came to Daytona last year after MOAS Executive Director Andrew Sandall reconnected with one of Asbury's organizers, he said in an email. Sandall had collaborated with the organizer on projects at another museum, and after the organizer visited MOAS, he thought the auditorium would be a great fit for the show, Sandall said.
The museum has been working hard for the past couple years to utilize its facilities for the community, he continued, as well as innovate new ways to entice new visitors who may not be interested the traditional programs. The film concert is a way to do that.
"Bringing such an amazing show as the Asbury Short Film Concert to the museum has seen a new audience coming to MOAS for what may be their first ever visit to the museum and hopefully seeing just how much we have to offer and inspiring them to come back for a visit or to attend some of our other programs," Sandall said.
Most of the films audiences will see are made by either younger filmmakers trying to catch a break in the industry, or established artists who have made short films their art medium of choice, LeClaire said. Those who attend will see the fruits of their labor in just minutes.
“It’s story-telling in a short form, which is challenging for filmmakers," LeClaire said.
It's an art form that amazes Sandall, who said some of the staff who participated in the test screenings of the films for the concert couldn't believe how much storytelling goes into each of the films.
"It’s one of those programs that really has to be seen to be believed and I know that everyone who attended the first concert last year rushed to tell all their friends what an amazing experience they had missed," Sandall said.
