The following eight films were announced Friday, August 23, 2013 as the first Official Selections of the 2013 edition of the 24fps International Short Film Festival. Two more Official Selection announcements will follow, until 30 films have been chosen to compete in the juried competition and curated public exhibition programs November 1-2, 2013. 24fps, now in itʼs 15th year, is an internationally recognized event. All program screenings take place in the landmark Paramount Theatre, a restored movie palace from 1930 listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

JONAHDirector: Kibwe TavaresProducer: Ivana MacKinnonUK/TanzaniaNarrative, 2013, 17 min.

When two young men photograph a gigantic fish leaping from the sea, their small town becomes a tourist attraction in this story about the old and the new.About the DirectorKibwe Tavares grew up in South London, where he had an interest in animation from a young age, taking inspiration from comics, manga, and sci-fi novels. After earning a masterʼs degree in engineering and architecture, he cofounded film and animation studio Factory Fifteen. His award-winning short Robots of Brixton has screened at festivals worldwide, including the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, where it won a Special Jury Prize. Jonah was nominated for this yearʼs Short FIlm Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.

IRISH FOLK FURNITUREDirector:Tony DonoghueProducer: Cathal BlackIrelandAnimation/Documentary, 2012, 8 min.

In Ireland, old hand-painted furniture is often associated with hard times, poverty, and with a time many would rather forget. In this unique animated documentary, 16 pieces of traditional folk furniture are repaired and returned home.About the DirectorTony Donoghue worked for seven years at the Trust fir Urban Ecology and the Natural History Museum in London. He uses his background in both biology and film to explore rural traditions and rituals. Donoghueʼs last environmental film, A Film from My Parish: 6 Farms, screened at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, the Telluride Film Festival, and 120 other festivals in 40 countries. Irish Folk Furniture was the winner of the Short Film Jury Award for Animation at this yearʼs Sundance FIlm Festival.

FIRST WAVEOfficial Selection Films

SKINDirector: Jordana SpiroProducers: Jordana Spiro, Alvaro R. Valente, Benjamin Rubin, Naomi SpiroUSANarrative, 2012, 13 min.

A young taxidermist and small-town loner is entranced by a girl who finds his work beautiful. Just as their relationship begins to progress, he does something that drastically changes everything.About the DirectorJordana Spiro is currently pursuing her MFA for directing/screenwriting at Columbia University. She participated in the Berlinale Talent Campus, and her first short film was screened at Polandʼs 2011 Plus Camerimage International Film Festival. As an actress, Spiro has starred in several films and television shows, including FOXʼs The Mob Doctor TBSʼs My Boys, Joel Schumacherʼs Trespass, and Will Ferrellʼs The Goods. Skin was an Official Selection of this yearʼs Sundance Film Festival, and received an Honorable Mention as Best Narrative Short at SXSW in Austin this past March.

GRACEDirector: Keir BurrowsProducers: Keir Burrows, Amanda Brennan, Samantha Baines, Dieudonnee BurrowsUKNarrative, 2012, 19 min.

Set on the night a nuclear war breaks out, Grace is a compelling drama of interconnected lives, following a dozen individuals as they experience loss and understanding in the hours before the bombs fall.About the DirectorKeir Borrows is a writer/director raised in South Africa but now living in London. His previous short film, Donkey, opened at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2012 and went on to receive awards and screenings at 12 international festivals. He is currently developing his debut feature, Worm, which won Best Sci-Fi Screenplay at the Toronto Independent Film Festival. Grace recently screened in the Short FIlm Corner at the Cannes Film Festival.

THE DIVERDirector: Damon MohlProducer: Damon MohlUSAAnimation/Experimental, 2013, 13 min.

The Diver depicts the strange life of a plastic toy as he travels from a toy factory, across the United States to a house in South Carolina. All the while dreaming about an ocean he has never seen,

About the DirectorDamon Mohl is a graduate of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia who did graduate level research at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He is a Student Academy Award nominated filmmaker and a visual artist. His work has been screened internationally in France, Italy, Germany, China, and Mexico and nationally in numerous film festivals, including the Sony Wonder Technology Lab Theatre in New York City, and the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago.

NIGHTINGALES IN DECEMBERDirector: Theodore UshevProducers: Nicolas Girard Deltruc, Festival du Nouveau Cinéma de MontréalCanadaAnimation, 2011, 3 min.

This hand painted 2D animation is a metaphorical surrealist tale that is at once illusion, memory, and reality.About the DirectorTheodore Ushev is an animator, graphic designer, illustrator, and multimedia artist. He graduated from the National Academy of Arts in Sofia. Bulgaria. He is a native of that country. He moved to Montreal in 1999 to explore new media and digital animation. He is the director of award-winning films such as Lipsett Diaries, Drux Flux, Tzaritza, Tower Bowher, and The Man Who Waited. Nightingales in December has been seen at over seventy worldwide film festivals, and was the winner of the Canadian Film Institute Award for Best Canadian Animation in 2012.

HELLO WORLD : )Directors: Rafael Mathé, Etienne LarraguetaProducer: Robin RoblesFranceNarrative, 2013, 20 min.

In a not so distant future where information and memory are worshiped, a private company has developed technology aimed at boosting the brainʼs capacity. In this highly controlled world, one young woman has the power to change everything.About the DirectorsRaphael Mathé and Etienne Larragueta are Brazilian and French directors, working in France. During their studies of production design and production in the La Femis (école nationales supérieure lʼimage et du son) Film School, they worked on different projects together. Hello World : ) is their thesis film, and their first short film.

GWIZDEK(The Whistle)Director: Grzegorz ZaricznyProducer: Polish Filmmakers Association Munk Studio, Full Film ServicePolandDocumentary, 2012, 16 min.

This stylish documentary captures with depth and humor the everyday story of Marcin, a lowest-leagues football referee who lives in a small town near Krakow who dreams of a better life.About the DirectorGrzegorz Zariczny was born near Krakow, Poland, and studied film directing at the Krzysztof Kieslowski Radio and Television Facility of the University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland. In 2008 he attended the documentary course in Wajda Studio, where he made his documentary The Dog Hill, which won numerous international awards. The Whistle was the Grand Jury Prize winner of the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.

THE WHISTLE

Two more Official Selection announcements will be made over the next two months, eventually bringing the number of competition films to thirty. Those announcements will be made on the following schedule:

SECOND WAVE ANNOUNCEMENT (10 films): September 23, 2013THIRD WAVE ANNOUNCEMENT (12 films): October 11, 2013

Public Exhibitions of the competition films will be held November 1-2, 2013 at the landmark Paramount Theatre in Abilene, Texas. The films will be curated and assembled on three distinct programs, which are formally presented during the festival weekend.24fps does not follow the typical multi-venue festival format. All Official Selection Films are screened in the Paramount, a beautifully restored vintage movie palace built in 1930. The theatre is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.24fps is also a juried competition, with two separate panels viewing the Official Selection programs prior to the public exhibitions. The Remote Jury, made up of seven industry professionals, views the films (privately) in select cities across the US over the course of two weeks.

The second panel, the On-Site Jury, is made up of artists, critics, media consultants, musicians, photographers, and designers. This group views the films in private screenings in the exhibition theatre in late October. The Jury Prizes (cash awards) are awarded by vote from both panels, and announced at the closing night of the public exhibition programs.

24fps INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL ONLINE:

OFFICIAL 24fps SITE: http://www.24fpsfest.com

24fps on FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/24fpsfest

PARAMOUNT THEATRE WEBSITE: http://www.paramount-abilene.orgPARAMOUNT THEATRE ON FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/paramountabilene

Festival Information