LANDMARK THEATERS TO SCREEN SHORTS BEFORE EVERY FEATURE
FOR DIRECTORS, A NEW OPPORTUNITY FOR A BIG BREAK

By Steven Snyder

Over the next six months, Landmark Theaters - which owns and operates theatres across the country - is embarking on an ambitious partnership to bring short films to audiences across the country.

On every screen, in every Landmark theater, feature films will be preceded by a highlighted short film. Debuting April 1, the same title will be shown for a month before rotating to the next short. The same routine will play out until the end of September.

The series is being called the “Adopt-A-Short Program,” and is being sponsored by Stella Artois, a European beer company. According to a Landmark Theaters press release, the company hopes the program “allows promising new filmmakers the opportunity to have their work seen nationwide.”

This announcement comes as promising news for directors of short films.

Ian Rosenberg, a New York-based filmmaker whose short films have screened at the Wisconsin film festival, sees this as a big break for filmmakers in his position.

“I think that Landmark’s decision could be the trigger for a groundswell of popular interest in short films,” Rosenberg said. “ Until now, the main obstacle between short films and mass appeal has been their unavailability outside of the film festival circuit.”

Joe Spang, director of “Wishtaker,” which screened at this year’s festival, said he is concerned that lumping these films together with commercials and trailers may tax a viewer’s patience. But generally, he said it sounds like a good idea.

“The number one goal of any new filmmaker is to show your work, anywhere, and as often as possible,” Spang said. “The whole point is to get exposure and recognition. What better way than repeatedly before a feature film?”

The first film chosen for the Adopt-A-Short Program is “Mary,” directed by Aaron Ruell, best known for his role in 2004’s “Napolean Dynamite.” About two young girls who have nightly visions of a religious figure, the short ends on a haunting note addressing the numbing effects of medication on young children.

John Dahlman, Milwaukee marketing leader for Landmark Theaters, said short films used to be part of the traditional moviegoing experience. “It’s something that used to be done many years ago, 30 or 40 years ago, where short films were played,” Dahlman said. “So this series is testing the waters to see how well they do and how people respond to them.”

Dahlman said he hopes the series is successful so Landmark can continue this experiment beyond the six month timeframe.

All three agree that short films are their own, unique art form. And more importantly, they agree the program will give this art the attention it deserves.

Best Viewed at 800 X 600 or greater
Design by David Johnson