Two wonderful and very different films.
The first "Wildcat" is a gorgeous tribute to the town of Grayson, Oklahoma (whose original name was Wildcat). A small, rural town, (population 158) mostly African American, this film pays tribute to the slow communal way of life in a small town -- the rodeo, the cowboys, the beauty queens, the church, nature. From film maker Khalil Joseph: "Wildcat is a state of mind; an experiment inspired by the composition and performance of jazz music. The characters that populate this world are actual – cowboys; and envisioned – angels. The town they all inhabit is real – Grayson, Oklahoma". (See the large version of this by clicking the link above which will take you to Vimeo -- it's worth it!)
The second film is a poignant animated film "Requiem for a Romance" from Jonathan Ng, visualizing a couples' breakup over the phone as a battle between ninjas. It's really compelling and strangely works exceedingly well -- somehow, the sword slashing ninjas and the phone conversation just seem to highlight each other with perfect symmetry. And this film too has an original score -- a collaboration of Vid Cousins and Kid Koala.
Midori Snyder is the author of nine books for children and adults, published in English, French, Dutch, and Italian. She won the Mythopoeic Award for The Innamorati, a novel inspired by early Roman myth and the Italian "Commedia dell'Arte" tradition....
