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.
