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Shortsfest Extravaganza

Starting tomorrow, film lovers in the Roaring Fork Valley will have a chance to watch nearly 100 "shorts" at theaters in Aspen and Carbondale. The films are all under 30 minutes in length and vary from documentaries and short comedies to animations and dramas. This is the 19th year Aspenfilm has put on the festival which is an International Oscar qualifying event.

I watched the trailer for one of the films that's scheduled to screen in Aspen on Saturday night. It's called "Cigarette Candy," and a preview can be seen at www.cigarettecandy.com. It's about a marine returning home and attending a family reunion.

Several of the films are created by young filmmakers who often go on to have big careers in the film business. Aspenfilm Executive Director Laura Thielen says filmmakers like Steven Spielberg, Walt Disney and Francis Ford Coppola started with shorts. Shorts started being produced in the late 19th century because technology didn't allow for feature-length films.

A full schedule of the films is listed at www.aspenfilm.org. Tickets can be purchased at the Wheeler Opera House or at www.aspenshowtickets.com. The films will be screened at the Wheeler and at the Crystal Theatre in Carbondale.