MergingArts and Red River Theaters premiere Second Annual Short Short Story Film Festival

[Received this press release from Toni Pennacchia from MergingArts Productions on an upcoming short film festival at Red River Theatres in Concord.]

One-Day Event to Feature Over Thirty Films That Tell A Story In Five Minutes Or Less.

CONCORD, NH – A unique one-day event is coming this November 29th to Concord, New Hampshire. Co-presented by MergingArts Productions and The Red River Theatres, the second annual Short Short Story Film Festival will make its debut at The Red River at 11 South Main Street in downtown Concord. The festival will feature screenings throughout the day and the event is open to the public.

The festival will feature films of five minutes or less in length, all of which tell a story. Toni Pennacchia, Director of MergingArts Productions, says "Our idea is to present a wide variety of themes and moods in less than the time of a typical Hollywood movie. Most short film festivals allow for films of 10, 15, or more minutes in length. We wanted to keep things 'short and sweet' so to speak."

She continues, "Some pieces less than five minutes are trailers, music videos, public service announcements, or experimental non-narrative pieces. I wanted to keep the focus on story – films with a beginning, middle, and end. It's a greater challenge for the filmmaker, but it engages the audience more fully."

The festival made its debut in November of 2007, playing to a packed house in Providence, RI. For 2008, the festival organizers wanted to travel the festival to other areas in New England. "We wanted to find communities in New England where there is a good base of support for independent artists," says Pennacchia. "With The Red River in Concord, we have found a shared vision of entertaining and enlightening the New Hampshire public."

The festival will include more than thirty films in all, from as far away as Australia and Russia, and including a few entries from New England area filmmakers. Films are to be presented in two programs, the first consisting of lighter, more family-friendly fare called Heartstrings, and the second being a little edgier or darker called Headtrip.

Both live-action and animated films will be shown, running the gamut of styles, including Don't Make a Scene, a self-referential satire from New York City, My Happy End, a sentimental "tail" of friendship from Berlin, and The Heist, a sort of science fiction morality play from Vancouver. Pennacchia concludes, "If you are looking for something different to do after eating all the turkey you can handle on Thanksgiving, this is a great change of pace for both adults and kids."

MergingArts Productions is an organization dedicated to promoting music, visual arts, technology and media, bringing these elements to a variety of communities both locally and globally.

Red River Theatres' mission is to present film and the discussion of film as a way to entertain, broaden horizons and deepen appreciation of life for New Hampshire audiences of all ages.

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For more information on the festival, contact Toni Pennacchia, Director of MergingArts Productions at tonip@mergingartsproductions.com, or visit http://www.mergingarts.com.