IndieWire is joining forces with National Geographic Documentary Films and ShortsTV to present a special program featuring some of the best Oscar-qualifying short films of the year in Los Angeles on December 9. It will take place as an extension of LA3C, the music, art, and food festival hosted by IndieWire parent company Penske Media taking place in Los Angeles State Historic Park on December 10 and 11. A limited number of tickets for the short film event will be available exclusively to LA3C passholders, who will also have access to additional events the same week hosted by fellow Penske brands Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, SHE Media, Vibe, Variety, and Women’s Wear Daily. Tickets are now on sale for LA3C here.
Lining up with LA3C’s mission to celebrate Los Angeles as the capital of creativity and culture, the IndieWire event will bring an international selection of short films to the City of Angels just in time for awards season. In order to qualify for the Oscar, shorts must either win a top prize at an Oscar-qualifying festival or receive a qualifying theatrical run. The program for this event was co-curated by IndieWire staff and ShortsTV, the worldwide network dedicated to short films. For over 15 years, ShortsTV has distributed the Oscar-nominated short films. This event will preview many of the shorts with the potential to end up in contention this season.
In addition to a roughly 90-minute program featuring short live-action, animated, and documentary contenders, the program will feature a conversation with Oscar-winning documentarian Cynthia Wade. In 2008, Wade won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject for “Freeheld,” and was nominated again in 2013 for “Mondays at Racine.”
This year, she is in contention with “Flagmakers,” the National Geographic Documentary Films-produced about an eclectic group of people at an American flag-making factory in Oak Creek, Wisconsin that ships five million American flags a year. Wade will discuss her experiences making the documentary and how her relationship to working with the short form has evolved over the years.
In the weeks leading up to the event, IndieWire will feature interviews with filmmakers from the program, showcase the process involved in tracking short films throughout the year, and explore how the market for short films has changed over the years. Stay tuned for more details about the lineup.
Other events curated by Penske brands include Deadline Contenders: The Final Round, a conversation with Robert Downey Jr. and a screening of “Sr.” hosted by the Hollywood Reporter, and Variety’s Music for Screens program. Women’s Wear Daily will host a fashion dinner and Vibe will celebrate its 30th anniversary with an outdoor party at the festival on December 10, while SHE Media’s Meaningful Marketplace will showcase small businesses and Stylecast will host a “beauty brunch.” Note: RSVP is required for the VIP ticketholder events as space is limited and available on a first-come, first served basis. LA3C VIP ticketholders will receive invitations to RSVP starting this Friday, November 4.
LA3C’s music lineup includes headliner Megan Thee Stallion in addition to Snoop Dogg and Seventeen on December 10, followed by a celebration of Latin music headlined by Maluma on December 11. The festival has also partnered with nonprofit arts organizations Heart of Los Angeles and Film Independent to create new opportunities for emerging artists. Follow @LA3Cofficial on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for more updates in the weeks ahead.
