Pretty Okay Pictures

So it turns out, I am a big fan of Matthew Rankin.

I’ve loved his work for years, I’ve just never known all these films related back to the same artist.

But now that I do – and in honour of him winning the Bite Comedy Award at the NSI Online Short Film Festival (which was the catalyst for this post) – here is a mini-presentation of my favourite Matthew Rankin films.

I Dream of Driftwood

Cattle Call – Co-directed with Mike Maryniuk

Tabula Rasa

Animator Johanna Haeseker came to my attention when she won an animation contest for one of my favourite podcasts WireTap.

Now she and writer Jake Robinson have a new animated short based on the morbidly funny true story of the scattering of Robinson’s grandfather’s ashes – Dad Mud.

It is pretty great!
Check it out:

Cool!
Mike Everleth of Underground Film Journal did a write-up on Beef Barley Brothers.

Even cooler!
It is a pretty flattering assessment of the film for all involved.

Check it out here:
Underground Film – Short Film: Beef Barley Brothers

Steve, a self-involved 9-to-5-er, attempts an act of charity by taking a homeless man to lunch. However, when his fantasy of charity doesn’t match the reality, the dynamics between the two unlikely “friends” begins to shift.

Screenings:
2012 Minneapolis Underground Film Festival
2012 Boomtown Film & Music Festival
2012 Sunscreen Film Festival
2012 Snake Alley Festival of Film
2012 Weyauwega International Film Festival
2012 Ionian International Digital Film Festival
2013 Jaipur International Film Festival

Runtime: 10:16

Cast: Jayson Therrien, Josh Bertwistle, Deborah Scullion, Mitch Barany

Director: Luke Black, Writer: Chris Turtle, Producers: Christopher Hutchens, Marc Vandergraaf & Luke Black, Associate Producer: Matt Watterworth, Director of Photography: Jamie Wensley, Editor: Don Gyryluk, Key Grip: Vasco Jesus Maria, Assistant Directors: James Reckseidler & Christopher Hutchens, Location Sound: Alex Mitchell, Sound Editor: Graydon Johnston, Costume Designer: Tara Charran, Makeup Artist: Laurena Pollock, Graphic Design: Jeremy Pollock

Song – “I Wish You All The Happiness” – Written and performed by Calvin Becker – calvinbecker.com

If you are in Regina, Saskatchewan this Sunday (Feb. 17th), come by the Saskatchewan Filmpool Cooperative to catch Beef Barley Brothers at the Filmpool Members Showcase Screening.

The screening will feature five short films by Filmpool members Nora Gardner, Callen Diederichs, Luke Annand, rjamesmisfeldt and myself.

Show starts at 6 pm and I`ll be in attendance.

This just in!

Beef Barley Brothers is going to in India.
Specifically, the Jaipur International  Film Festival will be screening our short twice – on January 31st, 2013 at 11 am and on February 2nd, 2013 at 10 am.

To tease the screenings, here are some of the other short films screening with Beef Barley Brothers:

The Soundman’s Love, directed by Toshimichi Saito

Blue Dragonfly, directed by Makoto Fujihashi
(Disclaimer: I am pretty confident this is a trailer for Blue Dragonfly … but I can’t read Japanese and could be wrong.)

Stammering Love, directed by Jan Czarlewski

Once Upon a Sultan, direct by Ishita Tiwari, Ritika Kaushik & Farah Yameen

Thanks to the organizers and volunteers at the Jaipur International Film Festival for the amazing opportunity to have Beef Barley Brothers screened on the other side of the world!

This short film is impossible not to fall in love with.

Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart pack so much comedy and heart into Long Branch that I’d put it right up there with my all-time favourite romantic comedy, The Apartment.

This is great!

2012 was the 20th anniversary of the $100 Film Festival. A festival very near and dear to my heart.
The festival was originally conceived by a filmmaker named James Morison and, for the 20th installment, he create a new film contemplating the history of the festival, it’s inception and his role in it all.

I don’t think there could be a better tribute to the $100 Film Festival’s anniversary than this film.

Contingency won the 2012 Best of Alberta award.

The Weyauwega International Film Festival is the next stop for Beef Barley Brothers!

You can catch the screening at the George Gerold Opera House on November 9th at 5:30pm in Weyauwega, Wisconsin.

Thanks to all the good people at Weyauwega International Film Festival for putting on this event.

When I can, I like to showcase the other films in the package we will be screening with, but this time my mind was blown!

Beef Barley Brothers will be screening along side a short film written by Neil LaBute and directed by Nathaniel Krause about their own homeless guy and regular guy.
Will they be best friends? Only time will tell.

Also in our program are these sharp-looking films, should be a really great screening:

Hourglass by Pedro Collantes

Written in Ink by Martin Rath

Searcy County by Noam Osband

Great news!

Beef Barley Brothers will take it’s European bow in Greece on Monday September 17, 2012 at the Ionian International Digital Film Festival.

You can catch the screening at 1:20 pm at the Cine Apollon in the heart of Lefkada, Greece.

Special thanks to the organizers of IIDFF. We are extremely excited to have our work shown at your festival!