OSCAR SHORT FILMS - 7
More Academy Award winning short films in chronological order.
Black Rider by Pepe Danquart (1993) (Germany) (10m)
Black Rider (Schwarzfahrer) won the Oscar for Best Short Film in 1994. Black Rider is a short drama with a large dose of black comedy written and directed by German filmmaker Pepe Danquart and proving that some Germans do indeed have a sense of humor. Filmed in black & white, there is a definite European feel to it but this didn't stop it winning an Oscar. It is a simple story of bigotry and comical revenge.
Session Man by Seth Winston (1991) (USA) (31m)
Session Man won its Academy Award in 1992. It follows a night in the life of session man McQueen, a hired musician who is asked to come into the studio and help the Raging Kings, a mega rock group, finish an album track. His presence prompts the lead guitarist to quit the band and McQueen proves himself an accomplished substitute. Could this be the big break for which McQueen has been waiting? The actor, James Remar, is now best known for Dexter.
The Lunch Date by Adam Davidson (1989) (US) (10m)
The Lunch Date by Adam Davidson won both the Oscar and the Palme d'Or in 1990. Shot in black & white, with an old fashioned feel to it, The Lunch Date follows the adventures of a somewhat racist white, middle-class woman who misses her train and is forced to wait for the next one in the station. Her prejudices are then stretched to the limit when a black man starts eating her newly bought lunch.
Appointments Of Dennis Jennings by Dean Parisot ('88) (US) (29m)
The Appointments of Dennis Jennings won the Oscar for Best Short Film in 1989 and was basically a comedy vehicle for the irreverent comic Steven Wright. As such, it comes across a bit like one long comedy sketch. The story is limited but Wright, playing his neurotic alter ego, begins to visit a peculiar psychiatrist, played by Rowan Atkinson. Not only is the quack unhelpful, he also shares Jennings' problems with friends and takes a fancy to his girlfriend.
