MOVIES

Local filmmaker takes short to Cannes Market

By Charles Ealy
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Sunday, May 10, 2009

Austin filmmaker Craig Whitney will be taking his short film "Harvest Home" to the Cannes Film Festival this week.

The 10-minute feature will be shown in the festival's Short Film Corner, which is a part of the Cannes Market.

Whitney wrote and directed "Harvest Home", and the main roles are played by Diane Hruska and Scott Bate.

The short focuses on Esther Kern (Hruska), a widow who faces a world that "has passed her by," Whitney says. And when a cable TV worker (Bate) drops by to make repairs, she entreats him to stay for coffee and dessert, wanting to escape her lonely everyday life.

Producer Stephanie Huettner will accompany Whitney to the festival, where they'll be able to meet with other directors, producers and buyers to pitch their short and other possible projects.

The Short Film Corner, which typically features about 1,800 movies, is a part of the Cannes Market and is independent of submissions to the festival's official selection, which also includes shorts.

Instead, the Short Film Corner is intended to help young filmmakers make contacts with professionals from around the world.