Graduate student and his short film 'Playtime (Spielzeit)' travel to South by Southwest for another prestigious event
By Phillip Horlings
Feb. 26, 2012 2:39 p.m.
Apparently, the Sundance Film Festival wasn’t enough.
Fresh off an official selection and screening at the prestigious 10-day event, directing graduate student Lucas Mireles’ short film “Playtime (Spielzeit)” has been selected for the film portion of the South by Southwest conference and festival in Austin, Texas. The film was produced by UCLA producers program alumnus Ryan Slattery.
Inspired by the German silent film “People on Sunday,” “Playtime” follows various youths across an average day in Cologne, Germany. It will compete in the narrative shorts category at South by Southwest Film. A selection from this category will then be chosen for a Grand Jury Award, making it eligible for a 2013 Academy Award nomination for Best Narrative Short.
Conceived and shot abroad in a matter of weeks, “Playtime” was created as part of a collaboration at the International Film School in Cologne, Germany. An extremely short production period, an unfamiliar land and a native crew made for a trying filmmaking process, but the resulting work has been rewarded with selections by two of the largest film festivals in the United States.
Mireles said that “Playtime” was well received by audiences during its Sundance screenings, and before the festival’s end he was able to chat film over a director’s brunch with Mr. Sundance himself, Robert Redford.
With Utah in the rear-view mirror, Mireles said he now looks forward to South by Southwest’s hometown appeal. He is a native Texan.
“Going to Sundance … that was an amazing experience, I will never forget that. But with South by Southwest, all my family and friends get to descend upon Austin and see my film. That’s a really cool homecoming for me. I couldn’t have asked for a better Texas premiere.”
This is not Mireles’ first time to the rodeo. The director’s short film “Love Analysis” earned him a South by Southwest Film premiere in 2011. He said he is hopeful that “Playtime”’s producer, Slattery, will be able to make it to Austin this time around ““ not just to promote their film, however.
“He will hopefully be out there. … I’m really looking forward to taking Ryan to The Salt Lick barbecue joint down in Driftwood, Texas. Last year I brought him back barbecue sauce from The Salt Lick and he loved it,” Mireles said.
“This year, he can buy his own.”
