The Problem with Machines that Communicate

Director: Matt McCormick
Cast: Marty Crandall, Elyse Sewell, George Andrus
Format: HDCam   Runtime: 13 minutes
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screening in: Reel Shorts 2

Screening Times

2:30 PM, Saturday March 8th - Alamo Lamar 2
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2:30 PM, Monday March 10th - Alamo Lamar 2
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12:00 PM, Friday March 14th - Alamo Lamar 2
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everything subject to change

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Synopsis:
The Problem with Machines that Communicate is a short experimental narrative that examines three lonely characters interacting with technology in a world that otherwise doesn't seem to pay attention to them. Don is a custodian who is never taken seriously, George is a very old man exploring the vivid detail of the world around him, and Hazel is an office worker who is desperate to engage in real conversation. But while each struggle with traditional forms of communication, the inadvertent by-products of their loneliness produces entirely new, abstract forms of communication.Written, shot, and edited in the course of one week, the film features three well known non-actors making their theatrical debuts; Marty Crandall is the keyboardist for the band The Shins, Elyse Sewell gained notoriety as a participant on the first season of America's Next Top Model, and 91-year-old George Andrus is a popular folk-artist and inventor from the Pacific Northwest.

Director's Bio:
Matt McCormick is a 34-year-old artist and filmmaker who has made several award winning short films in recent years. His work blurs the lines between documentary and experimental filmmaking to fashion witty and abstract observations of contemporary culture and the urban landscape. His work has screened in film festivals, art museums, and microcinemas around the globe, appeared on MTV and the Sundance Channel, and has received positive reviews from Art Forum, The New York Times, and Film Comment magazine. Matt has worked and collaborated with many artists and musicians, including The Shins, Miranda July, Sleater-Kinney, The Postal Service, and Calvin Johnson. Matt has had three films screen at the Sundance Film Festival, and been included in the traveling group exhibitions 'Uncertain States of America's' and 'Baja to Vancouver.' He has received awards including Best Short Film from the San Francisco International Film Fest, Best Experimental from the New York Underground Film Fest, and Best Short from the Ann Arbor Film Fest, and his film 'The Subconscious Art of Graffiti Removal' was named as a 'Top 10 Film of 2002' by both The Village Voice and Art Forum magazine.