Online viral video sensation YouTube today announced the launch of The YouTube Screening Room (www.youtube.com/ytscreeningroom), a dedicated destination for filmmakers around the world to distribute their work and share in revenue. The site will feature four new short films every two weeks, as well as feature-length films on a case-by-case basis. Initial animated offerings include Torill Kove’s Oscar-winning short The Danish Poet, as well as Fredrik Emilson’s Award-winning Love and War and Josh Raskin’s Academy Award-nominated I Met The Walrus.
Winner of the 2007 Academy Award for Best Animated Short, The Danish Poet was produced through The National Film Board of Canada. The film follows Kasper, a poet whose creative well has run dry, as he journeys to Norway to meet the famous writer Sigrid Undset. As Kasper’s quest for inspiration unfolds, it appears that seemingly unrelated factors all play a role in the big scheme of life after all.
The stop-motion opera Love and War won Best Animated Short at the 2007 Los Angeles Film Festival. Produced by Tomas Michaelsson, the short tells the tale of two lovers, Bunny and Bear, who meet by happenstance. At the height of their romance, Bear is called to serve in an international conflict against an army of aggressing reptilians.
I Met the Walrus uses animation to illustrate real audio from a 1969 interview that 14-year-old Jerry Levitan conducted with music legend John Lennon. Levitan produced the film, which was nominated for a 2008 Oscar in the Aniamted Short category.
In the coming months, all filmmakers will have the opportunity to submit their work for consideration through an online submission process. Screening Room visitors will be able to communicate directly with filmmakers, share thoughts with other fans and provide honest feedback. There is also a “Buy Now” button that allows filmmakers to link to websites selling DVDs and digital downloads of their films, as well as a high-quality video player for the best viewing experience possible.
