Miss Yvonne, Again

August 20, 2014

Destination: The Hollyshorts Film Festival

Cost: $16.63 plus gas (plus $1.00 for the meter)

Is it just me, or it does it seem like there's a film festival in LA every week? This isn't a bad thing. These festivals have a great vibe, so the more opportunities to attend, the better.

Last night I headed to the TCL Chinese Theaters (formerly Grauman’s) to view an evening of comedic digital short films at the Hollyshorts Festival. Approaching Hollywood Blvd and Highland, I knew something was up – there were traffic officers in the street and a massive crowd assembled in front of the theaters. The film premiere of “If I Stay” was happening at the same time as the short film festival and the red carpet was getting in the way of my timely arrival.

I parked just off Sunset and sprinted uphill to the theaters, only to find the front entrance blocked off from the west side, necessitating a detour around a parking structure, up an elevator to the back service area of several restaurants, out through a mall to the street – and then up another elevator to the third floor back entrance to the multiplex lobby. Here, finally, were a bunch of tinseltown scenesters hobnobbing it up and posing for photos. I cut through the schmoozers and settled into a seat in the crowded dark cinema just as the first film “Bingo Night” was starting.

And there was Lynne Marie Stewart in the lead role – the former Miss Yvonne of Pee-Wee’s Playhouse. This was a happy coincidence, since I just saw her perform live on stage two weeks ago at the Groundlings (see previous post) and I’m not ashamed to profess my fondness for Pee-Wee.

“Bingo Night,” directed by Jordan Leibowitz, was one of the highlights of the screening. The other standout shorts included “One-Minute Time Machine,” “The Lord of Catan,” “Human Resources” and "Floating Sunflowers.” The program, titled “Too Funny Shorts,” was mislabeled, since many of these films were barely comedic and a few had ultra-dark themes – but it was still a fine evening. The best part of these festivals is the rousing applause and cheers from the filmmaking teams and the Q&A sessions with directors after the screenings. Also, the crowds tend to be convivial, and did I mention, hip?

The regret is that I didn't arrive earlier in order to celebrity gawk at the film premiere and have time to grab a cocktail with Hollyshorts attendees pre-show.  At least I got to see the ad hoc memorial for Robin Williams at his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.