Curfew (2012 film)

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Curfew
Promotional poster
Directed byShawn Christensen
Written byShawn Christensen
Produced byDamon Russell
Mara Kassin
Andrew Napier
StarringFátima Ptacek
Shawn Christensen
Kim Allen
CinematographyDaniel Katz
Edited byShawn Christensen
Evan Henke
Music byDarren Morze
Production
company
Fuzzy Logic Pictures
Release date
Running time
19 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Curfew is a 2012 American short film directed by Shawn Christensen. The film won the Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film at the 85th Academy Awards.[1]

The short is the basis for a feature film which premiered at SXSW 2014 titled Before I Disappear.

Plot[edit]

Richie is in the process of ending his life in a bathtub when he gets a call from his estranged sister, Maggie, asking him to look after his niece, Sophia, for the night. Richie cancels his plans and sets out to babysit his niece.

When he meets Sophia, she makes it clear that she has no interest in talking to him, nor does she seem to care much about him. Richie mentions that he drew flipbooks when he was younger, starring a protagonist named "Sophia", and that he wonders if his sister got Sophia’s name from those flipbooks. He then takes Sophia to an old rundown building where he used to live, and finds the flipbooks he wants to show her, but Sophia gets scared and wants to go home.

After Richie apologizes, they return to the bowling alley and Sophia starts asking all about his life. They start to become friends, and Richie admits that the reason he hasn't been allowed to see her all these years is because he once dropped Sophia on her head while taking care of her as a baby. Sophia finds this incident amusing, just as her favorite song comes on over the loudspeakers. Suddenly, everyone in the bowling alley seems to be dancing along with the song, except for Richie. Sophia begs him to dance with her, tugging at his arm until his wrist comes out of its sleeve, revealing his suicide attempt. Richie snaps back to reality.

When Richie brings Sophia back home, he notices a restraining order sitting on the kitchen table, citing assault and harassment. His sister comes back looking bruised and she thanks Richie for his help, but she wants him to leave. She doesn’t want her daughter having any more "false idols". Richie tells her how much he looked up to her when they were younger, and how much he still looks up to her now. He returns home to his bathtub, and attempts to continue what he started in the beginning but Maggie interrupts him with a phone call again, this time on nicer terms.

Awards[edit]

Awards for Curfew
Year Association Award Category Status
2013 Academy Awards Best Short Film - Live Action Won
Prescott Film Festival Best Narrative Short Film Won
Cortopolis Audience Award Won
Lakecity International Short Film Festival Best Foreign Film Won
Hill County Film Festival Best Short Film Won
Vaughan Film Festival Best Short Film Won
Best Actress Won
Film Caravan Audience Award Won
Rincon International Film Festival Best Actress Won
Best Short Film Won
2012 Stockholm International Film Festival Best Short Film Won
Nashville Film Festival Best Narrative Short Film Won
Cleveland International Film Festival Best Live Action Short Film Won
Woodstock Film Festival Best Short Narrative Won
Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival Audience Award (International) Won
Brussels Short Film Festival Best Actor Won
Audience Award (International) Won
Ozu International Film Festival Grand Jury Prize Won
Audience Award Won
Sapporo Short Film Festival Best Young Actress Won
Audience Award Won
Granada International Film Festival Best International Short Film Won
Seattle Shorts Film Festival Grand Jury Prize Won
Best Director Won
Best Actor Won
Short Shorts Film Festival Audience Award (International) Won
Tacoma Film Festival Best Narrative Short Film Won
24fps Int'l Short Film Festival Best Actor Won
Silver Medal Won
Audience Award Won
15 Short Film Festival Audience Award Won
Concorto Film Festival Youth Jury Award Won
La Boca Del Lobo Int'l Film Festival Best International Short Film Won
Soria International Short Film Festival Best Screenplay Won
Grand Jury Prize (International) Won
Audience Award Won
Youth Jury Award (International) Won
Windsor International Film Festival Can-Am People's Choice Award Won
Williamstown Film Festival Christopher Reeve Audience Award Won
Saguenay International Short Film Festival Creativity Prize Won
Abitibi-Temiscamingue Int'l Film Festival Best Short Film Won
Du Grain a Demoudre Film Festival Best Short Screenplay Won
Audience Award Won
Young Cinephiles Award Won
Jean Prevost High School Award Won
Sequence Short Film Festival Audience Award (International) Won
Port Townsend Film Festival Special Jury Commendation Won

Release[edit]

The film was released in February 2013 on iTunes and in a theatrical run with the other 14 Oscar-nominated short films by ShortsHD.[2]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Nominees for the 85th Academy Awards". Retrieved 2013-01-10.
  2. ^ "Oscar Nominated Short Films 2013". The New York Times. 2013.

External links[edit]