Red Carpet Rolled Out For Flash Film Festival

It turns out that monkeys can do a lot more than peel bananas and swing from trees.

They inspire creativity.

That was proven during the first annual Massachusetts Flash Film Festival held by the Belmont Media Center during which two screenings and awards were presented at Cinema Studio on Saturday, Oct. 1.

The red carpet was rolled out for the directors and movie stars at the Trapelo Road theatre who were interviewed by festival hostesses Suzy Spivey and Cheri Wiest while media cameras flashed and other paparazzi ogled the celebrities.

“I loved eating cake,” said Sally Amer who played a leading role in Kevin Cunningham’s opus titled “Mystery Book Club.”

Sally’s mother, who also starred in the film, said she was impressed by all the films she saw on Saturday and noted how much fun it was to play a role in one of them.

Ten teams, four of which are from Belmont, made 4-7 minute short films in 72 hours after the genre was selected for them at random and the finished piece was required to work within a specific character and with a specific prop.

Thus, the presence of a monkey who could do something with its eyes closed and the appearance of gum wrappers was compulsory in each film.

It wasn’t those two obligations that challenged the professional and amateur filmmakers, however, as much as the limited time to write, direct, shoot and edit their pieces in just three days.

“It was fun but also nerve-racking,” said Brett Colombo, the director of “Must Love Bugs” that featured his wife, Niki and their children: six-year-old daughter, Sophia and four-year-old son, Charlie and told the story of a man plagued by mosquitos during an ordinary, suburban barbeque.

The process was even more harried than Colombo anticipated when his computer crashed – just an hour before the deadline for the film.

“So we didn’t make the deadline,” he explained, adding that the film was still shown at the festival. “But having such a limited time to make a piece helped us be more focused and driven.”

Cunningham, who made his debut as an artist in fiction through the medium of film, also noted the time limit as a harrying factor.

“I was more rushed than most,” he said, explaining that his movie about a book group featured a lot of children who have busy schedules involving such activities as soccer. “I didn’t really have the full 72 hours because we didn’t start filming until Saturday,” he said, paying compliments to his leading actress and daughter, eight-year-old Christina; 13-year-old assistant and son, Benjy; and 10-year-old producer and daughter, Julia.

But, in the end, Cunningham actually appreciated the limited time he was given to produce the film.

“The deadline was a focusing factor for me,” he said.

The winners – selected by judges Jay Fedigan, Callie Crossley and Steve Garfield – were Death on Toast by Paracelsus Films for first place; Peripheral Spy by Rampant Island for second place; and Dina by The Horde for the non-professional category.

For the professional category, the winners were Must Love Blogs by Brookline Access Warriors in first place; Yard Sale by Shiny Key Productions in second place; and Banana Skin by Streetfrog Productions in third place.

The viewer’s choice award went to Death on Toast by Paracelsus Films for both screenings.

The films will be posted on the Belmont Media center web site early this week.