Aint it Cool News is the geek website of record for me personally. I think it was vintage gigantic-Harry’s guest appearances on Ebert’s TV show back in 1999 that sealed the deal, and I have been a faithful reader since.

Now contributor Merrick has conceived of a new column to be called “Cinematic Shrimp” that ideally will showcase a short film of note once a week. Hmmm sound familiar? Just kidding, we here at SotW have no claim to the idea. There have been a few short film recommendation-sites over time, and even big sites like Twitch and /Film, have on occasion taken to showcasing short film. So we’re happy to have Aint it Cool, embark on this project, and will be looking forward to their success. Merrick and his crew also hope to get in depth with each film, interviewing creators, and discussing the technical aspects of how they brought their pieces to fruition, for the benefit of the filmmaker crowd. Cool!

Things get kicked off with Cinematic Shrimp #1, which highlights The Search, a film by Mark Buchanan dealing with researchers from SETI, the organization that looks for extra-terrestrial life. Check it out.

See Cinematic Shrimp #1 at — Aint it Cool News

Festival

Sundance 2011 Short Films Online: Program 2

In last week's first program, Sundance reached back into its archives and issued forth a lineup of short films by four directors who are debuting features films in this year's festival. Today, a new set of 4 short films have been made available through the YouTube Screening Room, this time by four directors who are alumni of the Sundance Labs, the teaching side of the larger year-round Sundance Insitute.