Uptown! to host Oscarnominated films

Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center will host Oscarnominated Short Films as an exclusive release.

»Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center will host Oscar-nominated Short Films, an exclusive release featuring the year’s most spectacular short films in both Live Action and Animation categories on the theater’s big screen. For over a decade, ShortsTV has proudly brought this program to audiences across the globe. This year, it will be shown in more than 500 screens across North America, Europe, Latin America, South Africa, Australia and West Chester.

Uptown!s viewing, Monday, Feb. 12 at 6:30 p.m., will begin with the Animated Shorts category, which is expected to last approximately 90 minutes. After a short break, Live Action Shorts follow for an additional 90 minutes or so. The audience will enjoy full length viewing of all five nominees in each of the two categories. The full program is expected to conclude by 10:30 p.m. Free popcorn will be provided, with sandwiches, snacks and beverages available for purchase in the Uptown! Bar. Tickets are just $20 for the full program of 10 movies, and film-goers are welcome to come and go as they like throughout the evening. Trailers for the program will be posted on Facebook.

Oscar nominees for all categories were announced in late January. This special release gives enthusiasts the opportunity to see Short Film nominees ahead of the 90th Academy Awards ceremony March 4. While some full length feature films last for hours, a short film is an original motion picture with a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all credits. “Short films every year are just an amazing way to see new things that are happening in film,” Cable Channel ShortsTV CEO Carter Pilcher said. “You can get a much better sense of new techniques, new ways of storytelling. The thing about going to watch a group of short films like the Oscar nominees, they’re the top of the heap. You’re seeing the young talent coming through with new approaches, and new approaches to old ideas.”

Ballots will make it possible to tally the West Chester audience’s votes so they can be compared to official results. Anticipating an enthusiastic response from the greater West Chester community, Uptown! hopes to make this an annual event. As a venue for the West Chester Film Festival, including the West Chester International Short Film Festival, it is clear there is local interest and support for the art of filmmaking.

Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center is conveniently located near parking and restaurants at 226 North High Street, West Chester. For additional information or to purchase tickets, visit UptownWestChester.org, the Uptown! box office or call 610356-2787.