Balloon (short film)

Last updated

Balloon is a 2019 live-action short film written and directed by Jeremy Merrifield and produced by Dream Three Films. [1] [2] [3] It stars Jonah Beres and Paul Scheer and explores gender stereotypes and toxic masculinity associated with boyhood. [4] [5] [6]

Contents

Balloon premiered at the Palm Springs International ShortFest. [7] The film qualified for the Oscars by winning the Grand Prix at Hollyshorts in 2019 [8] [9] and was nominated for a Student Academy Award. [5] The short film won both Best Drama Series and The Seymour Bricker Humanitarian Award at The Television Academy’s 40th annual College Television Awards. [10]

Plot

Junior high schooler, Sam Wheeler, wants to do nothing more than keep his head down, get through the day, and hang out with his friend Adam. All of that changes in the aftermath of a fight with Jason Kingsley as their classmates continuously share a recording of the fight online and send Sam derisive digital messages. As a consequence, Adam, too, begins to pull away. While Sam is still trying to suppress the rage, he discovers he has a latent super-ability. Backed into a corner and possessing the power to do something about it, the fate of Sam’s future hangs in the balance of his choice. [11] [5]

Reception

IndieWire compared the film to Joker , saying where that film "explores the genesis of a villain," Balloon "depicts the making of a hero," while describing it as "emotionally vivid and delicately rendered" and calling it "a timely critique of the superhero mythos, offering an alternative world that prizes softness and sensitivity over brute strength." The Independent Critic called Balloon "one of the best short films of 2019." [12] [6]

Accolades

YearPresenter/FestivalAward/CeremonyStatus
2020College Television AwardsBest Drama SeriesWon [10]
2020College Television AwardsSeymour Bricker Humanitarian AwardWon [10]
2019HollyShorts Feilm FestivalGrand Prix (Oscar Qualifying)Won [13]
2019New Orleans Film FestivalAudience Award / Jury Special MentionWon [14]
2019Napa Valley Film FestivalBest Narrative ShortWon [15]
2019Student Academy AwardsBest Narrative (Domestic)Nominated [5]
2019Palm Springs International Short FestBest Student ShortNominated [7]
2019American Society of CinematographersHeritage AwardNominated [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joaquin Phoenix</span> American actor (born 1974)

Joaquin Rafael Phoenix is an American actor. Known for playing dark and unconventional characters in independent films and period dramas, he has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Grammy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards. In 2020, The New York Times named him one of the greatest actors of the 21st century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jiří Menzel</span> Czech film director (1938–2020)

Jiří Menzel was a Czech film director, theatre director, actor, and screenwriter. His films often combine a humanistic view of the world with sarcasm and provocative cinematography. Some of these films are adapted from works by Czech writers such as Bohumil Hrabal and Vladislav Vančura.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alejandro González Iñárritu</span> Mexican filmmaker

Alejandro González Iñárritu is a Mexican filmmaker. He is primarily known for making modern psychological drama films about the human condition. His projects have garnered critical acclaim and numerous accolades including four Academy Awards with a Special Achievement Award, three Golden Globe Awards, three BAFTA Awards, two Directors Guild of America Awards. His most notable films include Amores perros (2000), 21 Grams (2003), Babel (2006), Biutiful (2010), Birdman (2014), The Revenant (2015), and Bardo (2022).

<i>The Red Balloon</i> 1956 film by Albert Lamorisse

The Red Balloon is a 1956 French fantasy comedy-drama featurette written, produced, and directed by Albert Lamorisse. The thirty-four-minute short, which follows the adventures of a young boy who one day finds a sentient, mute, red balloon, was filmed in the Ménilmontant neighborhood of Paris.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elliot Page</span> Canadian actor (born 1987)

Elliot Page is a Canadian actor. He has received various accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albert Lamorisse</span> French filmmaker, film producer, and writer (1922–1970)

Albert Lamorisse was a French filmmaker, film producer, and writer of short films which he began making in the late 1940s. He also invented the strategic board game Risk in 1957.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bong Joon-ho</span> South Korean filmmaker (born 1969)

Bong Joon-ho is a South Korean film director, producer and screenwriter. The recipient of three Academy Awards, his filmography is characterised by emphasis on social and class themes, genre-mixing, black humor, and sudden tone shifts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeremy Renner</span> American actor (born 1971)

Jeremy Lee Renner is an American actor. He began his career by appearing in independent films such as Dahmer (2002) and Neo Ned (2005), then supporting roles in bigger films, such as S.W.A.T. (2003) and 28 Weeks Later (2007). Renner gained Academy Award nominations for Best Actor for his performance as a soldier in The Hurt Locker (2009) and for Best Supporting Actor for playing a hot-headed robber in The Town (2010).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Octavia Spencer</span> American actress

Octavia Lenora Spencer is an American actress. She is the recipient of several accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and a Golden Globe Award, and is the first black actress to receive two consecutive Oscar nominations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hildur Guðnadóttir</span> Icelandic musician and composer (born 1982)

Hildur Ingveldardóttir Guðnadóttir is an Icelandic musician and composer. A classically trained cellist, she has played and recorded with the bands Pan Sonic, Throbbing Gristle, Múm, and Stórsveit Nix Noltes, and has toured with Animal Collective and Sunn O))). She has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, two Grammy Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Destin Daniel Cretton</span> American filmmaker

Destin Yori Daniel Cretton is an American filmmaker. He is best known for his films Short Term 12 (2013), The Glass Castle (2017), Just Mercy (2019) and the Marvel Studios film Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timothée Chalamet</span> American and French actor (born 1995)

Timothée Hal Chalamet is an American and French actor. He has received various accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award, three Golden Globe Awards, and three BAFTA Film Awards.

Sarmad Masud, also known as Sam Masud, is a British filmmaker whose 2017 movie My Pure Land was the first Urdu language film nominated by the UK for a Foreign Language Oscar award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">92nd Academy Awards</span> Award ceremony for films of 2019

The 92nd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released in 2019 and took place on February 9, 2020, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, beginning at 5:00 p.m. PST / 8:00 p.m. EST. During the ceremony, the AMPAS presented Academy Awards in 24 categories. The ceremony, televised in the United States by ABC, was produced by Stephanie Allain and Lynette Howell Taylor and was directed by Glenn Weiss. Three months earlier in a ceremony at the Ray Dolby Ballroom of the Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood held on October 27, 2019, the Academy held its 11th Annual Governors Awards ceremony.

<i>For Sama</i> 2019 film by Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts

For Sama is a 2019 documentary film produced and narrated by Waad Al-Kateab, and directed by Waad Al-Kateab and Edward Watts. The film focuses on Waad Al-Kateab's journey as a journalist and rebel in the Syrian uprising. Her husband is Hamza al-Kateab, one of the few doctors left in Aleppo, and they raise their daughter Sama Al-Kateab during the Syrian Civil War.

<i>Knuckle City</i> 2019 film

Knuckle City is a 2019 South African crime sports film written and directed by Jahmil X.T. Qubeka. It was screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival. It was selected as the South African entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards, but was ultimately not nominated.

<i>Sister</i> (2018 film) 2018 American film

Sister is a 2018 stop motion animated film directed by Siqi Song during her studies at CalArts Experimental Animation Program as her graduation film.

<i>Daughter</i> (2019 film) 2019 Czech film

Daughter is a 2019 Czech short animated drama film directed by Daria Kashcheeva. The film received 38 awards during half a year after its premiere at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, including the Annecy Cristal for the best film in the graduation films category, and a Student Academy Award. It was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.

Jonathan Schwartz is an American film producer and former entertainment lawyer, known for producing independent features. Schwartz's credits include Wristcutters: A Love Story (2006), Douchebag (2010), Like Crazy (2011), Smashed (2012), Nobody Walks (2012), Breathe In (2013), Imperial Dreams (2014), and The Vanishing of Sidney Hall (2017). Through his production label, Super Crispy Entertainment, most of Schwartz's works have screened, won awards and secured distribution at the Sundance Film Festival. Throughout his career, he has collaborated extensively with producer Andrea Sperling, director Drake Doremus and actor-producer Logan Lerman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Toronto International Film Festival</span> 47th edition of the festival

The 47th annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from September 8 to 18, 2022.

References

  1. ↑ "BALLOON | Dream Three Films". Dream Three. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
  2. ↑ "Balloon by Jeremy Merrifield | Drama". Directors Notes. 2019-11-07. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
  3. ↑ "5 Things I Learned While Making My AFI Thesis Film". No Film School. 2019-08-23. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
  4. ↑ ""BALLOON" Is A Vital Exploration Of Toxic Masculinity". What We Seee. 2019-11-09. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Davidson, Douglas (2019-08-27). "Watch the birth of a modern superhero in 2019 Student Academy Award nominee short film "Balloon"". Elements of Madness. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
  6. 1 2 "The Independent Critic - "Balloon" is One of the Best Short Films of 2019". www.theindependentcritic.com. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
  7. 1 2 "Balloon | Palm Springs International Film Festival". www.psfilmfest.org. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
  8. ↑ "Balloon by Jeremy Merrifield | Drama Short Film". Short of the Week. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
  9. ↑ "Meet the 2019 Student Academy Awards Finalists". Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 2019-08-08. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
  10. 1 2 3 Hipes, Patrick (2020-05-31). "40th College Television Awards Winners Unveiled". Deadline. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
  11. ↑ "Altruistic Models, Recovering Veterans, Looney Tunes and More at TheWrap's Short Film Showcase". TheWrap. 2019-12-05. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
  12. ↑ Dry, Jude (2019-10-15). "Queer Short With Oscar Prospects Tackles Toxic Masculinity and Parallels 'Joker' — Watch". IndieWire. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
  13. ↑ "'Balloon,' 'The Orphan' and 'Sister' Win Oscar-Qualifying Awards at HollyShorts Film Festival". TheWrap. 2019-08-18. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
  14. ↑ "#NOFF2019 Audience Award Winners Announced". New Orleans Film Society. 2019-10-29. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
  15. ↑ "2019 Napa Valley Film Festival Announces Festival Award Winners". NVFF • NOV 10 - 14. 2019-11-17. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
  16. ↑ "ASC Selects 2019 Student Heritage Awards Nominees - The American Society of Cinematographers". theasc.com. Retrieved 2020-08-21.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.