O ne of the hottest topics in the film world is that shorts are back, and not just as camp-kitsch echoes of 1976 biology class or nostalgic memories of the days when movie theaters actually played something besides commercials before the feature started. AtomFilms, one of the Internet's premier short-film hubs, hosted its Sundance party in a mountaintop condo on Monday night. Well, the real phenomenon is that short films now have an excellent life. It's their day in the sun. Well, the good thing is that the Internet is the lean-forward medium.
Television is the lean-back medium, and that's where the whole convergence is going to come from.
When you're on your computer, you're leaning forward. You're paying attention. You've been around the block as a feature film buyer and seller at festivals. There's been a lot of talk about how there's going to be a big bidding war for short films. That hasn't really materialized yet.