Filmmaker Eliot Rausch & 2012 The Vimeo Festival + Awards
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The celebration of the 2012 Vimeo Festival + Awards just ended Saturday – but we had the opportunity to get in a couple of chats with some of the Vimeo VIPs beforehand.
One of which, was the 2010 grand prize winner of the $25,000 grant to create a project, filmmaker Eliot Rausch chatted with us on the honor of being the winner in 2010 and the opportunity to be one of the judges in this year’s festival. The Vimeos are now widely known for their celebration of artistic short films that feature human moments which are typically absent from the commerical film landscape.
It was Eliot’s film Last Minutes with Oden that swept the 2010 festival with deep emotions as it chronicled the last minutes of a man with his best friend – his dog. “It’s a raw and unscripted moment in a man’s life.” Eliot said of the film which featured a friend of his.
As this year’s festivities were preparing to unfold, Eliot reflected on the honor of winning and how it has opened his eyes further to a talent that he always possessed.
“I think it allowed me a platform to express my inner dialogue. Last Minutes with Oden was a deeply personal piece. It was an experience of some of the more relatable human experiences. It was a total shocker to have won the award.”
Eliot noted that since the project wasn’t contrived, it was very difficult to put into words. It was simply a moment that he had captured for a friend of his. It was much to his surprise when the film went viral, getting more than a million views over a period of two months.
“I truly believe that this film has given validity to my collection.”
The film opened more doors for Eliot in the commercial world.
“I was never creating my films for an audience; now that I am there is a pressure. But, if there is a broader audience that is watching, then it’s great that I have more people to get my message across to.”
Eliot Rausch is working on a new film, almost always – after all, the work of a true artist is never complete. The trailer to his latest film, Limbo, premiered at the Vimeos. See it here.
Check out Last Minutes with Oden if you haven’t already done so. Also, be sure to check out the celebration that went on June 7-9 on the Vimeo Festival + Awards website.
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