Young Filmmakers Take Center Stage at Bloomingdale's This Fall

Young Filmmakers Take Center Stage at Bloomingdale's This Fall

Store Commissions Five Independent Film Shorts

NEW YORK, Aug. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- With the familiar words "Cut! That's a wrap!" filming completed on five short films set to debut at Bloomingdale's this September. The store is preparing its fall fashion campaign, dubbed "Lights; Camera; Fashion" which will cast the store, its merchandise, and its customers in an unmistakably cinematic light. Bloomingdale's produced the movies in partnership with Young Indies Films.

"Part of what is uniquely Bloomingdale's is the new talent we try to uncover and showcase to our customers," said Jack Hruska, Executive Vice President of Creative Services. "Whether in fashion or home, or in this case, entertainment coming from emerging filmmakers, we love presenting up-to-the-moment experiences in our stores."

The three to five minute films, whose genres range from romance to generational relationships, and whose styles incorporate live-action and animation, were shot and produced entirely in New York City over the course of 15 days. The films, dubbed BFLIX, will be shown in all Bloomingdale's stores and on Bloomingdales.com.

Shoppers will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite BFLIX film via text message or Bloomingdales.com. The winning director will receive a trip to Film Independent's nationally televised Spirit Awards in Los Angeles, indie film's biggest night of the year.

While the store made itself available to aid in the production of the shorts, the films are not about shopping, or about the retailer, though subtle nods to the store appear in each. "We wanted to celebrate the spirit of independent film during this promotion," said Hruska. "These are amazing young directors and we are thrilled to provide a platform to showcase their work."

An overview of the films, and their directors:

The Love Game (Wowhouse Pictures)
-- A board game all about dating, and featuring iconic NYC locales,
literally comes to life for two 20-something Manhattanites.

-- Directed by Andrew Hunt, an award-winning writer/director and animator
who has international experience in television and film.

"'The Love Game' was inspired by the idea that love often involves the sacrifice of something we hold dear as an individual, in order to gain something greater as a couple. Conner has his shyness, Myah has her trust issues, the 'Actor Token' loves his rules while the 'Model Token' loves to break them. In the end Conner becomes bold, Myah takes a risk and the 'Actor Token' has to sacrifice his own set of rules to win the girl. I like the way love will make you step out of your comfort zone and be willing to change for someone else. There's something poetic and beautiful about that." Andrew Hunt

My Adventures in Ladies' Undergarments, 4th Floor (Borderline Films/Young Indies Films)

-- While shopping with his mother at Bloomingdale's, a six-year-old boy
finds his first love -- an Agent Provocateur lingerie mannequin.

-- Directed by Antonio Campos, a director whose first feature film,
AFTERSCHOOL, was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award as best
first feature, and whose short film THE LAST 15 was nominated for the
Palme d'Or short category at the Cannes Film Festival in 2007.

"When I was really young and my mother would drag me with her and my sister to go shopping at department stores and boutiques, the only way I could make it bearable was to treat the store like my playground. When I was given the chance to do a short film and use Bloomingdales, I knew exactly what story I wanted to tell. It was fun to spend a little bit of time going back to that moment in my childhood." Antonio Campos

Recession Special (Last Pictures/Young Indies Films)
-- Ella and Liz are best friends with nothing in common except for their
unemployment. When they decide to throw a party, they realize that
ending their financial troubles may come with a certain amount of
compromise.

-- Written and directed by Emily Abt, recently selected as one of Variety
Magazine's 'Top 10 Directors to Watch,' and founder and president of
Pureland Pictures, Inc, a Brooklyn based production company.

"'Recession Special' is like a mini 'Bro-mance' but it features radiant young women instead of 30-something dudes. A lot of young people in New York are struggling to find work these days so I created a story for Bloomingdale's of two friends who help each other get through a difficult time. They have very different responses to economic hardship but their friendship is strong enough to accommodate those differences." Emily Abt

Tall Enough (Last Pictures/Young Indies Films)
-- In this day-in-the-life piece, a young couple explores their
relationship on a quiet Saturday in the city.

-- Written and directed by Barry Jenkins, an award-winning
writer/director whose feature film debut "Medicine For Melancholy"
garnered several awards and accolades, including three Spirit Award
Nominations, a Gotham Award nomination for Breakthrough Director as
well as awards from the San Francisco International, Sarasota and
Woodstock Film Festivals.

"'Tall Enough' was inspired by a photograph I found. When I got the call that Bloomingdales was interested in having me on the project, I knew right away I wanted to do something that was more or less conceptual; taking a random image and building a film around it seemed like the right path to follow. That's the beauty of doing something like this, there was no prompt save creating something and yet the infrastructure was never in doubt. For a 'Young Indie' filmmaker in a country where there are little to no government grants or subsidies in narrative filmmaking, it's a rare opportunity." Barry Jenkins

Tea for Three (Last Pictures/Young Indies Films)
-- Over tea, the past and the present collide through the relentless
questioning of a six-year-old.

-- Directed by Amy Redford, an accomplished director and actor of film,
television and stage, and written by Hall Powell whose current
projects include "crosseye," a short film he wrote and directed and
upcoming feature film "New York I Love You," to be released later this
year.

"We began with three overlapping generations of women and looked at the unexpected, momentary intersections which occur that can make an unexpected life-changing difference -- a child's innocent remark that opens our eyes for the first time. It's about emotional evolution and how we may repeat across generations, yet it's never the same." Director Amy Redford & Writer Hall Powell

Bloomingdale's is America's only nationwide, full-line, upscale department store; and a division of Macy's, Inc. It was founded in 1872 and currently operates 40 stores in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Illinois, Minnesota, Georgia, Florida, Nevada and California. For more information, or to shop any time, visit www.bloomingdales.com.

Young Indies Films, LLC, is a New York-based production company dedicated to financing and developing innovative projects by cutting edge directors and writers. Young Indies strives to blend together new media to create a wholly unique approach to advertising and distribution while never compromising the artistic vision of the filmmakers. Through this convergence of creativity and modern technology, Young Indies endeavors to create a film paradigm capable of bringing the movie industry into the 21st century. While venturing into new territory, Young Indies will provide viewers between ages 18-34 with visions from filmmakers who tackle unconventional topics and experiment with controversial theories that leave the audience questioning. Young Indies' past projects include Award-Winning director Antonio Campos' AFTERSCHOOL and Amy Redford's THE GUITAR.

Source: Bloomingdale's

CONTACT: Liz McGovern, Bloomingdale's National Media Relations,
+1-212-705-2443, liz.mcgovern@bloomingdales.com

Web Site: http://www.bloomingdales.com/

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