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“Making movies is really me feeling like I shouldn’t be writing something on Facebook,” Jim Cummings says. “It’s taking that energy and making a short film that can be a timeless thing.” When Topic commissioned the writer, producer, director, actor to make a short film series for the website’s inaugural launch in July, Cummings knew exactly the ideas he wanted to pitch — all subjects dealing with epidemics happening in America that were “going kind of unnoticed.” Within five weeks after meeting Topic Studio’s Nick Borenstein at his SXSW screening of The Robbery, Cummings had not only sculpted his ideas […]...

The music hasn’t stopped playing for Jim Cummings. The 30-year-old writer-director-actor who won Sundance’s short film grand jury prize in 2016 seems to have found the holy grail for up-and-coming filmmakers: steady work. A former freelance line producer for College Humor in Los Angeles, Cummings recently transitioned into writing, directing and acting full time, and now has so many projects going simultaneousy that it’s hard to believe he was an unknown filmmaker just 18 months ago.

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Shortly after winning Sundance with the 12-minute comedic drama “Thunder Road,” which takes place at a funeral and was shot in just one take, Cummings signed with Wme and landed a deal with subscription streaming company Fullscreen to shoot six additional shorts, all of which would be also shot in a single take, for $150,000. The money covered a...

By H. Perry Horton

Director of 'Thunder Road,' 'The Robbery,' and 'Us Funny.'

The article Short(s) of the Day: A New Triptych of Films from Jim Cummings appeared first on Film School Rejects.

"The Robbery" is a wonderfully amusing and messed up short film that follows a young woman's casual attempt to rob a convenient store. As you'll see, everything goes horribly wrong and things unexpectedly escalate into complete craziness. It's pretty damn entertaining.

The short comes from directorJim Cummings and co-writer Dustin Hahn, who was inspired by an experience one of his childhood friends. Cummings talked about that saying, “He took a cab to rob a liquor store and it went south. I said, ‘Jesus, what does that even look like?’ Dustin said, ‘Drugs… New Jersey.’” That 's exactly what you get in this short film.

The short was screened at Sundance earlier this year, and now it's available for everyone to enjoy. Check it out!

If you’re wondering where the next Damien Chazelle will come from, look no further than the 2017 Sundance Film Festival short film lineup.

Sundance has a long history of discovering the next generation of acclaimed filmmakers by first championing their short films. Chazelle made his first big splash by winning the 2013 Grand Jury Prize for “Whiplash” (the short). Last year, Jim Cummings won that prize for “Thunder Road,” and he’s back this year with a new short. Also generating a lot of pre-festival buzz is Kristen Stewart, making her writing/directing debut with the short “Come Swim.”

Before the Sundance Film Festival commences on January 19, 2017, here’s a briefing on Cummings’ “The Robbery,” Stewart’s “Come Swim” and eight other buzzworthy shorts (two of which are viewable online).

IndieWire reached out to the filmmakers to ask about their inspiration, production challenges and future projects. Check out our list below,...