CENTIGRADE: Centigrade burns up the iTunes chart!
Centigrade burns up the iTunes chart!
The award-winning short film about a man trapped in a fiery trailer is burning up the charts. Centigrade, the most acclaimed Canadian film of 2008, has soared to No. 5 in the iTunes chart, which tracks the most popular downloaded films in its catalog.
Earlier this month, Centigrade debuted on iTunes, becoming the first live-action Canadian short film distributed by the Apple resource. Through the iTunes distribution deal with Shorts International, Centigrade is available for download and rental in Canada, the United States and Great Britain.
The brainchild of Vancouver-based actor Colin Cunningham and actor/producer Madison Graie, Centigrade was made on a $20,000 budget and shot entirely with a hand-held digital camera that Cunningham says “was the size of a shoe”. In March, the movie became the first Canadian film to qualify for the 2009 Oscars when it won the Best Narrative Short prize at the Cinequest Film Festival, an Academy Awards-sanctioned event.
When it was listed on iTunes, it heralded a new era for shorts. Previously, filmmakers’ best hope of making money on a short film was to receive backing for a feature-length production.
“In making this short, we didn’t expect it to be a financial success,” says Cunningham, the film’s lead actor who also wrote and directed it. “This deal opens doors to aspiring directors and producers.”
The 17-minute film captured five Leo Awards, which honor the British Columbia Film and Television Industry, in May and has qualified for the Genie Awards, the annual fête that recognizes Canadian filmmakers.
“The movie has exceeded our wildest expectations,” says Graie, who along with Cunningham, her long-time collaborator, developed the script that had been closeted for 13 years. “The fact that it’s gaining a wider audience is tremendously satisfying for us. Ultimately, that’s the greatest reward — to know your artistic endeavor is out there, really entertaining people.”
Earlier this month, Centigrade debuted on iTunes, becoming the first live-action Canadian short film distributed by the Apple resource. Through the iTunes distribution deal with Shorts International, Centigrade is available for download and rental in Canada, the United States and Great Britain.
The brainchild of Vancouver-based actor Colin Cunningham and actor/producer Madison Graie, Centigrade was made on a $20,000 budget and shot entirely with a hand-held digital camera that Cunningham says “was the size of a shoe”. In March, the movie became the first Canadian film to qualify for the 2009 Oscars when it won the Best Narrative Short prize at the Cinequest Film Festival, an Academy Awards-sanctioned event.
When it was listed on iTunes, it heralded a new era for shorts. Previously, filmmakers’ best hope of making money on a short film was to receive backing for a feature-length production.
“In making this short, we didn’t expect it to be a financial success,” says Cunningham, the film’s lead actor who also wrote and directed it. “This deal opens doors to aspiring directors and producers.”
The 17-minute film captured five Leo Awards, which honor the British Columbia Film and Television Industry, in May and has qualified for the Genie Awards, the annual fête that recognizes Canadian filmmakers.
“The movie has exceeded our wildest expectations,” says Graie, who along with Cunningham, her long-time collaborator, developed the script that had been closeted for 13 years. “The fact that it’s gaining a wider audience is tremendously satisfying for us. Ultimately, that’s the greatest reward — to know your artistic endeavor is out there, really entertaining people.”