Michael Easton's award-winning short film, Ultraviolent, will be screening online for a limited time on his official website, MichaelEaston.com.
The film was named "Best In Show" at the Best Shorts Competition, and received the Grand Jury Award at the Canada International Film Festival, as well as the Barcelona Film Festival's Special Jury Award.
"In an act mirroring his most critically acclaimed film, director Donald Cammell shoots himself in the head, ending a lifelong obsession with art, insanity, and death. His reputation and persona were legendary -- not unlike Conrad's Lord Jim - 'an obscure conqueror of fame' who maintained the singular vision of an artist to the very end."
Played by One Life to Live's Trevor St. John (Walker "Flynn" Laurence), Cammell was respected and lauded as much as he was feared, and influenced contemporary artists and directors from Scorcese to Tarantino. His death is a dramatic, flamboyant act which rivaled anything he ever filmed.
The film had, until recently, only been available to view on the festival circuit; Easton posted Friday on Facebook that he was screening the short as a thank you to fans for the successful launch of Eighteen Straight Whiskeys, his newly-released, anniversary Special Edition collection of poetry.
He advised that the film deals with weighty and adult themes, including loneliness, addiction, and suicide. "May it serve as a reminder that this joyful time of the year for so many can also be difficult for some," he wrote. "Please keep them in mind and make sure they know they have family and friends, and that they are loved."
Have you watched Ultraviolent? What did you think of the short film? Would you like to see more films from Easton? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
