Lexus Short Films receive Hollywood stars as movie mentors

The partnership between Lexus and The Weinstein Company this year drew active support from leading figures in the movie community.

They include Katie Holmes (The Giver, Wonder Boys, Dawson's Creek), directors Justin Chadwick (Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, and the upcoming Tulip fever), Simon Curtis (My Week With Marilyn, upcoming Woman in Gold), Antoine Fuqua (Brooklyn's Finest, Training Day, upcoming Southpaw) and Phillip Noyce (The Giver, The Quiet American).

The films shot for this year's programme, Market Hour and Operation Barn Owl, were premiered at the Shot Shorts Film Festival in Tokyo, on 29^th May and will be screened in Los Angeles on 30^th July and New York on 6^th August.

The famous mentors will also take part in a series of featurettes about the mentoring process, showing them meeting the film makers and offering guidance and support.

These videos will also explore the art, evolution and importance of the short film medium and the growing global appetite for the format. The featurettes will be released in the lead-up to the films' theatrical release in Los Angeles and their worldwide online release in October.

Both films will play at numerous festivals around the world and will be attached to major Weinstein Company releases such as The Giver.