DVD label Cinema16 has recruited A-list directorsincluding George Lucas, Tim Burton, Alexander Payne, Todd Solondz,Gus van Sant and DA Pennebakerfor its first US edition.

The American short filmcollection follows the earlier European and British DVDs, which included shortsfrom directors including Lars von Trier, Jean-Luc Godard, Mike Leigh, Ridley Scott and Jan Svankmajer. Cinema16 will release the American collectionin May.

'The premise of Cinema16 isthat without a healthy short film culture some of the more interestingdirectors, like David Lynch, Lynne Ramsay or Lars von Trier,might never make it through and as a result we would have a less diverseindustry,' said Luke Morris, Cinema16's founder who has worked on shortsincluding the Bafta-nominated Heavy Metal Drummer. 'Cinema16 is about celebrating the form andsolving the distribution problems that exist for shorts.'

The 16 films include: GusVan Sant's 1982 adaptation of a William S. Burroughsshort story, The Discipline of DE;Tim Burton's early stop motion animated classic Vincent; George Lucas' USC short Frieheit; Alexander Payne's Carmen, the first short film, he made while he attended UCLA; DA Pennebake's Duke Ellington scored Daybreak Express; Todd Solondz's NYUshort Feelings; along with Oscar winnerThe Lunch Date by Adam Davidson,Stefan Nadelman's multi award winning documentary Terminal Bar, and Joe Nussbaum's cultclassic George Lucas in Love.