Saturday, April 30, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
26th Short Film Festival
Tehran Short Film Festival is one of the most purposeful festivals held in Iran. it is a venue for screening a selection of short films produced in the course of the year. Since short films cannot be screened at movie theaters, the festival is the best opportunity for watching films made by young directors. During the current year, Nasser Gholamrezaei (director), Ensiyeh Shah-Hosseini (director), Mohammad Dormanesh (director), Saeed Mostaghasi (film critic), and Kaveh Bahrami-Moqaddam (short film director) selected films and a jury consisting of Mehrdad Oskui (documentarian), Mohammad Reza Aslani (director), Mohammad Reza Arab (director), Abdollah Alimorad (animator), Mohammad Gabrlou (film critic), Ahmad Reza Garshasebi (director) and Mahnaz Mazaheri (arts expert) judged the films. The main problem with major Iranian film festivals (like Fajr Festival, Cinema Verite…) is high number of sections and prizes that are given out in the closing ceremony. This is also true about Tehran Short Film Festival. Best films, best director, best screenplay, best actor… were judged and introduced in ten sections. As a result of numerous sections, the closing ceremony usually talks hours to end and the audience is apt to lose sight of who has won the main prizes. Festival officials say high number of sections is meant to support and encourage young filmmakers. Like other important film festivals, Short Film Festival is an international event and this year’s edition included films from other countries. The best drama of international competition section was from Norway while a Scottish film won the festival statue. The best documentary and animation prizes went to Italian and Hungarian productions. From Iran, Mahaya Petrosian (famous actress of Iranian comedies) won the best film prize of the Asian competition section for her first experience in film direction. Other selected filmmakers of this year’s festival included Houman Seyedi, Naqi Ne’mati, Mahin Javaheriyan, Kaveh Bahrami-Moqaddam, and Houshmand Vara’i.
SIO Short Film Competition 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
amirs stories
Saturday, April 16, 2011
How Not To Make A Short Film by Roberta Munroe
The Sundance shorts program began as a box of VHS tapes in 1989. In 2010 there were more than 6,000 short films submitted. For her five years as a shorts programmer Roberta Munroe was responsible for wading through them, deciding which ones would make it to Sundance.
I recently attended her excellent Short Film Workshop, where she posited an interesting theory; even though the number of shorts being made has exploded, the number of really good short films hitting the festivals each year hovers around 300. Whether there are 600 or 6,000 shorts sitting in the Sundance Institute’s mailbox this year, that’s generally the number that will be good.
Roberta’s book lays out the path to making one of those 300 with wit and candor. The book covers every stage of the filmmaking process, from story development and structure through exhibition and distribution. It’s wonderfully practical; addressing subjects as diverse as money, cameras, and festivals with an honesty that could only come from someone at the small end of the filmmaking funnel. Vide chapter titles like “Why 43 Minute Shorts Never Really Work,” and “How to avoid kicking your producer in the throat.”
Munroe emphasizes filmmaking as a collaborative process, highlighing the importance of underestimated contributors such as assistant directors, casting directors, editors and producers, all of whom play a vital role in most films’ success. Yes, you can do everything when you make a short. The result will be entirely yours, but will often be weaker than what you might have achieved with the aid and expertise of a few skilled professionals.
For interested parties there is also a heading on whether or not to go to film school. Hearing arguments on film school from a programmer’s perspective is refreshing (Columbia seems to be a favorite). The moral of the story; if you decide you can afford to go to film school, pick one that focuses on STORY.
With the proper help, commitment and faith, making a short film can be an amazing process. The digital age has brought us the greatest opportunities for short filmmakers since D.W. Griffith. This book attempts to make the process cleaner and more fun. Possibly even a reminder of why some of us didn’t end up going to law school
link-
Contemporary Short Films: Toyland by Jochen Alexander Freydank
“A film about ignorance, truth and the history of my country.”
-Jochen Alexander Freydank
Update: Jochen Alexander Freydank was rejected by german film schools five times. Finally, he decided to finance his short film “Toyland” on his own – and spent four years working on fourteen minutes of film. When he completed his film, it was rejected by every major German film festival. (Sources: Deutsche Welle and Die Welt) I’m glad that Freydank overcame these incredible hurdles to bring this hard and wonderful story into the world. That’s dedication.
The first thing I thought when I started to watch this year’s Oscar winning short film was; “not another World War II movie.” Having lived in Germany for three years now it can be downright boring to be constantly confronted with the second world war in cinema. The topic seems inexhausible, unlike most audiences.
I was cynical going into this film; I was weeping when it ended. All of my reservations were ovewhelmed by this simple, beautiful, human story. The film is available to watch in inferior quality without english subtitles here or as always in a high quality English-subtitled version on itunes for $1.99.
Toyland (Spielzeugland) tells the story of a young german boy in 1942. The jews are being rounded up for murder, including his best friend and fellow piano player’s family. His mother, in an attempt to shield him from the brutal truth, tells him that his friend is going to Toyland. The german boy of course wants to go too. Out of this simple premise grows a brilliant and heartwrenching short film.
In an interview with moving pictures magazine Freydank commented on the difficulty of making short films (and that’s in a country that subsidizes film production):
“Making short films is the most “unrewarding” thing one can possibly do – no commercial value, no budget; and financing is its own drama in itself.”
The film functions so well as a whole that it is difficult to break it into parts. The story is a masterpiece of Aristotelian storytelling, leading up to a remarkable peripeteia. One leaves shocked that it was only eleven minutes long, because in those eleven minutes more happens than in most two hour long films.
This film brought me through cynicism into a cleansing catharsis. Of all the Oscar winning short films I have seen, this one is my favorite. I am grateful to have seen it.
Farhang
"This film festival propels our generation of artists to the forefront of creativity by providing the basic and fundamental incentive of 'acknowledgment'. This acknowledgment of Independent Iranian art has been lacking for our generation of artists, and thankfully there are institutions coming into place, like Farhang Foundation, that are finally filling this gap."
- Fared Shafinury, Musician
"We are grateful to the Farhang Foundation and their annual film fest, for creating a unique space for Iranian and Iranian-American artists to showcase their stories, their talents and dreams for their community".
- Where Is My Vote NY, "Yar-e-Dabestani" FFF2010 1st Prize Winner
SINGAPORE SHORT FILM AWARDS
The Singapore Short Film Awards
The Singapore Short Film Awards will re-cap all that’s happened in the Singapore short film scene in 2009! It’ll be a screening for posterity’s sake, nostalgia or just for the hectic of experiencing a slice of yesteryear on film. There will be screenings, awards, winners and prizes!
The SSFA is an independent effort by two major Singapore film contributors who have garnered the support of film community to make this event happen. This year’s SSFA supporters and sponsors include production company The Shooting Gallery Asia, post-production house Infinite Frameworks and Face to Face (apbcOffices). Filmmaker Eric Khoo will honour the event as Guest-of-Honour.
The Singapore Short Film Awards Winners
Friday, April 15, 2011
Short Film Scripts
Not for our own personal gain, of course, but for yours! Allow our editors to peruse your work, and, provided it's deemed appropriate, it will be published here for editors, producers, and impressed friends to see!
The scripts can be for short films, television series, or stageplays. Please click here to read about submitting your work.
The documents will remain copyrighted to the author, provided the author has it in the first place.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Call for Submissions for the 9th International Tamil Short Film Festival
9th IF Tamil -2011
Call for Submissions for the 9th International Tamil Short Film Festival
The organizers of Toronto’s annual International Tamil Short Film Festival – Independent Art Film Society - invite submissions for this year’s festival. As the theme of this year’s festival will be centered on the ongoing conflict in the Tamil homeland, submissions should also focus on this theme. It is desirable for submissions to have English subtitles.
Three prizes will be awarded to adjudged best three films participating at the festival.
The prizes will be:
• First Prize of $500 Cdn.
• Second Prize of $300 Cdn
• Third Prize of $200 Cdn.
Submissions should meet the following requirements:
• Submissions should be received no later than May 15, 2011
• The runtime of the submissions should be no longer than 30 minutes
• Submissions should be in Tamil
• Submissions should be accompanied by a list of cast and technicians
• Submissions should be accompanied by a letter signed by the producer or producers
• The decision of the selection panel will be deemed final
• Submissions should be sent to the following address:
M.Ragunathan
Director – Program
4 Castlemore Avenue
Markham ON L6C 2B3
Canada
For more information:
1-416-450-6833; 1-416-804-3443
rathan@rogers.com, iafs@rogers.com, www.iafstamil.com
Power & Grace Short Film Winning Entry, Tary Khaneh by MohammadReza Shams
MEMORIES - Award winning short student film
- Winner of the Yobi.tv Film Making contest 2010
- Winner of the Best Young Filmmaker Award at Fastnet Short Film Festival 2010
- Shortlisted for the Best Film Award at No Limits Film Festival 2010
- Shortlisted at 5th annual international LUMS film festival - FiLUMS 2011
- Shortlisted at AWAKEN! International Spiritual Film Festival 2011
- Soul 4 Reel Film Festival - Official Selection 2011
- Shortlisted at The National Student Film Festival, London 2011
MEMORIES
Written, Directed and Edited by Radoslaw Sienski
Cast:
Jack - Andrew Bolton
Young Jack - Tom Bolton
Jack's Wife - Vicky Bolton
Jack's Daughter - Thea Bolton
Thanks to:
Karolina Chocian
Natalia Luczak
Jonny Ross
Kelly-Jane Oddy
La Tasca High Wycombe
Empire Cinemas High Wycombe
Special thanks to Silence, an amazing band from Slovenia for allowing me to use 'Runalong - Acoustic Version' from their album 'Vain - A Tribute to a Ghost'
http://www.myspace.com/myspacesilence
http://www.myspace.com/silenceee
copyright Radoslaw Sienski 2010 (radek_s@hotmail.co.uk)
Bucks New University 2010
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