Shortening elements of our lifeShort form content has never enjoyed much mainstream approval. For many, this medium is bogged down by an ‘art cinema’ air of intellectual snobbery and unnecessary highbrow attitude. This has traditionally lead to short films and projects to be isolated to fringe festivals and small cinemas.The thing is, what matters for mass acceptance is entertainment ...

Why we love FestivalsThe goal of cinema in general has always been to entertain. Some film entertain with humour and drama, others use social views and poignant topics to intrigue the audience. No matter what the tools to achieve the purpose, one thing is necessary for cinema to have any traction: the audience.The old chestnut, “If a tree falls in the woods and nobody hears it,” ...

Tell us about this year’s Symposium, what is the focus?The focus of this year’s Short Films: BIG IDEAS Symposium at the CFC Worldwide Short Film Festival is to provide opportunities for filmmakers to connect with national and international experts to get the inside scoop on successfully creating, producing and exhibiting a short film in today’s competitive marketplace. There ...

How short is a short?Almost as full of mystery and uncertainty as the old adage, ‘how long is a piece of string’, the terms short film is a not the most descriptive term but it is a good mandate to start with.There are many answers to this question mark. The film industry general defines a short film as a film that does not exceed 40 minutes in length from opening title to last ...

App meets short film. Prefect love story?The latest hot trend in the Smartphone world is apps that capture, edit and then share video making it easier for anyone, from filmmakers to teens, to produce and share their stories.Since the Facebook Instagram buyout, attention has moved from photo to videos with the thought that perhaps the next App cashcow will come in the form of a social video ...

Technology, economics and the short filmWe all love a good story. And the ability to effectively communicate these stories through various media is the bedrock of the modern entertainment beast that accounts for more than €2 trillion of global spending. Of this, films account for the lion’s share and have been the primary method of escapism for audiences worldwide for over 100 years ...

You have a strong focus on audience integrations and the use of technology and platforms, like Twitter, to achieve this. How beneficial have these new tech elements been in encouraging participation in the festival but also what you term ‘the debate?’Communication with our audience is vital and in the age of technology we are always looking for new ways in which to do this. We have ...

Why the name ‘Encounters’, does it have any significance?When the festival was formed in 1996 it was called Brief Encounters after the classic British film by David Lean. It was chosen as a good name for a short film event due to the brief encounter you have when watching a short film. The organisation then introduced an animated festival in 2000 called Animated Encounters. So the ...

The focus this year is on Québec with a category entitled Cinema, Music and Gastronomy: Québec. Why the partnership?The guest country this year is Québec, for its tradition, for its quality and major international promotion of its films around the world.The film projection is complemented with a taste of typical products from the region and a concert from NICOLAS PELLERIN ET LES ...

Tell us about FILMETS Film Festival.Filmets film festival is a meeting point for filmmakers from around the world. A competitive site but, at the same time, a window onto new work, with films from all genres (fiction, animation, experimental, documentary, videoclips, visual effects...)The festival is in its 37th edition what can we expect from this year’s slate?We have a very full ...

What makes this film festival unique from other short film festivals like it?We have been well known for being one of the most friendly festivals and we are doing our best to meet our reputation. Our team has been working on a democratic base from the first day on. All important decisions are made by the whole team and even the core program of the festival is curate by all of us. Sometimes it ...

VIS Vienna Independent Shorts is into its eighth year, how long have you been involved with this film festival?I started out with an internship at VIS in 2008 and became a member of this unique team in 2009. So this year is my fourth festival season.How did you get into this field?During my studies at the University of Vienna, in the field of theatre, film and media, I discovered my interest in ...

What makes this film festival unique from other short film festivals like it?We put a lot emphasis on the dialogue and exchange. For us it is important not only to show the films, but also to speak about them in extensive disucssions that go far beyond the classic Q&A. Additionally we have established the so called “Podium”; every morning different film related subjects, but also ...

How long have you been Head of the International Competition of this film festival?Since 1996, I’ve been Head of International Competition. This means that I am responsible for the organisation of the International Competition and that I am part of the selection committee. Additionally, I am responsible for international guests such as festival representatives and TV buyers.How did you get ...

What was the most challenging part in directing this film?Directing an inexperienced child actor was very challenging. Especially as he is my son. But it was also a lot of fun. I really had to think of ways that I could concentrate on the natural aspects of his character. Stay with the eyes. That kind of thing. It also helped to have a great editor who could stitch two or three ok takes into one ...

What led you from being an, ‘ad man by day’, to becoming an Oscar Nominated Film Director?It was always something I had thought about doing. I love advertising but I love film too and, like so many ad creatives, was always tinkering away with ideas for films. As I approached my late thirties I reckoned it was time to put up or shut up. If I didn't do it soon the likelihood of ...

What was the hardest part about directing it?The script was so good that my major objective was to make sure that all of that magic translated to the screen. Having a fantastic group of actors and a supportive producer helps make that task easier!What was the first thing that went through your head when you found out that the film was nominated for an Oscar? Did you think you’d be ...

How long have you been in the short film industry?I made my first short film a few years ago. It was called ‘Swing’ and warned against the dangers of infidelity. It was only five minutes long but gave me a foot in the door of television drama which I have been doing for the past few years. At the end of 2009 I decided that I wanted to make another short. The writer, Tom Bidwell had ...

Where does Lebanon rank in terms of countries with child abuse problems?Child abuse and specifically sexual abuse is an unrecognized problem in Lebanon and it remains a taboo. This subject has not been studied widely and it has scarcely been addressed in the Arab world, despite its prevalence worldwide. For this reason Save the Children Sweden and its partner KAFA (Enough) Violence and ...

How long have you been working with Save the Children?Since October 2009.Why did you decide to work with them? What motivated you to get into this line of work?My studies and work experiences focused on human rights in general and child protection in particular. I believe that if we want to make a positive change in the world, we need to start from the roots and children are the roots of human ...

What would you say is particularly special about the Encounters Festival? What makes it stand apart from other international filmvfestivals?The festival is particularly special as it is still relatively small and has a very friendly atmosphere so all the guests, filmmakers, public, students and enthusiasts get an opportunity to meet and exchange ideas with their peers. This is also enhanced by ...

It says that Pitch Me addresses ‘all things short film’. What would you say are the hottest topics that usually come up during these exchanges? Why?Crowd Filmfunding is the theme of one panel. We want to discuss the new ways of organizing the process of making films in the open way of raising money through communication and the freestyle of convincing. The second panel discusses ...

How long have you been working in this industry? And with this particular festival?I came to interfilm more than 10 years ago. It was the time of video art and I was interested in presenting films. As interfilm was and is quite narrative, I soon learned to love short stories and quickly got involved with all dimensions of organizing a festival. What does the role of ‘social media ...

What would you say is the hardest part about being a film maker?Any job has its challenges. For filmmakers I would say the greatest challenge often comes from within. Speaking from my own experience, while ideas and inspiration can come often, it can be difficult to be find the discipline to see an idea through. This is why I admire so many of my colleagues and the artists we represent. Year ...

What would you say is special or unique about this film festival?imagineNATIVE is the largest and most important film festival of its kind in the world. The festival was founded to fill a global void in the presentation of film/video, radio and new media works by Indigenous artists. Our focus and mandate to support Indigenous artists has been one of the festival's strongest assets. From ...

Why or (why shouldn’t) companies invest in apps?Tough question. I believe each company should decide for itself whether or not engage in this business. If a company is willing to put resources into creating something eye-catching, user-oriented, easy-to-use and great looking and if they are willing to support it and develop it over time, then this is definitely a 'go'. Plus, a ...

How long have you been in the web software development business?Our team is made up of 15 IT-professionals: Project managers, software developers, designers, graphic designers, architects, testers. The oldest of us have been in the software development business for over 20 years. On average each of us has about 10+ years of experience in the software development business.Why did you decide to ...

Would you have liked the questions to have been more provocative in general?I’m not sure. I have to finish these 5 episodes and then I’ll see. Perhaps yes.Are you going to be filming again, making another set? Yes. We have to see how it’ll be in terms of production. We only had 2 people shooting and we learned a lot while doing it. Things such as what you need and what you ...

Where did the idea come from to create this series?We were two people who wanted to do a trip and who were interested in cinema. Miquel, the D.O.P., had travelled to Asia, taking hundreds of amazing photos. I had travelled around Europe and I met a lot of people from different countries and I wondered what it would happen if I could put ordinary people from different countries together. It took ...

How did you get involved in this industry?I had 8 years sales and marketing experience with two multi nationals and 7 years with the Irish Trade Board working with the music, film and TV sectors. I thought that there was an opportunity to set up a film and TV programme distribution company to maximize the sales potential from the independent production sector in Ireland. In 1995, I set up NITV ...

Exclusive Interview with Eileen Arandiga Festival Director Worldwide Short Film Festival in Toronto- Part 2 -Q: What do you do the rest of the year when the festival isn’t in session?We spend a lot of time reporting and wrapping up the festival. The WSFF also runs an online film festival: shortsnonstop.com and we also take the ‘Best of the Fest’ on tour. We also curate special ...

Exclusive Interview with Eileen Arandiga Festival Director Worldwide Short Film Festival in TorontoQ: How long have you been the Festival Director for the CFC Worldwide Short Film Festival?I have been the director of the WSFF for almost four years now. Time flies when you’re having fun.Q: What did you do before you were director?I was the Festival Manager for the WSFF. You could say that I ...

The Making of Judas and Jesus Part 6Making of The MusicQ: How did you match the music to the video?The music was involved at a very early stage of the production. We started with hardly moving black & white pencil drawings that were scored with temp tracks, to give the composer an idea of the mood. Tilman then began composing midi-mock-ups of the original cues and we went back and forth refining ...

The Making of Judas and Jesus Part 5 - Making of The MusicOlaf and Claudia EnckeQ: Who composed the music for Judas & Jesus? What were you aiming for with the music? What kind of mood did you want to create?Tilman Ritter was the main composer and also conducted the Film Orchestra Babelsberg. For each character he wrote a special theme. Tilman made all the music, except the ...

The Making of Judas and Jesus Part 4 - Animation TechniquesOlaf and Claudia EnckeOther than Mary Magdalene what was the next hardest part to animate?The beast 666 with seven heads! The writer of , “The Revelation of St. John”, obviously never thought of those guys who had to animate his vision 1900 years later.What advice would you give to young animators looking to make a movie ...

The Making of Judas and Jesus Part 3 - Animation TechniquesOlaf and Claudia EnckeYou say it’s very hard to animate a sexy woman. Why? What techniques or programs did you use to make Mary Magdalene sexy?Good old fashioned, classical, hand drawn animation like they invented 70 years ago that unfortunately went out of fashion. Today, everything goes into design instead of animation, because ...

The Making of Judas and Jesus Part 2:Interview with Director and Producer Olaf EnckeWhat would you say is the message behind this series?Sex, drugs and rock'n'roll.What were you and Claudia trying to convey or portray when creating it?That misogyny is a monotheistic invention and therefore a modern problem. And that Christianity is a kind of masochism that only works when you got some ...

The Making of Judas and Jesus Part 1:Interview with Director and Producer Olaf EnckeHow did you come up with the idea for Judas and Jesus?Mainly because we wanted to show that there is always another side of each coin. So we picked a person who is well hated by everyone. Nobody likes traitors. No matter if you are left, right, religious, member of a rocker gang or whatever, the traitor will ...