WORLD OF SHORTS a shortfilm magazine published by daazo.com – the european shortfilm centre Short Films in Museums
the cannes 2014 issue
6 Cannes from Short to Long: your guide to the Festival de Cannes, focusing on its programme, alumni, sections and more
15 Mapping your Mind:
have a glimpse into the magical
CON
world of this year’s Cinéfondation shorts selection
48 Fund
your Dreams into Reality! a
MONIKA SAKALAUSKAITÉ
guide to various different ways of raising the money you need for realising your film
55 The
Pitch Page returns with seven eye-catching short film plans
68 Festivals – Somewhere Beyond the Sea: discover the festival scene beyond the realm of Cannes
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– is a filmmaker whom others call a producer. For her it's a very big word. She sees herself as a person who cares a bit too much, counts carefully and can't watch a film she worked on without freaking out. For World of Shorts, she has written a first-hand report on a successful crowdfunding campaign (page 66).
Your best film festival? Vilnius International Film
Festival “Kino pavasaris”. It’s charming – everybody is crazy about movies in early spring. And, of course it’s the very first festival for the short I produced: The Queen of England Stole my Parents. If you were not a producer, what would you be?
A traveller who writes books. But I would need money for that. So… in the beginning I would be… a producer! (Let’s hope, that producers will earn a lot of money someday.) Your favourite thing in the world? Intelligent people and travelling. Or – in an ideal world – travelling with an intelligent person. What do you look forward to most in Cannes?
Our short is screened in the Short Film Corner – one of my goals is to introduce the film to as many professionals as possible. They can’t leave Cannes without having seen such a good film! And of course I hope to find partners for future projects. Fellini or Bergman? Both. But I hold a little grudge
with Bergman for his Monika – a naughty girl’s story (Summer with Monika).
TRIBUTORS GÉZA CSÁKVÁRI
BÍBOR TIMKÓ
– is a theatre historian, journalist and the festival director of Jameson CineFest in Miskolc. He has drawn up an extensive portrait of Kornél Mundruczó on page 34.
– is an artist and illustrator. Her art has been used for this issue of World of Shorts throughout. Check out more of her work on http://bibor.org.
Your best film festival? Sundance Film Festival: it’s the Festival before the other festivals. The perfect place for real discoveries and the Mecca of the motion picture.
If you were not an artist, what would you be?
Globetrotter and spectator. Your secret crush?
If you were not a journalist, what would you be? Secret Agent 007. Your secret crush? I have a really Big
Heart. Anyway, it is a secret, isn't it? What do you look forward to most at a film festival? Catharsis. Favourite short film on Daazo? Joan of
It’s a secret, isn’t it? :) What do you look forward to most at a festival of arts?
When an artistic creation brings me closer to the secrets of the universe. In your next life, you will come back as a … ?
Arc on the Nightbus by Kornél Mundruczó.
I’d prefer not to come back: perhaps there are more appealing forms of being.
Fellini or Bergman? Bergman. This is not
Fellini or Bergman?
even a question.
Bergman, because he portrays human relationships in an honest and complex way, and Fellini, because his work is enchanting.
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FROM z
EDITOR words by Zsuzsanna Deák
When you are in Cannes, the most unexpected things can happen. To many, the home of the Palme d’or is the Alpha and the Omega of film: this is where careers kick off, where great talent gets recognised, where new partnerships form resulting in the most amazing artistic creations, and where great masters return year after year.
We hope you will be pleased to see that we are not leaving out our ever-popular feature: the Mapping your Mind section where directors tell us about their films in drawings (page 15) and the Pitch Page project (page 55), where a handful of truly fascinating film ideas get a chance to introduce themselves.
Cannes is the most famous film festival in the world and one that takes short films very seriously. Shorts are featured in several sections of the official competition as well as in parallel organisations like the Quinzaine des Realisateurs. If you don’t find your way in the labyrinth that is Cannes, we are here to help: find our detailed infographic about the sections of the festival on page 8, and familiarise yourself with the data and numbers of this year’s short-related programmes with the help of World of Short's Cannes fact sheet on page 10.
In this issue, we also focus on the alternative ways of financing a short film. From crowdfunding to the financial support of sponsors, there are several different ways to raise the money needed – the good news is that unless you want first-hand material for your action thriller, you don’t need to rob a bank to fund it! Read our tips starting on page 48.
To be in Cannes is every filmmaker’s dream. And it is a dream that can come true, as the stories in this issue of World of Shorts prove. This year, we introduce three filmmakers who are at very different stages of their Cannes career: one of them is going to the Festival de Film for the first time in 2014, with a Cinéfondation short (Introducing György Mór Kárpáti, page 46), another, Chloé Robichaud has returned there every year for the last four years, with shorts and most recently with her first feature (“Each one of my short films taught me a different lesson”, page 38), whilst Kornél Mundruczó can now be considered one of the established Cannes directors, with his new feature in the official programme, following in the footsteps of his last two films – read a portrait of Mundruczó on page 34.
Finally, when you are ready to lift your gaze from the Riviera – this might only happen after the 25th May, when the Festival de Film has come to an end – you can immerse yourself in the world of other festivals. Check out the magazine’s section called Festivals – Somewhere Beyond the Sea, starting on page 68, to find out about other film festivals. Perhaps none of them are as glamorous as Cannes, but all of them offer something truly special. Don’t forget that Daazo – World of Shorts is always here to be your guide in the world of festivals as well as the world of short films. We hope to meet many of you short film aficionados in Cannes (come and visit our stand in the Short Film Corner!) or at future, upcoming festivals. And remember, if you ever need some advice: the shorts are on us!
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The most glamorous place to be in May is, without a doubt, the Cote d’Azur. But it’s not all glam and glitz only in Cannes. Whether you are a Festival de Cannes debutant or a regular visitor, we hope that the Cannes section of World of Shorts magazine can offer you valuable insight into the giant machinery of the festival, the people taking part in it, and the spectacular diversity it offers.
Cannes Short from
to illustration by Bíbor Timkó
Long
What is there in Cannes? – the Festival’s sections and programmes, page 8 Cannes Shorts 2014 – this year’s selection in data and numbers, page 10 Why Cannes? – filmmakers tell about their Cannes experience, page 12 Mapping your Mind – directors draw about their films, page 15 “Looking for films that make waves” – Cannes, from a buyer’s point of view, page 32 Mundruczó, the reliable – the portrait of a Cannes regular – page 34 A Cannes game – play with us! – a film’s journey in pictures, page 36 “Each one of my short films taught me a different lesson” – an interview with Chloé Robichaud, page 38 Short Film Corner Highlights – short films worth keeping an eye on, page 40 Viktoria, masters and mohicans – 10 years of the EKRAN programme, page 44 Daazo Top Users – introducing György Mór Kárpáti, page 46 WOSH by Daazo.com 7
WHAT IS THERE IN
CANNES “Cannes must be open to new ideas, while remaining faithful to its past, of course. Diversity can only enrich it. That’s what makes the Festival de Cannes our festival.” Thierry Frémaux director of the Cannes Film Festival
SÉLECTION OFFICIELLE (Official Selection) The Official Selection serves to highlight the diversity of cinematic creation through its different sections.
Special Screenings and Midnight Screenings – these two sections represent a special opportunity to view more personal works.
Competition – films that are representative of “auteur cinema having a wide audience appeal”.
Out of competition – films that are not selected into the official programme, but still deserve a screening, and a reaction from the audience and the press as well. Un Certain Regard – films with various types of visions and styles, those with an original aim and aesthetic.
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Cannes Classics – new or restored prints, tributes to filmmakers or foreign cinema, documentaries on filmmaking.
Cinéfondation – short and mediumlength films coming from film schools all over the world. A testimony to the diversity and dynamism of young international filmmakers.
CANNES COURT MÉTRAGE Short Film Corner – a professional area for meeting people, exchanging ideas and promoting films with a programme including industry meets, workshops and conferences.
Atelier – selects about fifteen projects for feature length films from around the world, and invites their directors to the festival to meet a group of film professionals. It also gives them the chance to gain access to international financing and speed up the production process.
(Cannes Short Film)
CINÉFONDATION
Competition – short films are represented at the Competition, at the end of which the short films Jury awards a Palme d’or.
Résidence – welcomes every year a dozen directors who are working on their first or second feature film project, in two sessions lasting four and a half months. They are provided with a place of residence in Paris, a personalised script development programme, and a programme of forums with film industry professionals.
Selection – it is part of the official selection with a programme of short and medium length films (see official selection).
MARCHÉ DU FILM (Film Market) – a meeting place for industry professionals. Since 1959, they get together every year on the Croisette with one goal: the successful production of all films.
VILLAGE INTERNATIONAL
QUINZAINE DES RÉALISATEURS
(International Village) – a microcosm of world cinema – an exhibition and networking venue that enables countries to showcase and raise the profiles of their cinematography, their cultural indentity and their film institutions.
(Directors’ Fortnight) – this independentminded and noncompetitive event supports individually talented filmmakers by introducing their work to the critics and the audience. It includes all forms of cinematic expression. .
SEMAINE DE LA CRITIQUE (Critics’ Week) – the main project here is showcasing first and second feature films by directors from all over the world. Reflecting demand and curiosity, the aim of the programme is to explore and reveal new creations, by discovering new talents in both the feature and short by film industry. 9 WOSH Daazo.com
CANNES SHORTS 2014 – a collection of facts that might come in handy – collated by Janka Pozsonyi
You don’t know who the President of this year’s Jury is? Or how many films there are in the competition? When is the closing ceremony, again? If somebody asks you these kinds of questions during the following two weeks, we want you to be prepared with the right answer, so let’s take a look at this year’s facts and numbers in the short film section. 1.
This year, the Selection Committee received 3,450 short films from 128 countries. 1,620 shorts were submitted to the Quinzaine de Réalisateurs, and 1,631 to the Cinéfondation from film schools around the world.
2.
The 9 films in the Short Competition, the 16 films in the Cinéfondation and the 12 shorts in the Quinzaine selection add up to 673 minutes together.
3.
The Caucasus film industry can be really proud this year: for the first time there’s a short film from Azerbaijan and another from Georgia in the competition.
4.
It is not just the main competition that welcomes a new country in 2014: the Cinéfondation selection is introducing a student short film from Egypt for the first time ever.
5.
The short film jury is just as international as the selection of the shorts: it’s presided by Abbas Kiarostami from Iran, and his supporting jury members are – Noémie Lvovsky from France – Daniela Thomas from Brazil – Mahamat-Saleh Haroun from Chad – Joachim Trier from Norway
6.
All the members of this year’s jury have been previously celebrated at Cannes. Most of them received awards in certain sections of the festival as well.
7.
The 16 films that got selected for the Cinéfondation include 14 fiction and 2 animated shorts.
8.
From all three selections, this year’s longest film lasts 38 minutes, and the shortest: a brief 7 minutes.
9.
The three Cinéfondation prizes will be awarded on May 22th at the Buñuel Theatre.
10.
The 67th awards ceremony will take place on May 24th – the lucky filmmaker will take home a Short Film Palme d’or.
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Why
Taking part in even one festival can be a life-changing experience for a new talent. Besides meeting with representatives of the industry and fellow filmmakers, the feeling of being part of something big can change a person's artistic perspective entirely. We asked 5 short film directors, who have already had the opportunity to shine at different sections of Cannes, to dig into their memories.
collated by Attila Mocanu and Zsuzsanna Deák
Who? Chema García Ibarra With? The Attack of the Robots
from Nebula-5 When? 2009 Where? Quinzaine des Realisateurs Why? “I’m pleased to announce to you that your film The Attack of the Robots from Nebula-5 is selected at the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs. Please find the official selection letter as well as an information notice with all your contacts at the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs and the list of the material needed.” I received this email on April 21st 2009 at 03:28 PM. I just searched it to write this text and now, reading it five years later, I still have that nervous sensation in my stomach. You can imagine how 12 WOSH by Daazo.com
it was to receive it at the time, with my first short film starting its life in the - for me still unknown - film festival world. I remember those five days in Cannes like a dream: the legendary midnight testscreening, the extraordinary filmmakers that were in the same programme, the emotion of the premiere in a gigantic full theatre and my favourite thing: the cinephile and radically independent spirit of the Quinzaine. A unique and unforgettable experience.
Who? Ali Asgari With? More Than Two Hours When? 2012 Where? Official Short Film
Competition
Why? For me the experience was like a dream from the first second that I found out about it because I was sleeping when my phone rang and a lady with a French accent talked to me and told me that my film has been selected for the competition. I didn’t know if I was awake or still asleep. But it was real. I can just say that it was excellent but not more. It’s just like when someone asks you about the taste of an apple and you can say it’s good or sweet but you cannot explain the exact taste of it. He should taste himself to find out what I can taste. I can say it’s a great experience for young filmmakers. Apart from meeting a lot of people, producers, distributors and cinephiles, and apart from seeing your film on a big screen with about a thousand people around you, when you find yourself between big names at the Grand Theatre Lumière at the closing ceremony, it gives you more self confidence and lets you belive in yourself in
a way which may last for your whole life and which makes you go on more powerfully to your next projects.
Who? Elad Keidan With? The Anthem When? 2008 Where? Cinéfondation Why? I was very happy to
learn that my film had been selected for the Cinéfondation in 2008. During that time my wife and I were in a mourning period, so it was an ironic moment to find out about the selection. I think in retrospect we tend to rearrange our memories to make it all seem logical, as if there was “a plan that came together”, but there were times before the film went to Cannes when I had certainly sensed that there was a very big chance it would never reach a crowd. The most memorable moment was the screening itself – simply because it felt like the movie was understood, appreciated and accepted. It seemed to be giving pleasure to the viewers (even if it was in its own way). Winning the prize is more like a blind spot, though I do remember feeling very happy and proud. I remember calling my crew members on the phone, ending up with a horrible phone-bill that still makes me cringe when I think about it. The participation and prize certainly helped me raise
money for my feature film, which is going to be finished this year.
magic of Cannes: having the opportunity to meet up yearly and grow together with the generation of filmmakers to which you belong, and to find together a way to keep growing, professionally and personally.
Who? Franco Dipietro With? The Change When? 2010 Where? Semaine de la
Critique Why? I had my short selected for Semaine de la Critique in 2010. It wasn’t my first Cannes, but it was my first as an “invited professional”. Just before the screenings, the director of the programme gathered all the selected filmmakers in a room to take picture of us. We were a friendly and nice group from all around Europe. I was nervous because I hate to speak in public and I had to present my short on stage. I had written a speech that I completely forgot while on stage. So I just said “Hello! I’m Franco from Italy. Hope you will enjoy my short. Please be nice with it”. I start laughing every time I think of that moment again. That was also the year I got deeper inside the market. There were a lot of secrets there ready to be unveiled! Cannes is a big giant monster if you’re not experienced enough. It takes time to understand how it works. Now, that I’m a little more skilled than then, I enjoy meeting up year after year with old friends and professional acquaintances. That is the
Who? Matúš Vizár With? Pandas When? 2013 Where? Cinéfondation Why? Cannes is a huge
phenomenon, so for every attending young filmmaker it is no doubt an important experience. The festival takes the approach that cinema can be introduced and sold to the world through show, media and hype. As such, it is a symbol of how the film industry actually functions. Therefore, it was a great privilege to have the opportunity to see all of this first hand, and form my own opinion about what the event really entails. I also appreciate the fact that Cinéfondation gives young filmmakers the opportunity to learn about the film world and also have their work judged by major film personalities.
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Mapping your
MIND illustration by Bíbor Timkó
To illustrate better the relationship between directors and their work, the filmmakers whose short films have been selected for the Cinéfondation were asked to draw spontaneously something about their film, using a pencil and a piece of paper – or any other medium they could think of. Anything would do – a symbol, a landscape, fresh and raw, straight from their imagination. Watch the trailers of the Cinéfondation films online on Daazo! daazo.com/cinefondation2014 WOSH by Daazo.com 15
PROVINCIA Provincia
Otto works as a delivery man for a food store in Budapest. When his van breaks down during a countryside delivery, he finds himself on an archaeological excavation site. Otto spends one day at the excavation.
Gyรถrgy Mรณr Kรกrpรกti Hungary
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LETO BEZ MESECA Moonless Summer
Before moving abroad, sixteen-year-old Isidora spends a few days at her childhood countryside house. Lost in the summer’s stillness, she fears the coming changes...
Ivanc ˇic´ Stefan Serbia
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NIAGARA Niagara
Yamame grew up in an orphanage. When she turns 18 she is informed that her grandparents are alive. She goes to live with her dementiaafflicted grandma and meets an odd caregiver, Tanishi.
Hayakawa Chie Japan
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OUR BLOOD Our Blood
A brother and sister meet for the first time on an isolated bison farm. What begins as an attempt to reunite a family ends in ecstatic violence when the two are seduced into transgressing primordial law.
Max Chan United States of America
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UNE VIE RADIEUSE A Radiant Life
1952, the Radiant City of Marseille receives its first occupants, eighty civil servants coming from the four corners of France. Some are led by the promise of Le Corbusier’s ideal. Upon arrival, a couple experience the location, facilities, and radicalism of the space allotted to them. They each respond to the new habitat.
Hardt Meryll France
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THE BIGGER PICTURE The Bigger Picture
“You want to put her in a home; you tell her; tell her now!” hisses one brother to the other. But Mother won’t go, and their own lives unravel as she clings on. Life-size animated characters tell the stark and darkly humorous tale of caring for an elderly parent.
Daisy Jacobs United Kingdom
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LIEVITO MADRE Sourdough
Three is a crowd. The classic love triangle. But what happens if the third one of this story is not a human? Or, better still, if they are made of water, flour, and honey?
Fulvio Risuelo Italy
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LAST TRIP HOME Last Trip Home
An immigrant father and his son struggle in Singapore, and decide to drive back to China with their only possession: their car. (Drawing by the DOP of the film, Lee Sze Wei.)
Han Fengyu Singapore
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オー ルーシ！ MA BAAD WADAA HAGAR EL ASAS LE MASHRO' EL HAMMAMM BEL KILO 375 The aftermath of the inauguration of the public toilet at kilometer 375
Fear is an instinct lying under the skin. But what if it mutates?
Omar El Zohairy Egypt
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オー ルーシ！ ¯ Lu O ¯sh¯! Oh Lucy!
Setsuko, a 55-year-old single office lady in Tokyo, is given a blonde wig and a new identity, “Lucy,” by her young unconventional English teacher. “Lucy” awakens desires Setsuko never knew she had. When the teacher suddenly disappears, Setsuko must come to terms with what remains – herself.
Hirayanagi Atsuko Japan
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STONE CARS Stone Cars
A teenage girl growing up in dangerous Khayelitsha township is faced with a difficult decision in the wake of a traumatic event.
Reinaldo Marcus Green United States of America
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SKUNK Skunk
When her pit bull is stolen by an aspiring dogfighter, Leila is forced to stand up for herself, at the cost of her own innocence.
Annie Silverstein United States of America
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SOOM Breath
Su-in looks after her mother who is in a coma at a hospital. Regardless of her efforts, every day is the same for Su-in, and naturally, she is worn out. Without hope, Su-in finally sees the paper which authorises the turning off of the life support machine.
Kwon Hyun-ju Korea
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HaBIKUR The Visit
Hagar comes to visit her father who lives in a nursing home in Jerusalem. Before entering his room she looks at him and chooses to escape, but a series of incidents forces her to spend the day in the building. The short visit turns into a journey among the narrow corridors of society.
Inbar Horesh Israel
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HOME SWEET HOME Home Sweet Home
Every house has its own story, some others have an adventure...
Alejandro Diaz Cardoso, Pierre Clenet, Romain Mazevet, SĂŠphane Paccolat France
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“LOOKING
FILMS THAT MAKE ” WAVES – Cannes, from a buyer’s point of view words by Christopher Tidman
The Vice President of Global Acquisitions at Shorts International and Shorts TV, Christopher Tidman gives insight on what the buyers are looking for in Cannes and what happens to the short films they snap up.
Here we are again in the glorious South of France. I first attended the Cannes film festival just after joining Shorts International in 2008. At the time, we had a distribution business and one Pay TV channel, Shorts TV France. We were the exclusive aggregator for short films on iTunes and were just starting to make an impact with the Shorts Oscar release for animation and live action Oscar nominees which was released globally on iTunes and at that point, only released in theatres throughout the USA. Skip to 2014 and we still have a distribution business, comprising the biggest short film distribution catalogue in the world. iTunes has opened up their aggregation business to other content providers and we have opened up our EST offering to include iTunes, Amazon Instant and a few others just being finalised. 32 WOSH by Daazo.com
We now have Pay TV channels in France, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Romania, Turkey, Africa and the USA. The channels are split into two feeds, USA and EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa). We offer $18 a minute for our US channel and €20 a minute for our EMEA feed. This is for a 3-year non-exclusive Pay TV license. The films are curated into thematic or genre zones and this gives us the flexibility to acquire an eclectic mix of short films. Our Oscar release now includes animation and live-action as well as documentary short film Oscar nominees and whilst still released globally on iTunes, it is now also released globally in theatres, on EST and on VOD. Our Oscar theatrical release in the USA has been ranked 3rd so far this year in terms of US domestic box office for an independent release, a staggering achievement for a short film release. So, onto the big question, what am I looking for this year in Cannes?
For Shorts International, and our distribution catalogue it’s pretty simple, I’m looking for exceptional short films, films that are getting noticed and making waves. These are the films that will go on to win festivals and hopefully some major awards, a Cesar, a Goya, a BAFTA or an Oscar… For Shorts TV, I have a rather large shopping list as we acquire between 250 and 280 hours a year of short film content. You do the math; it’s a lot of films! The majority of our films are acquired from distributors and we work with all the major short film distributors; Premium, Autour De Minuit, Agence Du Court, Interfilm Berlin, SND, Gonella Productions, New Europe Film Sales, Freak and Network Ireland Television to name but a few. I’m looking for country specific short films of any kind (animation, live action or documentary). I’m particularly looking for large numbers of short films from the USA, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Romania,
Turkey, Czech Republic, Slovakia, UK, Australia, Africa and New Zealand. I’m looking for genre films; sci-fi, horror, war, comedy, romance and the more risqué, sexy shorts. I need good animations for our upcoming animation season and I want a film from every country taking part in this year’s Football World Cup for our very own World Cup of Short films. You’ll probably find me in the buyers’ area of the Short Film Corner during the festival, so come on down and introduce yourself and your films to me. Have a great festival and see you in Cannes!
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photo by Sándor Fegyverneky
MUNDRUCZÓ, the RELIABLE words by Géza Csákvári
Kornél Mundruczó is the hard currency of the Hungarian arthouse film industry. He is the only Hungarian director, who (although he doesn’t have a reserved spot at the Cannes Film Festival, supposedly nobody has one) – the whole world pays attention to when he creates something new.
Thanks to White God, Mundruczó is returning to the Croisette this year for the fifth time. Some like to call him a festival favourite, but one thing is for sure: he has climbed the ladder of success with his films. His short film Little Apocrypha No. 2 was in the Cinéfondation selection, his feature Johanna in the Un Certain Regard, and his subsequent two features (Delta and The Frankenstein Plan) in the Official Selection. (And when he was not in Cannes, he won the main prize in Locarno for Pleasant Days.) He has now completed one artistic period and taken a whole new turn with White God, and he is still the focus of attention and competing in the Un Certain Regard section this year. “It’s just a phantasmagoria of the journalists”, says Mundruczó about the opinions that call him a festival favourite. It’s true that over the 34 WOSH by Daazo.com
course of ten years, almost all of his movies made it to Cannes, but he can’t imagine that they would have been selected unless they were good enough for the standards of the festival. He doesn’t have any personal connection with the people who are supposedly favouring him – clarifies Mundruczó, who entered the big league at the relatively young age of 33 with his film Delta, and competed for the Palme d’or against the likes of Atom Egoyan, Steven Soderbergh, Laurent Cantet, Paolo Sorrentino, Clint Eastwood and Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. Although the main prize eventually went to Cantet, Delta won Mundruczó and his whole crew the recognition of The Interational Federation of Film Critics, the FIPRESCI award. The film – made with the artistic guidance and mentoring of Béla Tarr – was a second version of the original Delta. Originally, the main character was to be played by Lajos Bertók, but the sudden death of the actor meant the whole production had to be re-written, and the main story eventually changed too: the revenge tragedy morphed into a love story, and the “dark” character of Lajos Bertók was
transformed into the “light” personality of Félix Lajkó. Mundruczó’s next film in competition, The Frankenstein Plan was already turning away from the raw and edgy style of Delta. The film definitely represented a transition in his oeuvre, because it was not possible to continue the purity of Delta. “Technically, this was the first movie I made as an adult. It was the closure of my years as a student. Let’s be honest: even people who graduate from film school are still self-taught. Everything I know I learnt behind the camera and not behind a desk”, says Mundruczó. After the success in Cannes, the director and his producer and regular co-worker Viktória Petrányi wanted to start a whole new project quickly. Mundruczó adapted one of his theatrical plays into a movie. According to the artistic concept, the story and the character of Rudolf Frecska, an amateur actor, were born in the theatre, and also the idea of the “monster” being a seventeen-year-old, still childlike boy. Clean, simple and innocent. Another interesting fact about the production is the role of the director, which is played by Mundruczó himself in the film. He says that this was the only morally right choice he had: he didn’t want to expose anyone else in this mirror-situation. Although Mundruczó graduated as an actor, he doesn’t consider himself to be one. He often chooses to work with amateur actors, because he thinks that stage actors do not always find their way in front of the camera. Yet in the theatre he doesn’t like to work with amateurs, because he says it’s a place for professional actors only. White God, premiering in Cannes this year, is the most modern, but at the same time the most conventional film of Mundruczó. In a way it follows a path typical for the action and adventure film genre (in parallel with his earlier films, where he “deconstructed” the thriller genre), with the direct purpose of opening towards a wider audience – while keeping the auteurism as well. This started out to be a smaller production, but the German company Match Factory found potential in the production.
For the last few years a recurrent question has popped up in the Hungarian film industry: why don’t Hungarian authors and directors examine the social questions of the present – as for example the Romanian artists do at film festivals around the world. It seems like this eternal discussion is slowly coming to an end, because White God is based on a very realistic hypothesis: a new tax called “dog tax” is implemented in Hungary which says that people have to pay more if their dog is a mixed breed, while the owners of dogs that are from a 100% Hungarian breed are exempt from any kind of payment. Mundruczó and his crew based their story on this theory, and imagined the streets of Budapest infested with a huge crowd of homeless mixed breed dogs, who revolt against their old owners, the White God. The viewer can also sympathise with the main character, Lili. She is a young girl who lives with her mother but has to go to her father’s place for a few months, and her father, hearing about the new law, throws their dog out into the street, forcing Lili to go after her beloved pet. Dogs are a minority who are friends of the people, they are raised and conditioned for that but we can kick them out anytime and anywhere – said Mundruczó on the set. He also said that the dogs are personalised, so the main purpose is for us to see them as our reflection. The title also refers to that perspective: we are the White God for the dogs. In 2008 many said that there was a culturalpolitical message behind the selection of Delta for Cannes as a symbol of embracing the Hungarian auteur film movement, to show the world that the Hungarian auteur film in the tradition of Jancsó, Szőts and Fejős deserves more recognition. The fact of Delta being chosen for the Cannes programme could be interpreted as a kind of legitimisation. Needless to say, the selection of White God this year has an even more crucial relevance in Hungarian cultural politics. If not for anything else, then for being part of the creme de la creme again.
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S E N CAN AG
B AME
FROM THE FIRST IDEA TO THE CANNES RED CARPET – A FILM’S JOURNEY IN PICTURES Find the right order of these snapshots! Send your answer to game@daazo.com for a chance to win the next 3 issues of WOSH! illustrations by Benjámin Kalászi
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“EACH ONE OF MY SHORT FILMS
interview by Zsuzsanna Deák
taught me a different lesson” The Canadian director Chloé Robichaud is in her twenties and yet her films have been in Cannes every May for four years now. Her feature debut, Sarah préfère la course (Sarah Prefers to Run) premiered there last year. We asked her about the topics she focuses on, her short and feature films, and her Cannes experiences.
Your short film Chef de meute (Herd Leader) was screened as part of the official selection in Cannes in 2012. The following year you returned to Cannes with your first feature, Sarah préfère la course (Sarah Prefers to Run). Both films feature a female protagonist who doesn’t fit the expectations of those around her but who finds her own way to happiness. Is this choice of a central topic personal to you? I always felt the need to go against stereotypes. I think all my characters (female or male protagonists) don't want to be categorised. I, myself, am allergic to stereotypes and categorisation. I think we all have our own way to happiness.
Sarah Prefers to Run is a film about a runner. Why did you pick this theme? Do you run yourself? I wish! But no, I’m not a runner myself. When I was a kid though I was always running, just for fun. It felt so liberating. I guess this feeling stayed with me many years and followed me. I love sport though, and I'm fascinated by professional athletes. You know, while writing Sarah Prefers to Run I realised I had a lot in common with runners. We share this same passion and obsession. I'm obsessed by cinema.
What does the short film format mean to you? I love short films. I just LOVE them. I see Are you planning to do more of the same short films as a lab, as a great way to kind in the future? experiment. It's so hard to tell a great story My second feature film called Country, which in such a short time. I learned so much I'm planning to shoot within a year, focuses on through short films. I think I have made three women working in politics. They are each a dozen and each one of them taught me a trying to figure out their place both in the polit- different lesson. I want to keep doing some ical sphere and in their own personal life. So yes, in the next few years. I think this could be a recurrent theme in my films. How was the change from short to long – Most of your films focus on female characters – what surprised you most, what kinds of are they particularly important to you? challenges did you not expect at all? Well, I write mostly about what I know and Would you do anything differently? experience. And what I know best is being The biggest difference is that you now have a woman. And I feel we need to see more weeks of filming while in short film you have interesting female characters on screen and few days. The main challenge is to always keep think outside of the box. track of where you're going. You could easily 38 WOSH by Daazo.com
photo by Justine Latour
ob ic ha ud R hl oé C
still image from Sarah Prefers to Run
get lost. You really need to stay focused on your vision. It’s been an amazing experience. I would not do anything differently. I would make the same mistakes because I learned a lot from them. Will you go back to the short format or are you focusing on making feature length films in the future? I will definitely go back to shorts. I just don't know when, but I will. I want to do both. I just enjoy making films and writing stories. Sometimes, I have an idea that would fit a short, sometimes a feature. I go wherever my mind takes me. You have written and directed your films yourself. Would you consider working with someone else – if yes, would you pick the scriptwriting or the directing part? I might one day work with a screenwriter, but as for now, I prefer to direct my own scripts. I feel I have something really precise to say. I have the urge to write and once I do, I need to see it with my own images. The photography of your films is remarkable and very typical: clean, symmetrical, often minimalistic – do you always work with the same director of photography? I mostly work with Jessica Lee Gagné, a DOP I met at school when I was 17. We learned a lot together and we're close friends. She knows my style, she knows exactly what I like and don't like. We developed since school a great
chemistry. We also know how to communicate, how to express things in an efficient way. We like to bounce ideas, talk about lighting together, films we liked, etc. We also prepare a lot before filming, nothing is left to chance. Please tell me about your Cannes experience! First you went there with Moi non plus (Me Neither) which was in the Short Film corner, then Nature morte was selected for the Les courts du Québec programme in 2011, then Chef de meute was in the official selection in 2012, finally, Sarah Prefers to Run in the Un Certain Regard section last year. How did your experience change over the years? It's been an amazing ride since 2010. It all started at the short film corner, which was a good place to meet people and talk about future projects. Herd Leader’s selection was a dream come true. I had the chance to meet other filmmakers from the selection, and it was so inspiring. It gave me confidence which was really helpful for the making of Sarah Prefers to Run. As for Un Certain Regard last year, it felt like a graduation. It really was, to me, an accomplishment. What does Cannes mean to you? Cannes will always be special to me. It's the place where it all began. Sarah Prefers to Run’s premiere was just surreal. I could tell you about one special memory. When being at the back of the theater (the Debussy room) waiting for Christian Jeune to call my name at the premiere... I could see my film's title written in bold on the screen. The theater was packed. And I realised, at that moment, I was where I always wanted to be. What are you working on now? I'm working on my next feature film. I'm also editing a web series, called Feminin/Feminin which will be released in June. The web series explores the life of a group of lesbian friends in Montreal. What would your advice be to a young filmmaker? Just work hard. There's no magic, no magic recipe. The only recipe I know is to work as hard as you can. And please, don't ever take no for an answer.
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SFC HIGHLIGHTS SFC Highlights is a service offered by World of Shorts magazine and Daazo.com to promote the films entered into the Short Film Corner in order to help them find an audience and industry interest. 23 films have been included in the SFC Highlights of World of Shorts. Their posters are displayed on four pages, together with the directors’ contact info. The project is presented in the online showcase of Daazo.com as well, which contains the films included in the SFC Highlights. The films are password protected, so if you would like to watch them, contact the director to request the code. You can find the online showcase at http://www.daazo.com/sfc2014
Shyama Bhargava
Stephen David Brooks
Devynne Lauchner
Andrés Gurruchaga
Sander Aben
shyamabhargava@yahoo.com
sdavidbrooks@gmail.com
devynnelauchner@gmail.com
barradas.andres@gmail.com
abensander@hotmail.com
Hasti Saadi
Giuseppe Scavo
Niklas Johansson
Abdelrahman Saad
Saleh Nass
glscav@hotmail.it
niklas_starwars@hotmail.com hastisaadi@gmail.com
a.rhman.saad@gmail.com
laila@elementsbh.com
Malla Grapengiesser
Toni Nordli
Christophe Deroo
Eric Iglesias
malla@fosforproduktion.se
toninordli@gmail.com
festival@christophederoo.com eric@gr4y.com
Eugenia Llaguno / eugenia@libelulamotion.com 40 WOSH by Daazo.com
Todd Carroll toddvcarroll@hotmail.com
Derek Frey / derek@timburton.com
Julien Renaud / blackboxproduction@gmail.com
Li Chen / lichen0209@yahoo.com
Alexandre Zarka / cm-chronique@outlook.com WOSH by Daazo.com 41
Idalia Figueroa / contrabajofilms@yahoo.com.mx, www.contrabajofilms.com
Markus E. Mueller / office@muco-pictures.com 42 WOSH by Daazo.com
Jakub Fiebig / jakubfiebig@gmail.com WOSH by Daazo.com 43
VIKTORIA,
10 years of the EKRAN programme
MASTERS AND MOHICANS words by Joanna Solecka photos by Dimitar Varysky
In 2014 the EKRAN programme celebrates its 10th anniversary. It is the only hands-on training programme in Europe supported by MEDIA, which combines project development and film production.
The programme began as an original idea of Wojciech Marczewski from Wajda School, Poland and Pierre Aghte from the Swiss FOCAL Foundation. EKRAN is run by Wajda Studio in Warsaw, Poland. The main idea behind the programme is to develop the project by producing two scenes from each script. EKRAN gives an opportunity to find the right tone and visual strategy of the film, develop the skills of telling a story with images and experiment with casting and rehearsals. In the next decade EKRAN is going to put even more focus on directing skills and the vision of the future film. The good news is that it will also maintain a “no fee” formula. 44 WOSH by Daazo.com
This year the Cannes International Film Festival will screen one of the latest completed productions developed by EKRAN: Bulgarian film Viktoria by Maya Vitkova. After its world premiere at Sundance FF, Variety wrote: “Viktoria is an ambitious, fully conceived and developed first film. It portrays the lives of three multi-generational women connected to one another by little else than birth. Concurrently the journey mirrors the history of everyday life in Bulgaria under communism and after its fall.” The film was also nominated for awards at Rotterdam IFF and Goteborg FF. Six years has passed since Maya Vitkova took part in EKRAN. We asked her about the beginnings of the project and the entire work up until the final release of the film. Here is how Maya remembers the making of Viktoria.
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I remember going through MEDIA-supported training initiatives while looking for the best development and preparation opportunity for my feature film Viktoria. This is when I came across EKRAN. I realised it was a great chance
since the tutors listed were such names as Andrzej Wajda, Alexander Sokurov and Volker Schlöndorff: very different, yet legendary directors. I wanted to be under their supervision (a high level one) while developing my debut feature. I had various expectations. EKRAN happened two years after I’d quit my job as an assistant director, wrote the first drafts of Viktoria, and started preparations for shooting. I wanted to get as much as possible from the programme. After 12 years of working as an AD, directing 5 student short films, a graduation documentary (The ABC Project), a TV documentary (Mothers and Daughters), I still needed preparation for my first feature film. The preparation wasn’t only EKRAN, but also the years that passed between the first draft of Viktoria and the shooting itself. EKRAN was one of the most valuable steps in that journey. I expected critical advice and hands-on experience – and this was exactly what I got. The most important input was the hands-on experience, the ability to meet terrifying deadlines and learning to hear different opinions. It was important to direct the two scenes from Viktoria’s script and see how the text works in action. Thinking about it, it was also useful for the story. Everything you do turns out to be a worthwhile effort. Regarding the scenes I made during EKRAN, I did them differently, not as they were later in the film, so that was a beneficial first step. There was a huge gap between EKRAN and the moment I started shooting. Viktoria is a very personal story. There was no change in the core of it but what changed was the way of making it happen, realising it. EKRAN gave me an opportunity to try out the material, to prepare, which rarely happens in the cinema. The most important meeting was with Andrzej Wajda, a talented and accomplished filmmaker, and a very generous person. The Master, as I call him, was born in 1926, but he is young at heart. He has a great sense of humour, huge curiosity and a number of qualities, which turn him into the best “party to the crime” while making a film. I enjoyed his company, the
stories he told, the examples and advice he gave, the questions he asked, and the comments he made. I remember him visiting my set on his birthday (it was 6 March) while I was shooting the first scene in the programme and I almost threw him out. I was so arrogant and stressed, but he laughed. The Master is one of the last Mohicans, a truly amazing man. I think the most stressful part were the deadlines we had for preparation, shooting, editing and completing a single scene from the feature film project. That was the hardest but at the same time a very useful part. There are always positive and negative aspects to everything. The point is how you evaluate them at the end of the day. Meeting Andrzej Wajda was one of the strongest points, I mean, how many filmmakers get to meet, talk to and laugh with a living legend? I did. As for the negative, it’s not important now – I’ve managed to make my film (the majority of people thought I would never make such a complicated film so that’s brilliant news), Viktoria premiered at Sundance, and I am free now. During the last six years I’ve been an executive producer of the debut feature Eastern Plays by Kamen Kalev, which premiered during the Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival and was Bulgaria’s candidate for the best foreign language film at the Academy Awards in 2011. I’ve directed and produced two shorts – Stanka Goes Home and My Tired Father, which were shown at 150 international festivals and won 15 awards. I’ve been working on the Ancient X-Files for the National Geographic, on Ross Kemp on Gangs for Sky One, but most of all I was fighting to make Viktoria. I finally obtained the producer’s rights over my own story on 22 December 2011 and started preparations a month later. I became independent, stronger and met great people on the way, who (thank God) joined my crew, my life, Viktoria’s family.
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www.ekran.info.pl
Viktoria’s market screening at Cannes IFF: 18 May, 2014// 10:00 AM // GRAY 5
EKRAN 10th anniversary cocktail: 19 May, 2014 // 5:00 PM // Polish Cinema Stand, Le Grand Hotel, 45 Boulevard de la Croisette, 9th floor (upon invitation) WOSH by Daazo.com 45
DAAZO’S TOP USERS interview by Zsuzsanna Deák
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“A LABORATORY WHERE SOMETHING NEW CAN HATCH” György Mór Kárpáti’s first film, Forest, was in competition at the Berlinale Shorts in 2011. This year, he returns to the world of A-category film festivals with his new short film Provincia, which has been selected for the Cinéfondation section of the Cannes Film Festival. Provincia is the story of a delivery man who accidentally ends up at an excavation site and becomes enchanted by the past. We asked György, a keen Daazo.com user, about his inspirations, plans and festival experiences. becoming a filmmaker
I was 16 and after I failed my exams at school I took a summer job on a film set. I had no idea that film scenes are not shot in a chronological order. I liked this puzzle very much and I wanted to give it a go too. short films
In a short film, one can tell a story or introduce a phenomenon or character in a concise way. Most short films are made by emerging filmmakers: this is how they can learn and experiment. The short film format is like a laboratory where something new can hatch. Provincia
I wanted to make a film about an encounter with the distant past, with an outsider as a main character. I was intrigued by how a Roman province from two thousand years ago can appear in a Hungarian environment today. First, I read an archeologist’s blog with posts about fascinating things like the excavation of graves or the unearthing of finds. I also went to a museum displaying ancient Roman artefacts several times. We did the shooting at an excavation site in the south of Hungary. In the
long shots of the film, everybody who is visible in the scene is a real excavation worker. They had no time for the camera, they were just doing their job – digging up a Roman village. festivals, trends and inspirations
I like it when the line-up is versatile at a festival and I can watch traditional novellas, experimental films, animations… A great merit of a good short film is technical simplicity. It is important to ignore trends when working on short films. My inspirations in the last few years have been Justine Triet’s Vilaine fille, mauvais garçon or Die Ruhe Bleibt by Stefan Kriekhaus. Or from my home country, Hungary: Soft Rain by Dénes Nagy and Rimbaud by Péter Lichter. Cannes after Berlin
I’m always honoured by the attention short films get at A-category film festivals. It would be great to meet many new people in Cannes, and then look ahead, towards new films. future plans
I’m working on the development of my first feature, Luger. It’s about teenage bullying: a tableau of a secondary school class of our time. But I’m also thinking about my short film plans – I’m planning to film one of my many ideas in the summer. It would be great to shoot a ten-minute story with some great actors. There are many actors I’d like to work with… The ones that I can think of right now are: Déborah François whom I saw in The Child, or Niels Arestrup, from A Prophet. There are many directors who are role models to me, for example Mike Leigh. In 10 years, I’ll be getting ready to go to Cannes again, with my third feature: a raw thriller, a psychological mystery, a moving love story. the golden rule of filmmaking
Do not despair, ever. Re-write it. Re-cut it. Or start over and write something brand new!
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The story tends to be the same: you have a brilliant film idea. You can actually see it in your head. But films are a bit like wars: “you need first of all money; second, you need money, and third, you also need money”, to quote Prince Montecuccoli. Yes, but how? The good news is that apart from the well-known methods (i.e. public funds) there are many other, alternative ways to reach your goals.
Fund your
Dreams into
Reality! illustration by Bíbor Timkó
Crowdfunding – yes, we can! – the how-to of successful crowdfunding, page 50 “Empowering the crowd” – an interview with Marc Hofstatter, head of film division at Indiegogo, page 52 9 essential tips for finding a sponsor – this is how it can be done, page 54 The Pitch Page Project – seven short film plans to look out for, page 55 I’m a filmmaker and I’d like to work for a brand. Where do I start? – another way to fund a film, page 65 Raising funds for parents rescue mission – a case study for crowdfunding, page 66
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CROWDFUNDING:
words by Domenico La Porta illustration by Bíbor Timkó
With the appearance and organisation of online crowdfunding, creators from all walks of life now have a better chance to see their project come to fruition. But what are the secrets to a successful crowdfunding campaign?
The best-known example of crowdfunding is Barack Obama’s latest campaign in the USA, which was funded by the general public to the tune of $150 million. This was a singular, historic event: it wasn’t just rich industrialists who brought about their candidates’ victory, but also the hundreds of thousands of people who donated an average of $80 over the internet to support the first Afro-American to lead the USA. Crowdfunding is therefore a lever that allows the general public to provide collective financial backing to an idea or a project that particularly appeals to them. Whether the aim behind a crowdfunding campaign is to create an artistic work or something completely 50 WOSH by Daazo.com
different, it will have to be organised, financed (i.e., it will require time or money investment) and circulated strategically: exactly like an electoral campaign would be! This is not a new phenomenon. In 1958, John Cassavetes funded his debut film (Shadows) thanks to the public’s contributions, following several radio appeals: “Pledge a movie that resembles you!” he proclaimed. The central crux of his campaign was identification, but there are others, and you will have to find the one (or ones) for you, depending on your project. If you are creative when drawing up your objective, the crowds will reward you as you reward them for their pledge. Often, people opt for a crowdfunding platform after having been encouraged by all the success stories, which obviously go viral on the social networks, but these numerous cases in point are never just based on a lucky break. A number of relatively weak projects (artistically speaking) have filled their coffers with crowd-sourced
funds thanks to campaigns that were both inventive and thorough. Whether the fundraising period lasts four weeks or six (for a target of over €50,000), it is unrealistic to think that you will be able to take care of it by yourself. It is vital to understand that the worldwide web never sleeps and that you must find the means to keep the campaign running 24 hours a day. You need a team. As in politics, you will need a campaign manager: a person who has an expert knowledge of the inner workings of the machine (social networks, seeding, tools, structures and strategies, address book, press relations, etc) and who is happy to tinker with the rules of the game. Together with your campaign manager, you will assemble your staff of volunteers, as well as people who are keen on and interested in your project and in its desired result. Is it perhaps a case of assigning them a role in the fledgling film? Or getting them to help with creating the soundtrack? The staff will always be made up of a hard core who will be paid further down the line and a group of volunteers whose only wage will be the satisfaction of seeing your project succeed. After being bolstered by the first group, who will invest both time and money in your campaign, you will be able to tap into the second (close friends and family members) in order to amass a promising-looking budgetary base that will enable you to win over the third group: the crowd. In general, six weeks of fundraising (the launch phase) on a platform such as Kickstarter will have been preceded by a period of the same duration aimed at preparing material, organising contact lists, and a strategy for the fundraising (the prelaunch phase), and three weeks will then have to be set aside following a successful period of fundraising (the post-launch phase) for thanking the backers, sending out the rewards and writing your own success story in order to then be able to circulate it as much as possible. This last phase is too often ignored by the project helmer, who, on one hand, has run out of steam once the launch phase is over, and on the other hand, has the false impression that he has achieved his goal: he has got the funding. But crowdfunding does not only have
a financial benefit, and especially in the case of a film, it also has a second – and even a third – goal. Once the money has been raised, it is essential to satisfy a guaranteed initial audience made up of the entire group of backers (second goal), and within this group are potential ambassadors for your project who will have to be turned into promoters (third goal). We could almost call them sales agents, marketing agents and distributors who will be supporting the film that they contributed to, as if it were their own. Their backing at the very first stage of the project will make them more highly valued within their own communities, and they will boast about it in order to enable them to rise up the group ranks. People from the crowd (group three) want to achieve the status of friends of the artist (group two). Even the first group (staff) may open up to them, should another project be made in the future by the same artist. Organising this transfer is an art form that will require at least as much creativity as the writing and the making of the film – if not more. You can be a talented director or producer, and have a superb project, and yet miss out on your crowdfunding because of second-rate campaign management. So, just like a gifted cinematographer, a brilliant actor or animator, or a jaw-dropping composer, it is absolutely in your interest to join forces with a campaign manager who will be the flamboyant architect devoted to the project’s success, and not a mere handyman who will have to take care of the crowdfunding on top of everything else. Remember that Obama would not have succeeded with his famous saying “Yes, we can!” without the sum total of all the “Yes, I can!” – said by individuals to the best of their abilities, who actually truly could!
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“EMPOWERING
THE CROWD”
Interview by Attila Mocanu
– an interview with Marc Hofstatter, Head of Film division at Indiegogo After working for the biggest studios in Hollywood, Marc decided to be a part of the first and market-leading crowdfunding platform to help spread the word about the hottest financing model of the current film biz. We talked about exceptional projects, Indiegogo’s international presence and about how short films benefit their filmmakers.
How does someone get to be the Head of Film department at Indiegogo? I’ve been at Indiegogo for the last 8 months. Initially I started to work in independent film at Bingham Ray’s October Films based in New York. Then I moved out to Los Angeles and started working at William Morris Agency (now WME) and then I was an executive at Universal Pictures and as well as at 20th Century Fox. For a couple of years after I left the studio system I worked as an independent producer and all my friends in the Hollywood industry were saying that they are looking for an alternative in financing, as the traditional model is not working anymore. Then came an opportunity to work for Indiegogo and it’s an amazing experience that I can be a part of their team. What is your take on well-established filmmakers turning to Indiegogo? We are welcoming them. One thing you get with Indiegogo which other crowdfunding platforms don’t have is that we are completely open. Anyone can crowdfund, from anywhere. It’s not for us to decide, it’s up to the fans. When stars like James Franco or Katherine Heigl turned to Indiegogo to crowdfund their projects, the crowd appreciated the talent, the
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cause it involves or even the perks they’re getting in return. People might never have the chance to attend a special premiere or to visit a film set. Now that you can be a part of that as a member of a community is actually a very big thing, because making a film isn’t easy. What makes Indiegogo stand out from other crowdfunding platforms for film? I would say our international presence. I myself will be travelling to Cannes with colleagues, where we will be announcing some initiatives. Indiegogo is also the oldest crowdfunding platform and we are global, having successfully funded projects from over 200 countries in the world. I also believe that we will be leading the industry in the future, because our policy is that we don’t curate projects, there is no application process and that sense of freedom gets to filmmakers, that they won’t be judged whatever their project is, only their fans will have to decide. Do you follow the path of some projects that were funded through Indiegogo? Yes, most certainly. We think of ourselves as a happy family and we are extremely excited to meet those filmmakers at festivals that we have or had some connections with through Indiegogo. It’s great to see them win awards with their completed films and we’re constantly encouraging them to come back. For example at Sundance this year the U. S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Talent went to Justin Simien for Dear White People which raised more than $40,000 through Indiegogo and we are very happy for him, especially that Lionsgate picked up the film for a release this fall. And it was his first film as a feature director!
You’ve released a free “how-to” handbook online for filmmakers. In a nutshell, what really drives a successful campaign? One thing I would recommend to everyone is definitely preparation. Most of the successful campaigns are not just up and running by chance. The creators behind it usually take lots of time and great effort to create a strategy for the campaign. Usually the funding period is more than 30 days, so you have to lay out how that time frame will work and what will happen to your campaign during that time. If you don’t, there will be lots of work on the fly and that usually doesn’t turn out well. What is the best feature of crowdfunding that other funding options cannot provide? First of all it’s the access to your crowd, your fans and your audience. You’ll get to know them before you even start and will know how cater to them best. Filmmakers ultimately have a vision for their film, be it a short or a feature or a doc. But they also want to have an audience through which they can find out that this may not be the right project or there is something along the way that could make it even better. So crowdfunding is a great way to get preliminary feedback from your audience. And then you have this whole pool of backers who say to themselves “I have invested time and money into this project, so it’s in my interest to tell people about it”. I always tell the story when I was a PA on Ali with Will Smith and I literally told all my friends to go see this movie, my name is on the credits. So I got 10 people to go see it. It’s the same idea with crowdfunding. Even if your name is not on the credits and you just got a t-shirt for your contribution, you’re still able to tell people: “This film happened because of me, go see it”. So that empowers the crowd and not just the filmmakers and that is the most important element of crowdfunding.
What is your take on short films in regards of Indiegogo? Actually a huge chunk of film campaigns are for shorts. Young talents, independent filmmakers and especially students turn to us more and more. We have AFI as a new partner and they have a Women’s Directing Workshop that will be funded exclusively through Indiegogo. I think shorts directors are turning to us because in a short you can be so different, so creative. When you go make a feature, there are certain limitations of how crazy you can get, because the budgets are higher. When you make a $5,000 short you can go somewhere really crazy artistically. While when you’re making a 5 million dollar or let alone a half million dollar film, you have to be a little more cautious. Creators of shorts now are able to take chances like they never could before and reach fans that they could never reach before. How does the film department work at Indiegogo? We have a small, but strong team. We’re generally travelling to film festivals to meet filmmakers, to attend panels and we’re building partnerships with strong organisations that reach out to independent filmmakers. For example the IFP (Independent Filmmaker Project) in New York is a new partner of ours. Not just in the US, but internationally, filmmakers are using crowdfunding more and more and it is our job to educate them on how to do so, so they will be able to fund what matters to them.
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7
ESSENTIAL TIPS FOR FINDING A SPONSOR words by Dóra Halász and Nóra Szűcs
Most sponsors want to be associated with acclaimed filmmakers. If you don’t have any previous filmmaking experience, you’ll need to find creative ways to convince sponsors and this usually means making a name for yourself in the business.
What do you look for in sponsor? If it’s just money, that’s simpler: find a sponsor that will pay your costs. But you should be looking for more: a patron that supports your vision and doesn’t intrude on the creative decisions you make. 1. Create a detailed and marketable portfolio
– build a website for your film and collect all of your achievements. If you don’t have a large budget to develop the website, choose free website layouts, for example Wordpress or Wix. 2. Make a list of sponsors who you would like to work with – it’s important for you and your
sponsor to have similar ideas and goals. Get acquainted with the work of any potential sponsor and think about why your offer would be profitable for them. 3. Consider how you will get in touch with the potential sponsor – starting a conversation is
always difficult. Highlight the goals the sponsor can achieve with you. Think like a sponsor! Show that you’re awesome not just as an artist, but as a person and that you can be relied upon. Remember, Hollywood is fuelled by friendships (and feuds). 4. Stick together – find people who will help you create your image! If you surround yourself with people of high reputation in the business world, it’s more like that you will achieve appreciation for yourself. 5. Consider connections. Choose a sponsor who is well-liked and networks well – and
once you have one… Cultivate them. Set regular meetings, such as 30 minutes every third Thursday. 6. Contact the sponsor – if you want to be convincing, you need to describe every detail of your project. Make it clear to your sponsor what you are asking for and why. Emphasise what it is you can give them in return. Good pitches always begin with an understanding of the sponsor’s needs. Remember, you won’t be negotiating until you can provide something unique. 7. Ignore those who tell you “It can’t be done”!
BEHOLD THE SHORTS OF THE FUTURE! “Be creative, visual, and personal!” This was Daazo’s advice for filmmakers applying for the Pitch Page section of World of Shorts.
The Pitch Page offers an innovative opportunity for filmmakers to present their film plan without having their heart in their throats, using visual creativity instead of an overwhelming acting appearance. We have received a huge number of groovy pitches: here is Daazo’s shortlist of seven, selected by a Jury consisting of Jukka-Pekka Laakso – Festival Director and President of the Board of Directors of the Tampere Film Festival, Katie Metcalfe – Short Film Programmer for the Sundance Film Festival, and the founders of Daazo.
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THE Projects 1. -----------------------------------------50 STEPS (MY NORMAL KENYAN FAMILY) Ng'endo Mukii My family is made up of polygamists, missionaries, alcoholics, Mau Mau, colonial informants, politicians and artists. Every holiday, we gather at my 90-year-old grandmother’s house, to bicker, laugh, drink and eat goat meat. This documentary animation shall explore memories shared, arguments waged and children chasing chickens as we celebrate 50 years of independence.
2.-----------------------------------------FOREST LIGHTS Andrius Kirvela In the dark outskirts of the forest a bunny is desperately running, chased by the feeling that a mysterious forest force attempts to seize him. Intimidated and misled by the highway lights, he jumps right in front of a car and his little body gets thrown along the way. A couple of playing children find the bunny lying there unconscious, but still alive...
3.-----------------------------------------FROM EARTH Timothy Griggs, Alexander Thomas Scott Morris is missing five hours from his life, he has strange marks on his body, and he's having one heck of a time convincing his brother he's been abducted by aliens. Now, as those around him search for a more logical explanation, 56 WOSH by Daazo.com
Morris sits in a rundown motel room waiting, ready to face his captors head on.
4.-----------------------------------------I'LL PROBABLY NEVER SEE YOU AGAIN Mitja Mlakar A young woman in her late twenties is faced with the hardest decision of her life: to give birth to a disabled child or to kill it before it is even born. But is this the only decision she will have to make?
5.-----------------------------------------KIMELE PEACE PROJECT Albert Ventura Kimele is a 7-year-old African kid. He lives with his family in Barcelona and loves playing soccer with his friends. He is a special kid who can make everyone laugh. One day his school teacher announces a competition for projects to bring peace to the world. All the students suggest complex, realistic and boring projects, but Kimele's unique imagination and his contagious happiness will soon reach everyone's heart. His idea may seem the simplest, but he will try to use the only weapon created by mankind that can bring people together... the soccer ball.
6.-----------------------------------------LIFE OF A COIN Franco Dipietro Dante is a 2 euro coin. He travels all around Europe happy and rings until he finds he cannot stop.
7.-----------------------------------------MAYBE TOMORROW Martin Iliev A man in his thirties lives in complete reclusion from the outside world. I will call him… Lone, because he is lonely. Hidden behind a pair of binoculars, he falls in love with a woman from the opposite building. He observes her life and his desire to know her better makes him learn to read lips. He calls her… Love.
1. 50 Steps (My Normal Kenyan Family) Contact: nmukii@gmail.com
documentary animation Kenya
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animated family short film
2. FOREST LIGHTS Contact: migle@petpunk.com 58 WOSH by Daazo.com
Lithuania 58 WOSH
sci-fi/drama
3. FROM EARTH Contact: ascott319@gmail.com, www.fromearthfilm.com 59 WOSH
United States WOSH by Daazo.com 59
4. I'LL PROBABLY NEVER SEE YOU AGAIN Contact: mitja@filmfactory.si, www.filmfactory.si/NeverAgain 60 WOSH by Daazo.com
60 WOSH
drama Slovenia
5. KIMELE PEACE PROJECT
drama
Contact: neverscenefilms@gmail.com
Spain 61 WOSH
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6. LIFE OF A COIN
animated comedy
Contact: info@duemonete.it 62 WOSH by Daazo.com
Italy 62 WOSH
7. MAYBE TOMORROW
drama
Contact: marrtin.iliev@gmail.com
Bulgaria 63 WOSH
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PRODUCTION
faCTSheet
1. 50 STEPS (MY NORMAL KENYAN FAMILY) Director: Ng'endo Mukii Producer: Ng'endo Mukii Country: Kenya Contact: nmukii@gmail.com Production company: DocuBox Kenya Estimated budget: €72,000 Covered: €14,000 Needed: €58,000 Estimated length: 30 minutes Genre: documentary animation
2. FOREST LIGHTS Director: Andrius Kirvela Producer: Migle Kausylaite Country: Lithuania Contact: migle@petpunk.com Production company: PetPunkPic Estimated budget: €85,000 Covered: €59,500 Needed: €25,500 Estimated length: 9 minutes Genre: animated family short film
3. FROM EARTH Director: Timothy Griggs, Alexander Thomas Scott Producer: JoAnn Hockersmith Country: United States Contact: ascott319@gmail.com, www.fromearthfilm.com Production company: THIRTY90NE, Classy Deer Estimated budget: €21,682 Covered: €0 Needed: €21,682 Estimated length: 15 minutes Genre: sci-fi/drama 64 WOSH by Daazo.com
4. I'LL PROBABLY NEVER SEE YOU AGAIN Director: Mitja Mlakar Producer: Mojca Pernat Country: Slovenia Contact: mitja@filmfactory.si, www.filmfactory.si/NeverAgain Production company: Film Association Film Factory Estimated budget: €65,000 Covered: €0 Needed: €65,000 Estimated length: 10 minutes Genre: drama
5. KIMELE PEACE PROJECT Director: Albert Ventura Producer: Albert Ventura Country: Spain Contact: neverscenefilms@gmail.com Production company: NeverSceneFilms Estimated budget: €20,000 Covered: €0 Needed: €20,000 Estimated length: 12 minutes Genre: drama
6. LIFE OF A COIN Diretor: Franco Dipietro Producer: Emanuela Barbano Country: Italy Contact: info@duemonete.it Production company: Du Monete, Aning Film Estimated budget: €90,000 Covered: €85,000 Needed: €5,000 Estimated length: 6 minutes Genre: animated comedy
7. MAYBE TOMORROW Director: Martin Iliev Producer: Maria Metodieva Country: Bulgaria Contact: marrtin.iliev@gmail.com Production company: Wonderland Estimated budget: €47,450 Covered: €6,750 Needed: €40,700 Estimated length: 25 minutes Genre: drama
I’M A FILMMAKER AND I’D LIKE TO WORK FOR A BRAND.
WHERE DO I START? words by Dóra Halász
– branded content in the world of film
Creating branded content is cool. It is becoming cooler and cooler, in fact. Over the last few years, thousands of companies have started using branded content which is different from traditional advertising. But what is branded content? Why does it offer more to the brand? And what kind of opportunities does it hold for emerging filmmakers?
More and more branded short films are taking over from advertisements. Viewers can relate much more to films that don’t shout advertisement. If a film tells a story that is independent from a brand and the plot is developed over a longer span than in a traditional advertisement, viewers will be more intrigued by the details, which is ideal for the brand.
Branded content is created with a promotional intention and is on the border between traditional advertising and entertainment content. Traditional advertising may try to force itself on the user. With branded content, if it is entertaining, users may choose to look it up and dedicate their time to it.
If we change the perspective and observe the possibilities from the filmmaker’s point of view, it is clear that working for a brand can offer great potential for a filmmaker too. There are so many competitions, tenders and festivals where filmmakers can show off their directing talent. Branded short films are usually directed by short or feature film directors.
A SELECTION OF THE BEST BRANDED VIDEOS Toshiba and Intel presents: The Beauty Inside series Director: Drake Doremus
WHAT ARE THE POSSIBILITIES FOR FILMMAKERS WHO WANT TO WORK FOR A BRAND? Watch out for branded content competitions: they offer a great alternative solution to realise your film plans and involve much less compromise than directing traditional advertisements. A couple of examples are:
Lego presents: The Lego Story, animation film Director: Lani Pixels, Kim Pagel
Chipotle presents: Back to the Start, animation film Director: Johnny Kelly
Red Giant presents: Plot Device Director: Seth Worley
BMW Shorties // www.bmwshorties.com The cultural initiative of the BMW Group Malaysia. Their objective is to offer a platform for filmmakers to introduce themselves and show off their creativity and talent. Application is possible with short films created independently from BMW – the winner is invited to direct a film using the cash prize. Mofilm // http://www.mofilm.com Mofilm is a collection of different competitions, inspiring filmmakers and musicians to create content for big brands and social causes. New competitions are added as more and more big brands (such as Coca Cola, Nestlé, Bacardi or Cisco) announce competitions for branded content.
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The Queen of England Stole my Parents, a Lithuanian short film is screened at the Cannes Short Film Corner in 2014. The funds for the making of the film were raised through a successful crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter. The producer of the film gives a first-hand account of their journey from the first idea through the excitement of the campaign to the last thank yous.
RAISING FUNDS
x
PARENTS RESCUE MISSION words by Monika Sakalauskaité
We started as most short films usually do – The Queen of England Stole my Parents had a catchy idea, great team and… no money. The idea to use crowdfunding wasn’t in doubt – we knew we had to use all the possible opportunities to get the film funded and crowdfunding with Kickstarter was too promising to be left unused. After analysing other successful projects, our goal was set – $12,000 in 45 days. And that was something that no Lithuanian project had ever aimed for before. Starting the vehicle
Trying to figure out the reasons our campaign was successful – precise preparation is the first thing that pops into the head. Being sincere, giving yourself enough time, investing maximum energy to make your project look its best is the only way to survive among the variety and beauty of other international projects. And this rule can be applied to each part of your project, as in the end, it’s pretty
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hard to say which one is more important – an entertaining video presentation, attractive gifts or descriptions, revealing your true intentions or the project’s transparency. Moreover, it’s not enough to have an outstanding presentation, as it is equally important to make sure that as soon as you start the actual campaign, your news will spread fast and you will be able to reach as many of the right people as possible. In our case – we created our project’s Twitter related Facebook account half a year prior to the campaign and it has become our basecamp for contacting all the people and organisations that might be interested in the topic. We also created our website and registered our project on all the major websites and communities that spread the word about short movie projects. As our movie is based on the topic of emigration, all the newspapers and magazines that create content for Lithuanians abroad were also informed about our project.
Riding along
One of the most common mistakes of the failed campaigns is a belief that after you launch your campaign, you can relax and wait for the backers to give you their money. The reality is that you have to work twice as hard. Kickstarter statistics show that projects are mostly supported in the beginning or the very end of the campaign. And that’s a good tip as it lets you know when you should be concentrating on the information flow. Another important goal is to be noticed by the Kickstarter crew – their “Staff Picks” selection highlights your project in front of the millions of backers. We were fortunate enough to be selected for the “Staff Picks” and as a result, less than 24 hours after we had launched our campaign we already reached 30% of our goal, as we were supported by an angel investor from Abu Dhabi.
Another very good thing to do (and it doesn’t really matter if you failed, had a successful campaign or you are just planning to start one) is to become a permanent backer and to give the joy of being supported to other creators. We read a prediction in an article that one day, crowdfunding might become so important and natural that we will no longer judge people from the books they have at home, but rather from projects they support on Kickstarter. Well, we believe it’s possible, but only if creators do not forget to be grateful to their backers.
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The joy of our awesome start had slowly faded away, as we managed to double the success of the beginning only after one month of the campaign, so we were coming to the end with only 60% of our financial goal achieved. However, the good thing was that we knew it would be an emotional rollercoaster from the beginning, so we were still hoping for the best and just kept on doing the job – releasing new updates, publishing articles in the press, organising parties, bombing the city with our posters and continuously speaking about our campaign to all the relatives, friends and strangers on the way. Therefore, it was not a surprise to see an increase in support towards the end of the campaign and we reached our goal a few days before the deadline. Taking care of karma
…But the end of the campaign is not the end. After cashing out the money and shooting the movie, you have to remember that you owe your backers for their trust and sending their gifts on time, and therefore keeping them updated is the least you can do.
P.S. Long live the backers of The Queen of England Stole my Parents! The Queen of England Stole my Parents, a Daazo Pitch Page participant in 2013, will be available for viewing in the video library at the Short Film Corner in the “Lithuanian Shorts 2013–2014” programme.
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Over these packed two weeks your attention is probably focused on getting into screenings, feasting your eyes on the red carpet, and surviving the intense nightlife of the great coast. But if you stop for a moment and look outside from the planet called the Cannes Film Festival, you will realise that this is just a little element in the massive universe of film festivals. With our guidance, you will be reminded of their diversity: from the small but prosperous Friss Hús festival in Budapest to one of the biggest venues of the independent industry, Sundance.
Festivals –
Somewhere BEYOND
the
Sea
illustration by Bíbor Timkó 68 WOSH by Daazo.com
Don’t read self-help books, work on your strategy – how a good festival strategy can make all the difference, page 71 Riga International Film Festival 2ANNAS – what, where and when? page 72 Friss Hús best moments – as remembered by the Daazo crew, page 73 “Looking for new voices” – an interview with Katie Metcalfe, short film programmer for Sundance Film Festival, page 74 Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur – a retrospection on the industry day organised by the festival, page 76 GoShort goes big – a festival report from Nijmegen, page 77 Festival panorama – your guide to a selection of the best festivals, page 78
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don’t read self-help books, work on
Words by Dániel Deák
your
strategy !
Cannes is the perfect place to see how complex the world of film business is. You meet thousands of people who are motivated by two aims: to realise their film plan; and to deliver the realised film to its perfect audience. In the peaceful comfort of our homes it seems so easy. There is one path to follow, which leads us there: to an A-category film festival or to a multiplex cinema or to our next film project. But as soon as you experience an ant hill of film business like the Cannes International Film Festival, you see that so many people have the same aims – it can be troublesome. Scary. You do not need to read spiritual self-help books to know that the path is there. But mostly it’s not as straight as we imagined back at home. There are many curves; sometimes it’s very narrow and sometimes it’s too wide. And sometimes it’s just straight. Or sometimes the path is not a path. Rather a maze. Even scarier. When you create a film there are at least three goals you cannot miss: expressing yourself, finding the uniqueness of your work, and knowing who you communicate with. Miss any one of these, your project will fail – it will be meaningless, boring or too “interesting”. Just think of the great authors of cinema or the largest blockbusters – their expression, their uniqueness, their communication – you will realise how strong they are. Scariest.
We at Daazo – World of Shorts are there to help you map your way to reach your goal with your film. We can help you find out which festivals to apply for. There are endless lists of festivals and all the money in the world is not enough to submit your work to each of them. And you don’t have to. According to your dreams, we can figure out which events are important for you and which you can miss out without pain. It’s a question of your strategy. We can also help you submit the films to the festivals and you don’t have to bother with all the posts and online platforms. For your career in short films it’s also crucial to create a distribution strategy. Why? We assume that you want to reach as many people as possible. To achieve this you have to know who to target. And you don’t have to be ashamed to earn some money with your short film. You invested a lot in it, now it’s time to get something back – that’s more than reasonable. It’s not scary, it’s just a matter of work. You have to know that it is absolutely possible to get the most out of your films. There is no point in creating films without this ambition. Daazo – World of Shorts can help you any time to get closer to transforming your dreams to realised goals. Working with us is worth much more than reading self-help books.
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2ANNAS Riga International Film Festival
2 2 2 2
We offer the perfect film resort named Riga International Film Festival 2ANNAS for viewers, filmmakers, writers and other interested parties alike that: // can be attended on nine warm and pleasant days in October (17–26), // is located in Riga, Latvia, // is a film festival but also much more – it’s a thought-provoking, mindchallenging and engaging experience. Things you need to know before coming: 2ANNAS was founded in 1996 and will take place for the 19th time this year, // the festival’s name comes from its address (Annas street 2, Riga), // it is primarily a short film festival but also engages in some serious flirtation with features, // the festival consists of three parts: the competition programmes (Baltic shorts, international shorts and international features), the focus programmes and the information exchange platform, // there is a pre-selected theme for the festival that is reflected in the focus programmes, and this year, it’s TRANSGRESSORS – filmmakers and films that continuously change and challenge the way we experience film, // 2ANNAS is a place that offers a chance to experience films differently. It is a platform where people get together to discuss, to argue loudly and to get agitated about things that matter, and make friends in the process, you will come again. //
Before packing your bag to come to 2ANNAS: remember that we once had an opening ceremony in a swimming pool, so everything can happen and there is always room for surprises, // be prepared to watch some carefully selected contemporary avant-garde work in competition, // open your mind for a different look at the well known classics as well as the hidden treasures of cinema, // be ready for a special night programme with shady bars named after our favorite directors - an excursion to immerse ourselves and our guests in the part of Riga that is usually missed on tourist trips, // and since a home-like and intimate environment is very important for 2ANNAS, we have planned some surprises that involve our Latvian filmmaker friends, their homes and nights spent watching some quality films. //
And last but not least, things you need to know right now: the deadline for call for entries is May 31, // we accept shorts in every genre made in 2013–2014 and up to 30 minutes in length, // we accept first and second features of every genre made in 2013–2014 and up to 180 minutes in length, // we are open to proposals for topics of discussions and lectures as well as research articles till late June. //
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FESTIVAL HORT FILM S T S E H S E ST CITY THE FR ) THE COOLE LY B A U G R IN (A OF EUROPE
est short iss Hús Budap garian un ain at the Fr H ag d er an l th na ge io of internat gathered to cting wide variety of organising and sele y March, we a nn t su en of es d pr ow to s sh e, es to oc tim At the en d pr nd te ng for the seco tremely exci ely surreal After the lo film festival r audience. , we were ex ng ns ge ra io st ea at e ed ic th ct pl le to ap short films e than 300 ctions. We se coming-of-age short ms from mor ded into 10 different se d moving an vi the short fil as di , am ts dr or 66 sh family the line-up of artbreaking love stories, ndly faces he med the frie animations, e city, welco ith great th . w rs of d t he an ar ot – t he gs mp in the eir passes out films, amon We set up ca goers, handed out th next 4 days were all ab al e rse iv Th ve st ll. di fe ro e lly to th na y io of we were read akers and our internat m , fil ns io ith at w ct expe mm eetings audience, fil locations, m e each at br le ce keeping the screenings at different to a terparties ith went to Rék d intense af jury busy w entatives, an e Hungarian main prize e es th pr in re ry ed st ur indu d, th we feat Hús. In the en . 42., which ine, and from the day of Friss mphony no az Sy ag n m io ts at or im Sh ed the Bucsi’s an World of isterio earn 14 issue of a Ibarra’s M dead cí e ar er G w a e m w Berlinale 20 section, Che Jury. After the 4 days l can’t na e io w at – rn al inte the festiv preciation of with the outcome of the eat industry of greatest ap y gr e pp th pletely ha celebrate tired but com xt year and t up again ne ee m to t ai w glish there are no En e short film. Attila: When th , m t fil t or sh h lis only about shor subtitles for a Po ess. And then I have to Dia: Four days rectors, stl re ts di , ge ce od ce en audien ake a go films, audi s, ing room and m es, guests, vote enter the screen 0 people. It’s not easy. screenings, copi s, m fil e 12 or m of d joke in front programmes an n more, people, more fu e or e m th g in Be it again. nt wa Dániel: I e… more, mor onies, dicted ad I’m master of cerem the d Hi, I’m Dia an and the technician ts. or sh to t of spiritual suppor at the all the filmmakers iceless. same time – pr m the of the blocks fro ns, whilst Watching some reactio ’s ce en di Zsuzsanna: au e th the other , observing at the screen of projection room m time to time g. Plus in fro ay e pl id s as g wa cin tel Ho glan Grand Budapest ry were discussing their e Th e er wh room the ju excitedly when eavesdropping ke. ca d an e ffe co choices over
the closing Janka: After of the younger e on ceremony, ctors came up re Hungarian di e bit drunk and we a sk de r ou to k thusiastic than en tly ee sw gave a tival. fes e th r fo ch you spee e swear that He also made m great this ue in nt co ’ll we ar as well. tradition next ye ! de du e er th 73 WOSH by Daazo.com See you
al was Nóri: The festiv d an g in go very easy t every laid-back. It’s no over th wi t ee m u yo y da akers m m fil d re a hund countries. nt re ffe di from 20 at, th e lik But this was ek. we e tir en an r fo WOSH by Daazo.com 73
interview by Attila Mocanu illustration by Bíbor Timkó
Katie Metcalfe is a truly extraordinary short film gal. She has worked in distribution in Europe, in New York with Vimeo and now she is one of the short film programmers for the number one independent film festival in the world, Sundance. London born and raised, Katie chats with us about Sundance selection policies, differences between US and European filmmakers and of course, the importance of short film.
“LOOKING NEW
an interview with Katie Metcalfe, short film programmer for Sundance Film Festival
VOICES”
Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you end up working for Sundance? I started out working in short film distribution for short film label Future Shorts, acquiring shorts at festivals all over the world for the catalogue and selling them to broadcasters, airlines, VOD channels etc. Alongside this, I was always interested in watching shorts from a different perspective and considering them for their artistic value and risk-taking, as opposed to just selecting the shorts with the 74 WOSH by Daazo.com
highest commercial value for distribution. When I attended Sundance for the first time in 2010, I found the programming really spoke to me, which is how I became involved in the shorts programming. If there are seven short film programmers, how do you divide up the work? Last year we received 8,161 submissions and these are split between the programmers to view. We then each put forward a shortlist
from our initial pre-selection batch which we all watch and discuss as a group. We then work together as a team to finalise the selection (which last year was 66 films) and build the programmes. Is there a Head of Programme or do all seven of you democratically decide about the final selection? Essentially it's a completely democratic decision between all of us (which still means compromises need to be made). Features programmer Kim Yutani oversees the Shorts Program so she has a lot of input in the final stages, as does Director of Programming, Trevor Groth. Sundance is definitely one of the most popular film festivals in the world and for directors, a selection to Sundance can be a start of a fruitful career. What kind of pressure do you feel when you select short films and what influences your choices? Ultimately we're looking for new voices and concentrating on interesting styles and stories, but we also consider it our job to program a wide range of films and present a broad scope of what's out there from a variety of countries worldwide. So we do take a number of factors into consideration – it breaks our hearts, but we have to say no to films that we loved. Are there any restrictions at Sundance regarding qualification to be included in the programme? Previous online or TV presence, or anything else? There are no exclusivity requirements for your short to be included in the programme, we consider films that have been shown online or on TV. Where shorts are concerned it's about getting as much exposure as possible, so we’re looking to impose as few restrictions as we can. As Sundance is first of all the cradle of US films, regarding shorts, what are the main differences between US and European directors’ approach? There are many factors influencing directors that are different in the US and Europe, such as education, training, funding and government initiatives. For example, in
countries such as France and Germany there is strong government support for cultural output so many films are funded by grants and backing from national broadcasters, which means they go through a certain development process and there is a bigger framework in place to promote the films. In the US, more short films are privately funded so there is perhaps more freedom in the filmmaking process, however producers generally need to take more responsibility for raising funds and distribution. If I were to make a big sweeping generalisation, I’d say the most noticeable difference in the US and European approach is in the sense of humour in filmmaking. I see a lot of dark, subtle and often satirical humour in short films from European directors. American comedy tends to be more open and upfront. Having just been at Sundance London last week I could also see this is reflected in the way audiences watch the films – the audience in Park City, Utah are usually more responsive verbally to comedy in the programmes than the UK audience. Short content is currently going through a revolution. What do you think: in 10 years’ time, what will be the role of short films? As the feature film distribution landscape shifts toward filmmakers needing to build their own audiences (or fanbases), short film will become a key tool in helping to build these audiences from the very beginning of a filmmaker's career. This audience in turn can also be integral to crowdfunding new projects as well as supporting self-distribution. The role of the festival in a curatorial sense shines a light on new work, and I think it will become increasingly important for the work to find its home online in order to make the most of the PR generated by festivals, to channel into future projects.
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Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur is Switzerland’s most important short film festival and an important platform for the international short film industry. It is the only Swiss festival which offers a broad selection of talks with international guests, workshops and educational events to professional short filmmakers.
INTERNATIONALE KURZFILMTAGE
WINTERTHUR – a retrospection on the industry day
“Producers’ Day 2013” In 2013, the industry day focused on targeted interaction between directors, auteurproducers and the international industry. The morning was dedicated to the presentation of national industry information regarding short film funding and promotion for 2013 and strategies for 2014, held by representatives from Swiss national and regional funding institutions. During the market meetings, which are another integral part of the program, the attending filmmakers got the chance to sit down and individually discuss their projects with 20 industry representatives. The symposium in the afternoon carried the title “The Value of a Short Film” and offered a range of workshops and presentations focusing on the value of a short film in the current culture- and media landscape. 150 representatives of the Swiss and international film industry followed the opening talk held by Wendy Bernfeld (Managing Director, Rights Stuff) on the topic of “Digital Daze – Deciphering the alternative new buyers, audiences and funders”. In four workshops focusing on the themes of “Viral Cash-Cows”, “Art and Shorts”, “TV, Web and Shorts” and “Short Films as Lucrative Earnings in an Audiovisual Age”, the attendees discussed the value of shorts in terms of financial and cultural aspects. For a full list of the speakers, please visit the website: http://kurzfilmtage.ch/en/industry/ 76 WOSH by Daazo.com
By way of conclusion, Simon Koenig (short film promoter at SWISS FILMS) observed: “The short format is facing a promising future, as the varied distribution possibilities of the digital era, especially in regards to mobile devices and tablets, have – according to the experts – by far not been fully exploited yet.” Remo Longhi, Managing Director of Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur, sees this as a confirmation of the festival’s strategy: “The feedback from the industry, the large media coverage and the audience attendance all encourage us in our efforts to provide an annual platform for short films and to promote their development.” For the podcast channel, please visit the website: http://kurzfilmtage.ch/en/industry/ Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur takes place each year in November. It is a popular audience event and an important platform for the short film industry. In 2013, 16.500 spectators visited the festival. The national and international competitions offer cash awards that total 42.000 CHF (35.000 Euro) and a non-cash award of 11.500 CHF (9.500 Euro). Apart from innovative programming, the festival is committed to the sustainable promotion of short films. Promotion encompasses the dissemination, cultural intermediation and networking of short filmmaking. The organization maintains the largest digitised short film archive in Switzerland, containing roughly 30.000 short films, which is available to industry professionals for research purposes all year round. For additional information, please visit the website: www.kurzfilmtage.ch.
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GoShort GOES
BIG words by Attila Mocanu illustration by Bíbor Timkó – A Daazo.com – World of Shorts representative had the chance to explore the wide variety of short film amenities GoShort International Film Festival Nijmegen offers, as well as to experience its host city during the festival. It’s safe to say GoShort was nothing short of great.
Nijmegen is the perfect European city. A clean and stylish place where in April everything is about one thing: a short film festival, called GoShort International Short Film Festival Nijmegen. Once you get off the 1,5-hour train ride from Amsterdam, you’ll see you didn’t get off at the wrong place. GoShort merchandise, flags and advertisements adorn about 80% of every available advertising spot in the city. And that is exactly how it should be. Every film festival should make sure that the shy delegates they host are proud to wear their festival badge in the city and GoShort is definitely something very cool to be attending while in Nijmegen. GoShort is a brand because of both its extraordinary sense of marketing and its highly professional sense of programming: not just short films, but special filmmaker focuses (Paul Wright this year), national events (Belgian focus and talks) and panels, one of them featuring a programming roundtable in a packed screening room, with representatives from the Oscarqualifying Tampere Film Festival, from Hamburg ISFF and Sundance Film Festival. These are events that you rarely see even at A-list film festivals, so GoShort is really on a good path considering this April was only their 6th edition.
The European Student Campus is a side programme of the festival, selecting and inviting around 30 young and aspiring filmmakers who are eager to learn, participate in workshops and masterclasses, not to mention having drinks with the core of the short film industry. These students have the chance to connect with decision makers and festival programmers while having the luxury of visiting a festival like this for a spring break. The Food&Film programme is something really worth writing about. Great short films (big thumbs up for including a superb Chipotle commercial) revolving around the greatest enjoyment of humankind and nearly half of the world’s greatest struggle: a tasty, satisfying meal. If you ever get the munchies while watching someone eat on the big screen, GoShort would have been at your service this year: they handed out brown paper bags with Dutch sausages, fruit and bread. Too bad I knew what kind of shorts I was in for but didn’t know about the bags, so I bought my Ben&Jerry’s in advance. All in all, GoShort is a full package and one of the best short film festivals in Europe, no question about that. And why wouldn’t it be? At GoShort, exquisite programming choices and event management pairs up with excellent customer service and a marketing/ merchandising strategy that could educate big corporations. Be sure to submit your film so you can check it out next April!
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Festivals are our expertise. We travel to them, we meet programmers and explore each festival’s taste in film. That’s just one reason why it’s a wise choice to use our new submission service, so you can just lean back and let us do the work. For now we thought it would be nice of us to share a handy little guide to a selection of festivals that are coming up shortly. Take a look, and if you would like us to submit your short to these festivals, head over to daazo.com/fss for more info.
FESTIVAL
PANORAMA Festival
Deadline
Date
Entry fee
Market
Talent campus/ workshop
Uppsala International Short Film Festival
May 31, 2014
October 20–26, 2014
free
Uppsala Talent Days
International Film Festival Message to Man
May 31, 2014
September 20–27, 2014
Eur 7
Workshops
2Annas Film Festival
May 31, 2014
October 17–26, 2014
free
Workshops
Sarajevo Film Festival
May 31, 2014
August 15–23, 2014
free
Talent Campus
Vilnius Film Shorts
June 1, 2014
October 9–12, 2014
free
Workshops
shnit International Shortfilmfestival
June 1, 2014
October 8–19, 2014
free
Talent Focus
Festival del film Locarno
June 3, 2014
August 6–16, 2014
CHF 40
Talent Campus
Belo Horizonte International Short Film Festival
June 8, 2014
September 19–28, 2014
free
Workshops
World Film Festival, Montréal
June 13, 2014
August 21 – September 1, 2014
CAD 40
Conferences
Oscar/
EFA/BAFTA qualifiquat.
The Festival Panorama – brought to you by Daazo’s Festival Strategy System 78 WOSH by Daazo.com
Festival
Deadline
Date
Entry fee
Market
Talent campus/ workshop
Off-Courts Trouville 2014
June 15, 2014
September 8–12, 2014
free
Workshops
Cork Film Festival
June 19, 2014
November 7–16, 2014
EUR 20
Talent Campus
LA Shorts Fest
June 19, 2014
July 24–31, 2014
USD 79 or USD 84
Venice Film Festival
June 21, 2014
August 27 – September 6, 2014
EUR 30
Workshops
Kurzfilmtage Winterthur
July 14, 2014
November 4–9, 2014
free
Workshops
Abu Dhabi Film Festival
July 15, 2014
October 23 – November 1, 2014
free
Workshops
Sundance Film Festival
July 28, 2014
January 22 – February 1, 2015
USD 40
Workshops
Asiana International Short Film Festival
July 31, 2014
November 6–11, 2014
free
Masterclass
Film Fest Gent
August 1, 2014
October 19–26, 2014
EUR 60
Filmfestival Cottbus
August 1, 2014
November 4–9, 2014
free
Seminars
International Film Festival Rotterdam
to be announced later
January 21 – February 1, 2015
EUR 25
Hubert Bals Fund
International Short Film Festival Clermont-Ferrand
to be announced later
January 30– February 7, 2015
free
Film labs
Oscar/ EFA/BAFTA qualifiquat.
WOSH by Daazo.com 79
publisher: Dániel Deák (danieldeak@daazo.com) editor in chief: Zsuzsanna Deák (zsuzsanna.deak@daazo.com) art director and graphic design: Tünde Kálmán Daazo graphic design: Krisztina Jávorszki founding designer of WOSH: Cristina Grosan head of sales: Attila Mocanu (attilamocanu@daazo.com) World of Shorts authors: Dániel Deák, Dóra Halász, Attila Mocanu, Diana Nagy, Janka Pozsonyi, Nóra Szűcs contributors: Géza Csákvári, Domenico La Porta, Monika Sakalauskaité thanks: Clive Allnutt, Maia Christie, Anita Libor, Bogi Szalacsi cover image: Bíbor Timkó illustrations by: Bíbor Timkó - http://bibor.org Benjámin Kalászi - www.behance.net/kalaszib You can also find this magazine online on: http://issuu.com/daazo/docs/cannes2014 World of Shorts magazine is published by Daazo Film and Media Ltd. Published in Hungary, May 2014. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part is forbidden save with the written permission of the publishers. www.daazo.com I info@daazo.com
ISSN 2064-2105 (Online) ISSN 2064-2113 (Print) Daazo.com – the European Shortfilm Centre is supported by the MEDIA programme of the EU. This material does not necessarily represent the views and opinions of the EU. This magazine was printed on recycled paper.
80 WOSH by Daazo.com
illustration by Bíbor Timkó
WORLD OF SHORTS