This document discusses short film festivals and their importance for aspiring directors. It begins by looking at major feature film festivals that have prominent short film sections, such as the BFI London Film Festival and Edinburgh International Film Festival. It notes that these festivals are highly competitive but can help directors get their work seen. Lesser-known festivals may be easier to screen at but offer less exposure. The document then covers how festivals promote themselves and who attends, before discussing how they are supported financially and looking at other national and international short film festivals. It concludes by examining the rise of online short film festivals as a new opportunity for filmmakers.

1. Part 4
Festivals

2. Question One: Which are the feature film
festivals that have important shorts sections?
First, let’s begin with some of the bigger feature film
festivals with shorts sections.
As one of the UK’s
leading feature film
festivals, the BFI shorts
section is one of the
more important in
Britain.
Likewise, the Edinburgh
international film festival
has seen shorts screened
there from many popular
British Directors.
The world’s leading International
film festival. The Cannes Film
festival broadcasts an array of
Short Films from all around the
globe. Former festival winners
include Scottish Director Lynne
Ramsey, whose short film Gasman
won the Jury prize in 1998.

3. It must acknowledged, however, that these
festivals are HUGE
Competition is therefore very tight, as having a Short Film
screened there gives aspiring directors a very good chance of
having your work shown to both the press, and perhaps
producers.
Look where it got Lynne Ramsey!

4. Look where it got Lynne Ramsey!

5. Here is an example of a lesser known
feature festival with a shorts section.
While a director is far less likely to be
noticed, it is by far easier to have your
short screened at a place like this than
places like Cannes and the Edinburgh
film Festival.

6. How do festivals market and promote themselves?
Other Means of Marketing them
include:
Film Magazines
Local Media Print (for smaller
festivals)
Line Up Promotion
News Letters
Festivals may also be marketed toward
their target audience. A festival for Young
Adult filmmakers, for example, will use
marketing to appeal to young adults
Somewhat childish
font indicates
demographic

7. Why Is It Important to be shown at one?
They’re one of the most
popular forms of short film
exhibition
As primarily a demonstration of
a director’s artistic capability,
short film festivals can
determine whether or not a
director goes on to make a
feature.
The people in possession of the
power to make this judgement
attend these festivals

8. HOWEVER:
• It is very unlikely that a
director will be given a
chance to make a
feature of their idea
from the short film
they make:
• Competition is
high!
• It does still serve as an ultimate
means of promotion, however.

9. Who attends them?
It depends on the type
of festival you’re
attending!

10. Who attends them?
Edinburgh/London style Festivals Smaller, Independent film Festivals
Producers
Film aficionados

11. How are They Supported?
Edinburgh/London style Festivals Smaller, Independent film Festivals
Advertisers
Charging a fee
Charing a fee for entry

12. What have you noticed about the structure/style of the sites?: Edinburgh
Sparse amount of text: visually striking
Social Media contact
Options bar: easy
to manoeuvre
around the
website Colour pallet: whites, blues, blacks –
suggestive of modernity, development,
technology. Stylish.
Dates for
festival
Information
about
submission
Information
about
competition

13. London independent
Dates for
next festival
Options bar: easy to
navigate around
website
Featured films
Colour pallet: again, a focus on whites, blacks, silvers. Conveys a sense of modernity and style. Perhaps the
production values here, being blockier than in Edinburgh’s, are indicative of the festival’s lower budget when set
against the more mainstream festival
Film Wreaths
Information about sponsors: more than
In Edinburgh, smaller festival therefore needs

14. What are other key national festivals?
• Cambridge film festival
• Seagate Foyle Film Festival
• Encounters Film Festival

15. What are other key national festivals?
• Sundance Film Festival (USA)
• Interfilm Berlin(Germany)
• Venice Film Festival

16. What are other student film festivals?
National International
Gijon international
festival for young
adults

17. Online Short Film Festivals
• With the emergence of the digital age, online
consumption of short film have become
growingly popular.
• This growing popularity certainly has led to the
emergence of Online Short Film Festivals.

18. Examples of Online Short Film Festivals

19. Online Short Film Festivals
• While these film festivals are still relatively small, they
offer a variety of new opportunities for short film
makers.
• As perhaps the foremost means of social
communication, Online Short Film Festivals represent a
good way of advertising new directorial talent, as
viably it can be exposed to a far wider audience than
• It is also far easier to consume short films online,
considering the length of short films in comparison to
the effort one makes in attending a Short Film Festival.

20. The End