“If my films make one more person miserable, I’ll feel I have done my job!” Woody Allen famously once said. But, in general, the only reason to feel miserable after a movie should be an uncomfortable seat at the cinema complex for a drawn out blockbuster. This, however, is not a problem for short movies, which are experiencing something of a renaissance.
There is actually no real definition of ‘short films’ – it is a term used for any film not long enough to be considered a ‘feature’. Films of just a few minutes almost fall into their own category: in France, for example, the annual ‘International Festival of Very Shorts’, which occurs in dozens of cities simultaneously, only screens movies less than three minutes long (excluding title and credits), with productions coming from all over the world.
In any case, shorts are an excellent breakthrough point for any young and talented director or even actor. Some legendary names from the movie history started of with shooting short films, like Charlie Chaplin in the beginning of the 20th century. Animated cartoons also came principally in short format – who does not remember The Pink Panther?
Director Maja Prettner.
However shorts have struggled in general to capture audiences compared to features, which benefit from more money, fame, popularity, and reach, among other things. “Short films do not have a consistent audience or permanent fans. That is why they do not get that much attention,” explains Maja Prettner, a young Slovenian director.
“They are much faster than feature films, which normally include a more complex screenplay. That makes them more interesting, more professional, and of course it takes longer to shoot them. Basically that is why I think they are more popular. Average audiences spend their free time watching movies and feature films which offer a longer lasting amusement,” says Brazilian director José Roberto de Jonas Bastos.
Even though Prettner and Bastos come from different parts of the world, they agree on one thing. In their majority, short films are made by youngsters who are just starting out or hoping to launch a career in the film industry. They normally do not have a big budget or good connections with famous producers and studios. According to Bastos, making short films is ‘”a kind of training”, while Prettner adds: “Everyone is waiting for this big break, the opportunity to shoot a feature film.”
Unable to garner the attention of public broadcasters, directors of short films turn to YouTube, Vimeo and other sites on the web as place that offer a chance to be seen. But the best promotion over all are film festivals, such as BAFICI (Buenos Aires International Independent Film Festival), which including many offerings for those interested in this type of film art.
Bastos explains: “Big production companies do not invest in short films, because there is no box-office. They do not make any money with the tickets, because there are no crowds infront of cinemas playing ‘shorts’. The biggest award is winning at a film festival.”
Kurdwin Ayub, in Iraqi-born director who lives in Austria, was among the directors screening a short film at this year’s BAFICI. Her ‘shorts’ do not have a direct message, she says. “I always go with my current inspiration, but without any specific goal. My focus is everywhere, not in a specific place.” In 67 minutes, BAFICI goers saw eight of her ‘shorts’ made in 2011 and 2012. “Every spectator has to understand my films in its own way and find its own meaning,” declared Ayub to the audience after the projection.
Director Jose Bastos.
Kurdwin Ayub pointed out another characteristic of short films: they can be made within a small crew or even without anyone else. “These eight movies I have done either alone either with a friend. Just two girls running around with a camera,” she described.
And just maybe this is one of the paths film industry will follow in the future: special effects and 3D technology on one side and complete simplicity and creative freedom on the other. Both have their merits: after all, ‘Fresh Guacamole’, a 100-second animated film became the shortest production ever nominated for an Oscar at this year’s Academy Awards.
Where to see short films in Buenos Aires?
Arteplex (Belgrano and Caballito)
Cine Cosmos UBA
Cine Gaumont
Fundación Proa
MALBA
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