Shorts Unlimited

With almost two weeks left to go, THIS IS SHORT announced the winners of the competition at the heart of the streaming platform, New Point Of View. The only short film competition organized by four film festivals together awarded the main prize, endowed with 4,000 euros, to Annelore Schneider and Claude Piguet for their film White Shadow (United Kingdom, Switzerland). According to the jury, the film “points a hidden finger to a universal vision that concerns everyone in our digital age.” The second prize, endowed with 2,000 euros, was awarded to How to order online by Julie Ramage (France), which  highlights the community spirit and creativity within a prison. The winning films are still available for viewing until the end of the month.

>I NEW POINT OF VIEW WINNERS – A total of 23 European shorts were in the line-up of the European online competition, each film available for 7 days. The professional jury—consisting of Natalia Sielewicz (art historian, curator), Robin Curtis (culture and media scholar) and Viet Vu (film author)—stated about White Shadow that: “In a time when anyone can produce either a selfie or even a high-end 3D product, this film makes us rethink our own gesture of visual creation. More importantly and surprisingly, it asks us to question our own behavior with junk and trash images”.

According to the jury, How to order online addresses a very different important issue in our European society: the penal system. “By filming the hands of the characters performing a peculiar labor, the film subtly expresses not only a collective resistance but also a strong solidarity regardless of races in a continent that has lots of concerns on racism. That solidarity is even present between those outside the frame holding the camera and those inside the frame”.

>PASSES AT HALF-PRICE – Short film enthusiasts as well as industry visitors can still get a THIS IS SHORT PASS at half-price for 9.99 euros (instead of 20 euros), or a THIS IS SHORT INDUSTRY PASS for 11.99 euros (instead of 25 euros). Both types of passes offer full access to all short films on the THIS IS SHORT platform. Holders of the THIS IS SHORT INDUSTRY PASS will also have access to the joint video library of the ESFN network, including contact details of all selected films. Passes will be sold for the entire duration until June 30.

>| THISISSHORT.COM is the joint platform of the four European short film festivals Go Short (NL), International Short Film Festival Oberhausen (DE), Vienna Shorts (AT) and Short Waves Festival (PL). After a successful edition in 2021, the second edition of THIS IS SHORT launched on April 1 this year. Users from more than 20 countries, inside and outside Europe, have so far taken the opportunity to watch the best short films in Europe. Film lovers can still watch the diverse range of films until June 30.