Short Films in the Spotlight at SFF

The promotional effort was launched last year as a new platform titled Minimarket.

“This year we have representatives and selectors from some great film festivals, such as Clermont-Ferrand in France, and they are watching for regional films to show at other European film festivals, not just in Sarajevo," said Minimarket Manager Vanja Kaludercic, who also programs the New Current Shorts section at SFF.

Minimarket activities this year include panel discussions, Talent Campus lectures and screenings throughout the festival. There is a competition for short films, and two sections are devoted exclusively to shorts: New Currents Shorts and BiH Short Films.

Filmmakers hoping to bring their work to a wider audience can also attend special programs curated by eminent short film festival programmers, industry screenings, case studies and informal gatherings that offer networking opportunities.

"Through the numerous Minimarket and Talent Campus lectures and discussions, directors and producers can find out how to get their films in distribution and in front of an audience," Kaludercic said.

As the New Current Shorts programmer at SFF, Kaludericic is used to seeing young filmmakers who show great creativity in their work.

“But it's not just young filmmakers who do shorts," she noted. "There are also movie veterans who have already made feature films. A new six-minute short, "To Die by Your Side," by American director Spike Jonze, and Harmony Korine's "Umshini Wam" (Bring Me my Machine Gun) will be screened during the New Currents Shorts program this year."

Jonze is best-known for his collaborations with writer Charlie Kaufman, which include the 1999 film “Being John Malkovich” and the 2002 film “Adaptation,” and for his work as director of the 2009 film “Where the Wild Things Are.” Jonze was also a co-creator and executive producer of MTV's Jackass.

Korine, an American writer, director and producer, is well-known as the author of the book Kids and director of the movies “Gummo,” “Julien Donkey-Boy” and “Mister Lonely.” His latest film, “Trash Humpers,” won the top award at the prominent European documentary film festival CPH:DOX in Copenhagen in November 2009.

“The work of those directors in short films encouraged me to develop Minimarket," Kaludercic said. "It proves that shorts are not just a stepping stone for young directors to the next level. There is as much expression as in feature films and independent filmmaking."