SHORT SHORTS FILM FESTIVAL & ASIA 2015

The final program here at Shidax Culture Hall in Shibuya was the excellent Filmmakers’ Talk featuring director Yosep Anggi Noen from Indonesia whose short film “The Lady Caddy Who Never Saw A Hole-In-One” won last year’s Grand Prix & director Chung Yoonchul from Korea who had a hit feature film in 2006 titled “Marathon” & recently filmed a documentary titled “Bike Lady” about disabled hand-cyclist Lee Seung Mi who won the Silver Medal at the 2014 Asian Para Games.

The talk centered on all areas of short filmmaking from story ideas to financing to filmmaking techniques.

Yosep told the audience that the aim of his short was to draw attention on a big problem currently in his country where rich corporations & even the military establishment are buying up poor farms to build golf resorts. He shot his film on farms very close to his home, provided his own clothes for the male lead & had his home cook the meals for cast & crew. That’s effective, low budget filmmaking that won a major award!

Yoonchul’s inspiring doc short about a female disabled hand cyclist wa also made with minimum budget & the last 5 minutes of the short was shot in Spain & he really didn’t have any money left at all. He somehow managed though & he told us that the final 200 meters or so of the 60K race was a slight uphill street & he had to run alongside Seung Mi to film her finish! Now that’s putting your body on the line for your art!

Thanks to both filmmakers & the many young filmmakers who attended & took part!

DJ John