We asked audience award-winning directors about what happens when you participate in a film festival!
Film festivals are not only about having your films screened – they are also about having the chance to participate, an opportunity to meet other creators and exchange ideas and opinions.
The people you meet and ideas you encounter could inspire your next film. It could even be the place where you meet a life-long colleague.Hear from some of the directors who participated in this year’s Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia about their experiences.
International Competition Audience Award Winner: Lee Whittaker
I saw and met many people whom I’d love to work with during the festival and would love the opportunity to craft a film in Tokyo if given the opportunity. I feel that I connect with the Japanese audience and I’d love to take them on another journey but yet crafted from their country.
Film: Catching Fireflies
ASIA International Competition Audience Award Winner: Mailesan Rangaswamy
I have met a lot of wonderful and talented filmmakers from all over the world. I would love to work with almost everyone I met. A few names that come to mind are – Nico Van Den Brink from Netherland, Director of “Interval”; Yulia Ebina Bhara from Indonesia and Joachin Nagakawa from Sweden.
JAPAN Competition Audience Award Winner: Yuki Saito
Last year, at the party following the Award Ceremony where my film “Flavor of That Day” (Nestlé Japan x SSFF & ASIA special production short film) screened, the first person who talked to me was Masaya Kato. It was such a pleasure to have this veteran actor suggest that we make a film together, so I was eager to make it happen. I was also asked by Kouki Shinozaki, who I met at the same event, to make a short film with him in the leading role. Unfortunately plans fell through on two different occasions due to scheduling arrangements. However, thanks to his enthusiasm, I was inspired to persevere. Once the project was confirmed, I invited Masaya Kato to join. I wrote a script based on the idea that the film should be for two main actors and that it should be shot in one day and depict a single situation. My goal was to screen the film at SSFF & ASIA, where I had met these two actors for the first time, and I am relieved to have achieved this. As you see, this is a film that I made with people I had met at SSFF & ASIA. Being selected for the competition was the main goal, the final target being to introduce this film to broad audiences and to thrill and excite them.
Film: Gotham Jumble Parfait
Information on submitting your film!
Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia (SSFF & ASIA), the first Academy Awards® accredited film festival in Japan and one of Asia’s largest international short film festivals, began accepting submissions for its 2016 edition on August 1, 2015 (Sat).
Please access the Call for Entries page via the official festival website (www.shortshorts.org/) for further details on the submission process.
