Short Films – Big Impact
By Sarah Stähli

Are short films an independent art form or primarily a springboard for feature films? Is "YouTube" the enemy of short film distribution or a helpful promotion tool? These and other questions were discussed at the Campus panel "Short Waves".

Irish filmmaker Ken Wardrop's short film, Undressing My Mother, has traveled around the world. It has proved a success, even though the film does not have the usual funny punch line, but instead a rather disturbing element to it. Still, it is a festival regular and has received several awards over the years. After winning these prizes, "the film took on a life of its own and has been doing the work itself," according to the director. Wardrop is convinced that short films constitute a form in their own right. He compares them to short stories, which are also classified as an independent genre. Furthermore, he doesn't necessarily see short films as a prelude to making feature films. Wardrop, currently at work on a full-length film, is overwhelmed by the task: "It's a completely different beast".

The other filmmaker on the panel was London-based Ralitza Petrova, originally from Bulgaria. Ralitza's film credits include making music videos for WARP Records. Her film Rotten Apples — being screened in this year's Berlinale Short Film Competition — is a mysterious, poetic piece told from the perspective of a little boy. Petrova is interested in unorthodox narrative forms and highly skeptical of rules imposed in the film business. "Forget Robert McKee and all that bullshit, don't listen too much to the big guys. Look at the films that have been released in recent years. Hollywood's tired."

Phil Ilson curates the Halloween Short Film Festival, held at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in London. Ilson likes the idea of showing films in non-cinema locations, in music clubs and art centers — "lively places, where it's possible for bands to play in between screenings." He appreciates the online-explosion happening right now with "MySpace", "YouTube" etc. but firmly believes that bringing people together at a festival is still much the better option for watching films.

More business-oriented aspects were brought into the discussion by independent producer Deepak Nayar (The Walker). He is a founding member of the platform "filmaka.com" which gives upcoming filmmakers the possibility to participate in competitions and get instant feedback from professionals. "The internet changed the face of entertainment," he emphasizes, and stresses that filmmakers should use the media for what it is for. "You can discover films on 'MySpace' and get in touch with the director straight away." At the same time he is worried about the unfocused content spreading across the net. He sees short films as a great means of ascertaining the things that matter when making a feature.

Astrid Kühl, managing director of the Short Film Agency in Hamburg and moderator of the discussion, said in summing up that no recipe for an outstanding short film exists, and underlined the general feeling that seeing short films on a big screen in a cinema remains the best way of appreciating this form.

Sarah Stähli

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