Festival In Focus: shnit International Shortfilmfestival in Go Film Magazine
Digital film magazine Go Film showcases award-winning short films from the shnit International Shortfilmfestival as well as presents exclusive interviews with festival director Olivier van der Hoeven and Global Coordinator, Sean Drummond
January 2014
Go Film Magazine shines the spotlight on the shnit International Shortfilmfestival this issue. Held annually every October, this unique short film festival is hosted simultaneously across five continents in eight festival cities around the world. Named ‘Playgrounds’, each city is intent upon bringing short film as an artform to a broader audience than ever before. Every year, each Playground offers a program which includes an eclectic and rich selection of short films from every genre, including fiction, documentary, animation and experimental. Founded in Switzerland, Bern is the most integral Playground city to the festival. The other Playgrounds consist of Bangkok, Buenos Aires, Cairo, Cape Town, Kyoto, Moscow and San José.
Readers of the magazine are treated to exclusive, insightful interviews with two leading members of the Shnit community; Olivier van der Hoeven, the Festival’s Founder and Director, and Sean Drummond, Global Coordinator. Van der Hoeven delves into the origins of the festival, and discusses how its monumental expansion over the past several years has exceeded all expectations, with 2014’s edition seeing 7102 entries from all corners of the globe.
“shnit is totally thrilled to be featured in Go Film Magazine and honored to enter into the canon of great festivals that the magazine has been associated with. We love that with Go Film, its the films and filmmakers that are put front and center. That’s how we do it at shnit, all for the love of the art of short films.” – Sean Drummond, shnit Global Coordinator
Also in this issue, Go Film Magazine introduces readers to seven of the shnit festival winners through personal interviews, full length short films, exclusive behind-the-scenes material and by connecting filmmakers and film fans via social media, all from within the pages of the magazine.
Kicking off the issue is two National Competition winners, Funeral and Preparation. Directed by Costa Rican filmmaker Alejandro Bonilla Rojas, Funeral depicts the macabre hobby of a group of friends in a unique animated style. Winning the Made In Costa Rica Jury Award, Bonilla Rojas explains to Go Film Magazine a little behind his animation techniques as well as explores some of the deeper implications behind the film. In addition to a candid interview and detailed stills from Funeral, the full length film is also included within the pages of the magazine.
The second of the National Competition winners of 2014 featured in this month’s special issue is South African director Tyron Janse van Vuuren, who was awarded the Made in South Africa Jury & Audience Award for his gripping exploration of method acting, following a Hollywood actor who isolates himself for six weeks to prepare to play the role of a psychotic comic book villain. Inspired by the late Heath Ledger in his controversial and arguably fatal preparation for his iconic role as ‘The Joker’ in The Dark Night, Janse van Vuuren reveals his experience with the shnit festival.
As well as highlighting National Competition winners, the issue includes three of the five Flaming Faun Winners of 2014; No Kissing, La Terre Brûlée and Sunny. The Flaming Faun Award comes with a prize of $20,000 and is the official award of the shnit International Shortfilmfestival. The creation of No Kissing – made in England and directed by Spanish filmmaker Manuel Arija de la Cuerda – is an awe-inspiring success story. Arija de la Cuerda tells readers of how he made the film with an almost non-existent budget and in just two days – certainly a motivational and inspirational piece for any filmmaker. In addition to his incredible interview, the full length version of No Kissing is also included within the pages of the magazine.
The French film La Terre Brûlée directed by Julien Meynet won The Flaming Faun Award in the Up to 40 Minutes category, whilst Sunny by German director Barbara Ott explores the frustration of childhood parenthood, and took The Flaming Faun shnit Playgrounds Audience Award. In her interview, Ott reveals her production process, offering some indispensable advice for aspiring filmmakers.
As well as covering 2014’s edition of the festival, Go Film Magazine also takes a look back over previous years, showcasing two previous winning filmmakers. Directed by Brazilian filmmaker Cintia Domit Bittar, Qual Queijo Você Quer? won The Flaming Faun Audience Award in 2012, whilst 15 Summers Later by Spanish director Pedro Collantes took the Smart Joe Award in 2011. As well as in depth interviews detailing their unique experiences and the consequent benefits the festival has created for their career, Go Film Magazine is proud to be able to show readers both full-length shorts within this issue.
The list of full-length short films presented in this issue are:
Dir. Alejandro Bonilla Rojas (Costa Rica) – Funeral
Dir. Manuel Arija de la Cuerda (Spain) – No Kissing
Dir. Cintia Domit Bittar (Brazil) – Qual Queijo Você Quer?
Dir. Pedro Collantes (Spain) – 15 Summers Later
The shnit International Shortfilmfestival is currently accepting submissions for its 2015 competition at www.shnit.org.
Go Film Magazine is “iPhone, iPad, and Android Ready” and available worldwide for free download in the iTunes and Google Play stores now – http://www.iPadFilmMag.com and http://www.iPadFilmMag-Android.com
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About Go FIlm Magazine
Go Film Magazine (previously Go Social Film Magazine) is “iPhone, iPad and Android Ready” and available worldwide for free download from the iTunes Store http://www.iPadFilmMag.com, and Google Play http://www.iPadFilmMag-Android.com.
About Go Film Magazine:
A unique combination of digital magazine and short film distribution platform, Go Film provides an immersive film viewing experience to its mobile audience on the iPad, iPhone, and Android mobile devices. Each month, readers are treated to a selection of short films streamed directly to their mobile devices, along with filmmaker interviews and behind the scenes material revealing how the films were made; all from within the pages of magazine.