An exciting addition to this year’s FAME Week Africa is the FAME Film Shorts Festival, an independent film festival dedicated to the discovery and advancement of the very best independent filmmakers from across Africa. The Film Shorts Festival takes place from 7 to 9 September 2023 at The Labia Theatre in Cape Town and will showcase bold, visionary and thought-provoking cinematic magic that will inspire not only the judges, but the broader cinema-loving public who are seeking alternatives to major studio projects.
Why Shorts?
“Film shorts are exciting because they have to tell a compelling story or convey a powerful message in a limited amount of time. This can lead to creative and innovative approaches to storytelling, such as unique visual styles or unconventional narratives. Additionally, the shorter format can allow for more experimentation and risk-taking, as filmmakers may have more freedom to explore unconventional ideas that might not work in a longer format,” says Martin Hiller, Portfolio Director of FAME Week Africa.
Judges will be selecting films from seven categories:
- Best Narrative Short Film
- Best Documentary Short Film
- Best Animated Short Film
- Best Experimental Short Film
- Best Student Short Film
- Best I&D Short Film
- Best Music Video
The judging panel comprises of trailblazers from different disciplines of the film industry: Fabian Martovell (Multi-Award Winning Director), Jason Fidler (Director: Durban Gay and Lesbian Festival), Karen Jeynes (Writer, Director and Producer), Kopana Cowen (Executive Producer and Head Creative: Connect TV), Mimi Bartells (General Manager: FilmOne Studios), Pascal Schmitz (Head of Production and Development: AAA Entertainment), Ryan Solovei (Country Manager: VIU Africa) and Xolelwa Nhlabatsi (Film Director, Writer and Producer). Enter here,
Together with MIP Africa, FAME Film Shorts Festival has a wide variety of events for filmmakers to participate in. From 4 to 6 September, the Cape Town International Convention Centre will come alive with content sessions, workshops and masterclasses presented by industry professionals with the purpose of educating and inspiring professionals within the film and television industry.
