The Canberra Short Film Festival is reeling in talent from across the globe

Posted on 11 November, 2022

There’s a power that can be found in this (not so) little festival that calls Canberra its home.

It’s a place where our local talent shines, up-and-coming filmmakers find their voice, and international filmmakers present their diverse narratives on screen. Back for its 27^th year, the Canberra Short Film Festival (CSFF) impressive line-up is showcasing 600 entries that make you laugh, cry and feel every emotion that lives in between.

As the festival judge and event coordinator Adi explains, this year’s submissions have flocked in from all over the world, bringing with them fresh and beautiful forms of storytelling echoing throughout the ACT.

“It’s just a mix of things, and that’s really exciting for us. And we keep getting new countries—this year was the first time we had a submission from Peru. We also had a lot of entries coming from Australia, too, which is also great to see,” says Adi.

Hunros Jorna(2) dir. by Mickey Smith & Allan Wilson.

With 11 categories and wildly diverse talent commanding prime positions, the judge’s decisions this year have been anything but easy. And while every submission has a unique story to tell, this year’s finalist have left their cinematic “wow” marks on the judges.

“The judges work in teams, so they go off and judge independently, then we all come together and heavily debate about what films should be in. But we are looking for a whole range of things. Does it have the whole package? Is it shot well? How well is the editing? What is the story like?  There’s quite a lot! And then at the end of the day, it’s like, did you enjoy it?” says Adi.

In line with the inclusive and welcoming nature of the festival, this year has opened a new ‘experiential’ category—bringing with it gender-bender creations, avant-garde filmmakers and those who blur the line between art and cinema altogether.

Anxiety dir. by Jeremy Le & Maximilian Cao.

“The experimental category is a newish category that we only recently added, and that was so cool to partner up photo access. Experimental has been so interesting to see as well because it really raises the question of what is it?  And it can honestly be whatever you want, it doesn’t have to have a set narrative,” says Adi.

“It’s just a crazy little expression of filmmaking.”

While each of the 600 finalists imbues the transportive magic that lives so deeply within cinema, there are those that make us think a little deeper, cramp our laughing stomachs that little bit tighter and spark childlike joy into our hearts.

For Adi, Iranian cinema has a way of doing just that.

Safe as Houses dir. by Mia Mullarkey.

“If you haven’t seen Iranian filmmaking and you’re a poetry lover, you have to come and see the Iranian sessions. They are probably one of my favourites each year, just because their style of storytelling is really unique. The themes they explore at quite heavy, but how they do it is just beautiful,” says Adi.

In addition to this on-screen poetry, audiences can find themselves moved by quirky two-minute films such as Lucky Dumplings—a name that truly speaks for itself. And a local female filmmaker whose masterful debut, Faithful Street brings to life a quietly moving narrative, pointing towards a promising future in the industry.

With screenings already kicking off and running until Sunday 20 November, Canberrans are not in short supply of viewing opportunities. A nod to perhaps the next 27 years of this festival that dares to challenge, inspire and support Canberra’s future Spielberg’s and Jane Campion’s.

Safe as Houses dir. by Mia Mullarkey.

“The festival is really about love for the industry and just wanting to see it grow. And for filmmakers, seeing your own film up on the screen [I mean ultimately, you’re making your piece for yourself], but it really is about being able to share that craft and share that art,” says Adi.

“And I think most other crafts within the arts have a platform for that. Musician are performing live all the time, artists are able to show their stuff at exhibitions, so I think this is films equivalent for that. It really is that starting point for a lot of people’s carers.”

Feature Image: Háldi dir. by Ann Holmgren