ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
The Shortest Day is a film festival in Serbia organised by Filmkultura that is part of the world-wide Short Film Day celebration, which is celebrated on the shortest day of the year – December 21st.
The Festival is currently being held in Belgrade, where it gathers film lovers of all ages from the entire region. The Shortest Day expands its film and educational program each year, which with its quality and diversity attracts larger audiences and provides an opportunity to screen hundreds of student and amateur short films with the focus on young authors. Also, The Shortest Day is the only event in Serbia that screens a selection of short films from the European Film Academy every year.
Traditionally, the non competition program of the Festival consists of short films from the European Film Awards from that year, while the competition program is dedicated to films by students and amateurs from the countries of Southern, Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe.
As some of its main goals, the Festival highlights the affirmation of promising film artists from Serbia and the region, their promotion on both domestic and foreign film scene, popularization and affirmation of short films through screening of unique films and education of children and youth in the field of film. Consequently, The Shortest Day actively works on educating young filmmakers by organizing numerous side programs each year with the help of the best domestic and foreign audio-visual authors, in the form of creative workshops, masterclasses and networking gatherings.
The Shortest Day is dedicated to film lovers of all ages, children and youth, well-known and non-established film professionals, as well as all those who are ready to watch a marathon selection of the best domestic and foreign short films!
TIMELINE
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ART TEAM STATEMENT
The Shortest Day through three selections presents short films by authors from the region as well as the whole of Europe. In the form of a film marathon, The Shortest Day recapitulates the most significant events in the world of short film last year, with the aim of revealing and presenting new bold authorial voices to the domestic audience. The European Film Academy (EFA) Short Film Selection is a unique opportunity for domestic audiences to see a wide selection of European Film Academy Award-winning films, and thus to see the winners of Europe’s most important festivals, such as Cannes, Berlin, Venice and Locarno. The focus of the Student Selection is the bravest and most sincere student films from the region, which interpret the world in an innovative way and face unusual and on going topics.
Through the Amateur Selection, we want to present to the audience raw and fresh short films by authors from the region, with an absolute focus on research and playing with film language, not taking into account any production or technical qualities, but a bold authorial idea.
The Shortest Day is the only and last opportunity of the year for the audience to watch the boldest short films by young European authors and thus celebrate the holiday of short films and extend the shortest day of the year.
– Nađa Petrović i Nikola Stojanović
FILM PROGRAM
EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY SELECTION
The European Film Academy (EFA) is an initiative founded in order to promote European film culture worldwide, to protect and to support the interests of the European film industry.
The annual European Film Awards ceremony is the most visible activity of the European Film Academy and is the first in the annual international awards calendar.
Most of the nominees and winners of the European Film Awards are found in the following months among the nominees and winners of the Golden Globes or the Oscars, making this one of the most prestigious awards and events in the filmmaking industry.
The Shortest Day festival has a long-term collaboration with the European Film Academy, and is proud to present a selection of the best European short films from that year in Belgrade cinemas. The Shortest Day also screens the film awarded Best short film from that year.
The Shortest Day aims to support European short film filmmakers and give its audience a chance to be a part of European film culture.
EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY SELECTION 2021.
STUDENT SELECTION
The Student selection is a competition program that the Shortest Day dedicates to film students, audiovisual arts students or authors who created their film with the support of their University.
The Festival seeks to create a space where the audience can watch student films made by authors from the countries of Southern, Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe and in that way keep track with the work and art of young creative minds.
The award for Best Student Short Film is being awarded in this category.
STUDENT SELECTION 2021
APPLY FOR THE STUDENT COMPETITION PROGRAM
AMATEUR SELECTION
The Amateur selection is a competition program that the Shortest Day dedicates to all film enthusiasts and amateurs who do not have an official education in film or audiovisual arts or production support of their University. The selection of the best amateur films comes from Southern, Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe.
The festival seeks to encourage and motivate young filmmakers who do not have an official education in film or audiovisual arts and connect authors to work and create together.
The award for Best Amateur Short Film is being awarded in this category.
AMATEUR SELECTION 2021
APPLY FOR THE AMATEUR COMPETITION PROGRAM
SIDE PROGRAM
The rich side program is one of the most important program units in the organization of The Shortest Day. In the last eight years, the Festival has hosted numerous film professionals and enthusiasts from Serbia, the region and Europe, presenting their works to local audiences. Various workshops and lectures were organized, as well as side events such as networking gatherings in order to connect professionals and enthusiasts from the industry. One of the missions of The Shortest Day is to educate the audience about the importance and possibilities provided by the short film form, as well as to help young authors in the development and realization phase of their film ideas.
Some of the programs that were an integral part of previous editions of The Shortest Day were:
- 2021 / 2022 – Three-day mentoring workshop “From scratch to pitch” with Bogdan Muresanu (director, Romania);
- 2020. – A series of online lectures on various aspects of short film production:
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- Development of screenplays and ideas for short films – author and lecturer Nađa Petrović (screenwright)
- Locations from A to Z – authors and lecturers: Milica Božanić, Tanja Mitić, Stefan Todorović (Film in Serbia);
- How (and why) to make an animated film – authors and lecturers: Ana Nedeljković i Nikola Majdak;
- Production and shooting of a short film – author and lecturer Marija Lero (producer);
- Financing of a short film – author and lecturer Jovana Karaulić (producer).
- 2019. – Masterclass by Renata Lučić and Filip Filković Philatz (production company More Magnets, Croatia) on the production of short films;
- 2017. – Creative short film workshop with Igor Bezinović (director, Croatia);
- 2016. – Delicatessen Monday powered by The Shortest Day & Filmkultura (promotional event at which funds were donated to the National Kitchens of Serbia).
From scratch to pitch
Shortest Day, in cooperation with the European Film Academy (EFA), is organizing a three-day mentoring program called “From scratch to pitch” as part of this year’s edition of the festival. Participants of this workshop will have the opportunity to develop and shape their ideas for short films with group and individual work with mentor Bogdan Muresanu, with the final goal of presenting the project to relevant filmmakers from the country. Through watching quality short films from around the world and talking about the best ways to design film projects, participants will be able to hear and apply appropriate creative and production solutions to their film ideas. In addition, the mentoring program aims to connect young professionals and amateurs involved in film art, as well as to establish new collaborations and meet potential collaborators on future film projects.
APPLY TO THE MENTORSHIP PROGRAM 2021
FESTIVAL TEAM
SPONSORS AND PARTNERS
