MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE USE
Thursday 2nd September, 2010
SHORTS TO HIT NEW HEIGHTS IN 2011
A new venue, additional sponsors, an indigenous filmmaker award and the acceptance
of entries from filmmakers from other Asia Pacific countries will be the highlights of the
2011 Shorts Film Festival.
The festival will be held for the first time in the Norwood Concert Hall after a
partnership was formed with the City of Norwood, Payneham and St Peters.
The move has been made to accommodate growing audiences.
Festival founder David Lightfoot said the last festival in 2009 achieved a record
audience and we’re anticipating an even larger audience in 2011.
“People enjoy the social atmosphere of the festival, where they can eat good food,
have a drink and discuss the films with their friends, family and the filmmakers
themselves,” Mr Lightfoot said.
“With limited resources we’ve continually managed to implement new initiatives, form
new partnerships and grow audiences. The 2011 festival will be no exception.”
The new venue is the result of discussions between the board and the City of Norwood,
Payneham and St Peters.
Hosting the event supports the council’s objective to build a national creative industries
hub as part of its Business & Economic Development Strategy 2008-2013. The city will
now play host to Adelaide’s only international dedicated short film festival.
The festival has increased sponsorship and corporate support with the NAB, Redbank
Wines and Finlaysons all coming on board to support the 2011 event.
“The festival has also realised its aim to welcome entries from Asia Pacific in order to
develop a regional profile for the festival,” said Mr Lightfoot.
“Entries from New Zealand, Malaysia, Indonesia and other Asia Pacific countries will be
judged in the new award category of Best International Film.
“We’re also adding a Black Shorts Award for indigenous Australian filmmakers to
encourage more indigenous people to tell stories through film.
Despite some significant developments in 2011, the festival will still remain true to its
original values and vision.
These include:
To celebrate the art of storytelling regardless of genre, length or budget;
To show films in a relaxed, social and ‘non-cinematic’ environment;
To champion and reward Australian filmmakers by providing valuable industry
prizes and opportunities.
The 2011 festival will again feature a diverse range of films with genres including
animation, comedy, horror, dramas and thrillers.
Festival organisers are now calling for entries from filmmakers. Entry closes on
December 3rd, 2010. The terms and conditions of entry can be found on the festival
website.
The judging and selection process will commence in January 2011. Judging will take
approximately three weeks to complete, involving over 45 judges and 12 judging
sessions, in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide. The final program will be announced in
February 2011.
In addition to the selected films, an additional 10 films from the UK’s prestigious
Rushes SOHO Shorts Festival will be screened during the festival.
The SHORTS Film Festival formed a partnership with Rushes in 2007, which provides
reciprocal screening rights.
The partnership provides a unique opportunity for Shorts Film Festival entrants to have
their films shown to an international audience, which includes leading film producers,
financiers and directors.
Since the first Shorts Film Festival in 2003, its reputation has grown to attract larger
audiences every year.
For the filmmakers, Shorts offers one of the largest prize pools of any film festival in
Australia, worth over $50,000. The winner receives an all expenses paid trip to the
Cannes Film Festival, where they’re able to make valuable contacts to further their
career.
Six runners up share cash, professional production support and other great prizes.
The 2011 Shorts Film Festival will be held at the Norwood Concert Hall, Adelaide from
April 9 to 16. For more information, visit the Shorts Film Festival website at
MEDIA CONTACT:
SIMON HATCHER
0419 780 071
NEWS 
