Submissions for next year’s Very Short Film Festival (VSFF) are currently open to both seasoned and emerging filmmakers.
The VSFF welcomes films of all genres, provided they are five minutes long and embrace the 2024 signature theme, ‘Spark’.
VSFF executive director Anna Cerneaz told Tasmanian Times that the VSFF decided to do something different next year.
“We’ve been really focused on involving our growing community,” she said.
“We basically just decided to ask them, and we threw the question out to anyone who know about us [and those who don’t]. ‘What theme would you like?’”
This was the first time the VSFF had done this, and Cerneaz admitted that, behind the scenes, “we were a bit nervous”.
“We were going, ‘God, what’s going to come back?’ [But] we were so pleasantly surprised and delighted with the responses. Then we had to narrow [them] down in a fair way [and decide] which one we’d do. We had some really interesting ones, [but] ‘Spark’ came out on top. It was a really lovely process.”
Alison Stanton-Cook was accepted into VSFF’s Tasmanian Mentoring Program earlier this year.
She added that ‘Spark’ is more of an inspiration than an actual theme.
“People can use it overtly, or they can use it in a sentence, or they can use it abstractly,” she explained.
“It’s mainly to ensure these are contemporary Australian stories that have been created and told through film. We’re seeking tales that originate from the heart, that spark inspiration, offer enlightenment, or provoke change. We recognise the power of films, not only to captivate but to stir and motivate action.”
Short films can be submitted through the VSFF website until 7 April 2024. Filmmakers can compete in two categories: Junior (18 and younger) and Open (19 and older). The winners will receive cash prizes, and the top ten finalists get mentorships from well-known industry professionals. They will also get an all-expenses-paid trip to the festival premiere at the State Theatre in Hobart, Tasmania, on 31 May 2024.
The 2024 judging panel includes actor Essie Davis, director Justin Kurzel, actor and writer Leah Purcell, actor and producer Marta Dusseldorp, and cinematographer Martin McGarth.
Callum J. Jones studied English, History, and Journalism at the University of Tasmania. He has written fiction and non-fiction for The Tasmanian Times since 2018. He can be traced by the smell of fresh coffee.
Follow him on Twitter (@Callum_Jones_10) and Facebook (@callum.j.jones.creative).
