From the dynamic city of Berlin, a postcard from British Shorts 🇩🇪🇬🇧
Based in Berlin, Germany. British Shorts Lichtspielklub Kurzfilmfestival has run for 16 years and is a celebration of British short film productions screening in this vibrant, larger than life city. The delightful Aaron, filmmaker of Arcadia Lasts, shares his experience and the best way to get the most out of British Shorts Film Festival.
Contribution from Aaron Shrimpton
Have you been to this festival before?
Nope.
What was the local area like? Was there much to see? Local sights you saw/missed?
Spoke to a lot of people over the 4 days I was there. Julie, one of the founders, was so friendly and supportive, always introducing me to people. Hennrick one the curators and the person I did the Q&A with. He was really kind about my film and very interesting to talk to about film in general. There was also the owner of the cinemas, who was just so lovely and welcoming.
Apart from your film, what film did you watch that you really liked?
I went to 7 screenings in total so a lot of great films but I think the audience award winning film Heart Valley by Christian Cargill and Honesty by Roxy Rezvany were really stand out for me. MONICO PERSEUS, a film set in Canvey, got to hang out with the director, Alfie Stewart, and hopefully work together in the future.
Any tips for other filmmakers attending for the first time?
Don’t go out drinking till 3 a.m. on the first night, Berlin is a like a time warp. It’s quickly 3 a.m. and no one seems to be slowing down! But i think the main thing I learned, it being my first short film festival for a long time, is don't slag off other peoples' films, especially when you're watching them. We are all learning. Be respectful. Go to as many films as possible and say hello to people.
What were the networking events like? Name of the bar/pub?
The opening gala was great at the City Kino Wedding and the Sputnik Kino Bar was always full of interesting people.
How would you sum up your time there?
I think my highlight was having dinner with two audience members I met, they were so great to meet and it was a lovely experience. They were creative and passion people who really enjoyed the festival for reasons purely for the love of cinema, they weren’t’ there for networking or career reasons. Every screening was packed full of people like that, filmmakers just supporting and engaging with audiences. Super inspiring.