Exhausted cynic Jess Sweetman explores what the short film world has to offer, and discovers a universe of short films celebrating all kinds of love… 

At the end of last year we hosted the second of our filmmaker / festival organiser Town Hall events at the Women X Film Festival.

Our aim in hosting this series (which will be ongoing) has been to encourage a fair and open dialogue between filmmakers and festival organisers - which will improve relationships between both groups, and better fest experiences for all.

To wrap up 2024, we reached out to some of our friends across the industry to find out about their most memorable short films and we’re excited to present the official list here for you today.

Last weekend, I binge watched horror movies from Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Guatemala, and Peru, here’s what I found…

In July of this year, the Pixar-produced “Inside Out 2” sprinted out of the gate to become the highest-grossing animated film of all time. Meanwhile, some are predicting that a strike by animators in the USA is potentially looming. 

So how does this come to be? How do we explain the huge discrepancy between box office success and layoffs? And what are the issues faced by animators working in Hollywood? 

A starter’s playlist of all of the obscure animated films - both shorts and features - recommended by people who actually know what they’re talking about.

The block - it comes for every artist at one time or another.

FF’s Jess Sweetman is no stranger to the heartache of not being able to get on and write.

Luckily she’s willing to explore a raft of techniques from witchcraft to cat gurus, via Brian Eno, as well as inspiration from Werner Herzog to Jackie Collins, to help you find your creative mojo.

We are living in tumultuous times. Sometimes it feels almost normal to find out that another filmmaker is in hiding, or facing arrest for making a film that has upset a regime. And while this is not a new phenomenon, according to experts, there has been an increase in crackdowns globally on freedom of speech, affecting filmmakers alongside activists, journalists, and anyone else with a platform.

And just to be clear, this isn’t a far-away thing that can be ignored with the casual ennui that comes from living in the West. From Iran to the UK, filmmakers are threatened for speaking truth to power. This article summarises just a few of the places and filmmakers who have been silenced in recent years and it ends with a few glimmers of hope.

Are programmes specifically screening the work of female filmmakers antiquated or important? And do we need dedicated programmes to focus on women’s stories? I reached out to a mix of female filmmakers, festival organisers, and others in the industry to see what they think.

Sometime last year the news broke that the celebrated short film festival held annually in the French town of Clermont-Ferrand was in trouble. One of the major funders of the festival announced a surprise 50% cut in their subsidy for the 2023 edition - that had already taken place.

So why exactly are short films important? We asked our new friends attending the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival to find out their points of view.

To wrap up 2023, we reached out to some of our friends across the industry to find out about their most memorable short films and we’re excited to present the official list here for you today.

Smartphones have changed how we make and consume media in our daily lives. But how have they impacted areas of the film industry?

Elke Sasse is a filmmaker whose titles include THE CORONA DIARIES, THE WAR ON MY PHONE, and #MYESCAPE - all three documentaries focus on footage shot by real people, taken on their mobile phones.