A Short Film is Not Just a Warm-Up
Laurence Boyce is the programme director of the , which takes place on November 17-21 with the help of Tallinn University, Baltic Film, Media, Arts and Communication School and Nordea Bank. He argues that making short films is not just a way to warm yourself up to making a "real" film.
“That was a good short film. Now it will be really interesting to see what it’s like when they make a proper film.”
That sound you hear from me when someone says that within my earshot is the sound of my knuckles cracking and my back stiffening as I try not to enter into an argument with the person who just said it.
You can probably hear that sound from me a lot.
This is because the prevailing attitude from many is that shorts are somehow practise before you make a ‘real’ film. This is, of course, not true. Nobody says Franz Kafka’s short stories were practise before his ‘proper’ novels. So why should the length of a film determine whether or not it is any good?
Sleepwalkers aims to break down these attitudes by showing audiences a massively diverse selection of films from across the world and showing just what brilliant filmmakers can do with the short format. From strange and surreal glimpses of life to films that manages to tell a perfect joke in a short space of time, Sleepwalkers is a place of dreams and discovery that is open to everyone.
Our International Competition runs the gamut from dark drama to exuberant comedy. Films such as Blood Below The Skin (from US director Jennifer Reeder who has been taking the festival circuit by storm over the past year or so) and Over are full of bold ideas and clever use of the short form. They do things that just couldn’t be achieved in their feature film cousins and show off just how creative filmmakers can be. Our Baltic Competition does the same – films from Poland, Sweden and other countries along the Baltic Sea showcase a certain sensibility and humour that show exemplary use of the short form. Films such as Small Talk – from Even Hafnor, who won the Sleepwalkers Grand Prix in 2013 – is a dour yet clever comedy that channels the spirit of Aki Kaurismäki while Kung Fury blows any preconceptions out of the water as the internet sensation is a note perfect parody of 80s action films.
While saying that short films are more than mere practise, it is true to say that they are often a training ground for filmmakers to learn more about their craft. Our student competition always tries to show that student films are not just experiments in technique but also careful reflections of the world around us. Everything Will Be OK – one of the recipients of this year’s Student Oscar – is a tense and measured exploration of familial relationships while Me, They and Daddy is an emotional affair about a daughter dealing with her ill father. These and the other films in the student competition speak of talents to watch out for in the future as they grow and develop even more.
And our national competition again speaks of diversity and a community bursting with ideas. There are sedate documentaries such as To Light and then grand sci-fi epics in the shape of Äralend that show just unrestrained filmmakers in Estonia are at the moment and how free they feel to attempt an number of different genres.
Short Films can be gloriously silly and wildly experimental as well, and this is why have our yearly dose of Vitamin Pills which have a selection of short, sharp and shocking shorts. They range from the dark one minute film Rematch to the completely stupid shenanigans of Milk!. The first part of Vitamin Pills will take place during the Night Cinema, an all-night extravaganza of short film. It just goes to show how much of a community there is surrounding the short film world and how many people truly enjoy discovering the films that there are too offer.
So if you’ve never attempted to watch short films before then check out the Sleepwalkers programme and look for something fun and exciting. Trust me when I say that there is something for everyone and you won’t be disappointed if you take that journey and find out that shorts are a lot more than practise.
They are the real thing.
Story by Laurence Boyce.