07/02/2005

This week, Clermont-Ferrand was THE place to be for young directors. This year, the 27th International Short Film Festival included 70 films in the competition. It ended last Saturday on the triumph of The Other American Dream by the Mexican Enrique Arroyo. However, European films were not left unnoticed. The Baltic States were well represented: a prize for the Best Animation Feature Film went to Insomnia (Bezmiegs) by Vladimir Lesciov (Lettonia), and Ramunas Greicius (Lithuania) was granted a prize for Best Sound in Baltos demes melyname. Belgium too was a brilliant candidate: Micha Wald's Alice et moi was the Choice of the public. Ukraine got the Jury's Special Prize with a documentary, Contre la course du soleil by Valentin Vasyanovych, and Great-Britain won the Young Public's vote with Everything In This Country Must by a director from Northern Ireland, Gary McKendry.
Amongst the 60 French short films in competition for the International Press Prize, the winner was La peur, petit chasseur by Laurent Achard, while the public chose Signe d'appartenance by Kamel Cherif. The Jury's Special Prize went to Brahim Fritah for La Femme seule (The Lonely Woman). As far as actors were concerned, the winners wereFrank Sautrez and Anne Coesens.

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Every year, the Clermont Festival gives a thorough idea of the state of affairs and the prospects for short film all over the world. In 2005, all categories put together, 172 films participated in the competition. The film market was organised around 3850 short films from 78 countries. Besides, the Festival always dedicates special screenings to a series of themes. This year, there was a cycle of 40 Norwegian productions and a section meant for fantastic works called Europe en Courts 9 and sponsored by the coordination Européenne des Festivals de cinéma and the Media Program.
The Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC) seized the opportunity to publish its yearly assessment of French production in terms of short films: 401 films were made in 2004 (425 in 2003), of which 87% are fiction works, 9% animation films, and 4% documentaries. As for funding, last year the CNC allowed a total of 6,2 million euros for short films only. Local help (from the districts and cities) went up to 3,1 million euros, and the terrestrial TV network invested 2,48 million. Last but not least, the national secretary for Cultural affairs, Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres promised to implement before summer an emergency program to support short film —since recent laws have forbidden all voluntary work on film sets, a decision which greatly endangers the national production.

(Translated from French)