July 1, 2003
By Bongani Majola
MORE than 70 short films, including animation, from seven countries are currently on the big screen at Cinema Nouveau in Rosebank as part of the first Cinécal International Short Film Festival.
And in a coup for the festival, the work of 16 finalists from Australia's Tropfest, the world's biggest short film festival, will also be screened. These works are being shown along with other major international short films from around the world.
Complete with English subtitles for foreign flicks, the festival features entries from Israel, the Czech and Slovak republics, the Netherlands, Australia and the UK's London Film School. All films are grouped by country or participating organisation.
On the local front, the South African School of Motion Picture Medium and Live Performance has given 11 students the opportunity to showcase their short films. Norman Maake's Home Sweet Home, a moving story of a young woman who returns from studying in the US to find almost her entire family steeped irrevocably in crime and gangsterism, is one of the short films.
"Short film-makers," says Cinema Nouveau general manager Nico van der Merwe, "are often the future big guns of the industry, using the short films as a platform to launch their careers. As such, short films need to be more accessible to the public and I hope the festival will prove to South African audiences that there is life before and beyond full-length feature films."
Many of the international participants have a worldwide reputation for their education of filmmakers. They include Holland Film, Israel's Sam Spiegel Film & Television School, the Australian Film Commission, the London International School of Film and two schools from the Czech and Slovak republics, renowned for the quality of their animated films.
The Cinécal International Short Film Festival runs until 6 July and tickets are available at usual cinema prices. For a full programme, film synopses and times, visit www.sterkinekor.com
