Aesthetica short film festival is set to build on its success

Following a hugely successful inaugural event, the second Aesthetica Short Film Festival (ASFF) is set to continue to establish the fledgling festival.

This year’s festival will be held at venues across York from November 8 to 11 and the entrants are already in and being sifted through by the selectors, following an open submissions call which saw over 1,000 film makers send in movies from countries as far away as New Caledonia, Chile, Iran, Taiwan and Morocco. Films have been sent from a total of 43 countries.

The movie festival is organised by the people behind Aesthetica magazine, a high end publication that covers art and culture across Europe. The short film festival was the idea of magazine publisher Cherie Federico, who also programmed a four day programme of events to run alongside the screenings with talks and guest screenings from leading film industry organisations.

Last year the festival brought 15,000 visitors to York drawn by the promise of attending masterclasses with the likes of Mark Herman (Screenwriter of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas), Ivana Mackinnon (Executive Producer on Slumdog Millionaire) and the senior commissioner for Channel 4.

Federico says: “ASFF 2012 presents a vast programme of screenings, events and speakers. Building on the success of last year, ASFF is now one of the most exciting events on the UK film festival circuit. The 2011 festival had such a vibrant atmosphere and a host of new collaborations are underway. I am already excited about ASFF 2012.”

One of the big attractions of the festival is the fact that it screens films in unusual spaces – from art galleries, hidden spaces in the medieval city walls, boutique cinemas, 15th-century halls, an old Abbot’s House and a former seat of government.

Jay Arnold, Head of Film Culture at Creative England, says: “Aesthetica Short Film Festival is one of the most exciting new film events to emerge in recent years.”

Details of the full programme will be announced in the YP during the coming months.