Festival with big ambitions that keeps growing

The third Aesthetica Short Film Festival returns to York next month with another impressive selection of the best of independent short film from around the world.
Bat For Lashes: LiliesBat For Lashes: Lilies
Bat For Lashes: Lilies

This festival with big ambitions has gone from strength to strength since its inception and has been warmly embraced by the city – as well as visitors from as far afield as Australia, Canada and New Zealand – with over 9,000 people attending last year.

Catering for all tastes with screenings of 300 films from 36 countries, the festival gives people the chance to see films across a wide range of genres including drama, documentary, animation, comedy, music video, thriller and experimental.

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Another aspect of the festival that makes it stand out from the crowd is the choice and variety of venues with films being screened in 15 different places across York including more conventional spaces such as City Screen and York Theatre Royal alongside quirkier settings such as Micklegate Bar Museum, the Mansion House and the medieval Barley Hall.

“It’s a fantastic time to be in York, there is a real buzz and the city is transformed by the festival,” says festival director Cherie Federico.

“York is turned into a cinema. It is a different way of viewing film. We are taking the idea of pop-up cinema to its limits and combining contemporary film with heritage sites. The festival allows people to engage with the architecture of the city in a different way.”

For those who would like to discover more about films and filmmaking there is a whole host of workshops, networking events and masterclasses on offer. These will feature industry heavyweights such as Bafta, Film Four, Channel 4 and Sheffield’s Warp Films described by Federico as “a beacon of good practice in the industry”.

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The networking events, of which there are several, are a personal highlight for Federico. “I’m really excited about them,” she says. “Because it means that visitors will have the opportunity to meet and talk to people in those organisations. Film 4 and Channel 4 are coming to speak about new talent and so people will be able to find out what they are looking for in new filmmaking.”

Industry representatives from Edinburgh Film Festival and London Film Festival will also be attending and special programmes will be presented by Bafta, Yorkshire Film Archive and Screen Bandita.

A major draw in the exciting series of masterclasses will be acclaimed screenwriter Alice Lowe (Hot Fuzz, Sightseers and Kill List) who will be sharing some insider knowledge on how to write a killer screenplay.

The guest country programme this year will feature films from Kuwait, India and Mexico. “That’s a really important part of the festival,” says Federico. “Where else would you get the opportunity to watch contemporary Kuwaiti film or modern Mexican shorts? It gives people a glimpse into another culture and lifestyle.”

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It is testament to the festival’s standing within the industry – and on the international stage – that there were 1,500 submissions this year. “It takes a lot of effort to make that final shortlist,” says Federico. “The festival is carefully curated and I am really pleased that we can showcase the very best of short film.”

Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2013, York, November 7-10. 
www.asff.co.uk