AFF Tries New Date Venues Thompson Speaks

Where the Shorts Are:
By Vallorie Wood
Short films are one way that up and
coming filmmakers get their work out to
the general public — possibly connecting
with financial backers who can take their
films to the next level. Shorts are easier to
produce for the first-time filmmaker (time
and budget-wise) and can be creatively
designed. Topics range from animation,
to comedy, to serious and intense subject
matter. Length of a short film varies anywhere
from one to 45 minutes.
Four new screening venues have recently
opened up for the southern short
filmmaker:
• Southern Shorts (Southern Arts Federation)
• C-47 (Georgia Public Broadcasting)
• Atlanta Shorts (PBA-30)
• Super Deluxe (Turner Broadcasting)
This article will describe each of these
new outlets.
Southern Shorts
“Southern Shorts” is a new component
of the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent
Filmmakers, sponsored by the Southern
Arts Federation. Since 1975, Southern
Circuit has been touring independent fea-
ture films and filmmakers around the southeast
in “the only regional tour of independent
filmmakers.” This year, six short films
will also be selected to open for the feature
films on tour.
“The benefits of selection for this shorts
outlet is that this is a paid opportunity,”
said David Dombrosky, Program Director
for Contemporary Arts and New Initiatives
of the Southern Arts Federation. If selected,
short filmmakers receive $200, but
they don’t travel on the tour. The program
is open to filmmakers who live in Georgia,
Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana,
Mississippi, Tennessee, or North or South
Carolina.
Dombrosky said, “We look for interesting,
intriguing things that make us question
our own beliefs, our previously held
notions, things that will change or shape
our world views—works that pull past the
pack.”
The Southern Shorts program accepts
films based on the merit of the work, rather
than the quality of the broadcast. “Sometimes,
it isn’t going to be as flashy, or have
the highest quality production values, but
it’s just that the story needs to be shared,
like Danielle Beverly’s Learning to Swallow,”
Dombrosky said. “That story had
such a punch to the gut.
So, we have to look at
the overall mastery of
the project. We like to
consider how form conveys
substance.”
C-47
Another short opportunity
can be found at
Georgia Public Broadcasting
(GPB-TV) in
the recently launched C-47
project. Joining forces with
the Georgia Film Commission,
Georgia State University’s Digital
Arts and Entertainment Lab
(DAEL), and Georgia’s Council
for the Arts, C-47 allows Georgia
filmmakers to screen their work and
learn more about the art of short filmmaking.
Project Associate and Producer
Kim Turner said, “We really are edutainment.
That’s what sets us apart.”
Four times a year, C-47 accepts submissions
from across the state and chooses one
film to be featured on the C-47 quarterly
program. The next showcase is March 20
at midnight on the GPB station, with this
quarter’s winner, filmmaker Ly Bolia and
his new film, Blame Fall.
“We’re now accepting submissions for
the Summer Showcase, with a deadline of
March 31,” emphasized Turner. “We also
are encouraging filmmakers to send in
something for the Autumn Showcase. That
deadline is June 30.”
There is no cost to submit a film, but
you are only allowed one entry per quarter.
Filmmakers are encouraged to submit
a different film each time. It doesn’t matter
when the film was produced, as long as
it has a Georgia connection. “It could be
something a filmmaker did 20 years ago,”
said Turner, “as long as the filmmaker is
from Georgia or at least part of the story
was filmed in Georgia.”
Topics can cover any subject matter and
genre. Keep in mind that public television
must adhere to certain rules of broadcast,
so material must be in good taste and needs
to avoid morbid, sensational, or exploitative
details.
Page 6 March 2007 www.screenreport.com