world of shorts the sarajevo edition a short film magazine published by daazo.com - european short film centre
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Of films & fairytales
Raindance talks film
Director Károly UjjMészáros, an alumnus of Sarajevo Talent Campus & City of Film talks about what it took him to become a filmmaker
How to make it with a short film in Europe, an article by Elliot Grove, founder of Raindance Festival
Berlinale Talent Campus + Sarajevo
Sarajevo Talent Campus
A chat session with Christine Tröstrum project manager of Berlinale Talent Campus
An interview with project manager Asja Makarević
World of Shorts - the Sarajevo edition by Daazo.com
Sarajevo City of Film Project manager Ivana Pekušić talks about the aims of the project & this year’s films
City of Film 2011 participants speak
Shortz! TV say it right
Sarajevo Short Film Competition
Two directors (Nóra Lakos & Cenk Erturk) and one producer (Alex Trăilă) on their filming experience in Sarajevo
Less time for long stories: short films in the internet era
Directors from the official selection take out their pencils to retell their stories in a different way
photo by Vlad Bîrdu 3
We all love summer, just as we love short films. Summer is a dedicated time for short film people. On one hand, it’s the most frequented period for shooting a film: the weather is good, and you can easily gather friends to team up to create something cool. On the other hand, it’s the time to watch shorts wherever you want: fancy a festival in Southern Europe with open air screenings? You can find dozens. Or are you just having fun at the beach? In the brave new world of short films, you just get your smartphone and after a few tappings you can reach Daazo.com and the best shorts are there for you. Which include yours, of course, if you want to add them - and they will always be there for you. In May, we came out with the first edition of our World of Shorts Magazine - apropos of the Cannes Film Festival. Now we can admit that we were a little nervous about it. “Is it worth the effort? Do people want to read about short films?” - we were asking ourselves. The answer was quite clear. More than 10.000 unique readers thumbed the magazine, which is really great for a start. World of Shorts - the Sarajevo edition by Daazo.com
So we would definitely like to continue and the Sarajevo Film Festival seems to be the perfect opportunity to make World of Shorts even more complex. The SFF, one of the coolest European cinema events in the summer, includes many interesting projects that are very attractive for short film makers from SouthEastern Europe. Talent Campus; Sarajevo City of Film; Competition - what a nice journey for a filmmaker from the region.
EDITORIAL
Károly Ujj-Mészáros has done it - he’s just waiting for his first feature to screen in SFF’s competition. Beginning directors, producers can get pretty much from this festival - now you can read about their experiences in this edition. Also, we at Daazo.com think that our mission - to put short films in the spotlight - is not a lonely mission. So we asked some of our friends to join to the WOSH project: the London-based Raindance organisation is present with an article that summarises all the important steps to become a successful short film director. Barcelona-based Shortz.tv has written a smart article about the current state of short film distribution. We would like to involve as much creativity as possible. So we asked the directors of the Competition Short Film to make a drawing that illustrates their film best. It could be a symbol, a landscape or the main character’s childhood phobias. No rules, just pure self-(and film) expression. We think this is much more interesting than an old fashioned Q&A with the well-known questions. Also, we asked talented photographers from the region to illustrate the magazine. Digitally yours, the Daazo.com team!
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World of Shorts - the Sarajevo edition by Daazo.com photo by Alina Negoiţă
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A chat session with Christine TrĂśstrum project manager of Berlinale Talent Campus
Berlinale + Sarajevo. A love story.
World of Shorts - the Sarajevo edition by Daazo.com photo by Cristina GroĹ&#x;an
Berlinale talks sarajevo How did you come up with the idea of Campus International? How do you choose the cities or events? Or do they choose you? The idea was to support locally-based international film festivals in their work with the next generation like we do it in Berlin. The focus is more regional and the Campus International initiatives are smaller in size. We extend our cooperations in regions where we can both benefit mutually - meaning we can learn a lot about the region and we can support the festivals with our long term experience with young and upcoming filmmakers. Previously, there had already been collaboration between the Berlinale and the Sarajevo Film Festival. We liked the festival and their investment in the region a lot.
Christine Tröstrum project manager of Berlinale Talent Campus
It is always important for us to support the next generation in their individual ways to find their own language of filmmaking. This year, the Sarajevo Talent Campus has the theme “our time, my point of view”. Why do you think it is important to emphasize the personal touch right now? For us it is very important to know the people we are working with. The film business is a people’s business. People need to know where you stand. And it is always important for us to support the next generation in their individual ways to find their own language of filmmaking. What kind of side events or possibilities do you offer for filmmakers if they get into the Talent Campus? The Sarajevo Talent Campus lasts 7 days. Our colleagues have selected around 60-70 young filmmakers (directors, actors, producers and scriptwriters) and they are inviting 10 young German producers with the support of the Robert Bosch foundation. In those 7 days, the Sarajevo Talent Campus will offer lectures, workshops, excursions to CineLink, presentations for new projects (Pack&Pitch), and meetings between the German producers and the participants at the Talent Campus. For example, the workshop for actors with Leon Lučev is one of my favourite events every year.
Do you offer them a chance to work and stay in the business after the Campus? Yes, the initiative of the Sarajevo City of Film project is a good example for this sustainability - I don’t like this wording, but it is exactly what we want - to bring the right people together and to give them a chance after the actual event to work together on a very concrete project. Talking about the Berlinale Talent Campus: next year you will celebrate its 10th anniversary. How do you prepare for that? Will it be different? The 10th anniversary of the Berlinale Talent Campus marks an essential step in the history of our festival. Since the beginning of the Campus we have strongly believed in the idea of an international summit for upcoming filmmakers. 11
But we have made more of the Campus in the last few years: now we select numerous film projects for the Doc & Script station and the Talent Project Market and we don’t only give professional feedback within a couple of days - we also bring filmmakers together for subsequent projects. We won’t change the general set-up of the Campus, but we will extend our activities regarding individual guidance. Could you tell me the 3 most important experiences you have had in the 10 years of organising the Talent Campus? It’s a hard question, isn’t it? It is a hard question. There are so many! I remember the year when we changed our application for the Berlin Today Award, the short film competition of the Campus. The theme was “My Wall”, in connection to the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Among the selected films, there was one documentary about the daily ceremony at the border between India and Pakistan. The story came from the Indian director Supriyo Sen. In a producers meeting he met producers from Detailfilm, a German production company. The film “WAGAH” won the Berlin Today Award in 2009, and it was the beginning of an unbelievable success story for the film, the team and the Campus. The film won around 50 awards worldwide. I will never forget the award ceremony of the German short film prize.
There are hundreds of unforgettable moments with young filmmakers and Campus guests. I remember the session with Walter Salles in 2005. We had to postpone the session in the evening due to his BAFTA nomination. The session was about FICTION AND REALITY, and the audience didn’t stop asking questions. Or in 2007, when Shah Rukh Khan was here. Around 2000 fans in front of our theatre on Sunday morning, most of them teenage girls with their mothers, screaming and crying!
For us, it is very important to know the people we are working with. The film business is a people’s business. People need to know where you stand. The next story happened in 2009 as well. We organised our first Dine&Shine dinner with around 450 guests. The concept: a matchmaking dinner between Berlinale guests and talents, which also meant they had to change seats after each course. The concept was approved but with 50 guests only. Our team was quite nervous and nobody believed me that it would go well. In the end, everybody found a seat, had a lot of fun during the evening and the Dine&Shine turned out to be the secret hot spot of the Berlinale. World of Shorts - the Sarajevo edition by Daazo.com
bringthe right people together & give them a chance photo by Cristina GroĹ&#x;an
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World of Shorts - the Sarajevo edition by Daazo.com photo by Cristina GroĹ&#x;an
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How did you happen to take part in the Sarajevo City of Film workshop and why did you make this particular film (Alena’s Journey)? Application for the workshop was only possible on the condition that the participating director, producer and an actor had been to the Talent Campus before. Our group included two ex-Talent Campus members: the producer Csanád Darvas and the actor Boris Lehr, who later became known as one of the main characters of Dan Tanovich’s film. And the fact that the actress playing Alena was also a Talent Campus veteran was a bonus.
Director Károly Ujj-Mészáros, an alumnus of Sarajevo Talent Campus & City of Film talks about what it took him to become a filmmaker, and how to take a chance when life randomly hands it out to you.
OF FILMS & FAIRYTALES
World of Shorts - the Sarajevo edition by Daazo.com photo by Cornelia Gaie
Sarajevo talent campus & city of film alumnus The essence of the story had been in my mind for a long time. It goes like this: a girl is trying to fight off her illness on her own, without talking to anyone about it. And this story fit the city of Sarajevo, being a location that made the story more authentic. The Talent Campus had a great impact on me both in a professional and in a personal way. Back then I had some doubtful periods when I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to be a film director. The Talent Campus was a place where I realized that it was worth doing it. Was this the place where you established your identity as a film director? I had the chance to show my films to Dan Tanovich at one of the meetings. All he said was ‘Well done. Just keep doing it!’ But to hear this from an Oscar winning director was an experience that helped me gain a lot of confidence. At that time I was thinking about sticking to making only commercials. And even though I really like doing commercials, I wanted to become a film director after all. How do you remember the shooting? It was an incredibly nice experience. The crew that we got to work with had only done documentary films before, so this was their first time to make a fiction film. We still keep in touch and we are on very good terms with each other. The actors’ attitude was remarkable: instead of chatting they chose to rehearse their parts together in breaks. I had set an ambitious goal for myself: I wanted people not to notice that the film hadn’t been made by a Bosnian. And it worked. At the screening of Alena’s journey I heard people crying and saw how much they were moved by the film. And I was told that it was just as if it was directed by a Bosnian. How did you cope with making a movie in a foreign language? How did you know whether what you heard was authentic? I could sense it - this is how it usually works. I wasn’t sure about the intonation though, but I had an interpreter to help me. I was often overcome by emotion during the shootings. And if actors show true emotions, the language they use doesn’t matter anymore, you just can’t be wrong.
How did the Sarajevo City of Film support the production? Back then (it was the first workshop) it covered the costs of the shooting, and we were asked to get in touch with a co-producer firm to work with us on the film. The post production was made in Budapest.
This whole story was like a fairy tale. After the Sarajevo City of Film I managed to enter CineLink with my full-length feature, Liza The Fox-Fairy. How did the Talent Campus influence your career? How did you apply? The story of my application was quite funny. I got an email from someone about this opportunity, but I have never found out who it was ever since. But if this person happens to read this interview, I would like to ask him/her to get in touch with me, because I owe this person a lot. I was just about to leave for a trip, when I received this email. Still, on the last evening before my departure I decided to make a showreel for the application. This whole story was like a fairy tale. After the Sarajevo City of Film I managed to enter CineLink with my fulllength feature, Liza The Fox-Fairy. 17
What did Alena’s journey give you? I feel that the Sarajevo Film Festival backed me up from the beginning and supported my career. It provided an opportunity to create a film, and by taking this opportunity we earned a reference that helped us being able to participate in CineLink. So Sarajevo had a very positive effect on my development, both in a professional and in a personal way. When we were at the Atelier in Cannes, I visited my Bosnian colleagues and got a warm welcome, so much so that they organised a meeting for me with a French producer. From the very beginning I felt that for Bosnian people, it is not a burden to give, to help. And feeling this was an incredible spiritual experience. Sarajevo is a city that bears marks of war and these marks are not just on the streets but in the people’s souls. And even though a lot of people are full of bitterness they still give so much to you that it’s almost embarrassing. And this meant a lot to me. During the shootings I got to know everything about the lives of the people working there, and it turned out that their stories were just as grave as the story that we were shooting. Theirs were sometimes even harder. There is just one piece missing from my personal Sarajevo success story: the Sarajevo premier of my full-length feature, Liza The Fox-Fairy. But one thing is for sure: without the Sarajevo City of Film, there would be no topic to talk about right now. Thanks to this workshop, our full-length feature project reached CineLink, the Rome Film Festival and Cannes as well.
From the very beginning I felt that for Bosnian people it’s not a burden to give, to help. And feeling this was an incredible spiritual experience.
World of Shorts - the Sarajevo edition by Daazo.com
photo by Cristina GroĹ&#x;an
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photo by Adela Lupu
happy-go-lucky Sarajevo Talent Campus interview with Asja Makarević project manager of the Sarajevo Talent Campus
66 young directors, actors, scriptwriters and producers from South-Eastern Europe were invited to attend the 5th Sarajevo Talent Campus. It is a seven-day networking platform for emerging filmmakers during the Sarajevo Film Festival. STC was designed to fill in the gap between film school education and ‘real-life’ working experience. With lectures hold by celebrity film experts, workshops, practical tutorials and all-night long networking gatherings STC is definitely the place to be for a young talent. Sounds exciting? Read on to take a look at this year’s highlights!
World of Shorts - the Sarajevo edition by Daazo.com photo by Cristina Groşan
talent campus special The theme for this year is “Our Time - My Point of View”. What inspired this theme? How is it connected to previous Campus editions or the Sarajevo Film Festival? Interest for auteur film, creative choices and authors’ responses to the times we live in have inspired this year`s theme. The programme will address the difficulty but necessity of decisions that need to be taken throughout the creative process of filmmaking. With last year`s theme „Storytelling – From Your Backyard to the World” we set to examine how the local, specific and authentic achieve the level of universal recognition. From placing a focus on local stories in 2010, this year we have a natural shift towards auteur cinema, creative choices and positioning one`s point of view. The Sarajevo Film Festival with its Competition Programme-Feature and Documentary, greatly focuses on auteur cinema so there is an expected bond with the Campus’ theme.
Last year we introduced the project segment “Pack&Pitch” and enlarged the existing programme structure. This year we are launching its second edition. In the future we hope to introduce other disciplines, and open the programme not only for cinematographers, but also for editors, film critics and others. What are the programme highlights of this year’s Sarajevo Talent Campus? Having in mind auteur film, creative choices and authors’ responses to the times we live in, director Wim Wenders will talk about the challenges of 3D technology he faced while “capturing” the space between the dancers in his film PINA. From a perspective of pastpresent consideration, Béla Tarr will talk about his latest feature THE TURIN HORSE. In this feature, the Hungarian director uses fiction to reconstruct historical fragments. Having considered split roles of the past and the present, as well as the written sources the film is based upon, the adaptation process from literature to film has become a focus of our interest.
How is the selection process going on? There are probably participants who have already attended the Berlinale Talent Campus. Is that an advantage or disadvantage? The selection has been successfully completed. Among participants there are also Berlinale Talent Campus alumni. The main criterion for selection is that participants have strong applications, with regards to their motivation letters, samples of work and filmography. Consequently, they are candidates with convincing and original “voices” and performances. The experience has shown that many of those have attended the BTC as well. On that occasion, screenwriter Olivia Hetreed and script consultant Kate Leys The Sarajevo Talent Campus is addressed to directors, will talk about adapting a literary work scriptwriters, actors and producers. What was the rea- into a film script. Among others, they son for omitting cinematographers? will answer the questions such as how to The Sarajevo Talent Campus, commenced in collaboration adapt a literary work and who is a target with the Berlinale Talent Campus and the Berlin Interna- group of an adapted script. tional Film Festival, is a project which develops year by year.
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photo by Alina Manolache
Writer and screenwriter Abdulah Sidran will share his experience from working in both media, starting from one autobiographical novel to making two film scripts: Do You Remember Dolly Bell? and When Father Was Away On Business. Katriel Schory will discuss the process of adaptation in the context of film development, but from the perspective of a creative producer. Among many others, the 5th Sarajevo Talent Campus will include such experts and lecturers as Philippe Bober, Gabriele Brunnenmeyer, Licia Eminenti, Cary Joji Fukunaga, Lucile Hadžihalilović, Alby James, Leon Lučev, Pierre-Alain Meier, Zeynep Özbatur, Vladimir Perišić, Erwin M. Schmidt and Frank Stehling. As in previous years, we will continue the successful practice of intensive “speed matching” and “one-on-one” meetings that are traditionally implemented with our partner, the Robert Bosch Foundation.
Through a line of lectures, presentations and screenings, we will continue to cooperate with Minimarket and answer questions such as: what is a short film today?, what are good examples of successful, contemporary regional and European short films?, what does the short film industry stand for?. This year we are also starting a collaboration with “Rough Cut Boutique”, a newly created project of the Documentary Competition Program of the Sarajevo Film Festival and the Balkan Documentary Center, which aims to upgrade the development, distribution and promotion of regional documentary films.
World of Shorts - the Sarajevo edition by Daazo.com
talent campus special
The Pack&Pitch workshops train directors to sell their stories to producers. What should a director expect when pitching their project in front of producers at the CineLink Co-Production Market? What makes a pitch the winning pitch? Within the framework of “Pack and Pitch”, producers and directors are offered specific packaging and pitching training and one-to-one consultations. This training focuses on how to prepare projects for an effective presentation in front of the audience, composed of distributors, producers, financiers, sales agents, festival programmers (Sarajevo Film Festival guests, CineLink Co-Production Market participants).
photo by Alina Manolache
“Pack and Pitch” was designed to bring the Campus participants closer to a true film business environment, which is ahead of them. The winning pitch will be the one that wins the audience with its conciseness, credibility and passion. How are the audience and the general mood at the Campus? Hectic, fun, inspiring. Happy-golucky!
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The Sarajevo City of Film project is a kind of a follow-up to the Talent Campus. How do these sections work together? Sarajevo Talent Campus alumni apply their previously gained knowledge by teaming up and developing scripts for short films. The best four projects receive script development guidance before being turned into micro-budget short films. During the consecutive SFF’s edition, films are being screened and filmmakers share their experience with a new generation of STC participants. What do you think about the relationship between short films and the Internet? When should a filmmaker put his film online? It is a great opportunity to keep and make short films accessible to a wider audience. Short film online platforms are an exquisite promotional and research tool in regards to country specifics, genre diversity, festival preferences etc. Filmmakers should put their films online once their festival run is over. As the program manager of the Sarajevo Talent Campus, when would you say the Campus edition that you organized has been a successful one? A Campus edition has been a successful one when a space for interaction between experts and participants, as well as among participants has been created. Also, when participants team up with fellow talents they have just met, and get eager to work on new film projects.
This year we have a natural shift towards auteur cinema, creative choices and positioning one`s point of view. The Sarajevo Film Festival with its Competition Programme-feature and documentary greatly focuses on auteur cinema so there is an expected bond with the Campus` theme.
World of Shorts - the Sarajevo edition by Daazo.com
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the sarajevo cocktail film contest *exclusively for the Sarajevo Talent Campus 2011 participants
how to mix your cocktail 1. UPLOAD a shortfilm to your Daazo.com account (any genre, country or year of production) 2. SHARE the film with your friends. Work a bit for views & feedback. 3. ATTEND the closing session of the Sarajevo Talent Campus 2011 to find out who the WINNERS are! deadline for upload: 15th of July winners announcement: 30th of July
prizes (Daazo award & Audience award) two weekend film courses in London, UK, held by Elliot Grove, the founder of Raindance Festival & The British Independent Film Awards! World of Shorts - the Sarajevo edition by Daazo.com
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sharp short stories how to make it with a short film in Europe by Elliot Grove, founder of Raindance Film Festival World of Shorts - the Sarajevo edition by Daazo.com photo by Cristina GroĹ&#x;an
raindance talks film
Using a short film, or a series of short films has always been considered a viable and useful way to demonstrate one talent to the industry powers-that-be on route to building a career in features, or in commercials and pop promos. Here are the routes novice filmmakers are using in Europe. Many of these techniques are applicable universally.
Screenings at certain film festivals almost certainly guarantee other festival invites. Many festivals rely on bell-weather festivals such as Raindance, to act as a filter to whittle down the huge number of films to a manageable lot of a certain quality.
Remember that each festival has different A festival screening allows you to screen your film in front taste, and to be rejected by one festival is of total strangers. Until you have sat in a screening room not to be taken personally. full of strangers watching your film you do not really know how the film “plays�. Do they laugh at the right place for The best way to research film festivals is to look at these two sites: www.filmfestivals. example. com, an English-speaking company based Getting your film accepted into a film festival is not easy. If in Paris, and www.withoutabox.com, an you are selected, you then need to send the festival a screen- American company with a subsidiary ofing copy of the film, usually on digibeta or DCP along with fice in London. a picture of yourself, or a still from the movie that they can use in their festival catalogue. Try and book your holiday There are at least 9 European short film around a festival screening. Get there a few days earlier and festivals which show shorts only. Other pass out postcards with a good strong image of your film festivals, such as Raindance, have dynamon one side, and the screening dates and times on the re- ic short film strands. Research the festiverse. Festival organizers should also be able to help you vals and try to ascertain which ones have with a list of local distributors and sales agents who might videotechs, such as Rotterdam. At those be interested in acquiring short films (ie: buying a license festivals, even if you are not selected, into screen your film). Contact these people by email and dustry scouts will be able to see your telephone. If you submit your film to Raindance you will film. get a list with the name of every international short film buyer, along with their contact details and commissioning policy.
Film Festivals
Screenings at certain film festivals almost certainly guarantee other festival invites.
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Internet Self Distribution
The explosion of YouTube and MySpace means that you don’t need to rely on the whims of a festival programmer (the job title of the person at a film festival who decides which submissions are selected for screening). You can simply upload your masterpiece yourself to one of the www2 sites (for example to Daazo.com), send an email to everyone in your address book with the link and hope that enough people watch and love your movie and tell so many friends that your film becomes a viral hit leading to your discovery as the next Spielberg.
Internet Distribution
Sites like Atom Films, iTunes and the Australian channel NICEFILM specialize in shorts and offer different forms of revenue recoupment: either in the form of a one-off license fee, or a revenue participation model based on the number of people who see your film (and see the ads on their site. Each of these sites have different adjudication processes.
Competitions
There are currently so many film competitions that a reasonably talented debutante filmmaker should be able to get the latest cameras, editing software, and even first class trips around the world on the strength of their successful submissions. Before submitting to a competition, it is important to research the organization or company sponsoring the venture to see if you can determine the reason why. Sometimes they are created solely to promote a product or service. In such cases the benefit to you as a filmmaker, is solely the value of the prize. The best competitions are the ones where the promoter is seeking content for their website, or broadcast channel: be it web-based, television or mobile. In these cases, usually by submitting you will be included as part of their content and the possibility will exist to earn extra revenue or exposure. It is up to you to decide which will suit your career best.
Airlines
Cathay Pacific and Virgin are the only remaining airlines who license shorts for their in-flight entertainment. Filmmakers typically receive $500 for a six month short. The best length for these shorts is about 10-15 minutes each, and soft romantic comedies are the topics the airlines like the most. The best agent to deal with is Dazzle Films in London. Owned and operated by Dawn Sharpless, it has been acquiring and selling shorts since the late 1990’s.
Advertising Agencies
Ad agencies are always on the lookout for hot new talent. If your work is very short (under one or two minutes) then ad agencies might consider you for a commercial. Make sure you invite the relevant executives from ad agencies in the cities that you play in. Obviously, London, Paris and New York have the most agencies, but don’t discount agencies in smaller cities. Some agencies, like Saatchi & Saatchi have in-house intranet sites (theirs is called Sushi & Sushi) where new work is put up for the exclusive use of their employees. The career advantages of this are obvious.
World of Shorts - the Sarajevo edition by Daazo.com
Compilation DVDs
Certain festivals like Raindance, organizations like Shootingpeople and others publish annual collections of DVDs which showcase shorts. As part of their marketing campaign, these DVDs are generally given to journalists, ad agency creatives and agents as a way of inducing filmmakers to allow their shorts to be placed on the DVD. From this platform, Raindance has noticed that the filmmakers included on our DVD receive many festival invites and offers of work.
There are currently so many film competitions that a reasonably talented debutante filmmaker should be able to get the latest cameras, editing software, and even first class trips around the world on the strength of their successful submissions
Should I put all my films on YouTube, or not?
YouTube is a great way to get your showreel up, but What happens if I sign an excluit ruins the premiere status of your films for festivals, other web distributors and television. Be very careful sive agreement? about what you include and when you include it on It means that you are unable to give your work to anyone else, sometimes even other YouTube. film festivals. Consider the repercussions What is the most common reason film- carefully before you agree to such a deal. Sometimes the commercial benefits will makers fail to sell their films? sway you, and other times it will be the exEither they fail to tell a story, or they fail to clear music posure. rights. Or both.
Does it matter what I shoot my film on?
Absolutely not. The story you’re telling is far more important. Just make sure you are able to deliver your film in the correct format and resolution required by whichever festival or broadcaster you are targeting.
A festival screening allows you to screen your film in front of total strangers. Until you have sat in a screening room full of strangers watching your film you do not really know how the film “plays”.
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World of Shorts - the Sarajevo edition by Daazo.com
photo by Alina Negoiţă
Sarajevo City of Film is a project for the realization of short micro-budget films, created through artistic and technical cooperation between young filmmakers from SouthEastern Europe. All authors are entrants of the last two editions of the Sarajevo Talent Campus, whose work represents the future of regional cinematography. This year four short films were filmed, and are going to be premiered at the 17th Sarajevo Film Festival.
the first 15 minutes of fame Sarajevo city of film
An interview with Ivana Pekušić project manager + 2011 participants on their experience in Sarajevo
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the kick-off of a career in film Talking behind the scenes with Ivana Pekušić manager of the Sarajevo City of Film, one of the most ambitious short film projects from the Balkans photos by Alex Trăilă
What is the main goal of the Sarajevo City of Film Project? To encourage and motivate young film authors from the region of South-Eastern Europe to collaborate and to enable the shooting of films that would be a quality reference for their further work. This year you have chosen 4 projects for realization. What were the selection criteria? A good story and the possibility to shoot that story within 3 shooting days, with a micro budget at disposal. Were there any connection between the various projects or did every team work on its own? The main connection, of course, is the city of Sarajevo where all the films were produced at the same time. Every team had maximum 3 days for the shooting, worked with the same production team, same equipment and had the same budget on disposal. Do you have a favourite project of this year’s entries? Every film is different and has its merit, but being included in the production process as well as in the process of organising the project itself (from the call for entries to the distribution of the films) doesn’t leave me too much room for an objective perspective of the films. I don’t have a favourite project but I honestly believe that each of those 4 films will find its audience.
World of Shorts - the Sarajevo edition by Daazo.com
The SCF brings together talents from South-Eastern Europe. Did any of the previous co-operations have a follow-up? There are some co-operations that started during the Talent Campus or the Sarajevo City of Film and continued afterwards. For example, Nives Zemba from Croatia and Dženan Medanović from Bosnia and Herzegovina are currently developing a feature documentary that is supposed to start shooting in September. Nives and Dženan met during the Sarajevo City of Film 2010 where Nives participated in the project as a producer and Dženan was one of the scriptwriters of the film Frigidance (Frigidance, 2010, dir: Kelmend Karuni).
sarajevo city of film special
The Sarajevo City of Film Project is somewhere in between film school training and the “real” film industry. Do you plan to serve as a first step for young talents? Yes and No. Yes - for those who aren’t experienced in working in professional conditions and aren’t used to have a complete production team at their disposal. No - for those who have already had that experience. These authors recognise the challenge of making a quality film by accepting all requirements this project has (working with an international crew, with a limited budget and having a maximum of 3 shooting days). Whether or not authors have already experienced professional filmmaking, the Sarajevo City of Film serves them as a training and networking platform.
The SCF is a follow-up to the Sarajevo Talent Campus. Is there a similar relationship between the SCF and the Competition programme? Have you already had SCF alumni presenting their films at the festival? We have had SCF alumni in different festival sections and programs. Sonja Tarokić who directed “Smart Girls” (Pametnice, 2010, co-dir.: Hana Jušić) is a director of the film Red (Crveno, 2010) which was selected for the Short Competition Programme of the 16th Sarajevo Film Festival. The same year, another participant of the SCF project, Dane Komljen - who directed the film Bodily Function (Tjelesna funkcija, 2011) - had his film “I Already Am Everything I Want To Have” (Ja vec jesam sve ono što želim da imam, 2010) at the same competition programme. We also have some participants who started to develop their first scripts for feature films and got into selection for the Cinelink programme (Sarajevo Film Festival coproduction market): Karoly Ujj-Meszaros who directed “Alena’s Journey” (Alenino putovanje, 2008) as a part of SCF 2008 and Nikola Ljuca who directed the film “Scenes with Women” (Scene sa ženama, 2011) as a part of this year’s edition of the SCF.
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Tell us a success story of the SCF Project! 64 Talent Campus Alumni, 18 shorts produced in 4 years, over 100 world festivals (including the International Film Festival Rotterdam, where “Liberation in 26 Pictures” (Oslobođenje u 26 slika, 2009, dir.: Marko Škobalj and Ivan Ramljak ) was screened, and 10 awards.
In the industry, short films are a bit on the side, mainly because of financial reasons. Do you think it is possible to make money with short films? Since there is no theatrical distribution for short films developed yet, for now, I don’t think it is possible to make money with short films. But I believe in securing money for subsequent feature films by making good and quality short films. If there is a successful short which helps the author to present him- or herself as a good and creative director, then it will be easier for him/her to get the funding for a feature film, and then, with the feature film, there is a possibility of making some money.
What do you think about the relationship between short films and the Internet? I think this connection is natural considering the fact that beside film festivals there is rarely any other time or place where you can see short films. With short films on the Internet you have the access to a huge archive of great films, which is very valuable both for film professionals and short film fans.
What was the selection criteria? A good story and the possibility of shooting that story within 3 shooting days.
World of Shorts - the Sarajevo edition by Daazo.com
click to play watch the sarajevo city of film collection. online now on daazo.com
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sarajevo city of film 2011 participants on their experience World of Shorts - the Sarajevo edition by Daazo.com
sarajevo city of film special
An international team
The main concept of the Sarajevo City of Film is to bring together young film professionals from a variety of South-Eastern European countries, including Romania, Hungary, Greece, Turkey and all the former Yugoslavian countries to work together on projects. Every year 4 directors and 4 producers are chosen to participate and are supported to realize their film proposals. This means that the Sarajevo City of Film finances the production and provides a crew of local professionals in Sarajevo. The realized projects are presented at the Sarajevo Film Festival and are sent to several other festivals. The director is supported to invite two members of the crew from his/her home country and an actor or a screenplay writer from the members of the Talent Campus. Just like many others, I invited a cinematographer, Dani Bálint and an editor, Béla Barsi from my home country. The actress playing the main character, Eszter Tompa, was a participant of the Campus, and all the other members of the crew were provided by the programme from Sarajevo. So, finally, a multilingual crew was brought together and its members more or less worked together for the first time. In addition to this, we had quite a short time to shoot the film. It also made things harder that we had to face serious shortcomings in both the technical equipment and in the production section. Still, all in all this was a very exciting and challenging experience for me, and I met a lot of people with whom it was great to work with.
visual stories
I was told that its strength was that it was very visual. Actually, I only found out about this open call in the last minute. And fortunately it was about the same time that I came upon this book that I hadn’t seen for years. The funny thing is that I picked the same book at the entrance examinations of the university when I was asked to choose a book that I would make an adaptation of. But then I forgot about it for some time. And it seems like it turned up in just the right moment because it was chosen for the City of Film.
-Nóra Lakos, director, Hungary
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World of Shorts - the Sarajevo edition by Daazo.com
sarajevo city of film special
Thoughts on shooting at SCF
I was working with a crew who was really aware of the story and what we were trying to do. It is what a director needs most in order to realize his dream. The smiles on their friendly faces and their professionalism are what I will always remember from our set. Regarding the production, we had some restrictions but the producers were trying to do their best to provide everything we needed. We had some problems before or during production but what I liked most was how we solved the problems as a team. I always felt the generous support of the SCF with me: their producers and coordinators were frequently visiting us and asking if we were happy with everything.
Funny things
For the driving scene with Imam’s green truck we had a very long way to drive from the beginning to the end of a road. There was no room in the back of the truck for me so I was waiting at the end of the road. Senad and Adnan were repeating the scene because the road was long enough to take the scene 6 times. They had a dialogue in that scene. After we had taken the scene, I watched the takes. I saw the first take and felt that something was wrong. But what? At first, I couldn’t put my finger on it. Then I realized that I understood what they were saying to each other! I wasn’t supposed to, because I don’t speak Bosnian. We were shooting the film in Bosnian but Senad and Adnan wanted to make a joke to me and had the first take of that scene in English. I turned back smiling to Senad and Adnan and they, with the whole crew, were all watching me behind on the edge of a big laugh. We had five other perfect takes in Bosnian. We deserved to smile.
-Cenk Erturk, director, Turkey
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there were moments in which in the same room 4 languages were spoken World of Shorts - the Sarajevo edition by Daazo.com
sarajevo city of film special
On the beginnings
I attended the Sarajevo Talent Campus 2010 edition, where the SCF project was presented. I thought that it would be a great opportunity for me to apply as an emerging producer. I have always been curious about the criteria for selecting the participants! Even though I shared an office with the people who did the selection for almost two months, I think I never asked this question. Maybe I will do it during the festival period.
A team of producers
In the beginning we all worked together on each of the projects, and some of the responsibilities were spread among the three of us during pre-production, but we were all updated. After a while, however, the need for us to focus on one project was a must. As we shot the four movies one after another, sometimes with only one day’s break between them, and we shared almost the whole team for all four projects, it was necessary to have people who were dedicated to only one project, and that was us producers. But we acted as a team, and always helped each other. We always talked - if not in the office, then during the evening in our apartment. I was the first to finish with the shooting, so I took part in all the other shootings as well. But even though Davorka (Davorka Begovic - Croatia) and Vlade (Vlade Bulajic - Slovenia) had to prepare their shootings, they were there on my first day of shooting, early in the morning on the set, to share that first energy impulse so that everything would be finished fine in the end.
What it all meant
First of all it, was a great experience to work with such a big and diverse team of people, and to live together for almost two months, sharing an apartment and also a project. And it would be great if we could make other projects together, even though the circumstances would be different. It is a wonderful opportunity for a young producer to get to shoot, finish and present four shorts in professional conditions in only six months. That, together with a screening during one of the most important European film festivals, with such a large audience, and with such important professionals being present is more than any beginning producer could wish for.
-Alex Trăilă, producer, Romania
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Shortz TV! say it right
less time for long stories World of Shorts - the Sarajevo edition by Daazo.com
photo by Diana Gândilă
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We all love a good story. And the ability to effectively communicate these stories through various media is the bedrock of the modern entertainment beast that accounts for more than €2 trillion of global spending. Of this, films account for the lion’s share and have been the primary method of escapism for audiences worldwide for over 100 years now.
Though they have been no help in the campaign against the popularity of the feature length, the advances in technology have helped make it easier for creatives to share their content, ideas and talents with the world on platforms like Youtube and Daazo. As Holger Sprengel, Project Manager of Shortz! ( www. shortz-tv.com) explains, “Short films are a way for young, emerging directors to get their foot in the door and use their product as a calling card.”
But with the Internet revolution, the availability of smallscale consumer electronics and enhanced sharing platforms, the modern box office is competing with an entirely new crew of filmmakers and storytellers. We live in an age where a 3 minute, user generated clip on YouTube can rival any feature length film for popularity. In the middle of these two polar reels is the short film industry. Many of these short film directors have gone on to win some of film’s most By no means a new player in the storytelling arena; short prestigious awards for their time-confilms were, in the early days of Hollywood, the only films strained movies. One of the platforms around with a cinema feature lasting about 20 minutes. Fast being used by filmmakers, audiences forward to the present day and a 60 second short film con- and festivals alike is Apps, which has stitutes its own festival. Short films have always been a niche recently seen a huge rise in popularity. market since the rise of the feature length film. Even fast- The app is quickly becoming the preer Internet speeds or the variety of new platforms such as ferred channel for users to interact with mobile video sharing sites and VOD portals have not been content on the web. able to take short films in the viral direction. But with the increased pace of life, short films are experiencing somewhat Apps like Daazo and Shortz! are bringof a rebrand with the help of mobile devices. ing short films to tablets and smartWith the decline in traditional appointment viewing of films phones across the globe and engaging due to the busy and complicated schedules that dictate the new audiences and festivals than ever lives of the potential audiences, the eyes and ears of the tra- before. ditional feature audiences have shifted to the Internet and mobile.
We live in an age where a 3 minute, user generated clip on YouTube can rival any feature length film for popularity. In the middle of these two polar reels is the short film industry.
World of Shorts - the Sarajevo edition by Daazo.com
shortz! tv say it right
But, as the average Internet filmmaker’s quest for the elusive ‘viral hit’ becomes less and less possible, some of the challenges related to the short film industry become apparent. Being a small independent player on the VOD market, as opposed to being integrated into an operator portal, means limited access to funds for marketing and publicity, which results in an even more limited audience size. But if the initial challenges of audience hunting and funding are overcome, success on the international short film platform is as lucrative, and provides a platform of similar size to that of, features.
With the revolutions in mobile devices and personal tablets, the silver screen seems to be shrinking. Along with size, the big question for those of us who enjoy our dose of shorts is: will it be enough to catapult short films from their artistic shell into mainstream entertainment for good? Only time will tell… haste is necessary though, next screening is in 5… and again in 10.
photo by Vlad Bîrdu
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World of Shorts - the Sarajevo edition by Daazo.com
sarajevo film festival the short film competition This year, over 250 films were considered for the Sarajevo Film Festival Competition Programme. The 2011 Short Competition Programme brings a diverse and powerful line-up of 11 films from Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Turkey, Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Seven films are short fiction works, while the three are animated films. This year’s programme is hosting young filmmakers, some of whom are first-time filmmakers, and some already experienced filmmakers of short or feature-length forms.
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mapping your mind directors from the sarajevo short film selection draw a sketch of their films
World of Shorts - the Sarajevo edition by Daazo.com
to better illustrate the relationship between directors and their films, we put their creativity to the test. using a pencil and a piece of paper, they were asked to spontaneously draw something about their film. a symbol, a landscape, the main character’s dreams or phobias. no drawing skills required. fresh and raw, out of their minds. turn the page to see what happened.
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World of Shorts - the Sarajevo edition by Daazo.com
Veljko Popović DOVE SEI, AMOR MIO A nice old lady is living a lonesome life, filled with small rituals and melancholic memories about some better days. Still, there’s something strange about her... The power of denial and fear of change keep the old lady trapped in her worst nightmares until suddenly a long-kept secret emerges and the old lady can’t escape it anymore.
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World of Shorts - the Sarajevo edition by Daazo.com
Virág Zomborácz SOMETHING BLUE Alice and Mary were classmates in the county town highschool. After graduation, they separated: Mary went to college, while Alice fell in love and stayed in the grange. They meet again at Alice’s wedding, but Alice receives her friend reservedly: she reckons herself a victim, and Mary as the symbol of the life she has been deprived of.
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World of Shorts - the Sarajevo edition by Daazo.com
Nadejda Koseva TAKE TWO In a small Bulgarian town, in the unfinished house, Maria is waiting for her husband. This is the day he returns home after several months of hard work abroad. But he is late. Very late. Maybe too late‌
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World of Shorts - the Sarajevo edition by Daazo.com
Martin Turk THE THINGS WE’VE NEVER DONE TOGETHER Klara visits a woman, who doesn’t want to see her. The woman allows Klara to enter in the apartment, but she tries to ignore Klara’s presence.
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World of Shorts - the Sarajevo edition by Daazo.com
Hßseyin Karabey No Darkness Will Make Us Forget A black and white animation about Hrant Dink, the Armenian journalist killed by a Muslim nationalist in Istanbul in 2007. His wife’s speech at the funeral became a manifesto of peace and tolerance between Muslims and Christians.
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World of Shorts - the Sarajevo edition by Daazo.com
Bla탑 R. Kutin WARM FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR Tibor is sitting alone outside a bar. After a while he runs out of cigarettes, but the nearby tobacco stand is closed. He heads on and does not stop walking.
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World of Shorts - the Sarajevo edition by Daazo.com
Attila Till BEAST Istvรกn Balogh is a pennyless farmer who has total control over his wife, family and slave. He does all it takes to guard the family image created by the rigid traditions in his farm in rural Hungary. The characters meet their tragic fate through their close but at the same time extreme relationships. The film has been inspired by articles, news items and memories of people who have survived such situations.
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the romanian connection World of Shorts - the Sarajevo edition by Daazo.com
For the #2 edition of World of Shorts we decided to approach things in a different way, visually speaking. We asked 8 Romanian photographers to illustrate our magazine. We wanted good and meaningful photographs that also give a chance for their authors to enlarge their playground. Here’s a big thank you to them, the 8 Romanian photographers who illustrated World of Shorts #2, the Sarajevo edition.
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Vlad Bîrdu vladbirdu.com
Diana Gândilă
aduceriamintesistele.wordpress.com
Alina Negoiţă
callitcreativefreedom.blogspot.com
Adela Lupu adelalupu.tumblr.com
Alina Manolache flickr.com/photos/fluu
Alex Trăilă steppenwolf.ro
Cornelia Gaie
awakeonacloud.tumblr.com
World of Shorts - the Sarajevo edition by Daazo.com
thank you 71
Editors in Chief: Zoltán Áprily, Dániel Deák Managing Editor: Kata Fodor Art Director: Cristina Groşan Contributors: Zsuzsanna Deák, Rozi Szeleczki Guest photographers: Diana Gândilă, Adela Lupu, Alina Manolache, Vlad Bîrdu, Alina Negoiţă, Cornelia Gaie, Alex Trăilă We would like to give special thanks to Asja Makarević, Ivana Pekušić, Alex Trăilă, Károly Ujj-Mészáros, Elliot Grove & Raindance.
the
“World of Shorts” - The Sarajevo Edition “World of Shorts” is an online magazine published by Daazo.com - European Short Film Centre Published in July, 2011. All photographs are curtesy of the filmmakers, interviewed subjects and photographers. Cover photograph by Diana Gândilă.
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World of Shorts - the Sarajevo edition by Daazo.com