The 2008 DC Shorts Film Festival, which is being held Sept. 11 - 18, is in its fifth year and is continuing to gain popularity with a fan base that continues to grow.
"We have an international reputation among filmmakers so that helps a lot, and filmmakers who came to the festival in the past heavily talk it up to other filmmakers," says John Gann, the DC Shorts Film Festival Founder. "The first year we had 70 submissions and we showed 30 films. This year we had 600 something and we're showing 103 films, so it has grown quite a bit."
Gann, a filmmaker himself, created the festival after realizing his dissatisfaction with the film industry.
"I had just finished traveling around the world going to festivals with a film of mine, and I was pretty disgusted at how filmmakers were treated at festivals," Gann said. "So when I came back to D.C. I decided I was going to make a festival that's going to be about filmmakers and films and people." For the DC Shorts Film Festival, a committee of film directors and festival volunteers reviewed the 650 film submissions received over a six-month period from December to May.
Then, over the course of the film festival week, the chosen 103 short films will be shown and reviewed by audience members using a phone-based ballot system, making the DC Shorts Film Festival the first festival to capitalize on the technology.
"I thought [the phone-based ballot system] was good for a lot of reasons. A, it helps us calculate votes much faster. B, it allows the filmmakers to leave a message about their films and audience members can actually call in and people can leave a message for the filmmaker so they actually get feedback from audience members," Gann said.
The festival is a great opportunity for aspiring directors and highlights the creativity and cultural life in a city that is widely known for its politics.
"We have quite a few first time directors in the festival this year. I would say probably a quarter of the films are from first time directors. We also have 13 local films. It's important to us to show films that are made locally to show what we can do as a community," Gann said.
Many students recognize the opportunity film festivals offer aspiring directors.
"I feel as though film festivals help aspiring directors by providing them with a place to display what they have to add to the tapestry of creative talent that we have here in DC and throughout the world," said sophomore Agnes Erskine, Radio, TV and Film major.
"It also gives [directors] a chance to view the works of their fellow aspiring directors. It's a great opportunity to set a foundation for making names for themselves," Erskine adds.
Britany Rickett, a sophomore film production major, intends to take advantage of the entry-level experience provided by film festivals by participating in events like the 2009 Filmfest DC. "I will be volunteering for the event just to get a better feel for what kind of material I need to bring to compete with the international market," she says.
Rickett acknowledges the exclusivity of the film industry and feels film festivals may provide directors a competitive advantage.
"This industry is so hard to break into especially if you are trying to go against the trends, so being able to have your film viewed in a real theatre is the opportunity of a lifetime. You never know who will be in attendance or who will be able to give you that big break."
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