From April 1 on, the four short film festivals Go Short (NL), International Short Film Festival Oberhausen (DE), Vienna Shorts (AT) and Short Waves (PL) will provide one access to their four online events and also host original content: The platform THIS IS SHORT will present a series of jointly curated programs including an exceptional novelty: the film competition NEW POINT OF VIEW, organized by the four festivals together. Passes for the three-month offering and hundreds of shorts are now available under thisisshort.com.

>I THIS IS SHORT will be active from April 1 to June 30, 2021, and is powered by the European Short Film Network (ESFN), founded in 2018 by the four festivals. Its goal is to provide one access to four film festivals and create a unique online festival experience, providing hundreds of films hand-picked by the programmers of the four events including the new short film competition, videos with interviews and talks as well as the possibility to vote for your favorite films. Starting from March 10, not only cinephiles but all film enthusiasts across the globe can get their pass for only 25 Euros as sales open on Wednesday.

>I THIS IS how it works: Two passes for the full offer

The THIS IS SHORT program is jointly curated by the members of the ESFN and consists of original content, with each film and program available online for specific intervals. Access to the four festivals will be possible on the scheduled dates of their online events: Go Short (April 8 – 25), International Short Film Festival Oberhausen (May 1 – 4), Vienna Shorts (May 27 – June 1) and Short Waves (June 14 – 20).

All films on THIS IS SHORT are shown without regional restrictions and in their original version with subtitles. Individual films may be exempt from this rule. To get full access to the offerings of the film platform and the four festivals, one of two available passes is needed. Both passes allow access to the full range of services over three months.

>I THIS IS the program: Solidarity in six categories

THIS IS SHORT is a direct access to online offerings of the four network festivals, but it’s also so much more: It’s the first time that four festivals joined forces and curated a competition together. Under the title NEW POINT OF VIEW the festivals selected 23 films which appeared particularly suitable for presentation in the online context.

Solidarity is also at the core of the FOUR PERSPECTIVES series, where the four festivals bring together different perspectives on the theme of Solidarity. Together with the competition, these four film programs represent the heart of THIS IS SHORT. Both sections will be subtitled not only in English, but also in German, Dutch and Polish

The original content of the platform is divided into the following six categories:

NEW POINT OF VIEW – The European online competition presents 23 short films under 20 minutes. The films, which were nominated by the ESFN festivals, will be streamed one after the other for 84 hours each, starting April 1. The jury and audience will decide on the three prizes worth a total of 8,000 euros, which will be awarded on June 21.

FOUR PERSPECTIVES – Four perspectives on a topic that is historically charged and, due to the pandemic, more relevant than ever: Solidarity. In four film programs (online for four weeks each), the four festivals address the question of cohesion and a sense of community in times of (socio-)political upheaval.

FESTIVAL WINDOWS – The network’s four festivals have invited nine other renowned film festivals to join forces to open up an insight into the variety and diversity of the European short film and festival landscape. Each of the 13 curated programs will be available for one week.

FILM OF THE DAY – An invitation to revisit early works by well-known directors and discover new talent. More than 90 award-winning films can be found in this program section, which makes former award-winning films from the four festivals accessible for one day each.

EUROPEAN VISIONS – An in-depth look at successful productions from the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Poland, as well as nominees for the European Film Awards. The films are accessible online for several weeks, depending on their legal availability in the respective country.

INSIDERS’ INSIGHTS – Corona restrictions, booming streaming platforms, incentives for green filmmaking, the introduction of gender and diversity criteria: The film industry has been undergoing rapid change recently. Here, industry insiders discuss and provide new insights.

>I THIS IS how to get a pass

Full access to the offerings of THIS IS SHORT and the four festivals can be obtained by purchasing one of two passes, both providing the full range of services over three months, each having its own specific advantages. The passes can be purchased on thisisshort.com, individual tickets for films or programs cannot be purchased.

The THIS IS SHORT PASS for cinephiles and film enthusiasts around the world grants full access to more than 300 short films and 4 film festivals: with new films uploaded every day, carefully curated programs & top-class film selections divided into 6 separate categories, interviews with filmmakers & insights from insiders as well as the opportunity to vote for your favorite films and comment on the programs.

Price: 25 Euros

The THIS IS SHORT INDUSTRY PASS for film professionals grants full access to all the provided short films and the 4 film festivals, but also includes contact details of each selected film, access to the joint video library of Go Short, International Short Film Festival Oberhausen, Vienna Shorts and Short Waves as well as professional content and industry activities on the respective film festivals’ own platforms during their online festival dates.

Price: 30 Euros

>I THIS IS SHORT

The festival portal of the European Short Film Network

From April 1 to June 30, 2021

Website: thisisshort.com

Facebook: @thisisshortcom

Instagram: @this_is_short

Info contact and media enquiries: info@thisisshort.com

Technical support: support@thisisshort.com

THIS IS SHORT is developed in collaboration with ThisWayUp, designed by Uniforma and supported by the Creative Europe Program – MEDIA of the European Union. 

We encourage you to follow the current news from the world of short cinema and Short Waves Festival through our official social media channels:

Facebook / @festivalshortwaves

Instagram / @short_waves

Twitter / @short_waves

YouTube / @shortwavesfestival

Media contact:

Karolina Sienkiewicz | PR and Communication

media@adarte.pl / +48 600 271 634