Short Waves Festival 2023
The Short Waves Festival 2023 will take place in Poznań from November 14 to 19, and online from November 20 to 30.
The 15th edition of the festival creates a multi-threaded story arising from the need for reconstruction and transformation, in which we can all have an impact. We want to be open to the changes we observe and, in line with the motto “Rethink/Rebuild” rethink how film, audiovisual art, and culture can be their carriers. The program focuses on creativity from various perspectives, unafraid to address important contemporary themes and confront us with the ever-transforming reality.
We invite everyone to participate in over fifty film, music, and interdisciplinary events, live podcasts, Q&A sessions, and events at the festival club, which will take place in cinemas and cultural institutions in Poznań, and beyond.
OFFICIAL FESTIVAL PROGRAM
Four competition sections:
The main competition presents the widest spectrum of short films in terms of genre, geographical, narrative and visual choice. Topic or form are not subject to regulations. The aim of the competition is to create a diverse program that will present a fresh look at contemporary cinema, authenticity of the content and distinctive and original film language.
Polish Competition is intended exclusively for Polish co-productions and productions, merged from previous Short Waves Festival’s competitions: Polish and Polish Film Experimental Competition. It aims to present a panorama of the latest short film forms by Polish artists, not limited to any film genres. The competition will include projects not exclusively from the film world, but also from the artistic field. Important factors in the final selection are the innovative film language, a blend of various forms of expression, and interesting subject matter. The winner of the Polish Competition is automatically nominated for the European Short Film Audience Award and the film is presented in the competition program reaching ten prestigious film festivals in Europe, including Finland, Belgium, Portugal and Spain and many more.
Moves is an international competition for films whose narrative is embedded in the broadly understood language of movement. This is a new, interdisciplinary competition, created from the evolution of the Dances with Camera competition organized for eight years at the Short Waves Festival. Extending the theme of the competition to various forms of movement is a response to changes in the work of artists who combine film and dance, and clearly deal with topics that are more socially and politically involved, but also use film as a method of illustrating the phenomenon of movement, which can be created not only by the human body.
RAW is a brand new Short Waves Festival section dedicated to films that go beyond the boundaries of cinematic conventions, seeking styles, techniques, and storytelling methods that audiences have not encountered before. It is a competition for filmmakers who aspire to break the rules on their own terms, to show that the world of short films is a space for innovation and courage.