Balkans Beyond Borders (BBB) announces the opening of the submissions period for the 12th edition of Balkans Beyond Borders Short Film Festival. This year we get and give inspiration from the topic: Skin to (Screen to) Skin.
We invite young filmmakers to get inspired by this year’s topic and send their film until the 20 of May. We accept all film genres (fiction, animation, experimental and documentary shorts, as well as digital arts) with duration up to 30 minutes. Eligible submissions are a) those from filmmakers up to 35 years old or older than 35 under the condition that their submitted film is their debut b) with their origin from a Balkan country or/and their film to be a Balkan production and c) connected to the festival’s topic. This year we build upon the title: Skin to (Screen to) Skin taking inspiration by the connection and the disconnection we faced during the pandemic of 2020 which broke for some the global life, but made us realise more than ever our common heritage and ourcommon vulnerability. In 2020 we experienced loneliness, suffocation, isolation. We lost touch and we lost the beauty of reading the lips. It definitely was all about image. We invented numerous ways to get re-connected and technology was the key in eliminating this physical distance. Was it enough? In 2021 we won’t go back to globality as we used to know it but we want to reconnect with our origins, the land, the nature and our senses.
All short film submissions will go through our pre-selection committee which consists of young professionals from the film industry ensuring a strong quality programme which will cover all aspects of this year’s theme.The finalJury Team consistingof well-known professionals from the film industry will give the BBB BEST FILM award which gets1000 eurosas well as the BBB FIRST ENTRY awardand threeSpecial Mentions. Last but not least the audience will vote for their favourite film selecting the winner of the BBB Audience Award.
“Balkans Beyond Borders Short Film Festival” is the only Festival that travels every year in a different city, and it is one of the very few short film festivals focusing on the Balkan countries. It provides the ground for building bridges between various actors and supporting the interaction of the new generation of artists and various institutions that the Balkan cultural industry can be promoted at a European level. It is also a unique festival because every year it has a different inspirational topic raising awareness on contemporary issues and trends of the time in order to strengthen the dialogue and the knowledge about the region. After visiting10 different cities in the Balkans and the EU, featuring over 450 Balkan and over 260 non-Balkan short films,inviting more than 150 participating directors, guest speakers, BBB Ambassadors and local partners in every city the BBB Short Film Festival is ahub for productive networking and cooperation amongthe region’s stakeholders. Next destination will be Pristina, Kosovo where we are going to expand the BBBgrowing community of artists, researchers, journalists, and partnersin the region.
More information regarding the application process: http://www.balkansbeyondborders.eu
