Aesthetica Short Film Festival

BAFTA Qualifying Aesthetica Short Film Festival
Aesthetica Short Film Festival Collage 2013
Status	Active
Genre	film festival
Date(s)	Four days, beginning of November
Frequency	Annually
Venue	Various, across York
Location(s)	York
Country	UK
Inaugurated	2011 (2011)
Website
http://www.asff.co.uk

The BAFTA Qualifying Aesthetica Short Film Festival (ASFF) is an international film festival which takes place annually in York, UK, at the beginning of November. The festival is a celebration of independent short film from around the world, and an outlet for supporting and championing short filmmaking.^[1] The programme includes film screenings, industry masterclasses, hosted networking sessions and panel discussions.^[2] One of the UK's most exciting site-specific events, ASFF showcases over 300 international films from emerging and established filmmakers in various venues across the city of York.^[3] Hosted by Aesthetica,^[4] the festival is supported by York St John University, the City of York Council, Arts Council England and the British Film Institute.^[5]

The event, which lasts four days, attracts thousands of entries each year and is now in its sixth edition.^[6] It is a BATFA Qualifying film festival.^[7]

History

The BAFTA Qualifying Aesthetica Short Film Festival (ASFF) is hosted by Aesthetica. Founded in 2002, Aesthetica is a British art and culture magazine.^[8] Launched in 2010, initially as the Aesthetica Short Film Competition,^[9] winning films were included on a DVD released with the December/ January edition of the magazine. The competition received a significant amount of entries, and it developed into the Aesthetica Short Film Festival.

2011

The first Aesthetica Short Film Festival took place in 2011.^[10] The festival brought to the city of York filmmakers and audiences attending from locations as diverse as South Africa, New Zealand, the USA and from across Europe.^[11]

Among those delivering masterclasses were Mark Herman (Screenwriter, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas), Ivana Mackinnon (Executive Producer, Slumdog Millionaire) and the Senior Commissioner for Channel 4.^[12] Alongside screenings, there were panel discussions and special events such as Meet the Filmmakers, which provided an opportunity for filmmakers to network with each other and audiences alike.

Spanning 15 venues, ASFF 2011 saw audiences moving around the city uniting festival attendees in an appreciation of high calibre filmmaking talent.^[13] The festival established itself as a major contributor to the UK film festival circuit.^[14]

2012

ASFF 2012 built upon the success of the inaugural event with even more films and speakers. Continuing its drive to champion the art of short filmmaking, the 2012 festival screened 200 films from 25 countries across 15 different locations, all within the scenic Bar Walls of York.^[15]

Masterclasses were held by key industry figures such as Danny Cohen (BAFTA nominated cinematographer of The King’s Speech, The Boat That Rocked and Glorious 39), Barry Ryan the head of Warp Films (Dead Man’s Shoes, Four Lions, This is England and Submarine) and Matt Greenhalgh (BAFTA winning screenwriter of Control and Nowhere Boy).^[16] Alongside screenings, there were panel discussions, special events and parties.

In its second year, ASFF established itself as one of the UK's most promising new film festivals and created new audiences within its locality.^[17][18]

2013

The 2013 festival screened 300 films from 36 countries across 15 iconic locations spanning York’s historic and contemporary spaces.^[19] ASFF 2013 transformed York into a hive of activity with filmmakers visiting from around the world.^[20][21] Saera Jin, director of the comedy Konnichiwa Brick Lane, travelled from Tokyo, Japan; filmmakers also attended from Los Angeles, Kuwait, Israel, Canada, Norway, Sweden, France and Belgium amongst other places.^[22]

Meet the Filmmakers panellist Curt Apduhan gave an exclusive insight into the making of his drama Anniversary and discussed cinematography and the power of film as a narrative medium. Manjinder Virk took home the Festival Winner award at the closing night of ASFF 2013 for her acclaimed short Out of Darkness, which the Observer’s Chief Film Critic Mark Kermode has described as “intriguing and thought provoking.”^[23][24]

The festival presented a number of events, including a dynamic series of masterclasses from Joakim Sundström (Seven Psychopaths) and BAFTA on Sound Editing, Craig McNeil from Beggars Group on Music Video, Warp Films, Film4, Channel 4, Alice Lowe on Screenwriting (Sightseers, Hot Fuzz and Kill List) and more.^[25] There were also special programmes from BAFTA, Yorkshire Film Archive, and Screen Bandita, as well as the guest countries India, Mexico and Kuwait, turning the city into a cinema.^[26]

2014

ASFF received BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) Qualifying status in 2014.^[27] The festival was also awarded Festival of the Year by York Press.^[28]

The festival attracted 18,000 admissions and over 300 films from 40 countries worldwide were screened.^[29] Notable films include Alan Holly's Coda, shortlisted for the 87th Academy Awards and nominated for the 42nd Annual Annie Awards, starring Brian Gleeson and Orla Fitgerald.^[30] Actors starring in some of the short films also included Adeel Akhtar, Hugo Weaving, Maxine Peake and model Lily Cole.

The festival also included guest programmes from Creative England iShorts, Yorkshire Film Archive, Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival, Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur and international cinema from the featured countries Iraq, Lebanon and Japan.^[31]

The festival continued to showcase films in all genres including: animation, artists’ film, comedy, documentary, drama, experimental, music video, thriller and a family friendly programme.^[32] It also expanded its programme to include fashion and advertising, offering an opportunity to experience the creative output from these sectors while exploring career opportunities for filmmakers in commercials and brand promotion.^[33][34]

ASFF’s fashion film strand was supported by London College of Fashion.^[35] The festival screened films from brands such as Vivienne Westwood, Swarovski, Louis Vuitton, Trager Delaney, Topshop, River Island, Karen Millen, Triwa watches and Hub Footwear.^[36]

New events included Meet the Film Festivals, which created a place for filmmakers to network with programmers from across the world. Festivals in attendance included Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival; Raindance; London Short Film Festival; Edinburgh International Film Festival; Garden State Film Festival, USA; Internationale Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen and Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia.^[37]

2015

The Aesthetica Short Film Festival celebrated its fifth anniversary in 2015. The festival ran from 5 to 8 November across 15 venues around the city of York and attached 20,000 admissions.^[38][39]

The festival welcomed acclaimed industry figures for its masterclass series, including BAFTA winning Warp Films’ Head of Production Barry Ryan (’71, Berberian Sound Studio, Four Lions and This is England); Stephen Whelan, Executive Producer and founder at White Lodge; and Price James, who worked previously at Ridley Scott Associates and is now a director at BAFTA winning production company Agile Films. Organisations also included Association of Camera Operators, Rankin Film, Shooting People, National Theatre, British Society of Cinematographers, Studio AKA, Channel 4, Framestore and more.

The festival screened over 300 films in all genres: advertising, animation, artists’ film, comedy, dance, documentary, drama, experimental, fashion, music video and thriller plus Creative England's iShorts premiere screening and guest programmes from the featured countries Cuba, China and Brazil.^[40]

ASFF 2015 also hosted the festival's first Videotheque enabling festival goers the opportunity to watch all films from the Official Selection at Explore York, York's city centre library.^[41]

The winners from each category, plus Best of Fest, People's Choice Award and York Youth Vote were announced at the ASFF Awards Ceremony on Sunday 8 November.^[42]

2016

ASFF 2016 ran 3 from 6 November 2016 and took place in 18 venues across the city of York. The schedule of events included a new daily Morning Coffee hour at According to McGee art gallery, which presented an opportunity for filmmakers in the Official Selection to join a panel and discuss best practice. There were Showcase Screenings curated by cultural organisations throughout the UK, including London College of Fashion University of the Arts London, Plymouth College of Art, University of York, the Northern Film School at Leeds Beckett University, Creative England and Northern Ireland Screen among others.^[43] ASFF teamed up with the Northern Film School at Leeds Beckett University to present a new award for 2016, celebrating best screenplay in the Official Selection.^[44]

The masterclasses were led by industry representatives from organisations such as the BBC, Industrial Light & Magic, Jagex and more. BBC Commissioning Editor, Kristian Smith, joined writer of Raised by Wolves Caroline Moran to discuss development and pitching, while actress and writer Alice Lowe (World’s End, Sightseers) spoke about how to bring a character to life.

The Jury of industry professionals who selected the winners included representatives from BAFTA, Edinburgh International Film Festival and Encounters Film Festival.^[45]

2017

The seventh edition of ASFF will take place in York from 9 to 12 November. It will screen films in 18 venues across the city, and will present a masterclass programme, networking sessions, special events and showcase screenings.

Aesthetica Magazine

Founded in 2002, Aesthetica is a British art and culture magazine that is published bi-monthly. The magazine covers photography, visual art, music, film and theatre. It features the latest news, exhibitions, reviews, and interviews. Artists previously covered include Steve McQueen, Martin Creed, Henri Cartier-Bresson and Ernesto Neto among many others. Aesthetica has a print, digital and social media readership of over 284,000 and national and international distribution.^[46]

Format

The Aesthetica Short Film Festival runs for four days at the beginning of November every year. It takes place in York across various venues within the city centre. These include cinemas, museums, galleries and theatres, offering a rare chance to see exceptional contemporary cinema while exploring York’s most iconic locations.^[47]

The Opening Night takes place on the first evening after a day of screenings. The second day sees the majority of masterclasses take place, alongside screenings and the Meet the Film Festivals Event. The final masterclasses take place on the third day, alongside screenings followed by the Meet the Filmmakers special screening and panel discussion. On the fourth day, the final screenings take place and the event closes with the Awards Ceremony. Awards are given out for Festival Winner, People's Choice, Best in Category and York Youth Vote.^[48] Networking, special screenings and parties run throughout the festival.

ASFF provides a place for industry, filmmakers and audiences to connect. Industry events include masterclasses, Meet the Film Festivals, hosted networking sessions and Meet the Filmmakers.^[49]

Guest Programmes

The festival showcases guest programmes from leading international film organisations. Guest programmes have been presented by BAFTA, Warp, Creative England, Screen Bandita, the Yorkshire Film Archive, Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival and Kurzfilmtage Winterthur. Featured countries have included Kuwait, Mexico, India, Japan, Iraq and Lebanon, showcasing global contemporary cinema.^[50] The 2016 Special Showcase Screenings programme focuses on emerging filmmaking, ranging from Creative England’s iShorts programme to fresh projects from the country’s leading universities and colleges.^[51]

Call for Entries

The Aesthetica Short Film Festival opens for entries in December and closes on 31 May. ASFF welcomes film submissions from emerging and established filmmakers from around the world. ASFF accepts films with a maximum running time of 30 minutes in all genres, including: advertising, animation, artists’ film, comedy, documentary, drama, experimental, fashion, music video and thriller.^[52]

Awards

2011 Winners

2012 Winners

2013 Winners

2014 Winners

2015 Winners

2016 Winners

References

External links

• Aesthetica Short Film Festival Website
• ASFF 2014 Programme