Let’s Talk About the Cannes Short Film Corner

Last week I came across two very interesting posts by directors discussing their experience at the Cannes Short Film Corner, one of them by Tesín Marquez, a Spanish director who published in Revista Sala 1:
Cannes, Texas or the survival guide for first-timers at the Cannes Short Film Corner (part 1)
http://revistasala1.com/?p=7960

and another post in English from a blog dedicated to the subject:
Why the Cannes Short Film Corner is not important
https://yourenotincannesanymore.wordpress.com/2016/05/26/why-the-cannes-short-film-corner-is-not-important/

Both address the problem of considering the Short Film Corner as a “selection” at Cannes, a problem that has been growing increasingly, and which this year has been particularly serious, as the media presence of short films registered in the Short Film Corner appears to have been greater than the international competition, where this year a Spanish short film participated, Timecode, which ultimately won the Palme d’Or.

My relationship with the Short Film Corner began in 2006 when we registered Madrid en corto, and in 2009 we presented the new catalogue with a screening at the market. For us, being at the Short Film Corner works very well, in the same way that we attend the Clermont-Ferrand Market and the now-defunct Cinema Jove Market and Curtocircuito Market. Presenting a catalogue at a market allows it to be made known to festival programmers, without it constituting an international premiere, as it is not a competition, and access to the short films is exclusively for accredited professionals.

Over these years I have noticed how gradually directors who registered in the Short Film Corner would then say “my short film has been at Cannes” (implying that it was selected), and others would place the Short Film Corner logo at the beginning as if it were a mark of quality, and was selected in another section of the festival.

These cases have always seemed anecdotal to me, and of no great importance, as everyone in the industry seemed to have it clear, but this year in my annual meeting with the market coordinator, she conveyed to me the concern they have about how registration is communicated, and the growing confusion with a selection in the festival. The matter appears to be getting serious.

So… What is the Cannes Short Film Corner?
Although it is explained very well in the posts I mention, it does not hurt to repeat it. It is a short film market within the Cannes Market. The structure is very different from Clermont-Ferrand, as there are no stands. The short films are on a viewing platform for professionals, and screenings can be arranged to invite programmers and distributors. To enter the market you only need to pay the registration fee of approximately €85 and the organizers reserve the right to reject some registrations if the short films do not meet a minimum quality standard, but it is not, by any means, a selection.

Being at the Short Film Corner has its advantages and can indeed help short film directors and producers:

  • Registration includes two passes to the Cannes Market, which is very good, but has quite a few limitations compared to professional accreditation (around €300)
  • Complimentary access to the Cinando platform, where all the contacts of the companies attending the market are located.
  • Attend activities and professional presentations.
  • Access to the Video Digital Library, and have your short film available to accredited programmers and distributors.
  • Possibility of booking a room and organizing a screening for market attendees.
  • In short, networking and getting to know a market from the inside.

This year they received 2,420 registrations. The problem arises when it is confused with “selection” in a section of the Cannes Festival. I also find it very curious that there are directors who do not know until the last minute that their short film is registered, when a registration fee must be paid, which is not cheap.

This year there have been some cases to make us reflect:

Example of an announcement for viewing a short film. “world premiere” and with the Short Film Corner logo alongside that of a festival.

  • Messages on Facebook and other social networks: “traveling to Cannes to present my short film”, “participating in Cannes”, etc. that lead to confusion.

In short, we need to be clear about where we are going when we register in the Short Film Corner, especially because there is a risk of making fools of ourselves in front of festival programmers, if we believe we are “selected”.

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