These days we are finalizing the program for the Short Film Distribution Meeting, which will take place during the 2nd Professional Forum of the Madrid Community Short Film Week. This edition has been moved forward compared to last year; it will take place on Friday, April 13 and Saturday, April 14.
The activities of the fourth edition of the Distribution Meeting are concentrated on Friday afternoon starting at 4:00 PM, packed with many activities and very distinguished guests.
Here is a description of all the activities we have prepared:
Presentation of short films and professionals
The Meeting will begin with the traditional pitching sessions for short films that have not yet begun their distribution or are still in post-production. This activity aims to analyze these projects and propose the best strategy to begin distribution by a committee of experts, both in distribution and festival programming.
Previous editions have featured short films such as Baraka, by Nestor Ruiz Medina, Sputnik, by Vicente Bonet and La Comunión de Nena, a documentary by Juan Vicente Castillejo.
Next will be the professional presentations, where different representatives from platforms, distributors, festivals and other initiatives related to distribution and exhibition will introduce us to their projects.
These two activities will occupy the first part of the afternoon and will allow us to raise initial questions and comments that we can develop throughout the afternoon.
Festival programmers
After the coffee break, some of the highlights of the day will begin. At 6:30 PM Katie Metcalfe, one of the programmers for Sundance, will share the keys to the festival and the short film selection process.
After Katie, at 7:00 PM it will be the turn of Maike Mia Höhne, coordinator of Berlinale Shorts, the main short film section of the Berlinale, where she will also introduce us to the work they do from the programming team. This is one of the most important short film sections of all Class A festivals.
These two sessions can help you greatly if you are currently in post-production on your short film and preparing the distribution strategy for this year. The Sundance call will open in May, shortly after the Meeting. You also have the option to wait for the international or world premiere in Berlin for 2019. The registration deadline is usually in November.
After Sundance and Berlin, we will dedicate one hour to Romania as guest country at 7:30 PM with the presence of Massimiliano Nardulli, one of the European programmers with the most experience in short films. He is currently working for the Timishort Festival, which has just opened its call, the Next International Film Festival and the Tirana Film Festival, which this year has achieved Oscar qualification.
Also participating in this session will be Oana Ghera, co-programmer at Next and at the One World Romania Festival, and Adrian Silisteanu, a Romanian director and cinematographer who is premiering his latest short film at the Week.
The day will end at 8:30 PM with a round table with all the invited programmers: Katie Metcalfe, Maike Mia Höhne, Massimiliano Nardulli, Oana Ghera and also Rowena Schmidt, programmer for the Interfilm Festival Berlin, which this year is also an Oscar qualifier. Among the audience will be invited Spanish festival programmers such as Gijón, Seminci, Abycine, Medina del Campo, Aguilar de Campoo and Cinema Jove.
This final round table will allow us to debate the most important aspects of short film selection at major festivals and become well acquainted with their programming lines. It will also be a unique opportunity for the directors and producers present to ask questions of all the guests.
This round table is one of the activities held in our country that has brought together the most festival programmers at a single event.
Short film screenings
Parallel to these activities, special screenings have been programmed with short films selected at some of these festivals.
Mike Plante, head of programming at Sundance, has prepared a special session of short films selected at the festival. It will take place on Saturday, April 14 at 6:30 PM and will be presented by Katie Metcalfe.
Maike Mia Höhne will also present a session dedicated to Berlinale Shorts on the same Saturday a little earlier, at 5:00 PM.
The Interfilm Festival is programming the Berlin Beats session on Sunday, April 15; these are short films that reflect the city of Berlin over the years and will be presented by Rowena Schmidt.
The Clermont-Ferrand Festival, whose coordinator Tim Redford was invited last year, will also have its own space, with a screening featuring a selection from the latest edition’s awards.
Do not miss these screenings, as they allow you to become familiar with the programming of these festivals and see the most notable trends on the circuit.
We look forward to seeing you at the Distribution Meeting
We are very pleased to be able to share with you the program for the Distribution Meeting and the Professional Forum, as well as the Madrid Community Short Film Week, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this edition.
I hope you can join us and learn about the work of these festivals. Whether you have already begun distributing your short film or are in the post-production phase, it can help you greatly to define a distribution strategy and gather ideas for future projects.
The Meeting will take place in the Valle Inclán Hall at the Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid. Although the capacity is large, I advise you to confirm your attendance as soon as possible at this link, as last year we filled the hall.
See you soon!