Regional short film distribution catalogues

I have been wanting to publish this post for a few weeks now, since at the end of August I was invited to serve as a jury member for the new regional short film distribution catalogue of Asturias. I think it is a good time to take a look back at the different catalogues from the Autonomous Communities.

The new Asturian catalogue is managed by Laboral Cineteca and is called Laboral Cineteca Catalogue. The jury also included Luis Mariano González, director of the Alcalá de Henares Film Festival, and Jara Yañez, film critic and editor at Cuadernos Caimán. The project is coordinated by Jorge Rivero from Cortosfera.

What is a regional short film catalogue?

It is a selection made by a regional government with the aim of promoting and distributing the best short films produced in its region. The goal is to create a recognisable brand both nationally and internationally that makes it possible to promote them in markets and supports distribution at film festivals.

Short film catalogues are distributed via DVD (increasingly less so) and through streaming viewing platforms. They are of interest to producers and directors, as they allow them to access wider distribution at no cost.

For festivals and programmers, they are a quality mark that helps them with programming. The short films included in the catalogues have previously gone through a selection process.

The first project launched in our country, and the reference for everyone, was Kimuak in the Basque Country, managed by Txema Muñoz, together with Esther Cabero over the last five years. Kimuak was born in 1998 and has been fundamental in the development of short films and Basque cinema in general. In its 18-year history it has been very successful, including two consecutive nominations for the Academy Awards.

After Kimuak, catalogues were created in other Autonomous Communities. In 2005, the first Madrid en corto catalogue was launched, which we set up through the Community of Madrid and the ECAM. That same year, Canarias en Corto was created, as well as Jara in Extremadura.

Most catalogues emerged in connection with the Spanish stand at the Clermont-Ferrand Market; in fact, some of them are intended for market presence rather than distribution at festivals.

Differences in catalogue management

There are many differences between catalogues. We can establish three groups based on differences in their management and main objectives:

  1. Catalogues that distribute to film festivals under a recognised brand and with their own website (even if management is carried out by other institutions or companies). This group includes catalogues that follow the purest Kimuak model.
  2. Catalogues whose purpose is markets, but which do not distribute to festivals.
  3. Catalogues that outsource distribution to other companies or institutions without the umbrella of the catalogue brand.

List of active projects

These are the catalogues in the first group (I have noted the year each one was launched):

  1. Kimuak – Basque Country – 1998
  2. Madrid en corto – Community of Madrid – 2005
  3. Jara – Extremadura – 2005
  4. Canarias en Corto – 2005 (the official website is not updated; the most recent catalogues are at this other link)
  5. Curts – Valencian Community – 2008
  6. Quercus – Castile and León – 2014
  7. Laboral Cineteca – Asturias – 2016

These other catalogues would be in the second group:

  1. ShortCut – Catalonia – 2005. The Catalan short film catalogue publishes a DVD aimed at markets, but does not distribute to festivals in line with the Kimuak model.
  2. Shorts From Galicia (formerly Curtas) – 2004. The case of Galicia is similar to Catalonia, and the catalogue with the DVD is published mainly for markets, although in the early years they did distribute to festivals.

Finally, these two catalogues would be part of the third group:

  1. film.ar – Aragon – 2013. There is a website that allows private viewing for festival programmers, but they do not submit to festivals under the catalogue brand.
  2. Cantabrian Short Film Catalogue – 2014. In this case, the short films are submitted to festivals through a distributor, but there is no catalogue brand of its own, nor a website. It has been running for two years, 2014 and 2015. Here is a link to the news about the 2015 selection.

Catalogues that have disappeared in recent years

At the same time that new catalogues have been created, there are other communities that have not been able to continue with their distribution projects:

  1. Made in short – Andalusia – 2002 / 2012
  2. Made in Castilla-La Mancha – 2003 / 2010

Timeline of the launch of each catalogue

  • 1998 – Kimuak.
  • 2002 – Made in Short Andalusia.
  • 2003 – Made in Castilla-La Mancha.
  • 2004 – Curtas (Galicia).
  • 2005 – Madrid en corto, Jara and Canarias en corto
  • 2006 – ShortCut
  • 2008 – Curts.
  • 2013 – film.ar.
  • 2014 – Quercus and Cantabrian Short Film Catalogue.
  • 2016 – Laboral Cineteca.

In total there are 11 active regional catalogues and another 2 that have not continued. In the cases of Murcia, Navarre, La Rioja and the Balearic Islands, they have never had a short film distribution catalogue.