FeKK – The Short Film Festival is part of a new festival network for film discourse called The End. They gave themselves the acronym The End for a reason: “Both European film and film criticism are often declared dead.” They want to actively oppose this.
Coordinator of the newly established network Anne Gaschütz from Dresden also explains: “When The End usually appears in movies, it usually also marks the beginning of a discussion about the movie, which we thought was a nice analogy.”
The European Network for Film Discourse (The End) established six international short film festivals from six countries to encourage critical reflection and in-depth engagement with European film.
The newly established network, which is closely related to the online magazine Talking Shorts, is officially established as of this month and funded for a period of two years by the EU’s Creative Europe – MEDIA programme.
The main purpose of the network is to promote critical film discourse by and for the younger generation and introduce new audiences to the flourishing European film landscape, which includes partner workshops, mentoring programs and various community activities.
The first application opportunities for aspiring film critics will take place already in April and June with the first of three annual tandem workshops, a series of workshops jointly organized by two festivals of the network. Under the guidance of established publicists and film theorists, participants will learn the basics of film criticism through short films and film programs. The first tandem in Dresden and Vienna is already fully booked, and calls for workshops in Lago/Ljubljana (summer) and Leuven/Vilnius (winter) will be announced soon, announced the FeKK festival.
A selection of texts created at the workshops will be published on the Talking Shorts online platform. The online magazine was founded in 2019 by Filmfest Dresden and Vienna Shorts, and during the pandemic it became recognizable throughout Europe, not least with a series of short films within the My Darling Quarantine project. The magazine is dedicated to the short film form and the association of film festivals and film critics.
The End Association, in collaboration with Talking Shorts, is also presenting a new film prize worth 1,000 euros.
Source: Rtvslo
