Here are full details of all the programmes for Short Film City 2009..

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Animation Shorts, International Competition 1

One of the regular annual favourites of the Film Festival is the International Animation Competition, this year presented in two selections on consecutive nights. The first programme explores the endless search for love, the uphill struggle against loneliness and traditional life. Varmints (UK) shows us a world of urbanization and indifference in which a small creature tries to preserve the beauty he once knew. In the Oscar-winning The House of Small Cubes (Japan), an old man lives in a house which is slowly submerged in sea water.

Animation Shorts, International Competition 2

The second programme of one of the Film Festival’s annual highlights displays animation styles that deal with the senselessness and selfishness of our world. In a near future a man struggles in the efficient and controlled society of Fard (France). The appalling predicament of two children used as slaves by a government is the documentary subject of Slaves (Sweden). In the twisted world of Trickster (Germany), an involuntary clown is exposed to a reckless audience, dreaming of his lovely counterpart and finally finding his cruel archetype.

British Short Film Competition 1

Enjoy a double bill of great new British shorts in the lead up to the Short Film City finale, where all the awards will be announced including the winner of this competition. Highlights of the first programme include Curtains, the darkly comic tale of a worn out Punch and Judy man on the road to damnation directed by Julian Barratt of The Mighty Boosh. In contrast the delightful documentary The Trolley Man follows Ernest Smith as, single handed, he seeks out discarded shopping trolleys and returns them to their respective owners.

British Short Film Competition 2

Short Film City continues its journey around the British Isles in this second programme of gems. Highlights include Girl Like Me which follows troubled Lucy as she stumbles dangerously into an adult world she isn’t ready for. Believe is the achingly beautiful tale of a man’s inconsolable grief following the death of his wife and the poetic Kids Might Fly is an offbeat and touching portrait of young people in East London. All audience members can vote for their favourite film in the two British Short Film competition programmes.

Experimental Shorts, International Competition

The filmmakers in the International Experimental Shorts Competition have the courage to challenge the audience and try to move the boundaries and limits of modern cinema. In Hanasaari A (Finland) the complex editing of half a million photos depicts the last two years of a coal power plant and the effect on the city landscape. Terminal (Germany) is a mechanical ballet where music and editing are in perfect synergy with the workflow of a container terminal. It took the Italian collective Blu three months of wall painting to create the stunning animation of Muto.

First Short Steps: Short Film City Filmmakers' Event

Before the big day of British short film programmes and the awards finale gets underway, join us for a panel event about the first stages of short film production. Film festivals around the world on average reject more than 90% of short films submitted to them for consideration. Filmmaking teams are investing significant financial and human resources in producing shorts but the majority of results are not getting shown. The First Short Steps panel will explore the most common mistakes made by short filmmakers.

Łódź Film School 1

Wajda, Munk, Polanski, Skolimowski and Kieslowski are among the many great Polish filmmakers trained at the world-renowned National Film School of Łódź. Short Film City 2009 presents two programmes of the best shorts to have emerged from the school in the last few years. In the delicate drama Dragonflies, young Tola falls in love with the wrong guy. In The Refuge City, a difficult man finds his release valve in being a football hooligan. The abused Bartek finds a friend in an abandoned dog in A Man Thing.

Łódź Film School 2

The second programme of films from the National Film School of Łódź features light animations and profound dramas. The comic adventures of an exhibitionist fly are at the heart of the animated A Film with No Flies On. The reactions of the reserved and introspective Piotr to his wife’s near death characterise the visually stunning black and white Tristis. The unannounced visit of her father reveals all the fragilities of the apparently strong and independent Magda in Nice to See You.

Louis le Prince International Short Film Competition
Short Film City presents the 10th Louis le Prince International Short Film Competition, featuring six programmes of outstanding work from more than 25 nations. The Louis le Prince selections take audiences into the minds of the world’s new filmmaking talent as great comedies and poignant dramas share the billing with fascinating documentaries and amazing fantasy. Delights to be discovered in the six programmes include the hilarious Russian comedy Pal/Secam about the dawn of Perestrojka, teenage hormones, 80s Italo-disco music and a VCR. In the delicate Icelandic 2 Birds, the sweet lie of a boy to a girl turns a nightmare into an unforgettable memory. An incredible journey through Iranian mountains to get to a remote village is captured by the innovative documentary The Wooden Carpet.

Louis le Prince International Short Film Competition 1

Poignant dramas, a hilarious Russian comedy and the 2009 Cannes Palme d’Or winner open this year’s International Short Film Competition.

Louis le Prince International Short Film Competition 2

The second programme includes the innovative documentary Nine Forgotten Songs and the poetic 2birds from Iceland.

Louis le Prince International Short Film Competition 3

Featuring the stunning Iranian documentary The Wooden Carpet and the feel-good comedy from Sweden Good Advice.

Louis le Prince International Short Film Competition 4

Daily family problems, a difficult border to cross and the wishes of Santa Clause in this unpredictable fourth programme of international shorts.

Louis le Prince International Short Film Competition 5

A brutal crime is reconstructed in Echo (Poland) and guidance on how to behave in a museum is the theme of the Silence (Latvia).

Louis le Prince International Short Film Competition 6

A 21st century high tech wedding, a trip in the Mecca of bullfighting and a very special dinner feature in the finale programme.

Northern Film School Showcase 2009

In this free event discover the latest work from the students of the Northern Film School in Leeds, one of the UK’s leading centres for training in film and moving production and in screenwriting. In Sunday Morning, guilt and desire combine in Brendan’s twisted rites of passage. Old timers seek a great escape in Retirement Job, and the characters of Two Children are worlds apart, yet somehow connected. For anyone who wants to make films and go to a film school, this is a great chance to find out more.

Romanian Retrospective
The new cinema of Romania has stunned critics over the last ten years, collecting prizes and recognition from all over the world. Films like Cristi Puiu’s The Death of Mr. Lazarescu and Cristian Mungiu’s 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days have shown how the power of vivid and creative minds, without significant funding, can produce unforgettable cinema. Through its Romanian Retrospective, Short Film City 2009 marks this movement of young gifted directors with highlights of the recent history of short filmmaking in Romania. The programmes include the incredible activity of the Sahia Film Studio during the Ceausescu dictatorship, the talent emerging in the 90s, and a double programme dedicated to the new ‘enfants terribiles’ of Romanian Cinema. Don’t miss the brilliant companion programme Tales from the Golden Age.

The Romanian Retrospective Programme is supported by

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Romanian Retrospective: Enfants Terribles 1

The best shorts of recent years from the most important new Romanian talents. Includes the multi prize winners Waves and The Tube with a Hat.

Romanian Retrospective: Enfants Terribles 2

The last highlights of this retrospective, 6 stunning dramas including the exquisite 2008 Berlinale Golden Bear winner A Good Day on the Beach.

Romanian Retrospective: Mid Length Films

Two outstanding medium length films from Romania, Liviu’s Dream by Corneliu Porumboiu and Marilena from P7 by Christian Nemescu.

Romanian Retrospective: Sahia Film Studio

An incredible selection of rare documentary gems of the Sahia Film Studio, the state production studio during Ceausescu’s dictatorship.

Romanian Retrospective: The First Generation of New Romanian Cinema

The first steps of the filmmakers who have won all the leading prizes in Europe and established their reputation.

Short Film City Opening Gala with Leeds Archive Gems

The launch of Short Film City 2009 is the chance to be the first to experience some of the upcoming highlights of this year’s programme, including award-winning international fiction, cracking animation, and British discoveries. As the place of Leeds in film history is secured thanks to the work of Louis le Prince in 1888, the Opening Gala always includes a programme of fascinating archive film of the city. Curated by the Yorkshire Film Archive, this year’s historic treasures include quirky shorts from the Leeds Cine Club and forgotten city sights.

Short Film City Opening Party: The Short Films of David Lynch

After the Opening Gala at The Carriageworks, join us at the Nation of Shopkeepers for a free event to celebrate the start of Short Film City 2009 in the company of the mind of David Lynch. Best known for his feature films, Lynch’s rarely seen shorts are uniquely fascinating, disturbing and often hilarious. The selection, featuring video intros from the director, includes The Amputee, about an amputee attempting to write a letter, his eerie student animation film The Alphabet, and the terrific Out Yonder – Neighbour Boy from davidlynch.com.

Signes de Nuit presents: Africa in Shorts 1

A rare opportunity to discover recent short films from Africa in two programmes specially curated for Short Film City 2009 by the Signes de Nuit Film Festival in Paris. Le Cri de la Mer (Sénégal) follows the struggle of a mother Yaye Bayam Diouf, who lost her only son in a boat bound for the Canary Islands. In Aicha (Nigeria), a man in an African city meets a woman who returns from the dead for one night to haunt the living. At the Middle of the Earth, Wells and Men (Niger), shows the trials of communities who have to fight against the sand to reach water.

Signes de Nuit presents: Africa in Shorts 2

The second programme of rarely seen shorts from Africa presented by the Signes de Nuit Film Festival. In Tout à Refaire (Mali), Mamad is arrested on the night of his 18th birthday party and forced to leave France. The main character in Ra, la Réparatrice (Mali), a 25 year-old woman living in Bamako who repairs generators and trains young men is awaiting her wedding day. In Surtout, souriez! (Above all, Smile!) from Sénégal, the director meets her Maimouna at Dakar bus station and uses the camera to reveal her spontaneous personality.

Tales from the Golden Age

Often hilarious and always captivating, Tales from the Golden Age is an outstanding and highly enjoyable omnibus film by five Romanian directors from scripts by Christian Mungiu (4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days). Each tale, told with affection as much as irony, takes on an urban myth that flourished during the repressive regime of dictator Nicolai Ceausescu, the so-called ‘Golden Age’ of Romanian history. Ill-fated efforts to entertain visiting officials, doctor a photograph and discreetly murder a pig are among the absurd trials of Communist control.

Yorkshire Short Film Competition + Short Film City Awards in association with City College

The big finale of Short Film City 2009 features the full Yorkshire Short Film Competition and the announcement of the jury awards for all of this year’s competitions. The films in the running for the Best Yorkshire Film Award include Vigilante which follows the activities of a renegade member of a small village’s neighbourhood watch scheme. Dogs is a harrowing adaptation of a short story by Hanif Kureishi and the award winning short Enough explores the heartbreaking consequences of youth violence.