BBC BRITISH SHORT FILM FESTIVAL STARTS

THE 2000 BBC British Short Film Festival opened its doors on September 21 at London’s premiere cinema the UCI Empire and Planet Hollywood’s Preview Theatre in Coventry Street.
With a total of 45 film and video programmes and over 350 new titles being screened during the course of the week, this annual competitive event is one of the UK’s most prestigious and comprehensive showcases for the Short Film format.
The Festival will not only screen the latest work from the UK but films from Korea, Peru, The Argentine, Israel, the US and Europe.
A spokesperson for the Festival said: “There are films to suit all tastes, from high art to ‘in your face’ low budget videos. The beauty of short films is that filmmakers are not faced with the same financial restrictions as feature filmmakers, and therefore they have the freedom to experiment and innovate. Boundaries can be broken and barriers crossed.”
An array of British and International film stars including, Helena Bonham-Carter, Kenneth Brannagh and Ewan McGregor, have lent their support to emerging film-making talent.
This year's Festival welcomes American filmmaker Robert C. Banks Jr. to the screening of some of his most recent work on Sunday September 24.
There will also be a seminar on ‘How To Market Short Films’ for those working on a shoe-string budget. This gives an insight to marketing strategies and the publicity value of using the Internet.
The Awards Ceremony will take place on Thursday, September 28 at 7pm followed by a screening of the award winning titles at 9pm.
The Festival runs from September 21 to 28.
For further information contact the BBC Short Film Festival Booking Office on tel: +44 (0)20 7637 7222.