There is a quote from the French New Wave that stating that a director should use the camera like a pen. Young filmmakers pointed their cameras towards their daily lives. This film movement ignited the world, and its echoes still resonate to this day, carving a precious tradition of cinematic spirit in the development of film history.
Since the establishment of the Short Short Film, it has garnered numerous contributions from cinematic storytellers. These contributions have formed a contemporary visual landscape, measured by the scale of films. With lightweight devices and the narrative of a 5-minute duration, the pen of the film has activated a new mode of creation and storytelling. Over the past four years of comprehensive observation, the creative tools have undergone significant changes. The proportion of entries shot on smartphones has increased from 20% in the first year to 58.44% this year. The smartphone has become an important production tool for contemporary cinema. How will its present value be validated? As short videos on the Internet become the dominant means of information delivery, with billions of short videos being produced and instantly watched on a daily basis, what are the differences between the creative approach emphasized by the Short Short Film and short videos?
Any attempt to narrowly define how visual creation “can only be” will lead to stagnation. It is essential to maintain curiosity about “how it can still be.” This curiosity will undoubtedly lead to a new realm of imagination.
This year, the Short Short Film includes a total of 40 Official Selection and Special Screening entry, showcasing various aspects of life and forming a contemporary visual landscape with freshness. It presents a diverse range of perspectives from creators. Different samples of daily lives, through personal recordings, documentaries, cinematic experiments, and other methods, remind us of the importance of individual writing. The awareness and trajectory of the times are highlighted through individual narratives. In this trend, how can we perceive the changes of the era within the individual’s creation? Do these changes point to a new meaning? Through this sequence of works, how should we understand the public value of the Short Short Film?
This year’s Short Short Film panel will continue to explore the future of cinema through questioning.