E17 films, organisers of the Walthamstow International Film Festival (see our feature), has announced this week the 15 finalists in their inaugural short-film competition. The soon-to-be-revealed overall winners were selected by the festival’s judges this Monday.
Entries were received from countries as wide-ranging as Germany, Japan, the Czech Republic, France, Russia and Spain as well as the UK. The panellists were delighted with the high standard of the entrants; the many animations submitted were particularly impressive and led to a new specialist category being created to accommodate the films.
“Short-listing the films was tough as the standards were extremely high but we are thrilled to have received entries of such high quality and are confident that people will be talking about the Film Festival in Walthamstow for all of the right reasons” says Festival Director, Paul Fletcher.
The festival, whose sponsors include Time Out magazine, is part of the E17 Art Trail and will run 5th-12th September at Beyca furniture shop in Walthamstow Village. The free screenings will be shown 10am-5pm on a giant retro TV and organisers have even promised visitors free popcorn.
Winners are to be announced on 1st September. Short-listed films can be viewed on E17 Film’s website; they are as follows:
Animation
1. Lebensader, Angela Steffen, Germany
2. Grandfather’s Skip, Ken Kaizu, Japan
3. Astronomer’s Sun, Simon Cartwright, UK
Experimental
1. Abstract?, Alexei Dimitriev, Russia
2. Stretching, Francois Vogel, France
3. Technically a Nightmare, James Gregory, UK
Documentary
1. It’s great to know why, Charly Conquest, UK
2. End of Cinema, The McGuffins, Walthamstow
3. Capicua, Roger Villaroya, Spain
Music
1. Lie Down and Die, Gavin Randall, UK
2. Film About Poo, Anne Wilkins, UK
3. On Dancefloors, Ninian Doff, UK
Drama
1. Hranice, Veronika Kuhrova, Czech Republic
2. Metroist, Ovung Guvenisik, Germany
3. Los Gritones, Roberto Toledo, Spain
**Update**
The three festival winners were announced at a launch party, held on September 1st.
First prize was awarded to Spanish film-maker, Roberto Toledo for his tale of unrequited love shouted from a tall building entitled ‘Los Gritones’. Second place in the competition went to an animation entry called ‘Grandfather’s Skip’, created by Japanese illustrator Ken Kaizu and third prize was given to’Abstract?’ by Russian film-maker Aexei Dimitriev.
Judge Dominic Stinton said of the first-place film: “A gem of a ‘short short’. Brilliantly observed and acted – you’ll laugh and you’ll squirm. A worthy winner of the inaugral Walthamstow Film Festival, all involved have a big future.”
The festival is also to award an ‘audience prize’. Visitors will pick their favourite as they attend the festival before the winner is announced on its final day, Sunday 12th September at 5pm. A glass trophy of the festival’s logo, a greyhound, has been commissioned especially from local artist Sylvestia Shillingford.
