Nothing lost in the translation

An overview of Filminute appears on our site and has been translated into the following languages: French, German, Swedish, Japanese, Arabic, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Greek, Romanian, Bulgarian, Polish, Russian, Czech, Hebrew, and Chinese.

http://www.filminute.com/2007/translations.html

Every year, an eclectic, contemporary, and international jury

When we set out to build the Filminute jury, we set out with every intention to build a jury that arguably ranks with any of the best international film festival and competition juries. If you're going to submit a one-minute film, a highly respected jury is one of the things that makes the competition worthy and worthwhile.

Our jury is part of what makes "BEST FILMINUTE" valuable and the jury's selection and commendations are an important point of comparison to the audience-awarded People's Choice winner.

John Ketchum, Filminute's co-founder and Head of Jury, aims to build an eclectic, contemporary, and international jury from the worlds of film, literature, arts, and communications.

Our jury announcements are coming soon. Stay tuned!

Broadcast quality? It depends...

The term "broadcast quality" was originally designed to ensure television and cinema audiences were guaranteed a certain level of moving image quality. It underscored the need for professional product, calling attention to image, sound and editing, and often spelled out minimum technical specifications.

That's not to say that Filminute is not expecting to receive some sublime submissions shot with a mobile phone or a Fisher-Price PixelVision camera. The quality of the films shortlisted will not be about the camera, it'll be about the the story, the sound design, the acting, and the impact of the film.

We'll point to two examples that speak to low resolution, but high production values and style. While Filminute does not accept music videos, these music videos do help us explore the point to be made.

First, a dark cabaret style, Marlene Dietrich-esque, saw, accordion, and vocal rendition of "Auld Lang Syne" by musician Nicki Jaine. As you'll see, PixelVision is perfectly appropriate in tone and manner; we are not distracted by the resolution and, in fact, the mood of this performance is particularly enhanced by the limitations of the camera.



Second: the music video "Some Postman" by the Presidents of the United States, shot with a collection of Sony Ericsson phones. This video also holds the distinction of being the first music video shot entirely on mobile phones. No question of broadcast quality here, but this was no easy feat to pull off. The first 7 seconds of the video make that clear...look at the set up.



Filminute will insist on respect for the high audience and jury expectations around what makes a great film. Amateur hour, or amateur minute in this case, is not likely to make it to the Filminute 2007 shortlisted screenings to mobile, web, television or cinema.

PS: more on "Films shot in PixelVision" (Richard Linklater, Michael Almereyda)

Filminute 2007

FILMINUTE is the international one-minute film festival that showcases, awards and promotes the best one-minute films from around the world. www.filminute.com

Filminute 2006 launched to rave reviews, attracting 1.7 million hits and 500,000 page views from audiences in over 50 countries during the festival month of September – not bad for word of mouth! The shortlisted films were subjected to both a public vote and review by a respected international jury made up of luminaries from the film, arts, literature, and advertising industries.

BEST FILMINUTE 2006 went to Anton Groves' LINE, a UK/Romanian production, while The People's Choice was awarded to Wayne Campbell's UK production IT COULD BE.

The submissions period is now open for 2007. Filminute is looking for outstanding stories that reflect everything a good film or animation should be, only in 60 seconds – no more, no less! To enter your one-minute film in the 2007 Festival visit the Welcome page and click the Submit Entry link. The entry deadline is midnight, August 20th, 2007 Pacific Standard Time.

FILMINUTE // Make Every Moment Count.

Winners and Jury Commendations

PRESS RELEASE
FILMINUTE 2006 WINNERS ANNOUNCED
Public and Jury Votes for World’s Best One-Minute Films Revealed
16th October 2006

Filminute®, the international one-minute film festival, has announced the winners of its People’s Choice and Jury awards for 2006.

The jury award for Best Filminute 2006 was given to UK/Romanian director Anton Groves’ Line. With a universal narrative that is both allegorical and realistic at the same time, Line was noted by the jury for its unique sound design and sharp editing. The film artfully portrays a couple whose car sits in the path of an oncoming train in the seconds before impact. Line also generated the highest public rating with a score of 4.4 out of 5 stars. The film was described by jury member Raul Galvez of the Toronto International Latin Film Festival as “sharply edited and economically told, [with] all the ingredients, the tension, and the feeling of a good piece of dramatic work.”

UK Filmmaker and graphic designer Wayne Campbell has taken home the People’s Choice Award for It Could Be, his compelling and poetic one-minute documentary. The film takes on the issue of knife violence and is delivered as a spoken word plea interspersed with dramatisation of a knife-related crime. It Could Be is dedicated to Kiyan Prince, a 15-year-old London boy who was stabbed and died in May 2006 while breaking up a fight near his school.

Five films were also awarded commendations from the jury, noted for their relevant subject matter, narrative quirks, qualities of art and style, and ability to provoke extreme reactions from the audience. These films, which all generated vigorous debate, included The Human Coral (Michelle Coomber, UK), Charlie (Rob Hickling, Canada), Fortification (Elena Wen, USA), The Future Box (Morgan Christie, Australia), and The Bush Ghost (Seth Scriver, Canada).

The winning films were selected from a shortlist of 27 outstanding and diverse entries from around the world. All films were subject to both a public vote and a review by a respected international jury across the film, arts, literature, advertising and production industries.

In its first year, the Filminute website generated over half a million page views from audiences worldwide. The festival’s goal is to challenge filmmakers to create one-minute films that resonate beyond that one minute - a story with character and impact with the potential to evolve into a series of one-minute films, a broadband or broadcast series, or even into a feature film.

Jury member Ekow Eshun, artistic director of London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts, says that Filminute 2006 “demonstrated a high level of polish and a strong and exciting progression in user-generated content. Filminute has raised the bar in its first year and I am very interested to see how high the bar can go.”

“I’m very pleased that my instinct to explore a moment of extreme tension and finish it with an open ending paid off,” says Anton Groves, winner of the jury’s Best Filminute 2006. “I have to thank my crew and all those who visited the Filminute site. Hopefully this award and recognition by the jury and the public will enable me to make more films, one-minute and otherwise.”

“The quality of the competition was amazing,” says People’s Choice award winner Wayne Campbell. “I wanted to make a film that would challenge and hopefully make a difference. I feel like I have a public duty to try and change things. I wanted to make something with a meaning and a purpose... [The People’s Choice Award] is such an accolade and I feel it’s a sign for me to carry on making films.”

Continue to vote. The jury deliberates.

We will announce the jury's "Best Filminute" decision and the People's Choice award on October 16, 2006.

Leading up to that announcement, we invite the public to continue to view, comment, rate, and vote for their favourite one-minute film. As we have said from the beginning, "make every moment count."

The FILMINUTE 2006 JURY

• John Ketchum, Head of Filminute 2006 Jury; Executive Director, Filminute.
• Ekow Eshun, Artistic Director, Institute of Contemporary Arts (London)
• Craig Davis, Chief Creative Officer, JWT Worldwide
• Raul Galvez, Founder of the Toronto International Latin Film Festival.
• Santa Maddalena Foundation, under the leadership of Beatrice Monti della Corte von Rezzori, will occupy 2 of the 7 seats on the Filminute 2006 jury. One vote will be from the literature side, the other from the film side. Input to the Santa Maddalena vote will come from the Foundation's Board of Directors, Selection Committee, Board of Advisors and Fellows. This input will include Oscar, Pulitzer, and Booker Prize winners. Santa Maddalena luminaries include: Bernardo Bertolucci, Volker Schlöndorff, Colm Toibin, Michael Cunningham, Zadie Smith, Isabella Rossellini.
• Sabaa Quao, Executive Director, Filminute

121.ro article

With 6 out of the 27 shortlisted films being Romanian productions or co-productions, the response to Filminute in Romania has been passionate.

A feature article appears this week at OneToOne (www.121.ro). The article is in Romanian however some highlights from the article loosely translate as follows:

• A festival to which all countries can participate without borders or difficult acceptance conditions!

• The accessibility of these one-minute films is truly a good idea. You can watch and rewatch your favourite films. You can comment and vote for the films that are dear to you. Everything on one site and with a mechanism you can easily learn!

• Filminute is truly an exceptional project worth watching and debating! If you have a moment of pause or relaxation or a good disposition and you want to spend it in an excellent way, I invite you to give your opinion about www.filminute.com

Head of Jury

I’m honoured to head up the jury for this inaugural Filminute International One-Minute Film Festival. My fellow jurors represent voices from the forefront of contemporary art, film, literature and advertising. I look forward to their insights and input determining which films stand out from an impressive shortlist of 27.

Audiences will be entertained, amazed, and inspired by the selection of films on the Filminute 2006 shortlist. These chosen submissions represent the best of a very contemporary and relevant one-minute format.

John Ketchum, Executive Director, Filminute®
Head of Jury

DailyCandy.com "The Weekend Guide"

SEE: Filminute
What: Screen and vote for your favorite one-minute films in this jazzy festival.
Why: Gone in 60 seconds.
When: Thru Sept. 30.
Where: Online at filminute.com.
* DailyCandy.com, Everywhere Edition, "The Weekend Guide." Retrieved September 7, 2006, from http://www.dailycandy.com/article.jsp?ArticleId=27026&city=4

TimeOut, BUCHAREST

27 CONGRATULATIONS

THE FILMINUTE 2006 SHORTLIST

AERIAL PHOTOS
DIRECTOR: Studio Amoeba
UK / CANADA

BLACK SHIRTED MEN
DIRECTOR: Marinos Papadantonakis
GREECE

BREATH
DIRECTOR: Ina Pirk
GERMANY

BUSH GHOST
DIRECTOR: Seth Scriver
CANADA

CHARLIE
DIRECTOR: Rob Hickling
CANADA

THE CLOSEST THING TO TIME TRAVEL
DIRECTOR: Mark Tapio Kines
USA

CLOWN HEARTED
DIRECTOR: Andrew Matthews
UK

CROSSING
DIRECTOR: Catalin Leescu
ROMANIA

CUCKOO AND ICE CREAM
DIRECTOR: Laureen Vonnegut
USA / ROMANIA

FORTIFICATION
DIRECTOR: Elena Wen
USA

FRONT
DIRECTOR: John Riley
UK / ROMANIA

THE FUTURE BOX
DIRECTOR: Morgan Christie
AUSTRALIA

HAMBURG, 24. APRIL 2006
DIRECTOR: Daniel Günter Schwarz
GERMANY

THE HUMAN CORAL
DIRECTOR: Michelle Coomber
UK

IN ONE MINUTE
DIRECTOR: Sandra Kunze
GERMANY

INDIFFERENCE
DIRECTOR: Matei Branea
ROMANIA

IT COULD BE
DIRECTOR: Wayne Campbell
UK

LINE
DIRECTOR: Anton Groves
UK / ROMANIA

LOOSE ENDS
DIRECTOR: Julian Grey
CANADA

MENAGE À TROIS
DIRECTOR: Dominik Friebel
GERMANY

MENDIP LODGE 01
DIRECTOR: Ben Woodcock
UK

MENDIP LODGE 02
DIRECTOR: Ben Woodcock
UK

NEXT MESSAGE
DIRECTORS: Thelon Oeming and Craig Kirkham
CANADA

REPRESSION IN MODERN CHINA
DIRECTOR: Zale Dalen
CHINA / CANADA

SAME SAME BUT DIFFERENT
DIRECTORS: Elena Mircea and Mark Nava
ROMANIA / USA

TRAVEL DIARY – TAIPEI
DIRECTOR: Keng-Ming Liu
USA

XPLOSION
DIRECTOR: Craig Kirkham
CANADA / UK

WELCOME TO THE FESTIVAL

info@filminute.com

We've upgraded our web site server to handle the volume of hits to the Filminute site. The transition did, however, disrupt some pages on our site over the past 24 hours.

If you are having trouble reaching us from the submission form, please do email us at info@filminute.com. We apologise for any inconvenience.

The announcement of the films shortlisted for Filminute 2006 is days away. Stay tuned.

The Making Of

A one-minute film is short enough to enable a wide range of creative people to deliver a high quality production. At the same time, one minute is long enough to require some inventiveness and resourcefulness in storytelling and production methods to complete the challenge.

Every week, we hear of some inspiring backstory on one-minute filmmaking — anecdotes from filmmakers begging, borrowing or stealing just what they needed to complete their Filminute submission to a jury-worthy standard.

Highlights: extensive us of Skype, local and international collaborations between creative disciplines, scraping together ends of filmstock by every means necessary, piggybacking on other productions, and all manner of ways of securing locations for free (eg. an airport!).

There's also a story about use of a mechanical bird...definitely cheaper than hiring a bird wrangler.

Enough time

"In a one-minute film, there's time to establish a narrative and character, and then kick it with at least one compelling twist. A one-minute film is more than just a visual amuse bouche."

— Steve Angel, Founder Head Gear Animation, the company behind the 3 demonstration one-minute films on the FILMINUTE site.

“Construction paper, glue, and a very old 8 mm film camera” *

Filminute is looking for the best one-minute films from around the world, films with compelling narratives that provoke thought, emotion, reaction and action. These are the films that will resonate beyond one-minute, that will provide the ideas, themes and characters with room to grow into serial pieces, short films, TV shows – even feature films.

One example we have shared often is the development of South Park, which started off as a short made from “construction paper, glue, and a very old 8 mm film camera.” * That short got noticed by an executive at Fox, who commissioned Matt Stone and Trey Parker to develop an animated Christmas card (‘Spirit of Christmas’).

The card’s success led to Stone and Parker being hired to bring South Park to life on television in 1997, and two years later on the big screen with South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut.

What Filminute points out is that the first piece was short, lean, broadcast quality, and featured characters and a narrative that captivated and engaged an audience. The best one-minute films will have a life that goes far beyond Filminute.

* The Spirit of Christmas. (2006, August 8). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 11:16, August 8, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Spirit_of_Christmas&oldid=68346065.

SUBMISSIONS DUE BY AUGUST 31

WWW.FILMINUTE.COM
SUBMISSIONS DUE BY AUGUST 31

Who's screening your film?

Filminute's jurors represent the worlds of Contemporary Art, Film, Literature, and Advertising and include Oscar, Booker, Pulitzer, and Clio award winners. Filminute will also be inviting voters from over 100 countries to vote on the shortlisted films throughout September 2006.

Filmmakers, writers, producers, art directors, designers, and artists, we are looking to find the "Best Filminute" from an international pool of entries. Submissions are due by August 31, 2006.

FILMINUTE // Make every moment count

Avail Video

"One of the key differences between video art and theatrical cinema is that video art does not necessarily rely on many of the conventions that define theatrical cinema."
Video art. (2006, July 30). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 23:32, July 31, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Video_art&oldid=66702465.

The intent of the video artist outside the conventions of narrative film will lead to creative discoveries. Filminute asks video artists to bring these same discoveries and surprises back into the narrative realm, and to provoke and enrich the emerging genre of one-minute films.

Filminute's "By Invitation" partnership and collaboration with Avail Video considerably expands our festival's call for entries to a large community of video artists. We expect some of these submissions to be as likely contenders for "Best Filminute" as the works from conventional filmmakers, videographers, advertising art directors, designers, animators, and writers.

The unusual suspects and the usual suspects are equally of interest to Filminute as we explore, challenge and grow the genre of one-minute films.