Three Takes on "What Makes a Great One-Minute Film?"

The best one-minute films excel in the areas of story, character development, sound design, camera, setting, dialogue and editing and, in so doing, are able to “resonate” beyond one-minute.

At the same time, Filminute looks to challenge and strengthen our understanding of the one-minute film niche by getting as many answers as we can to our favourite question: “What makes a great one-minute film?”

Here are three takes on the answer from past Filminute jurors.

• “A great one-minute film will last longer than a minute! Sometimes in a full-length film, you'll get one scene in the film that resonates beyond the length of the full film. The one-minute film is the reverse of that, in one minute, a great one-minute film will capture an idea that stays with you far beyond one-minute. The one-minute film is like a stained glass window: in one frame, in that one shot, you get the world.” — Ekow Eshun, Artistic Director, Institute of Contemporary Arts, London

• “A good film, short or long, should show me something about our (inner and outer) world that I didn't know. As well, it should concern me, hit me emotionally – films work via emotions. A good film becomes a great film if it manages to additionally build up an own filmic universe, one of an original and poetical beauty.” — Klaus Eder, General Secretary, FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics)

• “The only thing that separates a great film from a great one-minute film is length. Great stories make great films. They call on all our senses to create a fiction truer than fact that enchants us with mystery, sensuality and intimacy. In the final analysis, a great film is one that makes us feel more alive.” — Kevin Roberts, CEO Worldwide, Saatchi & Saatchi

Filminute's Interview with Palme D'or Winner Cristian Mungiu

In May of 2007, Romanian director Cristian Mungiu's 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days won the prestigious Palme D'or at the Cannes Film Festival. The story of two university students who try to arrange an illegal abortion in the dying days of Ceausescu's Romania, has gone on to win numerous other prizes around the world (including FIPRESCI film of the year) as well as rave reviews from critics including Variety magazine's Jay Weissberg who praised it as "pitch perfect and brilliantly acted...a stunning achievement."

Like many feature filmmakers, Mungiu also makes short films and commercials and is a fan of Filminute. He recently agreed to answer some of our favourite questions.

Filminute encourages filmmakers to pursue creation of one-minute films at the same quality standard we might demand or expect of a full length film or animation. Mungiu added:

• "Not every 60 seconds of moving images are film" and that distinction is one we ask our filmmakers to reflect upon.

Cristian Mungiu’s Comments about Filminute:
When I look at the Filminute shortlist, I see a great deal of diversity which is good. A few had humor, some others had impressive pictures, some an overall personal visual style. I was also, of course, pleased to see Romanian films on the shortlist

Cristian Mungiu’s Comments on "What Makes A Great Film?
If I was Indian, I would say: Salman Kahn. From an American producer’s point of view, probably it's the star you manage to sign. For Cannes Film Festival it's mostly the style. For us, living in Europe, it's probably the story.

Unfortunately, there is no magical way of knowing before hand what to do to turn your script into a great film. I suppose originality is involved, courage, honesty, a vision about cinema, skills as a story-teller, a good ear for dialogue, talent as a writer and as a virtual-time-handler, knowledge about working with actors, to know what's boring and what's not. It helps to be surprising, it helps to make people curious and interested in what's going to happen next but all this is very general.

Finally some films have more "soul" than others, something that you don't control and that will attract more people to want to see it and make more people appreciate it. But no film will please everybody and, in cinema, quantity is a very relative tool of measuring success.

FILMINUTE 2008: CALL FOR ENTRY

The FILMINUTE 2008 submission period is now officially open.

Once again Filminute is on the lookout for outstanding stories that reflect everything a good film or animation should be, only in 60 seconds — no more, no less!

Filminute 2007 witnessed a doubling of the worldwide audience to more than 90 countries; viewers watched the 25 shortlisted films more than 2 million times during the festival month of September. Such big numbers, along with Filminute’s high caliber jury and the growing number of distribution, sales and development deals that shortlisted Filminute directors are making, confirm growing audience and industry interest in Filminute and the exceptional quality of the films we screen. With this year’s expansion to more media platforms, including television and mobile, the numbers, interest and opportunities will only increase.

To enter your one-minute film in the 2008 Festival, visit the Welcome page and click the “Call For Entry” link. The entry deadline is August 20, 2008.

FILMINUTE // Make Every Moment Count.

BEST FILMINUTE 2007, WINNER

- PRESS RELEASE -

FILMINUTE 2007 WINNERS ANNOUNCED
Bulgarian football film wins hearts and top honours at Filminute, the International One-Minute Film Festival.

London UK, October 17, 2007 — Bulgarian Director Kristina Grozeva’s film Game is the big winner at Filminute 2007, the international one-minute film festival. The film won the jury-awarded Best Filminute prize and also ranked as the festival’s Top Rated film by audiences who this year tuned in from over 90 countries to view, rate and vote at the Filminute website.

This film tells the story of a boy who, despite facing serious challenges, enthusiastically finds his place in a neighborhood football game.

The festival’s other top award, The People’s Choice, went to Indian Director Siddartha Jatla’s Missing, a film that quietly draws attention to the ongoing and illegal practice of child marriage in India.

The Filminute 2007 jury gave a nod to 5 films that deserved recognition for the quality of of their stories, art, style and impact. The 5 Jury Commendations went to:

• About Time (Catalin Leescu, Romania),
• In a Circus (Pablo & Gabriel Nicoli, Argentina),
• Egg Love (Zach Math / Jonah Bekhor, Canada),
• Fun Time (Aleksey Andrianov, Russia), and
• One Minute Guide to Planet Earth (Armen Antranikian, UK / Germany).

The winning films were selected from a shortlist of 25 outstanding and diverse entries drawn from a pool of over 800 films from 45 countries. All films were subjected to both a public vote and a review by the international jury, luminaries from film, art, literature, media and communications.

The Filminute 2007 jury members included:

• Michael Ondaatje (Booker Prize-winning novelist and poet)
• Kevin Roberts (CEO Worldwide of Saatchi & Saatchi)
• Samira Makmahlbaf (Cannes Jury Prize-winning film director)
• Klaus Eder (General Secretary of FIPRESCI, the International Federation of Film Critics)
  
• Kenichi Kondo (Assistant Curator, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo).

“From story lines, through to editing and sound design, this year’s collection once again impressed the jury and the public,” said Filminute Executive Director and Head of Jury John Ketchum. “The fact that Game was chosen for Best Filminute and also ranked as the top-rated film by audiences worldwide underscores the film’s appeal, quality, and emotional impact.” The People’s Choice award was a footrace down to the final week. Missing surged ahead to win after running neck-in-neck with Game and One Minute Guide to Planet Earth.

What some members of the Filminute 2007 jury had to say about Game:

• “Talk about an inspirational leader. This young man has enough game for an entire league. I loved the boy’s passion and enthusiasm.” – Kevin Roberts, CEO Worldwide of Saatchi & Saatchi.

• “A nice story, well-suited for a one-minute film. Good photography and excellent editing.” – Klaus Eder, General Secretary of FIPRESCI, the International Federation of Film Critics.

• “The work is very cleverly structured with such a great, unexpected ending. I keep thinking about what dreams the boy has.” – Kenichi Kondo, Assistant Curator, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo.

View the main Filminute site and winning films at http://www.filminute.com

BEST FILMINUTE 2007: "GAME"

BEST FILMINUTE 2007 goes to Game.
Congratulations to director Kristina Grozeva.

VIEW AND VOTE BEFORE SEPTEMBER 30

Here is a compilation of the 25 shortlisted films from 19 countries eligible for BEST FILMINUTE and the People's Choice award at Filminute 2007. At the festival site, pick your favourite film, add your comments, and VOTE before midnight September 30.

FILMINUTE 2007 TRAILER

MAIN SITE: http://www.filminute.com

CREDITS
Edited by Catalin Leescu (ROMANIA)
Original score composed by Matti Paalanen (FINLAND)
Motion graphic identity by LOOP Media, Creative Director Craig Kirkham (CANADA)
Graphic design by Matt Bilewicz (CANADA)

Pick your favourite film and vote before midnight September 30.
http://www.filminute.com

WINNERS ANNOUNCED WEEK OF OCTOBER 15.

FESTIVAL SCREENING ROOM POWERED BY ADBEAST

Screening Room sponsored by adbeast

The Filminute 2007 Screening Room is sponsored by adbeast. The quality of the films in our festival called for a level of presentation far and away above the grainy, disposable clips you might expect on YouTube. Further, the collaborative way of working with professional creative teams and resources across multiple timezones calls for an operating "system" enabled by adbeast.

Adbeast offers "a suite of digital tools and a collaboration network that allows advertising industry professionals to present, manage and share work online - quickly, easily and securely."

http://www.adbeast.com/

60 Words on 60 Seconds

EYE WEEKLY has selected 6 films from this year's shortlist to review.

Take a look at 60 Words on 60 Seconds. The films selected by EYE WEEKLY are listed below.

ACROFOBIA (ROMANIA)
Raul Taciu

DAVE FOLEY & FANS (CANADA)
Brian Smith

EGG LOVE (CANADA)
Zach Math / Jonah Bekhor

FUN TIME (RUSSIA)
Aleksey Andrianov

GRAHAM (NEW ZEALAND)
Paul Scott-James

ONE MINUTE GUIDE TO PLANET EARTH (Germany / UK )
Armen Antranikian

WELCOME

The Filminute 2007 Shortlist

THE FILMINUTE 2007 SHORTLIST
25 Congratulations to this year's filmmakers

*

ABOUT TIME
DIRECTOR: Catalin Leescu
ROMANIA

ACROFOBIA
DIRECTOR: Raul Taciu
ROMANIA

AIR PLUGS
DIRECTOR: Elena Wen
USA

CELEBRATE
DIRECTOR: Christian Anderson-Ramshall / Adam Watson
UK

DAVE FOLEY AND FANS
DIRECTOR: Brian Smith
CANADA

DEDICATION
DIRECTOR: Geoff Browne
CANADA

EGG LOVE
DIRECTOR: Zach Math / Jonah Bekhor
CANADA

FIRST BLOOM
DIRECTOR: Midi Onodera
CANADA

FUN TIME
DIRECTOR: Aleksey Andrianov
RUSSIA

GAME
DIRECTOR: Kristina Grozeva
BULGARIA

GLOBAL WARMING VACATION
DIRECTOR: Zale Dalen
CANADA / CHINA

GRAHAM
DIRECTOR: Paul Scott-James
NEW ZEALAND

IN A CIRCUS
DIRECTOR: Pablo & Gabriel Nicoli
ARGENTINA

LE FIL ROUGE
DIRECTOR: Yasuko Tadokoro
JAPAN / FRANCE / CANADA

MATCHMAKER
DIRECTOR: Niko Stumpo
NETHERLANDS

MISSING
DIRECTOR: Siddartha Jatla
INDIA

ONE MINUTE GUIDE TO PLANET EARTH
DIRECTOR: Armen Antranikian
GERMANY / UK

PASHIZ
DIRECTOR: Mahmood Nuri
IRAN

PIG
DIRECTOR: Ross Newell
UK / SPAIN

POETIC MECHANICS
DIRECTOR: Florin Piersic jr.
ROMANIA

POLAR BEARS
DIRECTOR: Eskimo Productions
AUSTRALIA

SOLDIERS
DIRECTOR: Hillman Curtis
USA

TENNIS PLAYERS
DIRECTOR: Tobias Nölle
SWITZERLAND

TERO TALKS WITH HIS DAD
DIRECTOR: Jukka Kärkkäinen
FINLAND

TWO POINTS
DIRECTOR: Bogdan Dumitrescu
ROMANIA

When Filminute launched in 2006, 8 countries were represented on the inaugural year's shortlist. This year, via independent and international co-productions, 19 countries are represented: ARGENTINA, AUSTRALIA, BULGARIA, CANADA, CHINA, FINLAND, FRANCE, GERMANY, INDIA, IRAN, JAPAN, THE NETHERLANDS, NEW ZEALAND, ROMANIA, RUSSIA, SPAIN, SWITZERLAND, USA, UK

"Short is the New Long" — Kevin Roberts

Kevin Roberts, worldwide CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi and a member of the Filminute 2007 jury, wrote about Filminute this week. We invite you to read the full blog entry titled Short is the New Long.

"It’s not as easy as it seems" — David Sproxton

David Sproxton is co-founder of Aardman Animations, the Academy Award winning studio behind the adventures of the plasticine characters Wallace and Grommit and the animated film Chicken Run. Friends of the Earth, who are running a parallel Call for Entry for "green films" interviewed David Sproxton a few weeks ago.

" With a lot of short films, there's often a big film trying to escape out of it.

But in a minute, if it's well constructed, you can put over some pretty hefty ideas without hammering a point home.

A one minute film if it's well thought through can pack a punch and not bore your audience.

Good one-minute films which are engaging, put across a message, sustain and leave you feeling you've had a bit of entertainment and some information are quite tricky to make. It's not as easy as it seems."

— David on short films

Please visit the Friends of the Earth site to read the full interview or to learn more about Friends of the Earth's "One minute with meaning" initiative.

Submissions to date from the following countries

Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lithuania , Macedonia, Mexico, Nepal, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey, UK, USA

COLLABORATION: Friends of the Earth

Friends of the Earth, the UK's most influential environmental campaigning organisation, has announced a call for "green" films. Under the banner of "One minute with meaning," eligible entries will automatically be entered to Filminute 2007 for consideration to this year's festival shortlist.

Friends of the Earth have recruited their own jury and incentives to prompt creation of one-minute films that are "inspiring and moving" and "green - but not just the colour."

"Telling a good story in one-minute is a fantastic challenge for any film maker" says BAFTA and Academy Award-winning film producer and politician David Puttnam (Chariots of Fire, The Killing Fields, The Mission, Midnight Express). David Puttnam happens to be one of several highly respected panelists reviewing green films for Friends of the Earth.

In addition, the Friends of the Earth website ups the ante with a discussion around "greener" filmmaking. The pointers put forward around reuse, recycling, and saving energy in the filmmaking process are thoughtful and worthy of consideration beyond filmmaking.

Filminute believe that one-minute films are significant in the exchange of ideas and inspiration of audiences to think about or act upon issues. The expansion of our call for entry to Friends of the Earth's constituents will help support Filminute's goal of providing a diverse collection of films that will engage audiences everywhere during Filminute 2007 this coming September and beyond.

Welcome to Friends of the Earth. Please visit their site to find out more.

COLLABORATION: Big Picture TV

2007 COLLABORATION: Big Picture TV

Filminute is delighted to announce a unique collaboration with Big Picture TV, an online video channel that streams solution-oriented "talking heads" of global experts in issues relating to the long-term sustainability of our planet.

Over a 5 year period, Big Picture TV has amassed a comprehensive archive of over 350 videos, totalling some 40 hours of content. Marcus Morrell, founder of Big Picture TV, has jumped at the opportunity to expand the Filminute 2007 Call for Entry by opening up this extraordinary archive to filmmakers interested in using footage to make or produce one-minute films for submission. Going forward, Big Picture TV will also feature one-minute films as a section of the website at www.bigpicture.tv.

Nelson Mandela, HRH Prince of Wales, Naomi Klein, Bruce Sterling and Nobel Peace Prize Winner Wangari Maathai are some of the names you'll recognize among more than 100 luminaries on the site. Topics discussed range from development, energy and globalisation, to health, politics and the environment.

Filminute anticipates a surge in one-minute films by filmmakers, animators, writers, and creative producers interested in the state of the planet.

Welcome to Big Picture TV. Please visit the site to find out more.

Wikipedia profile

Filminute® is the international one-minute film festival dedicated to showcasing, awarding and promoting the world’s best one-minute films.

Read the full Wikipedia summary here.

PRESS RELEASE

London, U.K, June 26, 2007 — Filminute, the international one-minute film festival, has announced the core of its 2007 jury.

Head of jury and Filminute co-founder John Ketchum has gathered an eclectic, contemporary, and international mix of luminaries from the filmmaking, literature, arts and communications industries. This coming September, the Filminute jury will lend their experience and insights to determine the award and commendations for BEST FILMINUTE 2007.

Jury members include:

Michael Ondaatje – Award winning novelist and poet whose Booker Prize winning work The English Patient was adapted into an Academy Award and Bafta-winning film by Anthony Minghella. Ondaatje is also the author of The Conversations: Walter Murch & The Art Of Editing Film, an invaluable non-fiction work that explores the uniquely powerful role of the editor within the creative process of filmmaking.

Kevin Roberts – CEO Worldwide of Saatchi & Saatchi, one of the world's leading creative organizations, employing over 7000 people in 83 countries. Also the author of Sisomo:The Future on Screen, a book that looks at the central role of sight, sound and motion and the impact these element have in accelerating emotional connections in the digital age.

Samira Makhmalbaf – Award-winning Iranian filmmaker whose 1998 film Sib (aka The Apple) was accepted to the official selection at Cannes Film Festival making her the youngest director (18) to achieve that feat. Ms Makhmalbaf has gone on to win numerous international awards including Cannes jury prizes in 2000 and 2003.

Kenichi Kondo, The Mori Art Museum Tokyo – as a curator with a specialty in video art, Kenichi Kondo has been responsible for strengthening the Mori’s focus on contemporary art and culture through his various initiatives including the massive 2006 Bill Viola retrospective and his 2007 John Wood and Paul Harrison Show.

Klaus Eder – General Secretary of FIPRESCI (Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique), the international body of professional film critics and film journalists based in Munich. FIPRESCI awards carry great distinction and are given out at the world's leading film festivals to films that advance the art of cinema.

“In 2006, Filminute engaged and entertained audiences with the one-minute format – especially when a film delivered a great story that resonated beyond the one-minute limit,” said John Ketchum, Filminute co-founder and head of jury. “I’m thrilled with the group we’ve assembled for 2007 and can’t wait to see how they judge what is bound to be an even stronger shortlist of international films and filmmakers.”

Cineuropa, June 25, 2007

NEWS • Festivals – UK • Filminute: A 60-second challenge

After the success of the 2006 inaugural edition, the Filminute festival – an online competition of one-minute (very) short films – will be back in September 2007. Film subscriptions are open until August 20, and the aim is to attract filmmakers from different parts of the world with different backgrounds, capable of condensing their creativity in no more than 60 seconds and showing stories that, in the words of Fiminute's CEO John Ketchum, "resonate beyond the one-minute limit".

Read the rest of this article at Cineuropa.

Films from outside "the system"

At this stage in the Call for Entry period, we are receiving submissions from a wider range of countries than ever before. New countries on the list of submissions this year are India, Macedonia, Iran, and Turkey, among others. We often speak of Filminute as one phenomenon in modern media that levels the playing field.

Klaus Eder, General Secretary of FIPRESCI (Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique), the international body of professional film critics and film journalists, made the following comment about films coming from "outside the system." He made the comment in the context of Munich's international film festival where he is one of the lead international programmers.

• In the last 3 or 4 years we've seen a big change in all the films we receive as a result of digital filmmaking - in documentaries, features etc. These films that are being made "outside of the system" are coming from a YouTube mentality that is far away from what we have been used to. FIPRESCI has to look at what's going on here and that's why its important we be involved in an initiative like Filminute. — Klaus Eder

Filminute 2007 is honoured to have Klaus Eder on our jury this September. We look forward to his further commentary and comparative insights.

Submissions are due August 20th, 2007. Wherever you are from, we want to see your one-minute film.

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