Shorts::Cut is the oldest film festival in Portsmouth. It began in 2005 so this year will be its 20th anniversary – congrats to all involved!
It’s a festival that focuses on short films from the region, so if local talent is something you feel passionate about Shorts::Cut is for you. The Portsmouth Film Society (PFS) adopted the festival ten years ago and has been running it ever since, but the mission has remained the same: to champion local film makers and show their work to local people.
All of the films shown are under 15 minutes long, and there is always an eclectic mix of themes and genres. Film makers can get very creative with short films.
Portsmouth Film Society is not for profit, it’s run by volunteers, and very few of the short film makers or actors make any money from their films, so the whole festival is one gigantic passion project.
Being a relatively small event, it is far more accessible than other film festivals in the area, although submitting a film doesn’t guarantee it will be selected. Those that are will be shown in front of an audience at the Southsea Community Cinema – there are even awards.
Screening and Submission Dates
Anyone wanting to submit their film to the festival has plenty of time to do so, although the festival itself is only a day long – it doesn’t take long to watch short films after all.
Here is the info you need:
- April 14th – Opening date for submissions
- September 15th – Regular deadline for submissions
- October 6th – Late deadline for submissions
- October 10th – Notification date for successful submission
- October 27th – Festival day. All successful submissions shown on the big screen
Full submission guidelines on their website.
The evening starts at 6pm, and most of the film makers will be present so it’s a great networking opportunity as well as a chance to ask any questions about the films themselves.
Shorts::Cut is a unique little film festival and Portsmouth is lucky to have it.