We present: The END – European Network for Film Discourse, which we have co-founded with five fellow European short film festivals. Now it’s official: our new alliance, which is closely linked to the successful online magazine Talking Shorts, will receive EU funding for the next two years via the “Creative Europe – MEDIA” programme.

Along with our friends of Filmfest Dresden (DE), Lago Film Fest (IT), Kortfilmfestival Leuven (BE), FeKK Ljubljana Short Film Festival (SI) and Vilnius International Short Film Festival (LT), our main purpose is to promote critical film discourse by and for a younger generation and to familiarize new audiences with a flourishing European film landscape, including cooperative workshops, mentoring programmes and various community activities.

WORKSHOPS FOR FILM CRITICISM IN SIX CITIES

The first offerings for aspiring film critics begin as early as April and June with the first of a total of three so-called “tandem workshops” per year, a series of workshops organized jointly by two festivals each. Under the guidance of established journalists and film scholars, the participants will learn the basics of film criticism by means of short films and film programmes. The first tandem in Dresden and Vienna is already fully booked, dates for Lago/Ljubljana (summer) and Leuven/Vilnius (winter) will follow soon.

A selection of the resulting workshop texts will be published on the platform Talking Shorts, which shares a close connection to the network. The online magazine was initiated in 2019 by Filmfest Dresden and Vienna Shorts and is dedicated to the short cinematic form as well as to the networking of film festivals and film critics. The END also endows a new film prize worth 1,000 Euros in collaboration with Talking Shorts.

The European Network for Film Discourse (END) is supported by the Creative Europe Programme — MEDIA of the European Union.

News 8.3.2023