Leith Short Film Festival reveals big plans for inaugural outing
The celebration of new voices in film will take place at Granton’s The Pitt
Leith Short Film Festival (LSFF), a new celebration of films in Edinburgh, has revealed further details of its inaugural event. Taking place at Granton’s The Pitt on Saturday 26 September, the festival will combine short film screenings with live music, discussion panels featuring industry professionals, and an awards ceremony championing selected films.
Broadening the net of inclusivity is a key aspect for the festival’s founder, Nick Grant, who told us: ‘LSFF is founded on the belief that the magic and meaning of cinema must be celebrated and made accessible to everyone.’ With that in mind, submissions viewers have been conscious to include work from a variety of social classes, a welcome move in an industry with a workforce consisting of only 5-8% working-class people.
According to a statement released by LSFF, the festival ‘welcomes emerging filmmakers from all backgrounds and experience levels.’ So far, the festival has received more than 135 submissions, that Grant has claimed are of an exceptional quality. Grant, a filmmaker himself, hatched the idea for LSFF with the aim of providing a model of transparency for film festivals, which can be notoriously opaque for first-time submitters.
The awards section of the festival will include categories for best documentary short film, best short film, best experimental short film, best student short film, best micro short film, best director, best editor, best cinematography and best writer, with prizes yet to be finalised.
Grant told us: ‘In our rapidly changing world, the connection between a filmmaker's unique story and their audience is more critical than ever.’
Further details of LSFF, including screenings and performances, will be revealed as the festival draws nearer.
This has been a fruitful time for Edinburgh’s local film scene, particularly in the world of community cinemas, which we wrote about in-depth last year. ‘Myriad screenings take place unnoticed across the central belt,’ we wrote, ‘in small, interesting venues, maintaining the legacy of film as an egalitarian medium (it’s with good reason that the nascent years of the moving image invited comparisons to the Tower Of Babel). Leith Kino, Cinetopia and Hurdy Gurdy Film Club (along with Matchbox Cine, Take One Action, the venues participating in the Local Cinema Network, Borscht Film Club, and more) are a small selection of many individuals ensuring that the spirit of film remains intact.’ Read the full article.
Leith Short Film Festival, The Pitt, Edinburgh, Saturday 26 September.