“Short. Sweet. Film Fest.”
All you need to know is right there in the name!
Launched in 2012, this annual cinematic extravaganza was created by actual filmmakers. In a movie culture where under-30-minute offerings are usually relegated to streaming services (if you’re even able to watch them at all!), this Cleveland-based festival proudly asks, “Do we really want to premiere our short film alongside silly kitten videos?”
For the first time, “Short. Sweet. Film Fest.” received so many LGBTQ+ submissions that they are able to offer a separate block solely for queer content. The 2021 festival will be held Feb. 24-28 and everyone across Ohio (and the world!) can register for free over on their website.
The Buckeye Flame spoke with Rebekah Camp, the festival’s Director of Operations, to find out just how short, sweet, and queer this year’s offerings will be.
Give us the short rundown on Short. Sweet. Film Fest.
We’re a locally-run and largely locally-sourced film festival that only shows short films. This is our 10th year, which is amazing. Yeah, it’s a little bit of a bummer that it is happening during a pandemic, but we are making it through and we are making this year’s festival really cool.
For those who don’t know the art form, sell us on short films.
Especially right now when people are so into binging stuff, our attention spans are a little short, Which is not a bad thing! With short films you can watch a whole story unfold and you don’t have to wait for the next episode. It’s all there and it only took you around 20 minutes.
LGBTQ+ submissions have increased for this year?
Yes! This is the best year we’ve ever had for LGBTQ submissions. We haven’t had the depth of content to have a specific LGBTQ block in the past. We’ve had horror and comedy and music videos in the past, and we’ve had to put the queer films in with those other themes. But now we have enough for them to stand in their own category.
To what you attribute the increase in LGBTQ+ content?
I think it’s partly that the Festival is getting to be more widely known and people from other places are submitting. So that creates a wider range. People know that our festival actively wants LGBTQ films, which is really important. A lot of festivals don’t really highlight LGBTQ films, so creators don’t really submit them. We actually want them.
What are this years queer films looking like?
We have probably the best LGBTQ short that we’ve ever received. It is honestly one of the best overall shorts I have seen this year period. It’s called Sam and Emma and it is amazing. It will close out the block and, like all of the films, it will be available online. There’s also a really cute music video about a transwoman that is opening the block we are doing in person.
For those who are able to make it in person, I will be moderating conversation between most or all of the LGBT films. We’ll take some time to evaluate the piece, talk about the content and why queer representation is important. Whether online or in person, I’m so excited for people to see these films. 🔥
Ignite Action:
- Head over to www.shortsweetfilmfest.com to register to watch all the films from Feb. 24-28. Basic access to watch the films during the Festival is free, and $9.99 will get you access through March 31.
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