Aesthetica Short Film Festival
The Aesthetica Short Film Festival (ASFF) is an international film festival which takes place annually in York, England, at the beginning of November. Founded in 2011, it is a celebration of independent film from around the world, and an outlet for supporting and championing filmmaking. With over 400 films screenings and 100 industry events, ASFF is one of the UK's key film festivals.
| Aesthetica Short Film Festival | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Status | Active |
| Genre | Film Festival |
| Date(s) | 3-30 November 2020 |
| Frequency | Annually |
| Venue | Various, across York |
| Location(s) | York |
| Country | UK |
| Inaugurated | 2011 |
| Website | http://www.asff.co.uk |
ASFF is also a BAFTA-Qualifying festival, meaning short films that are screened may be eligible for a BAFTA award.
The festival is hosted by Aesthetica Magazine, one of the world's leading art and culture publications and supported by York St John University, London College of Communication and the British Film Institute.[1]
History
ASFF is hosted by Aesthetica, a British art and culture magazine. Initially launched as the Aesthetica Short Film Competition,[2] winning films were included on a DVD released with the December/January edition of Aesthetica. The competition received a significant number of entries, and it developed into the Aesthetica Short Film Festival.
2011
The first edition took place in 2011.[3] The festival brought filmmakers and audiences from locations including South Africa, New Zealand, the US and from across Europe, to the city of York.[4] Among those delivering masterclasses were Mark Herman (Screenwriter, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas), Ivana Mackinnon (Executive Producer, Slumdog Millionaire) and the Senior Commissioner for Channel 4.[5]
ASFF 2011 received positive feedback and was covered in The Guardian.[6][7]
2012
ASFF 2012 screened over 200 films across 15 different locations.[8] Masterclasses were held by Danny Cohen (BAFTA-nominated cinematographer of The King’s Speech, The Boat That Rocked and Glorious 39), Barry Ryan the head of Warp Films (Dead Man’s Shoes, Four Lions, This is England and Submarine) and Matt Greenhalgh (BAFTA winning screenwriter of Control and Nowhere Boy).[9] The festival also included screenings, panel discussions, special events and parties.[10][11]
2013
The third edition expanded the Official Programme, screening over 300 films.[12] Saera Jin, director of the comedy Konnichiwa Brick Lane was in attendance, alongside Curt Apduhan who discussed the making of his drama Anniversary. Manjinder Virk received the Festival Winner award for her short Out of Darkness, which the Observer's Chief Film Critic Mark Kermode described as "intriguing and thought provoking."[13][14]
Events included a series of masterclasses from Joakim Sundström (Seven Psychopaths), Craig McNeil from Beggars Group, Warp Films, Film4, Channel 4, Alice Lowe (Sightseers, Hot Fuzz) and more.[15] There were also special programmes from BAFTA, Yorkshire Film Archive, and Screen Bandita.[16]
2014
ASFF received BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) Recognised status in 2014.[17] The festival was also awarded Festival of the Year by York Press.[18]
Notable films include Alan Holly's Coda, shortlisted for the 87th Academy Awards and nominated for the 42nd Annual Annie Awards, starring Brian Gleeson and Orla Fitgerald.[19] Actors starring in some of the short films also included Adeel Akhtar, Hugo Weaving, Maxine Peake and model Lily Cole.
Guest programmes from screened by Creative England iShorts, Yorkshire Film Archive, Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival, Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur.[20] The festival continued to showcase films in all genres and expanded its programme to include fashion and advertising.[21][22] ASFF's fashion strand was supported by London College of Fashion and screened films from brands such as Vivienne Westwood, Swarovski, Louis Vuitton, Trager Delaney, Topshop, River Island, Karen Millen, Triwa watches and Hub Footwear.[23]
New events included Meet the Film Festivals, which created a place for filmmakers to network with programmers from across the world. Festivals in attendance included Raindance; London Short Film Festival; Edinburgh International Film Festival; Garden State Film Festival and more.[24]
2015
ASFF celebrated its fifth anniversary in 2015. The festival ran from 5 to 8 November and attracted 20,000 admissions.[25][26]
The festival welcomed acclaimed industry figures for its Masterclass series, including BAFTA-winning Warp Films’ Head of Production Barry Ryan (’71, Berberian Sound Studio, Four Lions and This is England); Stephen Whelan, Executive Producer and founder at White Lodge; and Price James, who worked previously at Ridley Scott Associates and is a director at BAFTA-winning production company Agile Films. Organisations also included Association of Camera Operators, Rankin Film, Shooting People, National Theatre, British Society of Cinematographers, Studio AKA, Channel 4, Framestore and more. ASFF 2015 also hosted the festival's first Videotheque, enabling festival goers the opportunity to watch all films from the Official Selection.[27]
Winners from each category, plus Best of Fest, People's Choice Award and the York Youth Vote were announced at the ASFF Awards Ceremony on Sunday 8 November.[28]
2016
ASFF 2016 ran 3 from 6 November, taking place in 18 venues. Masterclasses were led by industry representatives from organisations including the BBC, Industrial Light & Magic, and Jagex. BBC Commissioning Editor, Kristian Smith, joined writer of Raised by Wolves Caroline Moran to discuss development and pitching, while actress and writer Alice Lowe (The World’s End, Sightseers) spoke about how to bring a character to life. Events also included new daily Morning Coffee hours at According to McGee art gallery. There were Showcase Screenings curated by cultural organisations throughout the UK, including London College of Fashion University of the Arts London, Plymouth College of Art, University of York, Creative England and Northern Ireland Screen among others.[29]
New for 2016, ASFF partnered with the Northern Film School at Leeds Beckett University to present an award for Best Screenplay in the Official Selection.[30]
The Jury of industry professionals who selected the winners included representatives from BAFTA, Edinburgh International Film Festival and Encounters Film Festival.[31]
2017
Extending to five days, the seventh edition of ASFF screened over 300 films across 18 unique venues throughout the city of York. The programme boasted a stunning selection of innovative and creative works from 41 countries.[32] Audiences were given a chance to see several UK premieres with performances from some of the best-loved film and TV stars including; Martin Freeman, Imelda Staunton, Idris Elba and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, and attend a dynamic line-up of masterclasses, networking sessions and panel discussions from notable industry leaders such as i-D, BBC and the British Film Institute.
ASFF also continued to build upon its diverse programming with a collection of exclusive screenings supported by Iris Prize, British Urban Film Festival and Kraków Film Festival.
Best of Fest winners were Benjamin Cleary and TJ O’Grady Peyton for Wave, the story of a man who wakes from a coma speaking a fully formed but unrecognisable language, which also went on to win the Best Drama Award. Cleary was also awarded the Best of Fest in 2015 for Stutterer, which received Best Live Action Short Film at the 88th Academy Awards.[33]
Chris Overton's The Silent Child, a film inspired by real life events, that told the story of a deaf four-year-old girl, whose social worker teaches her the gift of communication, took home the Youth Award and the People's Choice Award. It went on to win Best Live Action Short Film at the 90th Academy Awards.[34]
2018
ASFF 2018 took place from 7 to 11 November. Combining industry-led events with screenings, the programme addressed diverse subject matters relating to the changing landscape of film. The line-up welcomed industry leaders from Aardman Studios, Film4, British Vogue, StudioCanal, BBC, Industrial Light & Magic, Dazed, Baby Cow, Pinewood Studios and more.
The eighth edition also welcomed Narrative and Documentary Feature Films for the first time. The decision came from the wider ethos to continue supporting talent development, as many festival alumni had progressed to features since first screening at ASFF, most notably director Francis Lee (God’s Own Country).[35] Feature films in competition for the 2018 festival included Akram Khan's Giselle (As part of the English National Ballet), Mark Cousins' The Eyes of Orson Welles and Benjamin Wigley's Paa Joe & The Lion.
With the rise of digital platforms, ASFF also took steps into virtual landscapes with the launch of the Screen School VR Lab in partnership with London College of Communication. Screenings were complemented by a series of panel discussions delving into the making and realisation of VR and 360 film through the lens of ethics, production and storytelling.
Best of Fest was awarded to Ed Perkins for his film Black Sheep, which told the story of Cornelius Walker and the murder of Damilola Taylor, in what became one of the UK's most high-profile cases. The film also received Best Documentary and the Northern Film School Award for Best Screenplay.
2019
The Aesthetica Short Film Festival ran 6 to 10 November. With over 400 films and 100 industry events programmed, it was the most extensive edition to date. For 2019, Masterclasses welcomed cultural powerhouses such as British Vogue, i-D and Rankin, as well as Emmy- and Oscar-nominated producers, directors, sound designers, editors and cinematographers such as Simon Chinn, Dick Pope, Tracey Granger and Mick Audsley. First hand insights into the industry were also given by Framestore, SKY VR, Baby Cow, Bluezoo, BFI NETWORK, Aardman, Industrial Light & Magic, BBC and more.
Additional events included the launch of ASFF's Industry Marketplace, the first event of its kind in the UK. Over 40 exhibitors were included, from BFI NETWORK, Locarno Film Festival, Creative England, to Edinburgh Film Festival, Sheffield Doc/Fest, Hijack Post, London College of Communication and Festival Formula. The event was a platform for attendees and delegates to engage with key organisations from across the sector, including international film festivals, screen agencies, sales agents, global distributors and renowned universities.
Guest Programme screenings from The Guardian, Studio AKA, BBC Arabic Festival also took place across the festival's five-day run, as well as the return of the Screen School VR Lab, created in partnership with London College of Communication.
Best of Festival was awarded to Sasha Rainbow for her film Kofi and Lartey, which tells the story of a man who escaped one of the most toxic places in the world, and his fight to try and empower two young boys to do the same. The 2019 festival also included the presentation of the Hijack Visionary Filmmaker Award, which was taken home by Ellie Rogers for her film They Found Her in a Field. The award recognises directors with exceptional vision and a unique cinematic voice, with the winner receiving a generous post production package for their next short film.
2020
ASFF’s 10th anniversary edition finds a new home in an accessible online space for 2020, running 3-8 November. From 9-30 November, the content will be available On Demand as part of ASFF's virtual platform. This year, ASFF presents its most expansive programme to date, with over 450 curated films from across the world and more than 100 live industry events, all available on a virtual platform.
Beyond the Official Selection, ASFF presents a unique festival experience, welcoming specially curated guest programmes, showcase screenings from leading film schools and universities, as well as a schedule of live industry events, featuring renowned speakers from across a range of crafts.
Guest speakers include Oscar-Winning Director Andrea Arnold (Wasp, Fish Tank, American Honey), BAFTA-winning filmmaker Sarah Gavron (This Little Life, Suffragette, Rocks), BIFA-winning and Emmy-nominated Documentarian Jeanie Finlay (Seahorse, Orion: The Man Who Would Be King, Game of Thrones: The Last Watch), celebrated Filmmaker Sam Feder (DISCLOSURE, Boy I Am), Oscar Winning Sound Designer Glenn Freemantle (Gravity, Annihilation), double Oscar-winning VFX Supervisor Paul Franklin (Inception, Interstellar), as well as leading animators, cinematographers, editors, production designers and representatives from Film4, BBC Films, Framestore and many more.
Films in competition will be released in 6 Strands from 3-8 November, with 10 programmes per day. The strand titles include: Just Another Day on Earth, Humans and their Environment, Connections: People, Places and Identity, Breaking Down Barriers and Keep on the Sunny Side of Life.
Guest programmes have also expanded for 2020. These include: Indigenous Cinema: Celebrating Visual Narrative Sovereignty (Native Spirit FF), Cinesisters: A Platform for Female Voices (Cinesisters), Tales from Isolation (Short of the Week), TransFormation, TransAction (Transgender Media Portal), BFI Doc Society Presents: Documenting Modern Britain (Doc Society), Hanoi Stories (Scottish Documentary Institute), Fresh Perspectives: Making Space for Disability (OSKA BRIGHT), The True Glory: Remembering WWII (IWM), I Still Can’t Breathe (Directors Notes, Can We Talk DXB), The Future of AI: People and Data (DC LABS), Iris Prize Presents: LGBT+ Shorts (Iris Prize), Short Films from Brazil (Sao Paolo Short Film Festival), Perspectives from the Arctic Circle: Norway on Film (Norwegian Short Film Festival).
The 2020 tickets are 24-hour, 7-day and 1-Month Film & Industry Passes.
Call for Entries
The Aesthetica Short Film Festival opens for entries in December and closes on 31 May. The festival welcomes submissions from emerging and established filmmakers from around the world. Short films with a maximum running time of 30 minutes are accepted across the following genres: advertising, animation, artists’ film, comedy, dance, documentary, drama, experimental, fashion, music video, thriller and VR.[36] Feature films are also accepted across Narrative and Documentary genres, running over 60 minutes.
Awards
All films in the Official Selection are in competition to receive a number of awards. These awards recognise outstanding talent in filmmaking practice. The winning films are selected by a jury of industry experts, and are presented at the Closing Night Awards Ceremony. ASFF is also a BAFTA-Qualifying festival, meaning short films that are screened may be eligible for a BAFTA award.
Sponsored by BFI NETWORK and Film Hub North, the Polaris Award celebrates the achievements of a filmmaker based in the North of England.
New for 2019, the Hijack Visionary Filmmaker Award recognises directors with exceptional vision and a unique cinematic voice. The winner receives a generous post production package for their next short film.
Previous winners have gone on to achieve further award success, including Oscar wins (The Silent Child, Chris Overton in 2017 and Stutterer, Benjamin Cleary, in 2016).
2011 Winners
| Award | Winner |
|---|---|
| Festival Winner | River Dog, James Muir/Daniel Hunter |
| People's Choice | Dr Knowgood: The Lion’s Pride, Arnold Zwanenbur |
| Best Animation | Hasan Everywhere, Andrew Kavanagh |
| Best Artists’ Film | Wall, Michael Barwise |
| Best Comedy | Tooty’s Wedding, Frederic Casella |
| Best Documentary | River Dog, James Muir/Daniel Hunter |
| Best Drama | LIN, Piers Thompson |
| Best Experimental | Dogged, Jo Shaw |
| Best Music Video | Amatorski: Soldier, Maria de Gier |
| Best Thriller | Cleaning Up, Thomas Guerrier |
2012 Winners
| Award | Winner |
|---|---|
| Festival Winner | The Sugar Bowl, Shasha Nakhai/Richard Williamson |
| People's Choice | Hollow, Rob Sorrenti |
| Best Animation | The Jockstrap Raiders, Mark Nelson |
| Best Artists’ Film | Reduction Study: Ping Pong, Joanna Tam |
| Best Comedy | Photoshopping, Mark Davenport |
| Best Documentary | The Sugar Bowl, Shasha Nakhai/Richard Williamson |
| Best Drama | Dylan’s Room, Layke Anderson |
| Best Experimental | To The Sea, Anna Valdez Hanks/Anna Blandford |
| Best Music Video | Let It Go, Ashley Dean |
| Best Thriller | Augenblicke, Martin Bargiel |
2013 Winners
| Award | Winner |
|---|---|
| Festival Winner | Out Of Darkness, Manjinder Virk |
| People's Choice | But Milk Is Important, Anna Mantzaris / Eirik Grønmo Bjørnsen |
| Best Animation | Oh Willy…, De Swaef / Marc James Roels |
| Best Artists’ Film | Ma, Imran Perretta |
| Best Comedy | This Way Out, Staten Cousins-Roe |
| Best Documentary | Danger Overhead Powerlines, Mia Mullarkey |
| Best Drama | Out Of Darkness, Manjinder Virk |
| Best Experimental | Man vs Sand, Prano Bailey-Bond |
| Best Music Video | Call Me In The Afternoon, Czlowiek Kamera |
| Best Thriller | Lapsus, Karim Ouaret |
2014 Winners
| Award | Winner |
|---|---|
| Festival Winner | Coda, Alan Holly |
| People's Choice | The Wolf, The Ship, And The Little Green Bag, Cullum Carver-Jones |
| Best Advertising | The Directors Project, Ben Marshall |
| Best Animation | Coda, Alan Holly |
| Best Artists’ Film | Forgotten Memories From The End Of The World, Danilo Godoy |
| Best Comedy | Girl Power, Benjamin Bee |
| Best Documentary | Herd in Iceland, Lindsay Blatt |
| Best Drama | Eine Gute Geschichte (A Good Story), Martin-Christopher Bode |
| Best Experimental | Léthé, Harald Hutter |
| Best Fashion | River Island x Joseph Turvey feat. Justanorm, Alex Turvey. |
| Best Music Video | Public Service Broadcasting: Night Mail, Robert Hackett |
| Best Thriller | Keeping Up With The Joneses, Michael Pearce |
| York Youth Vote | How To Disappear Completely, Tim Woodall / Phil Drinkwater |
2015 Winners
| Award | Winner |
|---|---|
| Festival Winner | A Confession, Petros Silvestros |
| People's Choice | Acoustic Kitty, Jennifer Sheridan |
| Best Advertising | The Experimenter, Simon Emmerson, Andy Russell, Tim Spence & Phil Robson (Lush Digital) |
| Best Animation | Somewhere Down the Line, Julien Regnard |
| Best Artists’ Film | Towards the Possible Film, Shezad Dawood |
| Best Comedy | How I didn't Become a Piano Player, Tommaso Pitta |
| Best Dance | Primitive, Tom Rowland |
| Best Documentary | Across Still Water, Ruth Grimberg |
| Best Drama | Stutterer, Benjamin Cleary |
| Best Experimental | Drifters, Anu Valia |
| Best Fashion | Pinch Me for Ted Baker, White Lodge |
| Best Music Video | We Were Evergreen: Daughters, Dominique Rocher |
| Best Thriller | A Confession, Petros Silvestros |
| York Youth Award | Billy the Kid, Sam Johnson |
2016 Winners
| Award | Winner |
|---|---|
| Festival Winner | Irregulars, Fabio Palmieri |
| People's Choice | Dust and Resin, Stephen Parker |
| Best Advertising | Robo-Trumbe, John Wright |
| Best Animation | Machine, Sunit Parekh-Gaihede |
| Best Artists’ Film | Solo Damas, Callum Hill |
| Best Comedy | 90 Grad Nord, Detsky Graffam |
| Best Documentary | Irregulars, Fabio Palmieri |
| Best Drama | Silence, Dejan Mrkic |
| Best Experimental | Two Signs' Den: Epilogue, Bruno Decc |
| Best Fashion | Breaking Rules, Victor Claramunt |
| Best Music Video | Beardyman - Mountainside, Lewis Rose |
| Best Thriller | Cork Man, Dawn Han |
| York Youth Vote | Litterbugs, Peter Stanley-Ward |
2017 Winners
| Award | Winner |
|---|---|
| Festival Winner | Wave, Benjamin Cleary & TJ O’Grady Peyton |
| People's Choice | The Silent Child, Chris Overton |
| Northern Film School's Best Screenplay | For Real Tho, Baptist Penetticobra |
| Best Advertising | #WeBelieveInThePowerOfLove, Luca Finotti |
| Best Animation | Johnno’s Dead, Chris Shepherd |
| Best Artists' Film | For Real Tho, Baptist Penetticobra |
| Best Comedy | Fucking Bunnies, Teemu Niukkanen |
| Best Documentary | Homeland, Sam Peeters |
| Best Drama | Wave, Benjamin Cleary & TJ O’Grady Peyton |
| Best Dance | Lil Buck with Icons of Modern Art, Andrew Margetson |
| Best Experimental | The Happiest Barrack, Noémi Varga |
| Best Fashion | The Sleeping Field, That Jam |
| Best Music Video | Metaxas – Sirens, Savvas Stavrou |
| Best Thriller | Gridlock, Ian Hunt Duffy |
| York Youth Vote | The Silent Child, Chris Overton |
2018 Winners
| Award | Winner |
|---|---|
| Festival Winner | Black Sheep, Ed Perkins |
| People's Choice | Turning Table, Andrew Muir |
| Northern Film School's Best Screenplay | Black Sheep, Ed Perkins |
| Film Hub North Filmmaker's Award | Venus, Faye Carr-Wilson |
| Best Advertising | Start the Buzz - Milan Fashion Show, Giacomo Boeri & Matteo Grimaldi |
| Best Animation | Double Portrait, Ian Bruce |
| Best Artists' Film | Author of Expectations, bielecki & bielecka |
| Best Comedy | Sex Ed, Alice Seabright |
| Best Dance | Dances with Circles, Paul McLean |
| Best Documentary | Black Sheep, Ed Perkins |
| Best Drama | In Wonderland, Christopher Haydon |
| Best Experimental | Something Said, Jay Bernard |
| Best Fashion | C41 Magazine x Adidas Originals Prophere, Leone Balduzzu |
| Best Music Video | Alon Eder - I Am Sex, Yuval Haker |
| Best Thriller | Wale, Barnaby Blackburn |
| Best Narrative Feature | You Go To My Head, Dimitri de Clercq |
| Best Documentary Feature | Almost Heaven, Carol Salter |
| Best VR & Immersive | Ashes to Ashes, Ingejan Ligthart Schenk & Jamille van Wijngaarden |
| York Youth Award | Camlo, Andrew Muir |
2019 Winners
| Award | Winner |
|---|---|
| Festival Winner | Kofi & Lartey, Sasha Rainbow |
| People's Choice | Down, Garry Crystal |
| Film Hub North Polaris Award | Henceforth, Charlene Jones |
| Hijack Visionary Award | They Found Her in a Field, Ellie Rogers |
| Best Advertising | L'incredibile, LEONE |
| Best Animation | Roadkill, Leszek Mozga |
| Best Artists' Film | A Protest, A Celebration, A Mixed Message, Rhea Storr |
| Best Comedy | Norteños, Grandmas |
| Best Dance | The Golden Age, Eric Minh Cuong Castaing |
| Best Documentary | Bright Lights, Charby Ibrahim |
| Best Drama | Miss Chazelles, Thomas Vernay |
| Best Experimental | Kindred, Samona Olanipekun |
| Best Fashion | Lola's Manifesto, Gsus Lopez |
| Best Feature | Irene's Ghost, Iain Cunningham |
| Best Music Video | Shahmaran, Emmanuel Adjei |
| Best Thriller | Madame, Garth Jennings |
| Best VR & Immersive | Virtual Viking, Erik Gustavson |
| York Youth Award | Lasagne, Hannah Hill |
2020 Winners
| Award | Winner |
|---|---|
| Festival Winner | The Fantastic, dir. Maija Blåfield |
| Hijack Visionary Award | Thinking About the Weather, dir. Gardar Thor Thorkelsson |
| Best Advertising | Safe Water, dir. Mario Dahl |
| Best Animation | The Passerby, dir. Pieter Coudyzer |
| Best Artists' Film | Factory Talk, dir. Lucie Rachel and Chrissie Hyde |
| Best Comedy | Maradona's Legs, dir. Firas Khoury |
| Best Dance | The Conversation, dir. Lanre Malaolu |
| Best Documentary | The Fantastic, dir. Maija Blåfield |
| Best Drama | The Present, dir. Farah Nabulsi |
| Best Experimental | Softer, dir. Ayanna Dozier |
| Best Fashion | Baba, dir. Sarah Blok and Lisa Konno |
| Best Music Video | Adventure, dir. Zak Marx |
| Best Thriller | Night Bus, dir. Jessica Ashworth and Henrietta Ashworth |
| Best VR & Immersive | VR Free, dir. Milad Tangshir |
| Best Feature (Documentary) | Neighbors, dir. Tomislav Zaja |
| Best Feature (Narrative) | How to Stop A Recurring Dream, dir. Edward Morris |
References
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