Festival puts talent in the picture
SUNDERLAND SHORTS TO RETURN TO THE CITY FOR A THIRD YEAR
Organisers of the Sunderland Shorts Film Festival are hoping the force will be strong when it launches on May 4 this year.
The film festival returns to the city for the third year, on what is regarded as the unofficial Star Wars Day, and will see the screening of 50 films from 28 different countries.
This year, the festival attracted more than 150 submissions from across the world, which were whittled down to 50 by a panel of judges.
The chosen films will be screened in Sunniside at a venue to be announced closer to the time.
As well as enjoying the films, audiences are invited to vote for their favourite too.
Anne Tye, festival director, said: “A short film screening is definitely a different experience; you’ll watch six to eight films in different genthe res, taking you on an emotional journey.”
Sunderland City Council leader Paul Watson, said: “Making a great short film requires real skill and talent and is often a stepping stone to longer feature films. I hope people of the city will once again show their support for Sunderland Shorts, as you really might catch a glimpse of the next Spielberg, Hitchcock or Attenborough.”
John Mowbray, chairman of Sunderland Mac Trust, one of the festival partners, said: “We hope Sunderland Shorts will inspire people to explore what they know about film because they will definitely be surprised about how much emotion, excitement and drama can be packed into 15 minutes or less,”
For more information, visit www.sunderlandshorts. co.uk.