Talented filmmakers from across the globe will soon see their efforts showcased at the Sunderland Shorts Film Festival.
The festival, now in its third year, will boast short films from countries as diverse as Israel, Belgium, the USA, Switzerland, Lebanon, Norway, Canada and Japan.
The films, from young, indie and up-and-coming directors, will be shown at seven screenings in venues across the city. The festival will run from May 4th to 6th.
The Sunderland Shorts Film Festival received 150 submissions, of which 54 films from 28 countries will be shown.
The films will be from a wide range of genres, including drama, comedy, documentaries, sci-fi, animation and arthouse/experimental.
The films on offer include the comedy A Fistful of Candy, in which three cowboys must choose between loyalty and greed, and the French film The Breakdown, in which a young author discovers he can talk to his characters, but then has to break the news to his hero of his upcoming death.
Golden Boys is about three men who break into their old school in a bid to recapture their adolescence while Right as Rain is about a retired tap dancer and a retired ballet dancer fighting over an abandoned umbrella.
The UK documentary Some Will Forget is about Hatfield Colliery, one of the last British coalmines, as it faces closure.
Details for The Lift’s screening at @sundshortfilm film festival are available here: https://t.co/nR87bCiNYG pic.twitter.com/WuIIiWTkUk
— Marlek al-Habib (@MarlekAlexander) March 31, 2017
Anne Tye, the organiser of the festival, said, “Sunderland Shorts shines a creative spotlight on our city, and we want to welcome as many talented artists and creative maestros from across the globe as we can.”
“Bringing in different ideas, cultures and styles can only help develop and inspire our domestic talent, and maybe even forge a few relationships that could result in future collaborations.”
The Sunderland Shorts Film Festival was inspired by a similar festival held in Washington DC, a city with which Sunderland signed the Friendship Agreement in 2006. This agreement means that the two cities cooperate in the economic, educational and cultural spheres.
For listings and more information, please go to www.sunderlandshorts.co.uk.
