Things got better, then things got worse again, and Glasgow Short Film Festival went online for a second year to deliver our 14th edition.
Jessica McGoff opened the festival with her video essay Screening Room. In acknowledging the swathes of online images that bombard our eyes, Jessica proposes the necessary power of film festivals to disrupt the monocultures of image and narrative that appear in our homes and screens. We followed suit with a programme addressing the current malaise, whilst also offering temporary relief. Sanne Jehoul curated No New Normal, exploring how lockdown has exposed our absurd relationship to working life. Natasha Ruwona delivered a part two to Black Spatial Imaginaries, continuing their investigation into who can inhabit land, and who can thrive there. We also screened some furry four-legged friend therapy Big Dog Energy, and Bangers & Mosh conveyed the vicarious thrills of what we were truly missing; going out and getting wild and messy.
GSFF’s 14th edition was a labour of love made under conditions that tested all. But with all films and events fully captioned for deaf and hard of hearing viewers, and a Pay What You Can scale plus several free events, we’re proud to say it was our most accessible edition to date. An overhaul of our selection process meant that it was also our most inclusive and democratically chosen programme yet.
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Award Winners
Bill Douglas International Award for Short Film
Red Aninsri; or, Tiptoeing on the Still Trembling Berlin Wall – Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke / Thailand / 2020
GSFF Scottish Award for Short Film
Expensive Shit – Adura Onashile / UK / 2020
International Audience Award
Store Policy – Sarah Arnold / France / 2020
Scottish Audience Award
Expensive Shit – Adura Onashile / UK / 2020
International Jury
Mahdi Fleifel – Filmmaker (Bill Douglas Award for International Short Film 2020, 3 Logical Exits)
Émilie Poirier – Head of the Short Film and Student Competition at the Montreal Festival du nouveau cinema
Margardia Moz – Director of Portugal Film, the Portuguese Film Agency
Scottish Jury
Felipe Bustos Sierra – Filmmaker
Rimantė Daugėlaitė – Managing Director of Lithuanian Shorts, Head of Vilnius International Short Film Festival
Sven Schwarz – Managing Director of Hamburg International Short Film Festival
Download: Gsff21 Catalogue PDF (5.15 MB)