Kinofilm™ Festival Announces the 16th Edition Celebrating its 25th Anniversary and First Online Debut.
Kinofilm Manchester International Short Film Festival is thrilled to announce that the Kino festival will return to celebrate its 25th Anniversary with its first online premiere Edition taking place from 10th - 16th May, promising an exciting global short film celebration!
For the 16th edition of the ever-popular celebration of independent short film in the city of Manchester, the new initiative splits into two showcases (National & International), with the Spring festival edition, Part One featuring over 200 International diverse short films, presented in 28 programmes digitally. Our British section, Part Two will be presented in a live Autumn edition (19th– 24th October), screening in-person across multiple venues in Manchester and showcasing the very best of local, North West and UK wide filmmaking talent.
Festival Director John Wojowski said: “The festival couldn’t go ahead as planned in 2020 for our 16th edition due to the Covid lockdowns, however, we now can’t wait for everyone to see the amazing films we have lined up. With the first part of the festival being online this year, it’s a chance for everyone to experience the festival, no matter where they’re from”.
“It offers the chance for filmmakers to have their short film seen by people across the globe. Although we would like to be together in a live festival, it’s a fantastic opportunity to create a global community from this shared audience and online experience !”
Due to COVID-19, Kinofilm has been subject to three postponements which, as an independent and unfunded event, resulted in severe losses. The festival’s small advertising budget has been sapped as posters, booklets, flyers, and more were wasted and later put to recycling in the Spring of 2020.
It’s now time to put our plans for the 16th Edition of the short film festival into action as part of our 25th anniversary year - we simply cannot wait any longer! With 200 short films selected from over 1000 entries submitted from 70 countries worldwide, we will be blasting a feast of brilliant new independent cinema from talented new young filmmakers and established directors, directly into homes virtually for everyone to enjoy and to join in our celebration of the art of short film.
There will also be workshops for aspiring filmmakers, engaging Q&A’s and more; it’s a varied and entertaining programme for everyone and anyone across the country and internationally, featuring many European and International film Premieres and award-winning short films!
We are excited to announce our official programme selection will include Euro Cinema, Iranian Cinema, International Panorama, BAME film, Women in Film, Made Up North, International Students, Documentary, Animation from across the world and a special strand of themed programmes such as Romantic Tales, Comedic Tales, Sci-fi and Fantasy, Crime and Horror Tales.
This year’s online edition will kick-off with an International and UK programme called “Stars in Shorts”. In this Kino opening programme special, there’ll be many famous faces and something for everyone in our exceptional Stars In Shorts programme curated from films in various programmes throughout the festival. So for this opening taster (and there’s much more to come), have some fun and Spot the Stars in this year’s Kino Fest! [see appendix for programme details]
Feature filmmaker and director for BBC TV Jason Wingard said: “Kino has been instrumental in showcasing Manchester filmmaking talent for twenty-five years. The vanguard of film culture on the city and a massive influence on filmmakers throughout the region. If there is one festival that deserves support, this is it!”
Kinofilm Festival will also feature a virtual awards ceremony to celebrate the filmmakers in this year’s festival with a mammoth 15 Awards for the International section, selected by a panel of twelve UK and International jury members. This year’s jurors, invited in recognition of their accomplishments and commitment to the industry, will participate in the hard job of choosing award winners.
KinoFilm have screened thousands of short films from every corner of the world, some of which have starred Whoopi Goldberg (The Colour Purple, Ghost), Maxine Peake (Silk, Black Mirror), and Gemma Chan (Humans, Crazy Rich Asians).
Previous directors whose films have featured at the festival include Lynne Ramsey (You Were Never Really Here, We Need to Talk About Kevin), Andrea Arnold (American Honey, Fish Tank) and Neil Marshall (The Descent, Hellboy).
We are pleased to send you our latest press release with the good news that Kino is Back after these extraordinary times, this Spring on http://bingewave.com and we look forward to your support in sharing this information with your readers / listeners in your publication in support of Manchester’s most important independent regional Short Film Festival.
Kinofilm is the longest running shorts film fest in North West England founded in 1995 by John Wojowski, Festival director, and former Cinema Manager of Manchester’s legendary Aaben Cinema.
Jurors for the festival include Mizgin Arisan, Award Winning Filmmaker and international jury member on various festival; Simon Meriggi Founder and Artistic Director of Amarcort Film Festival and SMArt Academy; Una Baines, Manchester Activist and Musician; Debra Prinselaar, Director SU, Executive & Series Producer; Francesco Capuano, Technical Director International Film; Laura-Beth Cowley, Writer, Filmmaker, Lecturer, Journalist; Marco Milone, Film Producer, Administrative Director; Dominic Hastings, Film Critic and more.
The FilmFreeway ‘Gold’ rated Kinofilm Manchester International Short Film Festival will present its Premiere Online Edition via the online streaming platform https://www.bingewave.com/ from 10th - 16th May 2021, followed by a live in-person edition 19th - 24th October in the city of Manchester.
Kinofilm have supported Manchester and Northern filmmaking talent at its monthly film nights ‘Kino Shorts’ which have been held at over 30 venues across Manchester since 1993.
Not forgetting Kinofilm’s claim to nurturing new talent amongst its team including former Festival Manager, Michael Knowles, now one of the North’s top film producers whose latest film Running Naked directed by Emmy and Oscar nominated Victor Buhler just released on Amazon USA and his new film Book of Love starring Sam Claflin and Veronica Echugui has just recently gone into production in Mexico.
Kinofilm’s Head of Programming Steve Balshaw, started at Kino as a recipient of the Government New Deal scheme in 1998, progressing to Assistant Programmer then Head programmer, and now boasting programming roles at Edinburgh Film Festival and Manchester’s GrimmFest.
Deborah Parker, former Kino Education Manager circa 2005, moved on to become Head of Audience Development at the North West Regional Screen Agency: Vision+Media, and is currently Chief Executive Officer for the National Agency Cinema For All.
Over the years, many of Kino’s faithful team members and talented volunteers have gone on to become filmmakers, talent spotters and Festival Organisers with many taking up roles in broadcasting at the BBC and ITV.
Please follow the link in the cover email to an online folder with images and more information for your perusal and press reproduction which you have with our permission.
See Appendix below for our STARS In SHORTS Opening Programme online 10th May 2021.
Our Opening programme of this year’s Online Kinofilm Festival (photos of any of the films mentioned below can be supplied at your request).
KINO’S STARS IN SHORTS PROGRAMME (ADVISORY CERT 15)
Check out this fab programme of famous faces in our Stars in Shorts programme specially curated from films in various programmes throughout the Festival. And this is just a taster as there are lots to come in many other programmes for you. So have fun and Spot the Stars in this year’s KIno Fest! (in brackets are the programme that they feature in).
LUGER (British New Wave 1)
Dir: Freddie Waters, Wri: Freddy Syborn, Prod: Gina Lyons, Cast: Jack Whitehall, Lolly Adefope, Ellie White
UK, 2019, 10 min, Cert 12A
Tom is in for a surprise when he meets his elderly grandfather's two carers. Not only do they appear to be at war but when he discovers a mysterious object in the kitchen things take a dark turn.
TRIVIAL (Kino Tales - Comedy)
Dir / Wri: Fran Menchón, Sandra Reina / Prod: Fitzcarraldo Films, SL, Cast: Macarena Gómez, Alejandro Cano, Cristina Soria, Víctor Benjumea
Spain, 2018, 14 min, Cert 12A
The game is not the only thing in play, and Macarena hates to lose.
SOMNIUM (Kino Tales - Fantasy / Sci-fi)
Dir / Prod: Mayed Al Qasimi, Wri: Roland Walters, Prod: Alex Di Cuffa, Richard Tan, Cast: Michelle Ryan, Denis Lawson, Alex Di Cuffa
UK, 2018, 14 min, 21 sec, Cert PG
An intergalactic postal worker faces unexpected challenges on her final job.
HARRY KIRI (British New Wave 1)
Dir / Wri: Jake Kuhn, Prod: Oskar Nilsson, Cast: Alexander Arnold, Kerry Fox (SHALLOW GRAVE, ANGEL AT MY TABLE, INTIMACY), Robin Soans, Os Leanse
UK, 2019, 6 min 16 sec, Cert 15
A rejected suitor is determined to prove his serious intentions to his girlfriend's disapproving parents. Even if it involves ritual disembowelment...
MENUETT (Kino Tales - Romance)
Dir / Wri / Prod: Felix Karolus, Wri: Wolfgang Aichholzer, Prod: Manu S. Scheidt, Cast: Senta Berger, Thomas Thieme
Germany, 2018, 10 min 45 sec, Cert PG
For Charlotte it is like any other Sunday, until the doorbell rings and a stranger surprises her with an exceptional demand.
THIS TIME AWAY (Kino Tales - Fantasy / Sci-fi)
Dir / Wri: Magali Barbe, Prod: Russel Curtis, Debbie Crosscup, Cast: Timothy Spall, Jessica Ellerby
UK, 2019, 14 min, Cert 12
Nigel is a reclusive elderly man, haunted by his past... until an unexpected visitor arrives and disrupts his lonely routine.
FOUR (Kino Tales - Comedy / First Film)
Dir: Jennifer Sheridan, Wri: Tuppence Middleton, John Hopkins, Prod: Isabella Macpherson, Gala Gordon, Patrick Bailey, Cast: Juliet Stevenson, Tuppence Middleton, Jack Farthing, Iwan Rheon, Nicholas Pinnock
UK, 2019n 19 min 30 sec, Cert 15 (FFF Rating)
A Dowager prepares for her birthday party. A Hitman has checked in across the hall...and he’s watching someone.
88 min 52 sec