The “Brussels Short Film Festival” (“BSFF”) is starting on Wednesday, with more than 300 Belgian and foreign films shown over around ten days in various parts of Brussels. In total, 129 films will be put forward within the competition, and 200 shown outside of the competition framework. The winner of the Grand Prix (“First Prize”) in the international competition of this 21st event will be automatically pre-selected for the Oscars, within the category of the Best Fiction Short Film/Live Action Short Film.
The festival will take place in Ixelles (Place Flagey, the Cinéma Vendôme and Chapiteau Place Fernand Cocq) and the City of Brussels (Mont des Arts, Cinéma Palace and the Bozar). Coinciding with such screenings are free outdoor film screenings, a film market, workshops, gatherings with those in the industry, as well as workshops and sessions for youngsters.
Around 60 short films from 30 different countries have been selected in the international competition from amongst 4,340 candidates, whilst the national competition, open to all genres, will show 34 films including “Timing” by Marie Gillain, "Who is Silent?” by Stéphane De Groodt, “Peru” by Marie Kremer and “The Station” by Patrick Ridremont.
The BSFF has been accepted as a festival qualifying for the Oscars by the Academy for Cinema Arts and Sciences (“AMPAS”) this year. The practical consequence of this is that the winner of the Grand Prix in the international competition will be considered for pre-selection for the Oscars within the category for the Best Fiction Short Film/Live Action Short Film, provided the given work meets the rules of the Academy.
The Brussels Times
