The 16th edition of the Kinemastik International Short Film Festival brings the ‘competition section’ to screens across Malta and Gozo on October 2 and 3.

Kinemastik is celebrating sweet 16 this year. A collective and non-profit NGO, Kinemastik has carved a niche out for itself, bringing independent film, music and publishing to an established audience they have nurtured since 2004.

The Kinemastik International Short Film Festival, now splintered into three parts, feels a little bittersweet though. A summer favourite in the cultural calendar, the event usually takes place over three days and nights at the Garden of Rest in Floriana, where, at the height of summer, audiences gather for sunset over Marsamxett Harbour, before the short film screenings begin. The festival nights stretch into the small hours, with live music and DJ sets, keeping the crowds on the dusty dance floor until dawn.

This year, however, COVID-19 interrupted their plans. With health recommendations against large crowd gatherings, and a variety of regulations in place for public events, Kinemastik had to reinvent their annual film festival.

Slavko Vukanovic, KISFF director explains: “We sought to find a way to hold the festival as we felt an obligation both to our audience and the film-makers who had submitted their work. We didn’t want to simply migrate the festival online, we felt this wouldn’t do it justice.”

Award-winning films selected from festivals that take place in Winterthur, Clermont Ferrand, Rotterdam, Berlin, Locarno and Sarajevo

The festival was thus splintered into three, more manageable, less crowded parts, the first of which has already taken place. This was the Neck of the Woods section, which morphed into a public installation,  showing one-minute films sourced from an organisation based in Amsterdam called ‘The One Minutes’, at a kiosk located in Pietà, for nine consecutive days and nights at the end of July.

The second instalment of the festival, which was to launch the EP Birdtrappers by Anglo-Maltese artist Kristian Robinson, aka Capitol K, was cancelled at the last moment, as the dates coincided with the updated regulations for public events that came into effect with the second wave of the virus. Kinemastik is still looking at ways to host the ‘music’ part of the festival before the year is up.

For the final instalment of the festival, the main competition section, Kinemastik decided to reach out to cinemas in Malta and Gozo. The reasons for this were two-fold, to support local cinemas and to offer a safe environment for audiences to watch the programme. A positive response was received from Spazju Kreattiv Cinema in Valletta, Eden Cinemas in St Julian’s and Citadel Cinema in Victoria, Gozo, making the festival nationwide. The festival will be held over two days, October 2-3, with all cinema partners working at reduced capacity and with health recommendations in place.

This year’s two main programmes run for approximately 100 minutes each, with award-winning films selected from festivals that take place in Winterthur, Clermont Ferrand, Rotterdam, Berlin, Locarno and Sarajevo, to name a few, as well as four Maltese entries, selected by KISFF programmer Emma Mattei.

Programme One looks at the notion of choice, whether we really make choices, or drift through our days, having choices made for us. At times we do not have the luxury of choice, and when we do, we often struggle to know what’s right. These short films examine the consequences of how we navigate through our days and nights.

Programme Two explores escapism and how we reinvent ourselves. Currently unable to travel and work with the freedoms enjoyed pre-virus, these themes have never been more prevalent, with our minds being the stage and the battlefield of our uncertain futures. Faced with limitations, imagined or real, these short films reveal resilience and resourcefulness, against the odds.

Perpetual Child directed by Stephanie Sant.

The two programmes will be adjudicated by Maltese visual artist and researcher Sarah Chircop, Malta-based concept designer and audiovisual artist Pauline Serrano and performing artist and researcher Brandon Calleja Shaw. This international film jury will award the best short film with Kinemastik’s Golden Dot award.

The Kinemastik International Short Film Festival competition screenings will be taking place on October 2 and 3 2020. Screenings will be held at: Spazju Kreattiv Cinema at 9pm on Friday October 2 and Saturday October 3. Eden Cinemas, St. Julian’s at 6.30pm and 9pm on Friday October 2 and Saturday October 3. Citadel Cinema, Gozo at 4.45pm and 6.45pm on Friday October 2 and Saturday October 3. Tickets are priced at €7 per programme, or €12 for both programmes.

Kinemastik is supported by Arts Council Malta through the Investment in Cultural Organisations fund. For full information visit www.kinemastik.org

Jealous Alan directed by Martin Clark.