In March, Short Stack Takes Over Screen 1 at Broadway Cinema - Everything You Need to Know
Notts' celebration of shorts continues to get bigger...
Showcasing the best short films and music videos coming out of the Midlands, Short Stack has become an iconic event here in Nottingham. We hear from organiser Simon about what to expect from their March edition, why the project is so important and more…
For those who haven't been to a Short Stack before, who should stop by? Is it only for filmmakers, or is it something anyone can enjoy?
We’re really keen to present a strong programme for a broad audience, not just filmmakers. When we’re putting together our selection, we’re always asking ourselves how an audience will respond. Is it engaging, entertaining, what is it saying?
We show films from all sorts of styles and genres, and the average length of film in our programme is five minutes. We’re a pop-up film festival right at the heart of Nottingham, and it’s only a fiver to attend. Plus, each film features a short intro from the creatives involved as well as networking drinks before/after the screening.
Whether you’re interested in working in film, or just love the cinema, I like to think that we offer a unique and fun night out for everyone.
We had over fifty submissions from all across the Midlands, and every time the quality of work on offer gets better and better
What can people expect from March's Short Stack line-up?
We’ve got a really exciting mix at March’s edition of Short Stack. We’ve got two docs, two music videos, five animations and a broad range of narrative shorts, including a couple funded by BFI NETWORK.
Some of the films are Vimeo Staff Picks and have played at big festivals, while for others this will be their premiere. It feels unfair to pick out any one film here, because I love them all, but we’ve got some really funny shorts, meaningful dramas, and a couple of unique horrors. One or two of them have even challenged our preconceptions of what a short film can be.
We had over fifty submissions from all across the Midlands, and every time the quality of work on offer gets better and better, which makes selecting them really hard - but we’re all really proud to showcase this lineup to an audience.
You're in Screen 1, which is obviously the big one. Does this demonstrate just how much support there is for up-and-coming filmmakers in Notts, the fact you can take over Broadway's most iconic screening room?
This is actually our first time in Screen 1. Short Stack began in the basement of a furniture store in 2013, then moved to Rough Trade for a while before finding a home at Broadway. Since then, we’ve been in every screen except the big one, but after selling out our last few events it finally felt the time was right to take that next step.
We’re really keen to sell out, but realistically we just have to sell more tickets than we would if we were in Screen 2. So far we’ve sold over 60 tickets, and the event is still three weeks away. I think our past success and growth shows that there is a real audience out there for short films, and with Broadway’s support, we can keep growing and put Short Stack on the map.
How important is Short Stack for those who have their films screened? What are the biggest success stories from Short Stack?
I think Short Stack is important for filmmakers because we offer something slightly different to the traditional festival. Lots of places have high submission fees and you could be waiting months to hear back. We don’t charge for submissions and our turnaround window for acceptance is as tight as possible. We also focus on filmmakers from the Midlands, so that local filmmakers aren’t sidelined by high-end shorts from overseas. Plus, we try to keep the cost of a ticket as low as possible so that anyone can attend.
Essentially, it’s a quick and cheap way of getting your work in front of an audience, which is invaluable for emerging filmmakers. In terms of success stories, it’s hard to quantify, because lots of the films we’ve played have been elsewhere also. But I know people get a lot from screening their work and the networking that comes along with it.
There's a lot of talk about the challenges in the UK's creative industries right now. How is the Midlands' filmmaking scene looking, and how will things progress in the future?
The film industry is going through a real tough patch, for sure. But there’s also a lot of growth if you know where to look. For instance, there are way more screenings and networking opportunities these days. The quality and quantity of work has increased drastically. The technology is much cheaper, and there’s loads more funding than there was ten to fifteen years ago. Film Hub Midlands have just opened up their new short film fund, which anyone into film should check out.
As far as the future goes, we just have to make the most of what we have and build something bigger going forwards. A brand new virtual production studio just opened up at NTU, and the Uni of Nottingham has Carlton Studios, so Nottingham has the infrastructure and potential to grow into a meaningful hub for film production.
Short Stack is returning to Broadway Cinema on Sunday 9th March - tickets are available now.