“I think the short gives a freedom to filmmakers. They can be more like a portrait, or a poem.” — Jane Campion (The Piano)
____________________
FILMGOERS SEEKING the intensity and freedom of aethestic experience in a compact film package will have plenty of choose from in the 2021 Pittsburgh Shorts Film Festival running Nov. 18-21 at Kelly Strayhorn Theater, 5941 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh.
It’s part of the Three Rivers Film Festival that began Nov. 10 and continues to Nov. 17. Pittsburgh Shorts Film Festival showcases 11 blocks of short films including dramas, comedies and several “Chiller Theater” selections, plus 6 additional film blocks available for virtual viewing — in all, 120 films with nearly half coming from 27 countries beyond the U.S. (Spain, Indonesia, UK, Hungary, Switzerland, South Korea, Turkey, Netherlands, Vietnam, France, South Africa, Italy, Australia, Canada, Germany, France, New Zealand, Ireland, Cyprus, Solomon Islands, China, Belgium, Egypt, Denmark, Poland, Mexico, Bulgaria).
The full program guide for this month’s Film Pittsburgh festivals is here.
Pittsburgh Shorts Film Festival also includes a Nov. 21 reading by professional actors of the four finalists in the Pittsburgh Shorts Script Competition (Bella Nova by Khadija Jamila Roane; Gloves by Michael Clifton; Happy Ending Retirement Home by Kirsty Zane; Too Short the Peace by Milethia Thomas).
The festival’s annual filmmaker conference takes place Nov. 19-21 at East Liberty’s Hotel Indigo with workshops and panel discussions on financing, pitching, marketing, documentaries, screenwriting tips and a closing keynote address by Academy Award-winning producer/director Barry Jenkins (If Beale Street Could Talk, Underground Railroad, Moonlight).
* For more information visit the FilmPittsburgh website or email info@filmpittsburgh.org.