how the platforms allow new visibility to these films

After a 2021 edition entirely online, the public is back today at the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival 2022. Because of the Covid, several festivals had to be held online in 2021, and Clermont was one of them. . Since the pandemic, short films have regained popularity, in particular thanks to their growing exposure on online viewing and VOD (video on demand) platforms.

For example on arte.tv, by typing “short film” in the search bar, you may come across that of Theo Zachmann, Tales of smoke (Cuentos de humo), which follows a beggar storyteller boarding a Colombian bus. The film was broadcast in May in the Court-Circuit program of Arte, dedicated to the short format, and since then everyone has access to it, which is not to displease the director. “It’s great to have both a TV broadcast, and also a broadcast over several months in replay, rejoices Theo Zachmann. The cinema that I like to make, it’s a cinema that wants to speak to anyone, and that’s the case with this film.”

For smoke tales, Theo Zachmann received funding from Arte, a pre-purchase of the film. This is the case for around thirty courts each year. Hélène Vayssières is in charge of short films for Arte France. Over the past year, the number of online viewings of the Court-Circuit program has doubled, she explains.

“It allows the greatest number of people to discover or rediscover films. Because we know that young people today do not watch TV. Very little. And so, they mainly watch them on Arte.tv, or on Facebook .”

Hélène Vayssières, head of short films at Arte

at franceinfo

And she notes it: the Facebook page of Arte sees an increase in its number of viewings, especially around Court-Circuit.

Arte.tv also offers, these days, The House (not far from Donegal), by Simon Le Pape, with Jackie Berroyer, broadcast Friday in Clermont-Ferrand at the opening of the festival. An evening with eight screenings: the animated short film Art in the blood by Joanna Quinn is also one of them. He can be found on MyCanal. Anne Parent, the manager of the short film market in Clermont, sees no inconvenience. “The fact that these platforms allow better access to this short film, they are really collaborators, they are partners.”

A useful system for the general public but not yet to the point of getting ahead of the festival programmers. “We are not going to go to these platforms to look for filmsexplains Anne Parent. First, because we have about 8,000 a year. But we find common programming because in the films submitted to us, there are films pre-purchased by Canal+ or by Arte, etc.

The Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival lasts until February 5 and has its own platform, Short Film Wire, aimed at professionals. Because these festivals retain above all two precious advantages in the eyes of the director Theo Zachmann : the meeting with the public and the projection on a giant screen.