On November 9, 2024, industry leaders from all over the globe gathered in Shimada, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, to discuss the evolution and future of film festivals. Hosted by the Academy Award®-accredited Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia, in collaboration with the Japan Cultural Expo, the international conference titled "Film Festival Leaders from Around the World Gather for a Conference on Film Festivals of the Future" explored the relationship between cinema, technology, and tourism. The conference featured five expert panelists–festival directors from Indonesia, Brazil, New Zealand, Finland, and Japan–who discussed the important role film festivals play in today’s culture, technological innovation, as well as the promotion of global tourism. Conference Panelists Fransiska Prihadi: Minikino Film Week (Bali International Short Film Festival) Program Director from Indonesia Ailton Franco Jr.: Rio de Janeiro International Short Film Festival Director from Brazil Mark Prebble: Show Me Shorts Film Festival Director from New Zealand Jukka-Pekka Laakso: Tampere Film Festival Director from Finland Asako Fujioka: Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival Vice-Chair from Japan Panel Discussions Discussions covered a range of intriguing topics, including sustainability initiatives, the increasing digitization of festivals, the inclusion of VR in film submissions, the role of generative AI, and the overall future of film festivals. CREDIT: Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia “Festivals’ Sustainable Initiatives” The panelists discussed the challenges of making sure film festivals are sustainable, mentioning the carbon footprint of air travel, printed catalogs and tickets, and handling unsold festival merch after the fest is over. They suggested solutions like...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Monday, 17 February