Name

SAPPORO Short Fest 2006
1st Sapporo International Short Film Festival and Market

Managed by

SAPPORO Short Fest Committee / Sapporo City Hall

Period

Wednesday 6th - Sunday 10th September 2006

Place

- Main Venue: Sapporo TOHO Plaza (Tanuki Ko-ji 5 chome, Sapporo)

and other venues (to be confirmed)
- Theater KINO (Special Screening Theater)
- Event Space EDiT (Short Film Market)
- HOKUSEN Gallery IVORY (Seminar)
- International Convention Center PAMIR, Prince HOTEL Sapporo (Reception Party)

Message from Sapporo Short Fest Committee

In 1999, the Short Shorts Film Festival started as the first, professionally organized short film festival in Japan (SSFF president: Tetsuya Bessho). In 2000, the Short Shorts Film Festival in Hokkaido started as part of the SSFF national tour. Over its 6 years, it attracted about 20,000 viewers in total (5000 last year), and it became one of the most well-recognized events in Sapporo. The SSFF is a tour/network festival, which takes place in 5-6 cities around Japan, mainly showing films officially programmed in Tokyo. In Sapporo, we independently programmed our original sets of films and showed them with the official program. (For more information about SSFF please go tohttp://www.shortshorts.org)

As part of the original activities,CIFF (California Independent Film Festival)became our sister festival, and we exchanged films. Australian Shorts (in collaboration withQ-PIX) and Korean Shorts were also programmed in Sapporo. In 2005, we had a forum with filmmakers from outside of Japan, made a program featuring one young filmmaker, and gave original awards; these developments lead us to the opening of new festival.

Our new festival, the SAPPORO Short Fest, is organized by local private companies and committee members who share same ambition. We want to make this event with the participation of local people, those who contribute to the development of the local community through different aspects.  We hope to capture the local energy and use it to make the best international event in Sapporo. It will attract young filmmakers, actors and composers from around the world, and it will have a marketplace for those who work in  the contents industry. Also, as an outreach program, we are going to have a workshop for children as part of the festival, and show their works to the audience. We are also aiming to create the first large-scale short film industry in Japan by making this event the center for all filmmakers and those who work in film, TV and contents distribution. In the collaboration with the Sapporo Film Commission, we encourage young filmmakers to come to Sapporo, and offer support for them to work here, with the help of people living here. Basically, our goal is to have as many people as possible involved in the festival for a prosperous future of short film in Sapporo.

We hope and believe that, through the development of short films, young, talented filmmakers from around the world can come together, think about the future for our children, revitalize the city, and make a new movement in society.

- It's Our Little Dream for the Future! -

Best wishes,

All members of the SAPPORO Short Fest Committee