Recently, the 47th Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival was held in Clermont-Ferrand, France. This 9-day cinematic extravaganza attracted the attention of filmmakers and film enthusiasts from around the world. As one of the most important short film festivals globally, the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival provides an excellent platform for audiences to gain insight into young film talents worldwide.

The Sfilmmaker team, a subsidiary of Shaw's Film and TV Culture Communication (Beijing) Co., Ltd., landed at the international film festival to witness the limitless charm of short films. This time, we not only felt the passion of cinema and the collision of art but also engaged in face-to-face discussions with several festival presidents and directors, experiencing the various aspects of the festival deeply, and returning with rich rewards!

Founded in 1979, the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival is known as the "Cannes of short films." It is one of the oldest short film festivals in the world and a barometer for global short films, being eligible for nominations for the Oscars, BAFTA Awards, European Film Awards, and César Awards.

The main visual poster of the 47th Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival

The Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival consists of multiple sections, each with its unique characteristics:

International Competition Section: A gathering of the world’s top short films competing for the highest honors.

French Competition Section: Focuses on local French shorts, showcasing the perfect blend of French art and innovation.

Laboratory Section: A paradise for experimental shorts, filled with avant-garde artistic flair.

Special Screening Section: A retrospective of classic shorts and tributes to masterworks, filled with nostalgia.

Market Section: Film rights trading and project collaborations, a perfect blend of business and art.

Every year, the Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival attracts producers, distributors, film fans from all over the world, showcasing an array of excellent works, including animation, comedy, contemporary realism films, genre films, and documentaries, creating a festive atmosphere akin to a carnival in the film industry. This year was no exception, bringing together filmmakers from around the globe.

The Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival Trophy

It is reported that this year, the Clermont-Ferrand festival received over 8,500 submissions, with 400 outstanding shorts screened from around the world. Among them, seven Chinese-language works were selected for various sections: "Dialogue with the Holy Spirit," "Panorama Vortex," "Boy's Fantasy Night," "Burning Night," and "Miss Goldfish Bowl" were nominated for the International Competition Section, while "On the Other Side of the Water" was nominated for the French Competition Section, and "Echoes of Rust" was nominated for the Experimental Competition Section.

This year’s film festival meticulously planned 70 programs, creating an intoxicating viewing atmosphere. At the screenings, global film fans, university students, local residents, festival selectors, buyers, and industry elites… audiences of different colors and cultural backgrounds enthusiastically immersed themselves in the experience. The cinemas in downtown Clermont-Ferrand were packed, with each nominated film scheduled for eight screenings. Before and after each screening, the cinema lobbies were bustling with crowds, creating a lively and vibrant scene. The strong atmosphere ignited the film dreams within every participant's heart.

During the film festival, Ms. Shao Xinying, CEO of Sfilmmaker, met with several festival presidents and directors, recommending outstanding domestic works to them. They watched films on-site together, discussed the artistic quality of the works, and shared insights into the film industry and future developments.

Among them, Ms. Shao Xinying had in-depth discussions with the director of the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, the president of the Tampere Film Festival in Finland, the selection director of the Locarno International Film Festival, and the general manager of the Bulgarian Palace International Film Festival, reaching multiple cooperation intentions.

Sfilmmaker CEO Ms. Shao Xinying recommending outstanding works to the director of the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival

As a well-known domestic film festival registration platform, Sfilmmaker has been committed to promoting Chinese cinema to the world, especially for short films going abroad, building a platform for filmmakers to engage closely with the international film scene, communicate, share, and look ahead with filmmakers from around the world. At this festival, the Sfilmmaker team helped several Chinese-language films directly enter the vision of the festival's presidents and directors through an internal recommendation mechanism, achieving one-on-one precise delivery and receiving efficient feedback. Additionally, the Sfilmmaker team closely communicated with film festival organizers and copyright company leaders from various countries, expanding numerous cooperative opportunities.

This Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival allowed us to experience the infinite charm of global film culture. After the festival, the Sfilmmaker team headed to the offices of the Cannes International Film Festival and the Berlin International Film Festival, where we met with presidents and directors from various international A and B-level film festivals and excellent film festivals. Ms. Shao Xinying also met and engaged in in-depth discussions with the directors of the Cannes Film Festival, the Cannes Film Festival's critic chief director, the director of the Cannes Film Festival's Short Film Corner, the selectors of the Cannes Film Festival Directors' Fortnight, the selector of the Venice International Film Festival, the artistic directors of the Turin International Film Festival, and the selectors of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, reaching deep cooperation in aspects such as film submissions and screenings.

Ms. Shao Xinying, President of the Tampere Film Festival in Finland & CEO of Sfilmmaker Global Film Festival Award Platform, met

Ms. Shao Xinying, the programmer of the Locarno International Film Festival & CEO of Sfilmmaker, had a meeting in France

Ms. Shao Xinying, critic at the Cannes Film Festival and CEO of Sfilmmaker, met at the Cannes headquarters office in Paris

Ms. Shao Xinying, Director of the Cannes Film Festival & CEO of Sfilmmaker, met at the Cannes headquarters office

Sfilmmaker has opened new directions and possibilities for the international promotion and distribution of short and feature films, allowing us to push our works onto the world stage with a broader perspective and more precise reach. In the future, Sfilmmaker will focus on discovering leading projects with international vision and artistic value, and engage in in-depth cooperation with more potential directors. We will not only provide comprehensive support for high-quality projects through co-production but also offer professional guidance in project planning, production, promotion, and other stages, helping these works gain recognition and win awards at international A and B category film festivals.