Taos Shortz Film Fest

NEXT DEADLINE: 22 November 2015

The Taos Shortz Film Fest is again searching the globe for outstanding short films. The festival is looking for compelling stories, exemplary production, cinematography and 100% awesome films. Voted one of "the 50 film festivals worth the entry fee" by Movie Maker's Magazine this spring, Taos Shortz boasts being the stellar shorts film fest in the country. Do you have a tale to tell? A secret to reveal? A truth that screams to be heard? If you think you have what it takes, submit your film on FilmFestivalLife today.

FilmFestivalLife caught up with Taos Shortz's Festival Director Anna Cosentine to learn more about the festival in New Mexico and why you should not miss out on submitting.

Anything new that filmmakers should know about Taos Shortz?
For sure. This year, we have many new things going on. We have invited a lot of recorders here to our festival – from Hollywood or New York for example - to create some stories on Taos Shortz. We’re also pursuing some production companies, to procure a famous actor as a celebrity speaker. One extra thing our filmmakers should definitely know about is our 'Drones in Cinema' seminar. It’s free and popular – there were 150 people there last year – with 10 drones flying around teaching the audience how to use them in cinematography. It’s an undoubted highlight within the Taos Shortz program.

What types of films are you looking for?
Anything that exhibits really good storytelling. We pride ourselves on content and also expect high-quality production, editing, sound and cinematography. The cream of the crop! From 2 to 28 minutes, in any genre. Just one thing: we don’t take music videos. We particularly love our Out of the Ordinary section, which includes films of all genres. They don’t necessarily have a straight narrative and a lot of these films exhibit a dreamlike quality. We’re also fans of one shots – they are often exhibited in our Out of the Ordinary section, for example…

When filmmakers get selected for Taos Shortz , what can they expect?
Okay, Taos is tough to get to - a two and a half hour drive from Albuquerque airport – but when you’re here? It’s worth it. We love our filmmakers and we put them up in nice hotels, provided by our lodging sponsors. Taos is a small, eclectic and walkable town, similar to Park City. There’s no need to run around and there’s plenty of time to get everywhere. We’re an intimate group – filmmakers in the past who’ve screened their works here have kept in contact with, and gone on to be amazing friends with one another. There’s one word for it. Camaraderie! What else? We offer them a festival pass with priority seating, discounts and free or discounted food and drinks. And if they want to see anything else within the area, we can organize trips for them.

Anything else about the festival?
We are really excited about our emerging artists category. This is where you can see lots of first time directors and directorial debuts in competition. No lie – we really get some amazing stuff from first time filmmakers. I just wanted to add that we are the only short film festival in New Mexico. In Taos, we are the only festival. Local audiences and people from the area are all so excited to have quality festival in their reach. It really comes alive.