Clóvis Salgado Foundation (FCS), through its Cinema Department, is beginning to prepare for the achievement of the 4th Belo Horizonte International Short Film Festival, to be held from June 4th-16th 2002 at Cine Humberto Mauro/Palácio das Artes. The Festival already has the sponsorship from Usiminas and the support of the General Consulate of France and Terra Networks.

For those willing to participate, entries are already open and deadline is March 27th 2002. The entry form and regulations are available at the site www.festivaldecurtasbh.com.br . Further information can be obtained either by fax (55 31 3237.7215), with Waleska Falci (coordinator) at Clóvis Salgado Foundation’s Cinema Department, or by e-mail: festivaldecurtasbh@mg.gov.br and info@bhfilmfest.com.br.

Exhibiting, discussing and valorizing both the national and the international short film production are among the goals of the Festival. The 4th Belo Horizonte International Short Film Festival is a competitive event, and awards are given to best Brazilian and foreign films, which will be chosen by the Festival’s official jury, the press and the audience.

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HISTORY

1994 – The 1st Belo Horizonte International Short Film Festival took place from Sept.22nd-30th, 1994. The event, organized by Clóvis Salgado Foundation, was created with the intention of exhibiting the best national and international short film production in Belo Horizonte. The Festival aimed to open up a space for motivating and discussing both the local and the national production. This first version of the Festival screened 179 short films from 23 different countries. The Brazilian production participated with 72 films. Some of this version’s outstanding programs were: "An Eye Over The World", composed of Brazilian as well as foreign short films; "New British Short Film Retrospective", sponsored by the British Council; and "Oberhausen Short Film Festival’s Special Selection" (Germany). Furthermore, the Festival exhibited a program organized by MIS – Museum of Image & Sound of São Paulo, and another one with the works of video artist Arthur Omar. The retrospective brought Brazilian films made between 1920 and 1984. The 1st Festival also organized a round of speeches about the Brazilian audiovisual production, featuring important researchers and producers such as Júlio Bressane, Arthur Omar, Ivana Bentes and André Parente.

1995 – The 2nd Belo Horizonte International Short Film Festival was held from Sept.22nd-30th, 1995, following worldwide celebrations of the centenary of cinema with a special retrospective. 154 short films from 24 countries were exhibited, out of which 52 represented the Brazilian production. A special program dedicated to Iranian Abbas Kiarostami’s short films was the outstanding point of this second version. Nation-wise we could point out two special programs: one dedicated to productions coming from the State of Rio Grande do Sul, and another called "A Short History of Brazilian Cinema" – a retrospective comprising short films made by important Brazilian filmmakers such as Glauber Rocha, Rogério Sganzerla, José Mojica Marins, among others.

2001 – After a five-year absence, Belo Horizonte’s International Short Film Festival was produced again, this time from May 29th to June 10th, 2001. This third version changed the Festival into a competitive event, granting awards in money and services. 135 short films were screened – 73 foreign films and 62 Brazilian ones – totaling 86 sessions. Admission was free. 60 of these short films were screened in Brazil for the first time. Within the retrospective and informative programs, we could point out Polish Krzystof Kieslowski’s Special Show, which brought 8 films never seen in Brazil before, and special programs from France, Denmark and New Zealand. Concerning the Brazilian production, the Festival paid homage to filmmaker Ivan Cardoso, exhibiting 10 of his short films, produced between 1973 and 1999.

2002 – The fourth version now features two competitive categories: the national and the international ones. Films will be distributed in the following way: 60 Brazilian films in the national competition, and the same amount in the international one. Besides these, the Festival will be presenting theme programs as well as national and international retrospectives. Another great attraction will be the special program for children.

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PROJET

4º Belo Horizonte International Short Film Festival

June 04 - 16, 2002

The 4TH BELO HORIZONTE INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL is a joint production that involves several institutional partners. Among the main partnerships the following stand out: Clóvis Salgado Foundation, organ linked to the State Secretary of Culture of Minas Gerais, through its Cinema Department / Cine Humberto Mauro, Belo Horizonte's City Hall through CRAV (Audiovisual Reference Center), and APPA (Palácio das Artes Pro-Culture Association). The Festival counts on the support of the General French Consulate and Terra Networks. Usiminas, through the State Incentive Law of Culture, is one of our sponsors. The project has also been approved by the Federal Incentive Law of Culture.

The FESTIVAL, reaching its fourth version, comes with the firm intention of being definitely included in the calendar of the country's audiovisual festivals. Joining tradition and innovation, the event will be offering its audience the best of the national and international short film production, stimulating the exhibition and the reflection on world film production. Like in the past versions the entire program will be free. The sessions, debates, workshops and parallel events will count on the participation of film critics, directors, producers, federal authorities linked to the audiovisual production and curators of national and international festivals. The competition will be divided into two categories: national and international. Awards will be given to the three best films in 35 and 16mm, lasting up to 30 minutes. Winners will be chosen by the audience, the press and the official Festival jury. Besides these, technical awards, such as best sound, editing, debut director, among others, will also be granted. The diversification of awards aims to valorize the professionals involved as well as stimulate emerging talents of the new generation.

The 4th BELO HORIZONTE INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM FESTIVAL will initially comprise 35 programs, selected by a commission of curators, invited by the coordination of the event. The following criteria will be taken into consideration: preservation and memory, format upgrading and new technologies, importance of the information, diversity of genres and of participating countries, among others. The selection aims to stimulate achievers to propose creative forms of financing productions as well as finding alternatives to the circulation of the audiovisual product, through the interchange among Brazilian professionals and potential foreign partners. The FESTIVAL is growing each and every year. In 2002 it will be taken to more places. Therefore, we estimate the event will expand its former success mobilizing an audience of 30 thousand people during twelve days of activities. An itinerant circuit, meant to take the main Brazilian films in the Festival to cities around the interior of Minas Gerais, will certainly bring this number up.

The event's audience is predominantely composed of people who belong to the A and B classes, mostly young opinion-makers - professionals and students of different fields such as cinema, communications, theater, dance and fine arts.

In order to guarantee an efficient advertising campaign, the Festival will count on communication strategies which include specialized press assistance; a website projected to receive entries, inform and advertise the program; a press room, especially put up inside Palácio das Artes, available for journalists from important national and international means of communications; and partnerships with TV channels such as Eurochannel, Canal Brasil, TV Minas and TV Horizonte. With such a structure, the Festival intends to reach the same extensive coverage given by the press in 2001.