As founder/director of 9FilmFestival, it has been great to join with the Bangkok Post as an organizer and communications outlet.  When planning the 9FilmFest, we want to give all aspiring filmmakers the chance for recognition.  What good does it do to make a short, and have only your family watch it?  9FilmFest co ltd and Bangkok Post Publishing are joining together to bring a truly unique and rewarding event to Bangkok.

In a soft press release, Search launched for short-film talent, Bangkok Post’s Kong Rithdee wrote the following: If you have wit, flair and a talent for narrative, then a lot. Here’s a golden opportunity to exercise your creative and storytelling skills, and nine minutes are all you need. For the first time ever, the Bangkok Post is hosting a short-film competition that’s open to all who are interested in the craft. So grab that video camera—or just your iPhone —and start shooting! We’re waiting for your films.

The Post is organising the event, dubbed 9 Film Festival 2011, in coordination with the 9 Film Fest Company. Students and members of the general public have until April 22 to send in movies which comply with two simple conditions: the film must be no longer than nine minutes; and, to prove that you made it specifically for this competition, the footage must incorporate the festival’s ‘‘signature item’’, which is the numeral nine. So one of the characters in your short could flash a lottery ticket bearing this number, for instance, or the camera could linger on a calendar and zoom in on the 9th of the month, or an astronaut in your sci-fi flick could be watching a digital countdown when the device freezes on this number. Any image, basically, that focuses on the favoured numero. The event will climax on May 28 when the Post will host an outdoor carnival at Park Paragon at which there’ll be a screening of the nine films which have made it to the finals. Several chart-topping bands will be giving concerts during the course of the day and food and beverages will be available. The award ceremony will take place that evening with the overall winner walking away with 100,000 baht in cash.

Judging the relative merits of particular works of art is never easy and is sometimes close to impossible. So, to ensure the maximum credibility, we’ve handpicked some particularly stellar (and scholarly) individuals to sit on our panel of judges. All entries will be initially scrutinised by a team from 9 Film Fest Company, led by Brian Bennett, then vetted by the Thai Film Foundation, a respected institution whose work includes the promotion of this genre of cinema, and lastly by representatives of the Bangkok Post.  

The Post has always been a strong believer in the importance of film as a form of creative expression. Since the government is actively promoting the concept of ‘‘creative economy’’ at the moment, we’re hoping that this event will encourage the flowering of a host of visual and narrative ideas. In an era when just about anybody who owns a mobile phone can make a movie, a short-film contest may seem superfluous, but this is a sincere attempt on our part to find quality film-makers who may be hiding out there totally unaware of their talents.

One of our primary goals in organising this festival was to stimulate young people — who are likely to comprise the majority of entrants—to hone their cinematic skills. Since late January we’ve been touring universities around the country to promote the making of short films and to encourage students to take part in this contest. So now all we can do is look forward to being entertained and informed by your submissions.

We are very excited about this upcoming festival, the clock is ticking, Call for Entries is underway.  For info and submission details, please visit www.9filmfest.com. 

Brian Benett, Founder Director 9FilmFestival

by Netpac Bureu