The 6th edition of the Oslo Short Film Festival will take place on 28 & 29 August at the Sentralen (Hvelvet). This year’s programme features 4 different themes celebrating diversity, creativity and the power of independent cinema. Over two days, the Festival will screen 23 short fiction and documentary films by Norwegian and international filmmakers. 

The Festival opens with the theme ‘A Study of Past Lives Lived’. Mixing documentary and fiction films from France, Chile, South Korea and Sweden, the first programme interweaves stories that put personal challenges in the epicentre with others that are defined by historic events. They all have the same aim; to reflect and come to terms with the past. 

The programme ‘Pushed to my limits’, completes the first day with 5 films all competing in the Best Short Fiction Film category. Through the main characters’ challenging journeys and exploration of personal limits, we navigate societal expectations and reconsider the social norms that define us. Among others, this programme includes Gunnur Martinsdóttir Schlüter‘s critically acclaimed ‘Fár’ ( Palme d’Or Cannes Film Festival Nominee, Toronto International Film Festival IMDbPro Short Cuts Nominee) and the awarded ‘Wishes from the Well‘ (2023) by the Esthonian upcoming director Alesja Suzdaltseva. 

On the 29th of August, the OSFF opens with 7 short films. Under the theme ‘Artistic Musings on Us’, this programme acts as a commentary on creative journeys. All films unfold human characteristics through artistry. Focused on various themes, they invite the audience to observe a moving city or our deeper connection with nature, question music’s origins and delve into an artist’s struggles. 

Finally, the last programme ‘Unexpected Friendships Formed‘ explores the beauty of unlikely bonds and how unexpected encounters can lead to deep and meaningful relationships. Two teenagers connecting through a video game, a lonely new age witch seeking her community in London, a group of 50-year old women finding comradery through a sport, a robot vacuum and a rabbit crossing paths and a middle-aged woman spending time with her taxidermy seagull. 

This programme features among others Loïc Hobi’s ‘ALEXX196 & the Pink Sand Beach‘ Locarno International Film Festival and the Norwegian ‘Tits’ by Eivind Landsvik which was selected at the Cannes Film Festival’s Short Film Palme d’Or 2023. 

The OSFF2024 brings films of different styles and aesthetics that engage with current issues or personal stories and the complexities of relationships. This edition features more international rising talents and independent filmmakers making their first steps in the film industry. 

Explore our full screening programme here

We are excited to be back for one more Oslo Short Film Festival! 

The Oslo Short Film Festival 2023 successfully took place on the 31st of August and 1st of September in the fully packed Sentralen Forstanderskapssalen hall in the heart of the Norwegian capital. 

Over the two-day Film Festival, more than 200 people joined us at the Sentralen. We had the pleasure of welcoming directors from different countries including Finland, Norway, and Germany, cinephiles of all ages and aspiring filmmakers from the Oslofotokunstskole. It always fills us with excitement to see that the OSFF attracts a mixed audience of various ages, ethnicities and backgrounds.

Each day featured 2 screening slots with different themes that touched on social issues, and personal relationships as well as presented stories from around the world. Sentralen’s modern-equipped Forstanderskapssalen provided a great cinematic experience while the cultural space’s refined halls served as a meeting point for the audience and the filmmakers.

Winners of this year’s edition are “Wild Summon” by Saul Freed, Karni Arieli in the Best Short Film category, and “A Little Bit of Paradise” by Andrzej Cichocki in the Best Documentary category. After the screenings followed a short award ceremony and a small networking event.

The official product partner of the 5th OSFF23 was the world-class Dutch confectionery company Tony’s Chocolonely.

A big thank you to all of our partners and collaborators and to the great audience that made OSFF23 a unique cinematic experience. We can’t wait for next year’s edition. 

The Oslo Short Film Festival is organised by HFP, a pioneer organisation that runs Film Festivals and other events showcasing and championing ideas of diversity. Through our global series of film Festivals that spread over 13 countries, we open the path to voices with a compelling story to share. Our main mission is to honour independent cinema and establish a network of artists eager to join forces and spread their work across all nations. HFP runs 25 film Festivals worldwide.

Arina Kosareva & Matilda Forss attended #OSFF23 and share their experience on Presset. Give it a ready get a taste of the two-day indie Film Festival!

Thank you Arina Kosareva & Matilda Forss and Presset !

You can check their article on Presset.no below too:

The Oslo Short Film Festival 2023 offered more than a dozen colourfully unique stories, varying in the country of origin, language, and spirit and spanning two days split between August and September. We attended the OSFF and share their impressions on the multiculturalism and multi-dimensionality of the event.

The OSFF 2023 was a two day festival which embraced four themes this year. Each day was dedicated to two: “It’s a family business” and “The communal experience” (Day 1), “I’m a survivor!” and “Special Bonds” (Day 2). George Panopoulos, the Festival Coordinator, and Alkmini Nikopoulou-Exintari, the Brand Coordinator and Community Manager, cheerfully and warmly welcomed the guests into their seats, assuring that none would leave the Festival “hungry.” A fitting metaphor, as it is the special and wonderful nature of a short film festival that is comparable to taste-testing an entire, diverse menu: you grab a bite here, a nugget there. It is safe to say, all were satiated by the end of each day – both figuratively and literally.

DAY 1:

August 31, the last Thursday of the summer 2023, was unexpectedly warm – a welcome respite after the heavy rains of the past few weeks and a perfect setting for the fifth edition of the Oslo Short Film Festival. Held in Sentralen’s Forstanderskapssalen, it welcomed a much larger crowd compared to previous years – over a hundred guests occupied the neatly arranged soft purple chairs. We spot a lavishly dressed couple, a dark-haired man in a a deep blue silk shirt accompanying a woman in a black bodycon dress, she twists a single red rose between her thin manicured fingers, another artsy man in a gray suit that somehow rhymes so perfectly with his long silver dreadlocks, groups of exhausted students, eternally in jeans and white sneakers, with tote bags lying nonchalantly next to their feet.

The mission of the OSFF is twofold: to build a cinephile community in the city and to showcase the power of independent cinema. And the team behind it is definitely succeeding in accomplishing it. “Each year, more filmmakers send their films to the Oslo Short Film Festival, our audience expands, and at the same time we also see familiar faces in the screening room – all this is solid proof that we are definitely on the right track,” says Aliki Seferou, Press and Communications Coordinator for the Festival.

With the OSFF persistently earning its place in Oslo’s culture scene, it now boasts its first partner – Tony’s Chocolonely. Each guest is welcome to take a bar or two before the screening – green for milk, orange for salted caramel, and red for black chocolate. More boxes hide behind the farther doors of Forstanderskapssalen, and it is a truly joyous sight when new bars are poured on a tall black table next to the main entrance.

Settling in, the guests are facing a screen with OSFF’s mascot – an Atlantic puffin, a kind-looking bird with orange beak that frequents Norway’s seashore. “Norway is home to 30% of the world’s Atlantic puffin population, but their numbers have been constantly declining due to ecosystem problems as they are struggling with finding enough food all around the Norwegian Sea and as far away as Iceland and the Færoe Islands,” explains Aliki. “The Oslo Short Film Festival is part of HFP‘s global series of 25 Film Festivals that take place in 13 countries. Each Festival has native species or animals related to the local culture as their logo. The idea behind this concept was to create a network of ‘animal indie cinephiles’ that hop from one festival to the next. Many animals, as puffins, are threatened with extinction, and our aim is to shed light on their story. In a way, we are giving them a voice through our Festivals, pretty much like we want to do with independent filmmakers.”

Thematically, the films of the first day of the Festival are grouped into two distinct slots – “It’s a family business” and “The communal experience” – and yet, they all form a coherent, multi-faceted whole. “Each of the films in the programs exposes people’s vulnerability, as well as how we relate to the world we live in and interact with it – be it through family, community, nature, or society as a whole,” reflects Apostolia Katsiantridou, the Head of Program for the OSFF.  According to her, it is the notion of certain tenderness that permeates the Festival in 2023.

And tender the nine films of the first day are. The festival launches strong, with a humorous, sparkly Le Pompon (David Hourrègue, 2022, France) featuring a flamboyant and competitive mother, that sets several sub-themes for the remaining screenings: myriads of roles that women play in their lives, struggles of motherhood and, wider, parenthood, inexplicable maturity of children, and a vibrant kaleidoscope of cultures, beliefs, and traditions. A Little Bit of Paradise (Andrzej Cichocki, 2020, Poland) follows closely, a touching documentary about the rural life of a heart-breakingly not-so-well-off family. Unborn Biru (Inga Elin Marakatt, 2022, Norway) is another reading of destitution, reflecting on the lengths a parent would go to make sure their child lives another day – and the unintended, eerie, and uncanny consequences of it. Hidden (Paul Riordan, 2022, the UK) appears as a colorful story of a caring relationship between a mother and a son – and yet, something somber, agonizing even, looms in the back, revealing itself by sheer accident – or on purpose? One is left wondering, guessing, but never knowing. Demon Box (Sean Wainsteim, 2023, Canada) builds on the obscure darkness inside every person in a very self-aware manner. It is a short documentary, a video diary/manual, perhaps, on how to deal with the horrors of the Holocaust which are a part of your cultural inheritance and, therefore, your very self.

After a 10-minute break, the Festival comes back with Around the Corner (Martin Turk, 2022, Slovenia) – an open-ended story about a boy who faces one moral dilemma after another, desperately trying to do good. It is followed by Harvesting Our Tea (Sheida Kiran, the UK), a panoramic overview of Turkish women tea harvesters and their attitude towards life, business, family, and loneliness. The theme of loneliness is picked up in Cloak of Honors, The Tale of the Boy and the Old Man (Rui Falcão, 2023, Portugal), wherein two lonely souls – a young boy missing his father and an old man missing his son – form a partnership of a kind, learning that kindness and forgiveness go a long way. The final film of the day, The Trip (Rimantas Oičenka, 2022, Lithuania), is the only story where men, not children or women, become the centerpiece. And yet, the bonds of family, this invisible connection with one’s wife and child, unbroken by time and space, defines every man’s life, giving them a powerful incentive to always come back and share their memories with those they love.

Joy and sadness, gain and loss, present and past – family, friends, community, selfhood – choices and consequences. The first day was indeed a kaleidoscope of cultures and lives, and enriched by these experiences, the guests poured into the warm streets of Oslo, anticipating the first day of fall – and the second day of the Festival. 

DAY 2:

September 1 was as unexpectedly warm as the Thursday before it. Sentralen’s Forstanderskapssalen was packed again, and this time, the chocolate bars were awaiting the guests on every chair. The second day of the Festival was marked by the presence of some of the directors whose films were on the program, as well as actresses and a producer: Tommy Vella (Eina, 2022, Germany), Mia Sunniva Øveraas Krokaas with Louise Waage Anda and Nora Aasgaard Egerdahl who starred in her film (Everything Had Been Perfect, 2023, Norway), and Roosa Vuokkola and her producer Linnea Salonen (How to Take Care of Your Parakeet/Kuinka Huolehtia Undulaateista, 2023, Finland). Perhaps, it was them that inadvertently urged the audience to applaud after every screened film? 

Whatever it was, Day 2, with its slots, “I’m a survivor!” and “Special Bonds,” was as much a success as Day 1. “We were excited to see that not only the Sentralen Forstanderskapssalen was fully packed on both days but also that the OSFF 2023 attracted such a wide and diverse audience,” says Aliki in the aftermath of the event. “It always fills us with joy to see an enthusiastic audience embracing the films, getting inspired and motivated. It is a reward, seeing guests coming on both days and approaching us at the end of the Festival to tell us how much they enjoyed the screenings and which films stood out to them.”

“I’m a survivor!”
The slot named “I’m a survivor!” included daunting stories of war, battles with nature, and the weight of expectations, combined into a viewing experience that kept the audience on their toes. Wild Summon (Karni Arieli and Saul Freed, 2023, the UK), which won the category “Best Short Film,” depicts a woman-figured wild salmon, moving through the cycles of life in a nature-fantasy-fusion, narrated by Marianne Faithfull. It is an absurdist twist on nature documentary, and the circle composition, following an “animal” from death to birth and then death again, opens up to a sea of interpretations, while being uniquely eerie and grotesque.

Munching on the provided chocolate, one sat at the edge of their seat, watching the journey from film to film that HFP, the company behind the OSFF, curated. Light-hearted and fun films were mingled and thoughtfully complemented, and contrasted stories about war, inviting viewers to ponder and wish for more.

Tommy Vella wrote and directed the film Eina with his brother Michael. They wanted to write a survival film, but not the typical “strong guy fighting bears and wolves and jumping down cliffs,” as Tommy puts it. Instead, they aimed to highlight the inner struggle, especially for young people who “feel burdened, and don’t know what to do and where to go.” It was one of the movies in the program that made the audience feel the main character, Eina’s, struggle. Eina goes on a two-week kayaking trip, and, as the currents of the river get too strong, all of her belongings are swept away. It took a small team of Tommy and his brother, Sophie Roßfeld, who played Eina, and Michelle Wiesemes, Assistant Director, twelve days to shoot the movie. They didn’t want to give Sophie a lot of notes, because “we wanted her to feel the environment and see how she felt.” Vella adds that the difficulty of asking for help was one of the emotions that became central while shooting the film, noting that just as Eina, he “would rather struggle and try to make something work alone, even when it would be easy to ask for help […] and that can put you in difficult situations.” Feeling alone in one’s situations, Vella demonstrates, is easily connected to the thought that one isn’t doing enough, or that one isn’t worth enough, and he hopes that the audience felt connected to Eina as she struggled and persevered. He thinks it’s a fine balance between feeling empathy for her and thinking that she’s stupid, but that it represents something fundamental in the struggles of younger generations.

This theme of asking for help, or seeking it, was also noticeable in Sergio Jaén Sánchez’s film Traje de Luces (2022, Spain), depicting a homosexual matador dealing with the loss of his father. Just a synoptic sentence like that reels you in, doesn’t it? The homoeroticism, the relationship to fate and destiny, the connection between childhood and young adulthood – certainly whichever way you look at it, you’re going to feel something. And Sanchez’s film wasn’t alone in doing so.

In the fifteen-minute break, people in the audience ran up and down the many flights of stairs at Sentralen, hunting for sophisticated and thirst-quenching (the chocolate was, after all, salted caramel-flavoured) glasses of wine. Having secured a drink, glasses in hand, the guests’ energies were rejuvenated for the festival’s final theme.

“Special Bonds”
The last theme of the Festival, “Special Bonds”, sought to highlight people. Here, heartbreaks, first loves, friendships, and family dominated the screen. The anthropocentric approach was never boring, as Vlad Ilicevici and Radu C. Pop’s Romanian animated film Suruaika (2022), that showed a kitten growing destructively large, symbolising perhaps an overinflated ego, was paired and contrasted by the laughter and easiness of Geordy Couturiau’s film The Magical Flute (2021, France). Mia Sunniva Øveraas Krokaas film Everything Had Been Perfect showed a light-hearted story of exciting first loves, and was directly followed by Roosa Vuokkola’s film How to Take Care of Your Parakeet, examining the strange relationship a man grows with a bird, ignoring all other human contact. We had the honour of talking to both of these directors about their films.

The Norwegian Mia Sunniva Øveraas Krokaas film Everything Had Been Perfect showed two young girls, expressing their love for each other for the first time. “When I started writing, I just had the keywords ‘flowers,’ ‘birthday,’ ‘cake,’ ‘field,’ and ‘sun’ written down – all these pretty things that I just wanted to collect into one product,” said Krokaas, and so, a love story blossomed. “I have always liked short formats best,” she noted, “and even this just started as a project with friends.” The youthful playfulness that the film exudes is the result of a project that quickly snowballed and which only took three weeks to produce. Krokaas studies film at NSKI Høyskole and teases that her next project probably will follow a similar route to this film and yet will try to capture the relationship between a grandparent and -child instead of the relationship between two young lovers. “What I find most interesting is exploring interpersonal relationships, and I feel like [the OSFF] is a nice arena for that. It’s very inspiring,” she stated.

How to Take Care of Your Parakeet was Roosa Vuokkola’s Bachelor final work and her first short film to be accepted for a film festival. Some of the film’s Finnish sources of inspiration were directors, such as Kaurismäki, Myllylahti and Haapasalo. The film had a Wes Anderson-like colour scheme and a peculiar, lonely main character, played by Taisto Oksanen. The set of Vuokkola’s film was built in a studio, and its “sterility” nicely contrasted the prevalence of nature in the other films. Vuokkola commented that it was “thrilling and nerve-wrecking to send your film somewhere and have someone else see it.” When asked about the ambiance of the Festival, she noted that “all the films have been… gentle, and that is something that resonates with me. I can’t remember the last time I’ve been to a screening and liked all of the movies.” She admitted that at the core of all the films was something very human.

The face of young cinema
There was an air of potential as the guests and the Festival’s team went their separate ways. These subversive and abstract feelings of young filmmakers, ripe with new ideas, seemed contagious. And to see the shy faces concentrate a little extra on pronouncing their film’s title in English for the first time, standing on that stage, just adds so much depth to the experience. It very much felt like you had just seen the new face of young cinema. And there is so much there to like. Young cinema is so… weird and funny, and thought-provoking and melancholic. It’s a worry that your story isn’t important, it’s the stress of always trying to network, it’s the excitement of attending your first film festival and not knowing where the bar is. It was all of that, and inside of it there were so many emotions, so many nuggets of people’s lives, and there was so much truth in all the fiction.

Takk Thor Aaberg for at du skrev om filmfestivalen vår i Filmmagasinet!

Oslo Short Film Festival 2023 går av stabelen 31. august til 1. september med et mangfoldig todagersprogram med de nyeste indiefilmene. Nok en gang setter vi opp det store lerretet i de kunstneriske salene på Sentralen og bringer uavhengig film til hjertet av Kvadraturen. 

Årets utgave finner sted i Sentralens raffinerte Forstanderskapssalen. Den moderne utstyrte salen ligger i 3. etasje på Sentralen, og den stilrene innredningen gir perfekte rammer for kvalitetsvisninger i en koselig og intim atmosfære som til det fulle gjenspeiler festivalens karakter.  

OSFF23 går over to dager og viser 19 korte fortellinger og dokumentarer av filmskapere fra alle samfunnslag. Årets program spenner fra komedie og feelgood til drama og livsbaserte historier, og hver visning er nøye kuratert for å ta publikum med på en filmisk reise.

31. august utforsker visningsspor 1 og 2 følelsen av tilhørighet med to programmer som dykker ned i familiebåndene og båndene som oppstår i et fellesskap. Denne dagen vises blant annet Unborn Biru av den norske filmskaperen Inga Elin Marakatt, som var en del av kortfilmprogrammet i Sundance 2023 og vant prisen «Films from the North» under Tromsø internasjonale filmfestival 2023. Vi viser også den ti ganger prisbelønte Demon Box(Canada) av Sean Wainsteim og dokumentarfilmene The Trip (Rimantas Oičenka, Litauen) og Harvesting Our Tea (Sheida Kiran, Storbritannia). 

Dag 2 er viet til historier inspirert av virkelige hendelser som har oppstått under kriser eller i hverdagslige relasjoner. Gjennom 10 fortellinger og dokumentarer har den andre dagen av OSFF23 en mer antroposentrisk tilnærming. 

Den prisbelønte kortfilmen Mariupol. A Hundred Nights tar oss med inn i krigssonen gjennom historien om en liten jente som våkner opp i en brennende by og prøver å finne andre overlevende. The Wild Summon (Official Selection Cannes Film Festival 2023 – Short Film Competition) følger villaksens dramatiske livssyklus i menneskeskikkelse gjennom en naturhistorisk fantasifilm fortalt av den legendariske Marianne Faithfull.

Endelig, i Crystal Bear-vinneren fra 2023, Man khod, man ham miraghsam (And Me, I’m Dancing Too), dukker det opp et rørende portrett av en generasjon unge iranere som er innesperret av den islamske republikkens rigide regler. Filmen er en blanding av dokumentar og fiksjon, hvor grensene mellom fiksjon og virkelighet omsider oppløses.

Begge dagene består programmet av en felles fortelling som deles gjennom filmskapernes ulike estetiker og perspektiver. Målet er å ta publikum med til ulike steder og kulturer, samt å vekke følelser og sette i gang nye samtaler. Oslo Short Film Festival har eksistert i fire år og har bygget et stadig voksende fellesskap som allerede har støttet hundrevis av filmskapere.

Se nærmere på programmet for festivalen her.

Vi sees på OSFF23.

The Oslo Short Film Festival 2023 (OSFF23) just got a whole lot sweeter, and we couldn’t be more excited to share the news with you! This year, we’re thrilled to announce our partnership with Tony’s Chocolonely as our official product sponsor.

A Sweet Welcome

As you step through the doors of OSFF23, you’ll be greeted with a delicious treat. Tony’s Chocolonely, known for its mission to make chocolate 100% slave-free, is providing an assortment of their delectable chocolate bars. Whether you’re a fan of classic milk chocolate or adventurous flavors like sea salt caramel, there’s something for every chocolate lover to enjoy.

A Taste of Ethics and Quality

Tony’s Chocolonely is committed to creating a fairer chocolate industry, working tirelessly to eradicate modern slavery and illegal child labor from cocoa supply chains. By partnering with Tony’s Chocolonely, OSFF23 is proud to support a company that shares our values of integrity and ethical responsibility.

Elevating the Festival Experience

Imagine settling into your seat, the anticipation of the first short film buzzing in the air, with a bar of Tony’s Chocolonely in hand. We believe that great cinema and great chocolate are a match made in heaven. This partnership not only adds a delightful treat to your festival experience but also highlights our commitment to carefully selecting partners who align with our mission and values.

Join Us for a Memorable Festival

We can’t wait for you to join us at OSFF23. Grab your favorite flavor of Tony’s Chocolonely at the door, sit back, and immerse yourself in the world of short films. Together, let’s make this year’s festival an unforgettable celebration of creativity, community, and conscientious indulgence.

Happy screening and happy snacking! 🍫

🧡 The OSFF23 Team

For more updates and information about the festival, be sure to follow us on social media and check out our website. Let’s make OSFF23 the best one yet! #OSFF23 #TonysChocolonely #SweetPartnerships

Tips and Tricks with Margreth Olin and Yianna Sarri

The Oslo Short Film Festival will open with the “Tips and Tricks” industry session driven by the multi-awarded Norwegian director and producer Margreth Olin and the film industry expert Yianna Sarri, who holds over 15 years of experience in key roles in some of Europe’s most prestigious film festivals and productions companies.

Over two hours, participants will have the opportunity to join an interactive dialogue with the panel members about the stages of filming from script and plot to production and distribution.

“The power of OSFF comes from the urge of promising film directors who trusted us with their films. I am very happy to share with them my experience and vision of cinema. “Tips and Tricks” is a great opportunity to meet and talk about their future plans, to set the strategy and to help them evolve. I am very excited to welcome you on board” Margreth Olin!

Fill out the form to register!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScsaEamawlmuZTSkpSsyMtAJlCalpUZlXNkmNLvSjolD_XwEw/viewform

Oslo Short Film Festival has a new logo!

We are delighted to present Puffin, a seabird that belongs to the Atlantic Puffin species and as such spends most of its time at sea.

Unlike other Atlantic Puffins though, Puffin is a film aficionado, who doesn’t come to land only for breeding but also to attend his beloved Oslo Short Film Festival.

Every year, Puffin leaves the rest of the flock and heads to Norway’s capital to catch up with the freshest indie releases at #OSFF.