Strawberry Shorts (film festival)
Encyclopedia
Strawberry Shorts is a new film festival which has grown out of the annual film screenings held as part of Strawberry Fair, one of Europe's largest free festivals, which enjoys an estimated 80,000 visitors each year. The film festival, in Cambridge
, England
, is open to the public and since 2004 it has screened more than 150 independent short films every year. Like Strawberry Fair itself, it is free and totally independent from any council run events. The festival is held on Midsummer Common
on the first Saturday in June.
The 2009 jury consisted of Clare Leczycki: Cinema Programmer Cambridge Arts Picturehouse, Nigel Cutting: Head of Arts & Entertainment for Cambridge City Council and Thierry Bonnaud: one of the founders of The Cambridge Super 8 International Film Festival.
The 2008 jury was Saint John Walker of FDMX, Sarah Gibson of Film Sense and Clare Leczycki of the Cambridge Arts Picturehouse.
Strawberry Shorts operates as a free event due to the work of the many volunteers who assist every year. Income from the stalls that come on-site allows the festival to meet its infrastructure and overhead costs as a part of Strawberry Fair. In addition, benefit screenings are held throughout the year to raise funds. The filmmakers whose work is shown usually exhibit their work on the day of the festival itself. Strawberry Fair merchandise - including T-shirts, badges, programmes and posters - is also sold from Information Tents.
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, is open to the public and since 2004 it has screened more than 150 independent short films every year. Like Strawberry Fair itself, it is free and totally independent from any council run events. The festival is held on Midsummer Common
Midsummer Common
Midsummer Common is an area of common land in central Cambridge, UK. The Cambridge Midsummer Fair held on the common is one of the oldest fairs in the UK and at one point was among England's largest...
on the first Saturday in June.
Screenings
Strawberry Shorts screens short films made by local, national and international filmmakers, and these are screened continuously in a large circus tent located at the heart of the Fair. No film is shown more than once, to ensure that visitors have the opportunity to experience a diverse and interesting mix of independent films intended to complement the vibrant atmosphere of the fair.Performance
Traditionally, the film screenings at the Fair included a strong performance element, and this element is to be retained for Strawberry Shorts, which will feature a team of performance artists who take on traditional cinema roles including usherettes and popcorn sellers. Their activities are intended to complement the films that are screened, and to provide a context in which the audience can relate to the sometimes avant-garde material in a setting bordering on the familiar.Competition
To encourage local Cambridgeshire filmmakers to participate in the festival, a 'Best New Local Filmmakers Competitive Programme' forms a central part of the event. In addition, Strawberry Shorts screens short films made by national and international filmmakers, though these do not feature in the competition.The 2009 jury consisted of Clare Leczycki: Cinema Programmer Cambridge Arts Picturehouse, Nigel Cutting: Head of Arts & Entertainment for Cambridge City Council and Thierry Bonnaud: one of the founders of The Cambridge Super 8 International Film Festival.
The 2008 jury was Saint John Walker of FDMX, Sarah Gibson of Film Sense and Clare Leczycki of the Cambridge Arts Picturehouse.
La Fraise d'Or Award Winners
| Year | Film | Director | Award | Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Factotum | Helen Johnson and Tom McPhee | Jury Award (unanimous) | |
| Silence | Simon Panrucker | Audience Award | ||
| 2008 | Konnichiwa Burning Man 2007 | Nicolas B. MacNider | Jury Award (unanimous) | |
| Video Game Violence: The Documentary | Dan Brand | Audience Award | 1st Place | |
| Kraesy Kitchen | Marc Abrahams | Audience Award | 2nd Place | |
| Magnificent Revolution | Jess Blake | Audience Award | 3rd Place | |
Organisation
The festival is run by a committee of local people and students from Cambridge, operating as a sub-committee of the main Strawberry Fair Steering Group and reporting back at monthly General Meetings to ensure that the festival operates as smoothly as possible within the overall aims of the Fair. The head of the sub-committee carries any film festival proposals to the main body for review and possible approval. Such meetings are held weekly as the date of the fair approaches. All the members of the Strawberry Shorts committee are volunteers, in keeping with the overall ideals of Strawberry Fair.Strawberry Shorts operates as a free event due to the work of the many volunteers who assist every year. Income from the stalls that come on-site allows the festival to meet its infrastructure and overhead costs as a part of Strawberry Fair. In addition, benefit screenings are held throughout the year to raise funds. The filmmakers whose work is shown usually exhibit their work on the day of the festival itself. Strawberry Fair merchandise - including T-shirts, badges, programmes and posters - is also sold from Information Tents.