The festival was an initiative by a 16-year-old girl and allows submissions filmed with a cell phone. The jury includes renowned names, such as Daniela Ruah and Beatriz Batarda.
O World Future Film Festivala new film festival aimed at young talent, will premiere on June 17th, at Cinema São Jorge, in Lisbon.
The event came from the initiative of Tehani Nguyen, a 16-year-old girl, and is receiving Registration until March 17th through the FilmFreeway platform. Focusing on directors aged 12 and over, the aim is to encourage cinematic creativity with accessible resources, such as cell phone cameras.
Under the theme “Future of the World”, the festival invites participants to explore visions of the future, whether in protest or hope. Examples include Australian short films about bushfires and Iranian productions that address women’s rights. So far, 166 submissions have been received from 30 countries, with emphasis on short fiction, explains .
The jury includes renowned personalities, such as actresses Daniela Ruah and Beatriz Batarda, actor Joaquim de Almeida, producer Michelle MacLaren (from Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad) and designer Philippe Starck. In lieu of cash prizes, winners will have access to mentoring with judgesallowing them to develop their careers and expand their portfolios.
The festival will have categories for best short fiction, documentary, animation and microfilm (less than two minutes). Directors under 17 will receive specific prizes. The inclusion of microfilm and the use of cell phones was taken into consideration specifically to appeal to younger people.
Tehani, who has lived in Portugal for eight yearshas co-founded an online gallery for young photographers and published articles on Vietnamese art and ancestry. The World Future Film Festival, according to her, is an opportunity for young filmmakers to “grow as artists”.
