BendFilm announced today the 75 short films selected to screen during the 18th annual BendFilm Festival running October 7 – 17, 2021.
New this year, BendFilm Festival is now recognized by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences® as one of 64 film festivals in the world (27 festivals in the USA) that is Oscar® qualifying for short films. Following the festival, BendFilm will submit the winning shorts in the following categories to be considered for Oscar® nominations: Best Narrative Short, Best Animated Short, and Best Indigenous Short.
Passes are on sale now for the in-person festival events October 7 – 11 and the streaming events October 11- 17. The film schedule is live with more movie, panel and honoree announcements planned for the coming weeks.
Selin Sevinc, BendFilm Head Programmer, said, ”We are thrilled to be part of a pipeline to The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences® that champions the short form as an increasingly relevant and important genre of filmmaking. Don’t miss seeing a shorts program that will likely include films that just may show up on Academy® short lists and official nominations. A film festival is the perfect and sometimes only place to showcase the short form genre in theaters and online and we are thrilled to present the largest short film program in BendFilm’s history.”
Audiences will be treated to a special presentation and discussion of the short film Hunger Ward directed by two-time Academy nominated Skye Fitzgerald and produced by Academy nominated Michael Scheuerman. Filmed with unprecedented access within a sensitive conflict-zone in Yemen, Hunger Ward documents two women health care workers fighting to thwart the spread of starvation against the backdrop of a forgotten war. Skye Fitzgerald, Michael Scheuerman, the film’s lead translator Silvia Fadel, and Middle East foreign policy expert Hassan El-Tayyab will host a discussion following the film at the festival which will also be made available to audiences streaming the film online.
