October, for the Positively Different Short Film Festival, marks the month when our volunteers and team members come together for a 2-day training on intersectionality, accessibility and details on the selection process.
After a warm-up getting to know each other, the team introduced the concept of intersectionality, which has been at the festival’s epicentre since its inception. PDSFF focuses on the multiple facets of oppression and aspires to promote creative works, cultural networks and political struggles by and for the “unseen” of modern societies. We discussed the context in which the festival was born and focused on topics it has touched over the years.
At the end of the first day, the volunteers brainstormed in smaller groups on what they would like to see in PDSFF25 in terms of side-events, accessibility, but also contents.
For an inspiring start of the second day, the group watched one of last year’s programme selections, which would serve as the starting point of the conversation on how we watch and select the films. This includes not only the thematic aspect of the festival, but also the cinematic treatment, and more technical criteria, such as photography, direction and sound design.
We also screened a film which had an acoustic description for individuals with hearing impairments. This is one of the steps PDSFF has taken with the aim of making the festival more accessible. We discussed matters of accessibility and explored potential directions for the festival.
As preparation for the training, the volunteers were invited to suggest a film scene that provoked them to imagine a different world. A series of cinema old classics, indie movies, as well as theatre plays were brought forward in an inspiring conversation, which fit very nicely to this year’s theme; Daring Imagination. It was the proper way to close the training and slowly walk into the next phase; watching the submitted shorts!
In groups of four to five, and then all together, over the next two months, our volunteers will help the PDSFF’s curatorial team, to select the films that will call us and our audience to dream!
3-6 April 2025 we will meet you at the cinema! Save the date!
