Celebrating Balkan diversity, multilingualism and communication, the 3^rd edition has as title “TALK TO ME”. For one more time young artists up to the age of 30 from the Balkan region and beyond (Southeast Europe) are invited to create their own short film related to this year’s topic. The submission period runs from the 10^th of November until the 1^st of April and the festival will take place in Tirana in May 2012.

 “TALK TO ME” is a call-to-action for young people to engage actively. It is about communication in all its forms: either through language or other means of expression. The Balkans are known for their culture, traditions and multilingualism so show us the Balkan diversity that surrounds you in your everyday life. Grab your camera and talk to your parents, your friends, your lover, your neighbour, your enemy, talk to the Balkans and talk to the world. Multilingualism & communication are around us and beyond us. Let them inspire you.

So don’t lose time and TALK TO ME

The main objective of the project is to invite and motivate young people to create short films through which they reflect on their region’s past, current and future situation. The aim is to get a better grasp of how they relate to communication in general, as well as to the cultural and linguistic diversity in the region.

More information on how to apply is available on the Balkans Beyond Borders website: www.balkansbeyondborders.eu, our Facebook page (Balkans Beyond Borders) and Twitter (BalkansBB).

For Balkans Beyond Borders this participation was really important because we came in contact with many NGOs that promote cooperation and culture in the region and with many young people that are interested in film making, cooperation between Balkan people and activities that promote mobility in the region. We informed them about our activities and especially about Balkans Beyond Borders Short Film Festival 2012 that is going to take place in Tirana with title: “TALK TO ME”. On this occasion, they wrote questions in an interactive board regarding communication in the Balkans and life in Albania.

Balkans beyond Borders participated at this event with the support of Critical Path Consulting & Training that is also responsible for the certification of some of the BBB members in Project Management and the Uplifted web radio which covered the participation with its music selections.

Competition details in PDF downloadable here.
Application form here. React and spread the word!

NOTE: The deadline for the Balkan Snapshots open call has been extended, as the festival was moved from October 2011 to May 2012. Filmmakers who already sent in their short film are of course still running in the competition.

If you want to know more, click here to see the program and the content of the Balkan Snapshots Preview, which served as a ‘warming up’ event, while waiting for May.

“We live so close to each other and yet we know so little about each other” said Konstantinos Ntantinos, the General Director of the Organization in order to explain shortly the overall idea that lies behind the concept of BBB. During his presentation about the BBB activities the BBB’s representative announced officially the theme and hosting city of the 3^rd edition of Balkans Beyond Borders Short Film Festival, which will take place in Tirana in May 2012 and will have as theme multilingualism and communication in the Balkans under the title TALK TO ME. The president of the Committee, Mrs Doris Pack, highlighted her appreciation for all the efforts of the Organization in enhancing solidarity, mobility and understanding among young people in the Balkans. She also stated her support to Balkans Beyond Borders and her will to help it continue accomplishing its mission.

BBB team wants to continue and strengthen all its efforts towards a better future in the Balkan region focusing on the youth of today, namely the future of tomorrow. We, the young people, should fight for our good ideas.  We should be dedicated and make it come true. This is the Balkans Beyond Borders mentality and therefore we are here to support all those who share this value.

In Balkans Beyond Borders, we believe that our biggest asset is our people and therefore we invest in their personal development.  A successful project needs people with motivation, devotion, passion but most of all well educated and trained people. For this reason, we decided to go a step further with our passion for cooperation and mobility in the Balkans by investing on our project management skills.

Our goal is to implement all the knowledge given by Critical Path in order to give an added value to our work and NGO. We go beyond a disciplined approach to executing projects by integrating the tools and methodology as well as project management maturity resources in our projects in order to be more transparent so our donors know that their money is not being wasted.

Zoom in the Creation – Click in the Saving

Participants can take part individually, or in teams, without restriction in the number of group members.

The competition sections are:

Α. Short Film (1’ – 5’)

Β. Photographs (minimum 3 – maximum 5)

Submission may be made through www.shootit.gr until the deadline of December 31^st 2011. Outstanding participations will be awarded scholarships for photograph, video and new technology studies.

Under the sponsorship of the Hellenic Postbank, this year Shoot it continues its educational action by visiting the schools of barren line in Macedonia and Thrace.

Shoot_it has secured important collaborations with the Hong Kong Mobile Film Festival, the bigger mobile picture festival in the world, as well as the Seoul International Extreme-Short Image & Film Festival and the Mobile Festival in Skopje. In this way it transports the cultures and the stimuli of new artists in international networks of interconnection strengthening thus the aim and the vision of the organization.

The best films from last year were shown in the 17^th Athens International Film Festival ‘Opening Nights – Conn-x’

Contact Details

T: 210 6430683

F: 210 6430686

E: infoshootit.gr

www.shootit.gr

Short must not have been shot before January 1, 2011.

In order to participate to the festival, film should match the
following requirements>
-last up to 15 minutes
-not be or contain advertising messages
-not be or contain promotional videos or videoclips
-Be in Italian, or subtitled in Italian or in English.

The participation to the festival is free.

For more information please contact >
foreignofficecortisonici.org

From 2008 till 2009 he worked as leader animator on the animated film GULIVER by Zdenko Basic, who won the Grand Prix on the festival “19. Dani hrvatskog filma” and the award for best short film at “Libertas” film festival in Dubrovnik. Since then he created 3 short animated films ESCARGOT (2010), VESLA / THE OARS in collaboration with Zdenka Basic, 2011, and U SJENI / IN THE SHADOW (2011). Togheter with Zdenko Basic he directed and animated 3 music videos for the Croatian musician Gibonni; “ŽEĐAM, “TOLERNCA”, “VESLA”.

For the film Escargot he received the 2nd prize at the “42. SReviji hrvatskog filmskog i video stvaralaštva” and 1st prize on the “Balkans Beyond Borders Short Film Festival” in Greece. For the animated music video “ŽEĐAM” he won the Porin music award for best music video in 2010.

Besides animation he works as illustrator. In collaboration to Zdenko Basic he illustrated “PINNOCHIO” for Carlton Publisher, “STEAMPUNK POE” for Running Press, as well as numerous book covers published in different countries and on several languages.

The participating films:

Syntagma, Lucas Oldwine (Greece)

Mumja, Ioanna Manoussaki-Adamopoulou (Greece)

Regaining the face, Panche Prendzov (FYROM)

My bicikleta, Igor Kalkov (FYROM)

Ride, Odeta Cunaj (Albania)

Timing, Ilir Kaso & Emir Al-Kafagi (Albania + FYROM)

Where are you, Miha Mohorič (Slovenia)

Zero Point, Gjorgje Jovanovik (Macedonia)

Draw me a crisis, Alketa Ramaj (Albania)

Burek, Francesco Conte (Italy)

ID-Bate, Alexandros Vyzikidis (Greece)

Nowadays, Naoussa International Film Festival is a model event, as far as creating development through culture is concerned. The festival, by applying a pioneer model of development, based on innovation and cultural activity, enhances the development of the region and turns culture into a tool for development, thus contributing to social education and welfare. We, in BBB share a common philosophy and promote NIFF by all means.

As visitors in NIFF what we can say with certainty is that NIFF is all about experiencing. After all, NIFF is one of the most vivid film festivals in Greece. Beyond films, there is so much to enjoy during NIFF. This year the festival gave the opportunity to the participants and visitors to learn about the tradition of the region, taste local wines and have a gastronomic experience.

Also, the visitors and participants had the chance to join in debates or seminars, meet and talk with filmmakers and short film industry fans and most of all become part of a unique atmosphere. The volunteers of the Festival gave an added value to the whole atmosphere and the successful organization. The volunteers along with the Festival’s organizers give the best sample of how cooperation and having a vision can always end with the best results.

Regarding the Closing Ceremony and the Awards, the prize for the “Best Short Film” was given to the film of Rungano Nyomi (co production from Zambia and UK) MWANSA THE GREAT. The 2^nd Best Short Film went to the film STANKA GOES HOME by Maya Vitkova from Bulgaria and the 3rd Best Short Film to THE CAGE by Andrian Sitaru from Romania. The POND by Dimitris Argiriou, a film that participated at Balkans Beyond Borders Short Film Festival 2011 as well, was awarded with the “Best Movie from Mobile Phone” prize. We are really grateful for being there and enjoy this unique moment with the winner.