WATCH: 90 seconds is all you need to tell a powerful story in a short film

A bite-sized film is all it takes to tell a powerful story in this pandemic era.

The G-Short film festival will show viewers at home how a good story can be told in 90 seconds.

As part of the virtual George Town Festival 2021 (GTF) programme, the G-Short fest is streaming for free until July 16 via digital platform CloudTheatre.

Themed Reimagine: A New Way Of Seeing, G-Short was conceived to encourage local and international film communities to create short-form and original films and tell stories in new and original ways. It features 30 finalists from Malaysia, Iran, Spain, Indonesia, Brazil, France, Poland, India, Singapore and the United States.

“Storytelling is important in this Covid-19 era because amidst the lockdown restrictions, almost everyone, including the filmmakers themselves, must have encountered some difficulties and obstacles, some might even suffer from depression. Being able to tell stories equates to giving them a channel to express their emotions and convey their messages or ideas, ” says Jack Wong, GTF’s festival director.

“We are staying at our own homes more than any other time in our lives. From the perspectives of the festival-goers and film lovers, telling stories through short films can bring entertainment to them, in addition to conveying short yet powerful messages to inspire them during these trying times, ” he adds.

There’s plenty to investigate in this short film series, which clocks in at 45-minutes, including animation, documentary, horror, romance and current affairs.

Malaysian shorts such as Senyap Senyap Harimau and I Got Covid offer films with a pandemic backdrop, while the Brazilian entry Orgaquina edges towards experimental territory. Homegrown comedy Theory Of Theories is also a lighthearted entry to bring a smile.

The G-Short finalists were picked from 697 submissions received from 37 countries worldwide.

Eleven winners will be selected from the 30 finalists and a total of four awards (with prizes worth RM20, 000) will be handed out during a live online event on July 18 (8pm) via GTF’s Youtube and Facebook pages.

G-Short will be judged by documentary filmmaker Indrani Kopal, filmmaker Tunku Mona Riza and film producer/screenwriter Dennis Lai Chaing Ming.

More info here.