Baltic Shorts visit 45th Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival and Market

With the 45th Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival - the largest short film festival and market in the world - kicked off on Friday 27th January, that was graced by a large Baltic presence as filmmakers, festivals and industry from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

The festival’s International Competition screened Cherries from Lithuanian director Vytataus Katkus who also attendanced the festival.

Already proving hugely popular on the festival circuit after premiering at last year's Cannes Film Festival, the film is the story of a recently retired father who invites his son to help him with the cherry picking in the garden. Playing with tropes of realism, the film is both tender and provocative.

Also screening in the festival’s section dedicated to children is Estonian animation The Turnip. The film, directed by Piret Sigus and Silja Saarepuu, is based on a Slavic folktale and shows the story from underground, giving an overview of what really happens while peasants are engaged in picking vegetables.

The delegation of Baltic Shorts at the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Market 2023 consists of representatives from PÖFF Shorts (Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival), Estonian Film Institute, Riga International Short Film Festival 2ANNAS, Riga International Film Festival, Latvian Animation Association and Lithuanian Short Film Agency Lithuanian Shorts. They will be on hand for the duration of the festival at the dedicated Baltic stand to promote shorts from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to the more than 3500 delegates attending the Short Film market.

Euro Connection, the two-day pitching and networking event aimed at fostering partnerships between European and international production companies, will see Estonian project El Baño directed by Sushant Bhat and Ragne Mandri as one of 14 projects pitched at industry professionals. Gaining its place at Euro Connection after being selected at the Baltic Pitching Forum in 2022, the film follows a 5-year-old Colombian boy who - after moving to a new country - tries to overcome his struggles to navigate and understand the new world around him.

On Monday 30th January, the market screened Baltic Shorts 2023, a film collection containing the freshest short films from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Five animation and fiction films was available for industry professionals to experience the brightest and freshest new films from the region. Many of the films was work-in-progress or just recently finished and looking for distribution, sales opportunities or festival premieres.