The Shnit International Short Film Festival in Cape Town

Holy shnit! Dim the lights, grab your popcorn and get ready for a short film marathon

Cape Town is gearing up for the third Shnit International Short Film Festival, a showcase of both international and local work hosted by the Labia Theatre and the Rocking the Daisies Festival from Wednesday, 3 to Sunday, 7 October 2012.

Started in Switzerland in 2003, and billed as one of Europe’s biggest short film festivals, the Shnit International Short Film Festival has expanded its reach across borders and oceans to include Germany, Austria, Costa Rica, the Republic of Singapore and – since 2010 – Cape Town, South Africa.

After its successful debut on Mzansi shores, the festival is, once again, set to source locally as well as to import over 200 films from around the world. Though the films are first and foremost meant to be enjoyed, they will also be judged:  in the international competition, ‘Shnit-OPEN’, and in the national competition, ‘Made in South Africa’. Priding itself as both a cultural and social festival, Shnit also includes a number of supporting events, like Shnit-EXPANDED, an interactive workshop that allows audiences to delve behind the scenes and into the filmmaking process.

Film categories at the Shnit Festival 2012

IN COMPETITION: 64 international films selected to compete in the shnit OPEN, 14 films in the national competition MADE IN SOUTH AFRICA.

A REAL TREAT: highlights from the festival’s decade-long run. These movies are the kind of feel-good films that are perfect for Sunday afternoon (or Sunday evening, hint hint)

FOR SPECIAL INTEREST: the latest film-making in the fields of animation, documentary and experimental cinema.

OUT OF CURIOSITY: a category devoted to gay and lesbian short films.  

Not to be compared with feature films, short films have a limited amount of time in which to get their point across, invariably putting the genre and their directors into a class of their own. Work often masterfully uses the smallest details and the most subtle dialogue hints to convey grand meaning.

While the Labia Theatre is the official home of Shnit, the fandango is extending its reach beyond the Mother City and setting up camp at the Rocking the Daisies festival, where it will run 24 hours a day for the entire weekend (4 to 6 October 2012). Not to mention, this year, Shnit has hit Stellenbosch with screenings at the Pulp Cinema at the Neelsie and upstairs at 5 Ryneveld with Cinemuse.

Opening Night at the Shnit Festival 2012

Opening night – 3 October - features a rollercoaster preview of films set to be screened over the course of the festival, and rolls right into the credits for a glam golden-era bash à la Hollywood-style at Duplicity in Buitenkant Street. Everyone’s invited to enjoy soulful sounds and smoky speakeasy cocktails.

Tickets for the Shnit Film Festival 2012

Tickets are available at the Labia on Orange, Pulp Cinema and 5 Ryneveld Cinemuse and cost R30p/p per screening and R20p/p per screening for students and pensioners. Festival weekend passes are available through Cinemuse.co.za at R150p/p and R130p/p for students and pensioners. Rocking the Daisies festival guests get free access to the Shnit Festival tent.

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