EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY/SHORTS AWARDS

British short films figure prominently in this year’s European Film Academy’s 20th Annual Awards, earning six of 13 nominations.

Every year, the EFA selects one short from a series of leading European film festivals to be eligible for the final award in Berlin in December.

In short, awards don't get much more prestigious than this!

This year, the British contenders are:

Adjustment by Ian Mackinnon (winner at the Angers Fest)

Rotten Apple by Ralitza Petrova (Berlin)

Dreams and Desires by Joanna Quinn (Tampere)

Dad by Daniel Mulloy (Cracow)

Soft by Simon Ellis (Edinburgh)

Tokyo Jim by Jamie Rafn (Sarajevo)

You may already be familiar with some or all of these names. However, one of them, at least, Newcastle's Simon Ellis, may stand out, as his film "Soft" is already a multi-award winner, including such recent accolades as Best Live Action Short at the Toronto Short Film Festival: the Audience Award and a ‘Special Mention’ at the Hamburg International Short Film Festival; and the Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films & Short Film Market's Best Of Festival Award (out of 332 shorts screened!!!).

Now he has his first feature, the coyly named "Dogging, A Love Story", featuring Kate Heppell (pictured), in post-production.

If you are wondering what it is about - and well you might - it features a father being re-visited by his worst childhood fears, at the worst possible time.

Filed September 25, 2007