Aesthetica Short Film Festival / 2019

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November 6 – 10, 2019

Aesthetica

Still from Not Enough – Benny Sings, 2019. Directed by Bear Damen, Netherlands.

The Aesthetica Short Film Festival, founded in 2011, is an international film festival which takes place annually in York, UK, at the beginning of November. It a celebration of independent film from around the world, and an outlet for supporting and championing filmmaking.

The festival is a BAFTA-Qualifying short film festival. This means that if your short film is screened or accepted into two or more of the BAFTA-Qualifying festivals, it may be eligible for a BAFTA.

Still from Contenders, 2018. Directed by Rebecca King, UK. Drama Finalist in ASFF 2019.

Still from Needletail, 2019. Directed by Alice Hamilton, UK. Drama Finalist in ASFF 2019.

Still from Apollo 11, 2019. Director: Todd Douglas Miller, Archive Producer: Stephen Slater, USA. Guest Programme in ASFF 2019.

ASFF is a hotbed for talent discovery and a key annual event for emerging and established filmmakers to meet alongside industry professionals. British and international films are in competition in their category for an award, alongside the Best of Festival Award, Audience Award and Best Screenplay.

The festival program is curated and culturally rich. We believe that great filmmaking has the power to change lives. Films have gone on to win awards at BAFTA and the Oscars as well as other festivals such Sundance, SXSW amongst others.

Each year, ASFF attracts thousands of entries. One of the UK’s most exciting site-specific events, ASFF showcases over 400 international films from emerging and established filmmakers in various venues across the city of York. The program also includes industry masterclasses, networking sessions and panel discussions.

Still from Schemers, 2019. Directed by David McLean, UK. Narrative Feature Finalist in ASFF 2019.

Still from Shahmaran – Sevdaliza, 2018. Directed by Emmanuel Adjei, USA. Music Video Finalist in ASFF 2019.

Still from Ne Me Quitte Pas (Don’t Leave Me), 2018. Directed by Brigitte Fässler, William Bejedi, Switzerland. Dance Finalist in ASFF 2019.

2019 Masterclasses

Every year, ASFF welcomes industry leaders from a range of disciplines to speak about their craft, offering a unique opportunity to gain first hand insights in areas such as animation, VFX, documentary production and camera operation. Masterclasses are a key component to a culturally rich and technically diverse program of events and screenings.

For 2019, we welcome cultural powerhouses such as British Vogue, i-D and Rankin, as well as Emmy and Oscar nominated producers, directors, sound designers, editors, and cinematographers such as Simon Chinn, Dick Pope and Mick Audsley.

Whether you work in cinematography, writing, directing or camera operation, ASFF has gathered the best in the industry from every discipline and career path, to give you the tools that you need to propel your career and create films that change lives.

Still from The Neighbourhood, 2014. Directed by Hope Kemp, UK. University of York Showcase Screening at ASFF 2019.

Still from She-Pack, 2018. Directed by Fanny Ovesen, Norway. Drama Finalist in ASFF 2019.

Still from Wannabe – Leyya, 2018. Directed by Rupert Höller, Austria. Music Video Finalist in ASFF 2019.

Aesthetica Magazine

ASFF is organized by Aesthetica, one of the UK’s leading publications for art, design and photography. The magazine is a worldwide destination for art and culture. In-depth features foreground today’s most innovative practitioners across art, design, photography, architecture, music and film.

It has a readership of over 400,000 and national and international distribution. It highlights some of the most important artists at work today, both established and emerging, through detailed features and stunning imagery. The magazine includes in-depth coverage of new exhibitions and artists, photography and film, making it a go-to-guide for all art and culture lovers across the world. Aesthetica is widely distributed in the UK (over 628 outlets) and exported to 20 countries making it one of the most read art and culture publications in the world.

Across the brand, we also produce a number of awards, exhibitions and events that are focused on talent development in art, photography, literature and film. The awards celebrate excellence from both new and established practitioners. These comprise the Aesthetica Short Film Festival, the Art Prize and Creative Writing Award.