BAFTA and ICO launch theatrical screenings of nominated shorts

BAFTA is working in partnership with the Independent Cinema Office to launch theatrical screenings of this year’s BAFTA nominated live-action and animated shorts. It is the first time that BAFTA has worked on a theatrical release of the shorts.

The package will screen from April 2013 in select UK cinemas, and nominated filmmakers will also attend select screenings to discuss their work.

BAFTA Shorts 2013 will open on April 12 at the ICA in London followed by a UK roll-out, booked by the ICO.

Films to be included in the package include animations Here To Fall by Kris Kelly, I’m Fine Thanks by Eamonn O’Neill, and The Making of Longbird by Will Anderson; plus live-action films The Curse [pictured] by Fyzal Boulifa, Good Night by Muriel d’Ansembourg, Swimmer by Lynne Ramsay, and Tumult by Johnny Barrington.

BAFTA Guru, BAFTA’s online learning portal, will include clips from the films and further information about the nominees. Also, the filmmakers will blog on BAFTA Guru about their experiences.

Tim Hunter, Head of Learning and Events at BAFTA, said: “This partnership between BAFTA and the Independent Cinema Office is an important development of BAFTA’s role as a champion of talent - in particular new talent. It’s all too rare that short films get a theatrical outing on the big screen outside of festivals, and this release is an opportunity for audiences not only to appreciate the art form of short filmmaking in and of itself, but also to get to know filmmakers whose star is in the ascendant.”