The film festival where creativity meets togetherness

Organisers of a short film festival have praised the originality and skills of their filmmakers to "create worlds" for audiences.

The free international Oxford Shorts festival will screen a variety of short films in the grounds of St John's College at The University of Oxford from 9 to 12 April and online from 14 to 18 April.

It opens with Dogspiracy, a documentary showing TV vet and animal welfare campaigner Dr Marc Abraham OBE seeking to end the puppy farm industry, and will showcase 130 films, with themes from mental health to science fiction.

Festival director Andrew Carslaw said screening to an audience was "a really good way of bringing people together".

The British Film Institute defines short films as having running time of under 40 minutes.

Wolvercote filmmaker Danny MacGregor is behind the production of a film about firefighters training with the Kidlington-based special rescue tender, which he described as "an absolute thrill".

"Being a boater myself and knowing the need to have rescue services on water locally... it was just to show and highlight how good the machinery, the technology and the teamwork that the Kidlington Fire Department have."

MacGregor, who was inspired by the advent of DSLRs cameras from Canon that could shoot high definition video, said the craft had "opened up for everybody who's got a creative spark to get involved".

"It's fascinating to see how we're now carrying these phones around and potentially make Oscar-winning material from the content."

He said he had been involved in the festival since its inception, initially as part of the judging team, and that they had to "lose some really good ones" because of the limited amount of available space.

"It's very exciting times, some of it I am trembling about, and everybody's having to pivot their working method, because of the speed that AI is starting to get involved with the creative industries.

"People still want to hear stories about human beings, so I think in the documentary world ... we're pretty safe for now."

Carslaw, who was originally a filmmaker, said one of the reasons he found short films "fascinating" was because they could "take more chances" than commercial ones.

"Traditionally, you would expect to go and see a romance and them to get together at the end, whereas in a short film, there's no guarantees that's going to happen."

He said there was "something magical about being in a dark space with a bunch of strangers, watching something and afterwards talking about it".

The organisers said they encouraged new filmmakers as short films "are the first logical stepping stone" of getting into the film, entertainment or media industry.

"We showcase everything - we've had Oscar winners right the way down to 'I shot this on my iPhone in my bedroom' - it's a real broad range, which we love."

The organisers said they watched all films and sent feedback to all who had applied.

"It's not just about what the best films are always, it's about what has something new to say," Carslaw said.

He said AI, current affairs and local issues were among the emerging themes.

Festival deputy director Laura Jones, who is a TV production manager, said: "Film is an amazing teacher - not only for education, but it teaches us empathy, connection and many other things."

"I am amazed by people's creativity and outcomes," she added.

"I look at how many permits these people have to obtain in order to film these and how much it costs them and how on earth they managed to create this with such a [small] budget."

Carslaw said they "are creating worlds in some of these films" and the voices "seem more unique".

Dogspiracy will be the only feature-length film of the festival and Abraham said he was "chuffed" and that it was something he "never expected"in his early days as a vet.

"I really look forward to the screening and the Q&A and meeting people who care enough and are passionate enough about change and about animals as I am."

His suggestion to the production company that had approached him was to "make a documentary movie that potentially changes the world for dogs and people".

Dogspiracy, which was about three years in the making, exposes the world of the global puppy trade, from illegal breeding to the political challenges that slow reform.

"I have no background in politics whatsoever, I just love dogs and I hate injustice like probably most people," he said.

"The tools are out there for everyone to make a difference ... whether they're parliamentary or behaviour-changing or raising awareness, we can all do something that moves the dial along, ends cruelty, ends exploitation and not just for animals for humans, too."

He said the film showed a journey of "how frustrating stuff is, but the takeaway is not only can we help animals, but we can also help each other make progress".

Abraham added that "hope comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes" such as with Grace, who they follow in Pennsylvania rescuing dogs from puppy mills.

"They're shut down, but they get better and get adopted," he said.

"Paul, the amazing director, made it like that, so you're not constantly worried about having to leave the cinema or being upset."

In the era of streaming and struggling cinemas, Oxford Shorts wanted to "get people to come and enjoy" their "passion" project, without the financial pressures.

"Pre-internet days, going to the cinema was very different - people would cheer at the films and... cinemas were full. Now they're not as full," Carslaw said.

"It's all about trying to connect as many people as possible with as many different viewpoints as possible - it's a really good way of bringing people together."

The festival started in 2019 and its core volunteers "come from different walks of life with a keen interest in film".

Jones said it filled her with "pride" that students from Matthew Arnold School would volunteer on the launch screening.

"It's just an extra connection with the local community, which is nice," she said.

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