We talk to... Catherine Shoard
Catherine Shoard will sit on the jury of the second Inntravel Short Film Awards at Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival this year, we catch up with her to find out what she'll be looking for in the entries.
BF: Can you describe your early relationship with film, were you always destined for a career in film journalism or did your interest evolve over time?
CS: I didn't see a lot of films growing up, but was very heavily influenced by those I did see. I remember the excitement when Back to the Future II hit the local Blockbuster store, and going round trying to be like Doc Brown - which might not have quite worked, as a 12-year-old girl. Then I got into film journalism as a student, loved it, and then got lucky and got a job in it. BF: What excites you about sitting on the Jury for the Short Film Awards at Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival?
It's a festival I love - it has a great sense of place, and of integrity, and a sense of humour. I'm hoping that the directors who submit their work will be of a similar disposition. BF: Can you tell us as a jury member, what will spark your interest, or make a film stand out for you?
I'm a sucker for funny, but I guess clear-focus, manageable ambition and ingenuity within the genre. It can't just be a calling card; it needs to be a fully-formed work of art in its own right.
BF: Can you tell us about a memorable short film you have seen and what made it so?
‘Pasty Child’, a one-minute movie by Andy Luck, which won the GuardianWitness awards whose jury I also sat on. It was perfect: an intricate world you immediately lost yourself in, great craft and skill artistically, great economy of shots and a terrific black humour shot right through it. It had confidence and style - it zinged at 60 seconds, but it also made you hanker after a full-length version.
Deadline for entries is 16 June 2014, read more here.