reported by Rudy Carn, CyberScreenwriter.com

The Short Film Network is a new cooperative organization to promote and distribute acclaimed short films from around the world.

What is a short film? Short films are considered by many to be an avant-garde art form, typically ranging between 5 and 40 minutes in length. These films have typically served as a platform to showcase cutting edge talent, ideas and filmmaking techniques. From an experimental heyday in the 1960s and 1970s to a moribund period in the 1990s, short films are showing signs of a major revival in the art world.

?Short films are as popular as ever. We get over 4,000 shorts submissions each year and we screen less than 100,? said Mike Plante, Short Film Programmer at the Sundance Film Festival. ?North America is behind Europe in terms of distributing shorts and supporting short filmmakers. Hopefully, new avenues will open up as making shorts becomes easier and cheaper.?

Enter the Short Film Network, a new distribution channel and community with one purpose: to expose general audiences to cutting edge short films while providing exposure for deserving filmmakers.

?The accessibility of talent and equipment has created a boom in short film production but most of these films are never seen beyond festivals and private screenings,? said John Montague, Founder of the SFN. ?Very few of the great short films receive the exposure and praise that they deserve.?

The initial programs offered by the SFN include:

? Exposure: Short Stories on Film ? a monthly series of short film compilations that are sent on DVDs to subscribers via direct mail

? The Short Film Academy ? a community of interest for short film enthusiasts with a variety of members-only services and benefits

? The Short Film Awards ? an annual event that will provide significant praise and financial awards for short films and their filmmakers

More information, including a trailer with cuts from the films featured on the Exposure compilations, is available at www.ShortFilmNetwork.com.

Filmmakers are encouraged to submit their short films to SFN, both new and old, for consideration. Information regarding terms and guidelines for submissions is available on the SFN Web site.