Kortfilm.be is an online hub on (Belgian) short films, embedded in the international film landscape — with texts, viewing tips and a curated video on demand offer.
Vision
Short films come in a variety of forms and genres and can be narrative, experimental or something in between. They are more than just films with a limited duration. Because of their different production and distribution process, filmmakers are able to respond more easily to what’s happening in the world today.
This added value of experimentation and topical relevance are peculiar to the medium. Short films can stimulate us cognitively, creatively and emotionally, entertain us and dissect our society, or offer a glimpse of a world unknown to the spectator.
Despite an increasing audience interest, short film remains an art form that receives little attention, even though it’s a liberating and powerful form of cinema. More coverage, contextualization and canonization are necessary to build a bridge between the wide range of films on offer and audiences worldwide. This will lead to more and broader public attention that will keep the discourse around the seventh art alive in all its facets. A more active and diverse debate naturally points the way to a more playful and exciting film industry.
Mission
Kortfilm.be is a source of reflection and an archive of information about an often underexposed branch of cinema. We aim to stimulate and diversify a sustainable film culture among a wide audience in Flanders and Brussels.
One of the platform’s core tasks is to contextualize, catalog and canonize the large selection of short films, with specific and extensive attention for recent and retrospective Belgian work. The video on demand collection offers room for fiction and non-fiction, animation and video art, experiments and crossovers. Each Belgian film is presented through a thought-provoking essay, and is paired with a thematically, formally or otherwise complementary or contrasting short film, chosen by a guest curator from the international short film industry.
By mapping the many short films on offer in Flanders, Brussels and beyond, we offer an active guide for culture and film buffs, emerging filmmakers, professionals and those willing to be surprised. The published or translated texts therefore seek a balance between in-depth analyses and readability for a wide audience interested in film and culture.
Kortfilm.be aims to highlight and enhance the diversity and inclusivity inherent to the medium, both as an art form and as an industry. We celebrate the work of both new filmmakers and an established generation, and seek to extend the often (too) short life of a short film by engaging in reflection and distribution. Moreover, Kortfilm.be strengthens and broadens the scope of its work, and the represented films, by offering content in Dutch and English, and by proactively engaging industry professionals from the international field.
In doing so, Kortfilm.be contributes to the development of a profound film culture in Belgium, focusing on film as an art form, and short film as a medium in its own right.
History
Kortfilm.be originated as a student project in 1999, out of a lack of journalistic and critical attention for the medium of short film, both on Belgian territory and abroad. There was an urgent need for a platform that could offer profound context on (Belgian) short films.
The website, originally part of Kutfilm.be, was a first in the then existing film journalism scene. In 2005, Kortfilm.be was baptized as an independent association. Throughout its first years, it could count on support from the Kunstendecreet of the Flemish Government. Since 2017, Kortfilm.be has received structural support from the Flanders Audiovisual Fund (VAF) by the Flemish Government.
Between 2017 and 2021, Kortfilm.be collaborated with numerous (inter)national film festivals, as well as the Flemish and Brussels film schools. Through guest curation, jury duties and other advisory roles, the platform built an extensive (inter)national network.
From 2022 onwards, the platform will expand further, disconnecting from its parent website, and continue to grow more autonomously. Moreover, Kortfilm.be fills a gaping gap of limited distribution options for quality Belgian short films by launching its very own carefully curated video on demand section.