WE WANT YOUR SHORTS

The team behind the first ever English Riviera International Comedy Film Festival, are looking for your comedy shorts – and no, they are not talking about the embarrassing pair of cartoon boxer shorts your mum bought you for Christmas. They are calling for submissions for the inaugural Eat My Shorts comedy film competition, which is being held as part of the festival which takes place between Thursday 25th and Sunday 28th September.

Since the launch of the website, www.icff.co.uk, just two weeks ago, a huge amount of submissions have already been received from across the world. In fact entries have come in from the USA and Canada, as well as across both eastern and mainland Europe. The organisers are hoping the local film makers will also get involved in the competition. They stand the chance of having their films screened at the festival, with some fantastic prizes up for grabs for the winners.

The rules couldn’t be any more straightforward. The films need to be short, and they need to be comedies. Ideally the films need to be up to 15 minutes long, although we will allow up to 30 minutes - if it is a work of comic genius. Entries must have been produced within the last twelve months and submitted on DVD in any regional format. Films in languages other than English require English subtitles.

The deadline for entries is 15th September 2008. A panel of industry and comedy experts will grab their popcorn and watch all of the entries, whittling the witty creations down to the very best. These will then be screened in the Groovy Movie Solar Powered Cinema on Torre Abbey Meadows as part of the festival.

The winning films in each category will be announced at our all-star gala night being held at the Riviera International Centre - live from the glittering heart of the English Riviera on Saturday 27th September 2008.

Obviously, filmmakers will be entering the competition because they have a passion for the genre and not for any sort of financial reward – although as a bonus, you will be glad to learn that prizes will include cash, flights and a very quirky award to pop on your mantelpiece! There are three categories for entry based on age: 16 and under, 17 to 21, and 22 and over.

Aviva Pearson, Director Of Tourism said: “The International Comedy Film Festival is not only about screening new and classic blockbusters, but also about discovering brand new comedy talent as well. We have viewed a few of the entries already and the standard is incredibly high, which is really exciting. This area of the UK has already produced some wonderful filmmakers like Roger Deakins and Paul Andrew Williams and we are hoping to discover lots more. So I would strongly encourage local film makers to get involved, get creative and make us laugh!”

For more information and to download entry forms for the Eat My Shorts competition, please visit www.InternationalComedyFilmFestival.com