CANBERRA Short Film Festival returns for its 27^th consecutive year, opening this evening (November 4).

It’s a competition-based event with 10 different entrant categories, bringing audiences the best contemporary films, animations and music videos from around the world, Australia and Canberra and festival director, John Frohlich,  says there were more than  600 submissions this year, including more than 70 from the ACT and that 215 films from 21 countries would be screened.

“Our festival is a really significant opportunity for local talent to showcase their work in a commercial environment and in front of large audiences, there is nothing more fulfilling for filmmakers, it is the whole point of their work,” he says, adding that it would be the largest festival in its  history, with 18 separate screenings across two weeks at Dendy Cinemas, Smith’s Alternative and PhotoAccess.

“The short-film format is having a resurgence across the world at the moment, thanks in part to online platforms such as Tik Tok and Instagram,”  Frohlich says. “But also as it is a far more creative, accessible and independent format than either feature film or television. This is definitely reflected in the variety of story, style and genre that we receive in our submissions.”

Among the chosen films will be “Ain’t Many Like Lennie – CJ Shaw”, animated and directed by Canberrans Eleanor Evans and Giovanni Aguilar, an animated music video for Canberra musician CJ Shaw and based on the true story of nine-year-old Lennie Gwyther who, in 1932, rode more than 1000 kilometres on his pony Ginger Mick from Leongatha, Victoria to Sydney to witness the opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Canberra Short Film Festival,  Dendy Cinemas, Smith’s Alternative and PhotoAccess, until November 20.