Minikino FAQ (en)

A short film is more than simply a film of short duration. Minikino often compares it to the difference between a novel and a short story, or a poem, pointing to the distinct differences in structure and storytelling.

A short film is not merely a shortened or cut-down feature film. A short story or a poem is not simply an excerpt from a novel, right? A short film, like a poem or a short story, is a standalone work with its own literary strength. It is also important to recognize that the short film is the form at the very beginning of cinema history itself.

Short film is a cultural form with a tradition and literary value as old as cinema itself.

There is no single standard duration. Returning to the analogy of novels and short stories, there is no standard for how long or how short a short story should be. The same goes for poetry.

Historically, all films in the early period of cinema technically used only one reel of film. All works from that period were short films. But this classic standard can no longer serve as the only reference as creativity and technology have evolved, especially now that short films are no longer made on celluloid reels.

Today, short films define their duration according to the needs of each work. The same applies to the duration requirements set by each short film festival.

For example, Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, currently the largest short film festival in the world, sets a maximum duration of 40 minutes. Interfilm Berlin, one of the oldest short film festivals in the world, only accepts films under 20 minutes. Minikino, meanwhile, accepts short films with a maximum duration of 25 minutes. Each short film festival has its own rules, shaped by its vision and mission.

To quote Jukka-Pekka Laakso, director of Tampere Film Festival, Finland: a short film is a film whose duration suits the needs of the film itself. In other words, it is not made to comply with an external duration standard or screening slot outside the interests of the work itself.

The reasons vary widely, from experimentation, personal expression, and school assignments to professional purposes. Every filmmaker and artist has their own reasons for creating work. Many important works in film history are short films. Indonesia, too, has short films that are considered significant in the development of its film history.

The short film format was not created to fill screening slots in commercial cinemas (theatrical release).

Short films have their own logic of dissemination, distribution, and circulation. One of the key spaces for this is the film festival, especially short film festivals that focus specifically on the form. As technology has evolved, online platforms have also opened up new possibilities for short film distribution.

Short films are closer in nature to cultural production and artistic practice than to commercial commodities. In countries with stronger ecosystems, short films may also have commercial pathways. Even so, the purpose of making a short film remains close to the purpose of an artist creating a work of art.

When film cameras were first invented, roughly in the late 1800s and into the early 1900s, all films produced at the time were short films. In that sense, short film is fundamental to any discussion of film culture.

Longer films made for theatrical entertainment came later, as filmmakers began experimenting with more than one reel of film.

A selection of short films that has been arranged in a specific screening order. That selection and arrangement consideration are shaped by a particular context and concept design. A short film program is therefore intended to be experienced as a whole, from the first film to the last.

The person who builds a short film program is called a “Programmer.” A short film programmer is expected to bring a particular depth of knowledge and sensitivity to the work, so that the films shown become more engaging, more meaningful to watch, and richer to discuss.

In most cases, a short film program is built around a certain focus or theme. For example, a collection of one-minute films, a selection of horror shorts, or more specific curatorial focuses on social and political context.

A short film program is usually created for a shared viewing experience, though it can also serve more specific purposes, such as opening up discussion around a particular topic

In film, the term dates back to the early history of cinema, when films, all of them short at the time, were presented as public entertainment. Because several short films were shown together, the screening order had to be carefully considered. For example, to keep audiences until the end, the most anticipated film might be placed last. The person responsible for conceiving and arranging such a short film program is called a programmer.

TV and radio schedules also use the term “program.” When a larger event consists of several activities that need to be announced to audiences or participants, that lineup is also referred to as a “program.”

A film festival focused on short films, with a defined maximum running time.

A short film festival is organized as a platform for the presentation of short film works. It is usually held in one or more screening venues, most often within a single city or region. More recently, short film festivals have also expanded into outdoor screenings. The films presented may come from recent productions and, depending on the festival’s focus, may include international, national, or local works.

Some short film festivals focus on specific genres (for example noir, animation, or documentary) or on certain issues (for example the environment, human rights, or other forms of activist practice). Most film festivals also include side events, film talks, workshops, forums, and other gatherings. Short film festivals are usually annual events.

Among the most prominent and oldest short film festivals in the world are:

Internationale Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen (Germany, since 1954) Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival (France, since 1979) Tampere Film Festival (Finland, since 1969) Interfilm Berlin (Germany, since 1982)

This list is based on http://shortfilmconference.com/members/ and takes into account the age and trajectory of the festivals.

Short Film Conference (SFC) is the only global conference dedicated to short film festivals. Each year, its members meet to update the code of ethics for short film festivals.

The short answer: Minikino is a short film festival.

The longer answer: Minikino is an organization that runs a short film festival, along with a range of other activities that support its development, including research and education.

Minikino operates under the legal umbrella of Yayasan Kino Media

Minikino is a film organization, not a film community.

In Indonesia, the term film community carries a broad and often abstract context. The character of each film community is also closely shaped by the country’s diverse cultural backgrounds and ways of thinking.

When the founders developed the organization’s working units and long-term direction in 2002, what they had in mind was a short film organization. Minikino was formally established in 2002 with a defined working structure as well as short-term and long-term planning. From the outset, Minikino has been an organization. Throughout its journey, Minikino has also consciously avoided the label of community and has consistently emphasized its organizational form, particularly in relation to international collaboration and partnerships.

Minikino is the first film organization in Indonesia to explicitly position itself as focused on short film.

Since 2010, Minikino’s physical office has been based in Denpasar, at Yayasan Kino Media, Jl. Pulau Madura No.5, Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia. Most Minikino activities are centered there. At the same time, through its established networks, activities connected to Minikino extend across Indonesia and internationally. For certain focused activities, Minikino may also have representative bodies as needed.

In its early years, Minikino was not tied to a single physical location, as all work was done in a mobile and online way, with volunteers spread across different places. Later, during one period (2004–2009), Minikino also became a working partner of JiFFest (Jakarta International Film Festival) and was given a desk in its office. At that time, the film database, in the form of analog tapes and digital discs, was partly stored in Bali and partly in Jakarta.

The name Minikino has been in use and active since 2002, in Bali

Minikino is simply the name of our organization. But it may also be understood as two words. Mini means small, while Kino is a term of Latin origin associated with cinema. For example, in German, kino means cinema (source: Google Translate)

At the time this FAQ page was created (January 2020), Minikino runs a number of recurring activities each year, and in some cases each month.

Short film festival activities;

Minikino Monthly Screening & Discussion, every month (since 2002 to the present) Minikino Open December, every December (since 2003 to the present) Minikino Film Week, annually (since 2015 to the present)

Networking activities;

S-Express, a Southeast Asian network (since 2003 to the present) Indonesia Raja, a national network for short film exchange across regions (since 2015 to the present)

Competitions;

At present, Minikino has:

An annual national competition: “BEGADANG FILMMAKING COMPETITION” An international competition, awarding several international categories, including Best Short Film of the Year A national competition, awarding the Minikino Film Week National Award of the Year

All of these competitions are integrated into the annual Minikino Film Week festival.

Other activities;

Minikino also actively works with various institutions to offer seminars, presentations, and workshops. In addition, Minikino Film Week, as an international annual festival, includes many sub-programs that cannot all be listed here one by one.

However, we can support and/or collaborate with film production professionals for training purposes or other creative needs.

Please visit https://minikinostudio.com

Minikino was conceived and launched in 2002 by its founders: Tintin Wulia, Kiki Muchtar, and Judith Guritno. The three of them are no longer active within the organization.

Minikino operates under the legal entity of Yayasan Kino Media. A portion of its operational costs is covered through multiple sources: private funding, collaborators, sponsors, and occasionally government support for specific projects. The support Minikino receives is also diverse, not only financial but also in the form of goods, facilities, and special access.

What remains most valuable, though impossible to measure, is the support of labor, time, thought, and dedication from its core committee and wider network. Minikino’s committee consists of professional volunteers, artists, and film enthusiasts who generously contribute their time, often beyond working hours, to sustain the organization’s activities.

At present, Minikino also has a business arm that helps support its operational costs. MINIKINO STUDIO provides subtitling services into Indonesian and English, as well as Closed Caption services for Deaf and hard of hearing communities and Audio Description for blind and visually impaired audiences.

Minikino is the umbrella organization. Our question back to you would be: which Minikino festival or program would you like to submit to? Each festival module we run has its own focus, theme, vision, and mission.

You need to understand which festival best fits your film and your goals. Every festival has its own terms and requirements. More than that, each festival has its own vision and mission.

To submit to Minikino Monthly (MMSD)? via https://filmfreeway.com/MinikinoMonthlyScreenings To submit to Minikino Film Week (MFW)? via https://filmfreeway.com/MINIKINOFILMWEEK or ShortFilmDepot To submit to Open December? you must come directly to the event itself (please read the requirements first). There is no registration before the event. To submit to S-Express? there is no open registration. Minikino invites works already in the database. To submit to Indonesia Raja? registration is handled through the programmers in each respective region. To submit to Begadang Filmmaking Competition? just wait for the annual announcement. The easiest way is to follow one of Minikino’s social media accounts. The announcement is never hidden, because we want as many participants as possible. To be included in Minikino’s database? once your work is registered in one of the festivals above, it will automatically be included in the Minikino database.

All short film submissions go through a selection process, according to the needs and focus of each festival.

In general, Minikino only accepts short films with a maximum duration of under 25 minutes.

For some criteria, the maximum duration may be even shorter. More detailed requirements may also vary according to the more specific vision and mission of each activity. Please refer to the relevant program for details.

Minikino believes in personal stories delivered with craft and clarity. We are drawn to works that bring us back to something almost forgotten, that stir emotion, and do so with intelligence.

Almost all Minikino screenings are open to the public. Not all events are ticketed, and not all require booking.

The first thing to check is the event schedule: when and where it takes place. After that, you can always contact the venue for further information, or reach us at info@minikino.org

Minikino aims to reply to emails within 24 hours, and often sooner. For certain events, we also provide a hotline number, and we will be happy to explain the viewing protocol.

Minikino understands that audiences are a vital part of any short film screening event, so please do get in touch and ask.

If no age rating is listed, our staff will always be ready to help explain what will be presented on screen.

In event publications, we also regularly include film titles, durations, and synopses/themes to help prospective audiences decide.

Some special events are also supported by sign language interpretation for Deaf or hard of hearing audiences, and/or audio description for blind or visually impaired audiences.

We have not implemented any special measures since 2022.

Post-screening discussions are always intended to prioritize audience comfort.

By following the relevant loan protocol, certain programs are made available to institutions or screening events across Indonesia. Minikino also lends Indonesian short film programs for screenings at international film festivals.

At the most basic level, these programs are loaned on a limited basis for public screenings and are not available for personal use.

Please send an email to info@minikino.org with this explanation, or follow any existing protocol already provided.

Some programming activations are specifically designed to be borrowed. For example, the Indonesia Raja program can be explored further at https://minikino.org/indonesiaraja/ To save time and make communication easier, please review all the related information we have made openly available on the website.

They are quite similar. The main difference is that volunteers usually apply based on personal interest, while internships are generally tied to an institution and often come with reporting requirements. The data form we use for the selection process is the same for both.

Please contact us via info@minikino.org or visit https://minikino.org/jobs to check whether there are any volunteer openings at Minikino. If there is a position that suits you, the next step will be an interview and selection process.

Yes. Please contact us via info@minikino.org or visit https://minikino.org/jobs to check whether there is an internship opportunity that fits you. If there is a suitable opening, the next step will be an interview and selection process.

Please visit https://minikino.org/jobs or contact info@minikino.org so we can direct your inquiry to the appropriate division.