Cinema Camp Film Festival is a festival connected to the Cinema Camp film course, in wich teenagers from 13 to 17 spend a week learning the process of filmmaking. The Film Festival has a double purpose, on one hand it seeks to give visibility to the short film as a whole, on the other it wants to serve the students of the film course as a formative tool that may be inspiring by its original ideas or unique techniques.

Interview with the Festival Director: 

Matthew Toffolo: What is your Film Festival succeeding at doing for filmmakers? 

We’re a very special festival, because we’re part of a summer film academy called “Cinema Camp” (http://cinemacamp.es/), so we’re screening shortfilms to aspiring filmmakers. This way, Cinema Camp students can appreciate the works that filmmakers create from a full perspective, as well as obtain inspiration in order to create their own films. There’s a complete recognition to the filmmakers whose works are screened.

MT: What would you expect to experience if you attend the festival this year (2016)?  

A great selection of works from all around the world, really, I’m quite surprised about how easy is to get a piece of almost any important cinematography in the world. Great stories that are told in an original way.

MT: What are the qualifications for the selected films?  

They must be less than 15 minutes, and they should be in spanish or have subtitles in spanish or in english. We also appreciate that they’re not older than 2014.

MT: Do you think that some films really don’t get a fair shake from film festivals? And if so, why?  

Maybe. The problem I think, is that there are thousands of films outhere, so sometimes is hard for a film festival that has recieved hundreds of submissions to value properly each film. In Cinema Camp Film Festival, we’re doing pretty well with this, our selection comitee is working really hard and, don’t know why, we still haven’t recieved many submissions, (I think we’re around 50), so filmmakers, there’s a high probability of getting a selection if you send us your work!

MT: What motivates you and your team to do this festival?  

Two things, creating new points of exhibition for fantastic pieces that otherwise would be difficult to watch, and give the Cinema Camp Students a great lesson about how many ways there are in order to create a story.

MT: How has the festival changed since its inception?  

Not very much, we’re still a young festival, however there are little changes, this year for example, we’re becoming a competitive festival with a 100$ cash for the best film, and also special mentions.

MT: Where do you see the festival by 2020?  

We’d like to become bigger, givving more awards, having a bigger budget and inviting some filmmakers to present their works

MT: What film have you seen the most times in your life?  

Mmm, It’s difficult to answer that one, dont really know, there are lots of films, as diverse as The Godfather or Star Wars, that I’ve seen lots of times

MT: In one sentence, what makes a great film?  

A great story told from an original point of view.

MT: How is the film scene in your city?  

Honestly not very good… But we’re working on that 😉

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Interviewer Matthew Toffolo is currently the CEO of the WILDsound FEEDBACK Film & Writing Festival. The festival that showcases 10-20 screenplay and story readings performed by professional actors every month. And the FEEDBACK Monthly Festival held in downtown Toronto on the last Thursday of every single month. Go to www.wildsound.ca for more information and to submit your work to the festival.