Copa Shorts Film Fest goes virtual

The fourth annual Copa Shorts Film Fest will take place online Nov. 7-8. With health guidelines discouraging gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic, the directors of Copa Shorts Film Fest decided to make it a virtual event.

Film and screenplay submissions, which began in August 2019, closed July 31. All submissions will be reviewed by CSFF reviewers. Tickets for the festival will go on sale in October.

“Although it was a challenge for filmmakers who wished to complete their projects because of stay-in-place rules since March, some films that were completed prior to the rules and during the past five months have been quite inventive,” said Shelley Gillespie, executive director of no-for-profit CSFF. “We have some especially compelling and entertaining films to show, including animation projects and documentaries.”

The decision to go virtual was made after discussion with the festival’s board and community members. The online festival will allow participants to benefit from workshops, vote for the festival’s “Best of the Fest” category, and engage in Q&As with filmmakers, in addition to watching the films.

CSFF will have a dedicated “channel” on xerb.tv. Some of the previous year’s films can be viewed in weeks prior to the Nov. 7-8 showings. An advantage for “attendees” is they can view films from the comfort of home with a wider time span to see the films. There will be a small fee to view film blocks. All films are 20 minutes or shorter.

This item appears in the September issue of InMaricopa magazine.