Web portals bring multicultural short films a step closer to you

Posted by alisonreid29 on June 25th, 2014

Films are a powerful medium that can influence and mould the mind of people and acquaint them about some of the grave concerns of the world. There are genres of films that entertain us, but there are also those that deal with issues closer to heart and require a more serious viewing. Multicultural short films by independent film makers are being given the highest regards in different film festival short films around the world solely because of the sensibilities of filmmakers and the issues that are being projected. Thanks to the technological incursion we know a lot of what’s happening in the world. But reading about them does not make as much an impact as experiencing them visually. This visual medium is being created by the independent filmmakers. What they need is a platform to showcase their talents and there are many websites and online platform that give these films their rightful place.

Short films are an expression through which the makers uphold issues of race, caste, creed etc and the struggle of the people who are embroiled in it. Global interdependence and globalization have triggered the multicultural phenomena. Especially in a country like America which is a melting pot of multicultural groups like native-Americans, Latin Americans and African-Americans who have coexisted for centuries. The recent past has seen the inclusion of Asian-Americans as well. More and more multicultural short films are being made on how these diverse groups adapt to each other and their day to day struggle to carve out an identity. Though multicultural films have a long history, only recently are they being accepted and honored in the film fraternity and dedicated film festival short films are being organized only to screen these films. Some of these are the Universe multicultural film festival, Sydney intercultural film festival, Colourfest etc.

Film lovers and enthusiasts recognize the fact that the multicultural short films do not have a wide audience particularly due to the lack of a platform. Most of these movies are only screened in film festival short films and do not make to the movie theatres. In order to bridge the gap, there are many portals and website that are dedicated to short films and provide information on the different short films, the issues they deal with, and the different film festivals that are going around in the world. They further archive the movies so that students, teachers and film lovers can review them. These multicultural films are also a great resource for multicultural studies especially for students who are researching in this field.

If you are a film enthusiast, a critic, a short filmmaker or activist, these portals have something for you. You have made a documentary but cannot screen it, or you want to share your views about a particular film, these websites give you the platform and encourage you to showcase your work or express your feelings. If you are interested in culture studies, this is the best place to enlighten yourself about the various cultures. Through these portals you can meet other enthusiastic filmmakers who may be interested in making cross-cultural movies. You can further update yourself about the film festival short films where you can participate as a director or a viewer. Multicultural short films speak a global language and helps bring different worlds closer to each other.

The global language of Multicultural short films can be best expressed at film festival short films.