MikroFAF - International festival of DIY and independent short film

12th MikroFAF: LIMBO EDITION

In 2021 too, MikroFAF opens room for everyone interested in film, especially those ones who create in restricted conditions. Through various programmes we will promote art freedom, by focusing on independence, guerrilla film, inovation, amateurism, art brut, lo-fi, experimental forms and self-organising in creativity.

Due to the still present pandemic, 2021 levitates somewhere in between uncertainty and return to normality. Between the two clear situations, there is an undefined limbo where we are now – like when you’re not a butterfly yet, but you’re not a caterpillar any more. Last year, probably the most inhabitants of our planet expected that until today life would return back to that time as before… But this year is a very strange one. Uncertainty rules. Neither we won pandemic, moving freely again, nor we are in that kind of hell when we snooze our life every couple of weeks, like until recently. Globally, we are somewhere in between. In a limbo.

Everything we do, conceive or plan is halfly in a way. Neither here, nor there. Not exactly as in Dante’s inferno, but either we haven’t left its antechamber yet. Whole nations and civilisations can find themselves in such a limbo. Our humble lives too. Between the worlds that meet and contact each other, there are entry gates, where many questions are asked. Which questions do need to be answered in your limbo? What does change in your world and in what sense and direction? How do you feel about it and how do you handle it?

Send us your film answers via FilmFreeway platform until the 5th of September, 2021.
And then we will gather together, in some of the off or on realities, this autumn!

12th MikroFAF festival submission categories:

1. Short DIY Film. Refers to films of all genres (fiction, documentary, animated, experimental…), topics and production techniques, made in non-professional circumstances, without the involvement of film professionals and without professional obligations during or after the production.

2. Independent Short Film. Refers to films that do not match the above mentioned DIY criteria because their making involved professionals, but were made in independent production, without commercial and producers’ pressure.

3. Limbo. This category is focused on the films that deal with questions about the creative process while the artist is in any kind of limbo: emotional, artistic, bodily, social, spiritual, global. How do we think about the time before and after 2021, when the things that once upon the time were called normal are now called the off-line activities? Maybe limbo is actually a golden mean, a balance, an undefined state where one can live and create happily? Or perhaps it’s a nightmare from which the artist can’t wake up, while aware of being asleep?

4. Junior Film. A category intended for filmmakers who were not older than 18 at the moment of creating submitted films.

Submission rules:
1. The deadline for submitting entries is 5th September 2021.
2. Acceptable duration of short films is up to 15 minutes.
3. A maximum of 3 films can be submitted by each author.
4. There are no restrictions on the country of origin of the author.
5. The author must indicate which category they are entering the film for:
• Do it yourself film - regional selection (Former Yugoslavian countries)
• Do it yourself film film - international selection
• Independent film - regional selection (Former Yugoslavian countries)
• Independent film - international selection
• Limbo – special 2021 selection
• Junior film

6. Films that are not in Serbo-Croatian or English must have a translation in one of these languages.

Notes: Once entered, it is not possible to withdraw your film from the festival. The festival holds the right to show the chosen films several times as part of the selection of the festival annual programs, as well as to use clips or stills from the films for promotional purposes.

Good luck!
Yours, MikroFAF team