The Thai Short Film and Video Festival is an annual film festival

Film festival

A film festival is an organised, extended presentation of films in one or more movie theaters or screening venues, usually in a single locality. More and more often film festivals show part of their films to the public by adding outdoor movie screenings...

 held in Bangkok

Bangkok

Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...

, Thailand

Thailand

Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

, devoted to short film, student film

Film school

The term film school is used to describe any educational institution dedicated to teaching aspects of filmmaking, including such subjects as film production, film theory, digital media production, and screenwriting. Film history courses and hands-on technical training are usually incorporated into...

, animation

Animation

Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...

, experimental film

Experimental film

Experimental film or experimental cinema is a type of cinema. Experimental film is an artistic practice relieving both of visual arts and cinema. Its origins can be found in European avant-garde movements of the twenties. Experimental cinema has built its history through the texts of theoreticians...

 and documentary film

Documentary film

Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...

s.
Established in 1997, it is organised by the Thai Film Foundation.

The festival's main scope is competition of Thai short films, mainly by independent

Independent film

An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...

 Thai filmmakers. There are additional special programmes, based on various themes. Films from overseas are also exhibited, in an international competition section, and in specially packaged programmes.

Awards

• R. D. Pestonji Award – Granted to the winner of the Best Thai Short Film. Top prize winners are awarded a medal and 20,000 baht
  Thai baht
  The baht is the currency of Thailand. It is subdivided into 100 satang . The issuance of currency is the responsibility of the Bank of Thailand.-History:The baht, like the pound, originated from a traditional unit of mass...
  
  . Two runners up win cash prizes of 10,000 baht each. The prize is named for Rattana Pestonji
  Rattana Pestonji
  Rattana Pestonji was a Thai film director, producer, screenwriter and cinematographer and is regarded as the father of contemporary Thai film. Although his filmography was brief, his films placed Thai cinema on the world stage. He also pushed for innovations, and was one of the first Thai...
  
  , a pioneering Thai independent director, screenwriter, producer and cinematographer.
• White Elephant Award – Granted to the winner of the Best Thai Student Film. Prize winners are awarded a white elephant
  White elephant (pachyderm)
  A white elephant is a rare kind of elephant, but not a distinct species. Although often depicted as snow white, their skin is normally a soft reddish-brown, turning a light pink when wet. They have fair eyelashes and toenails....
  
   statuette and 20,000 baht. Two runners up win cash prizes of 10,000 baht each.
• Payut Ngaokrachang Award – Granted to the Best Thai Animated Film. The top honouree wins a cash prize of 20,000 baht and a medal designed by pioneering Thai animator Payut Ngaokrachang
  Payut Ngaokrachang
  Payut Ngaokrachang was a Thai cartoonist and animator. He created Thai cinema's first cel-animated feature film, The Adventure of Sudsakorn.-Early life:...
  
  . Two runners up win cash prizes of 10,000 baht each.
• Duke Award – This award was established in 2001 to recognise short films with "unusual subjects". The winner receives 10,000 baht and a medal. Two runners-up win 5,000 each. The award takes its name from the nickname of Prince Sanbassatra, the brother of King Chulalongkorn
  Chulalongkorn
  Phra Bat Somdet Phra Poramintharamaha Chulalongkorn Phra Chunla Chom Klao Chao Yu Hua , or Rama V was the fifth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri. He was known to the Siamese of his time as Phra Phuttha Chao Luang . He is considered one of the greatest kings of Siam...
  
   who was the first Thai filmmaker and is considered the "Father of Thai Film".
• Special White Elephant Award – This award goes to the Best Short Film made by a filmmaker 17 years old or younger. The winner receives a cash prize of 10,000 baht and two runners-up win 5,000 baht.
• Kodak Film School Competition – An honour for cinematographers, the award goes to shorts shot on Kodak film. Winners receive 5,000 baht and a chance to compete in a regional Kodak competition.
• Vichitmatra Award – Granted by the Vichitmatra Foundation, the 5,000-baht award honours films that "demonstrate distinctive achievements in filmmaking according to the jury's judgement".
• Pirakabo Award – Granted by the 14 October 73 Memorial Foundation grants a cash prize of 5,000 baht to the film with the strongest themes of freedom, equality and urging social concern.
• Popular Vote Award – Granted to the most popular short, according to audience vote. The winner receives 5,000 baht.

Digital Forum

An offshoot of the Thai Short Film and Video Festival, the Digital Forum was first held in September 2007, as a showcase of feature-length independent digital film productions.

External links

• Official site
• Thai Film Foundation
• Thai Short Film & Video Fest Coverage (2010) at AnimationInsider.net
• Free Thai Video Website