Interactive Creators: Explore the Short Form! The Very, Very Short Form.

Life is short, today more so than ever. We want it all. We want it now. And we want it fast. But just because something is bite-sized doesn’t mean that it’s lacking in depth or feeling. In 2014, the National Film Board of Canada and ARTE launched Interactive Haikus to give digital artists the chance to create short-format experiences that pack a punch.

And now, the NFB and ARTE in collaboration with IDFA DocLab are calling on interactive creators to get in on the fun while it lasts.

For this edition, the theme is very much a reflection of our times: the mobile world. We’re all on the move. And the mobile world is right there with us, helping us make and break connections, rethink social norms and reinvent the world. Ideas have never been so much on the move as they are right now. Mobility can be about migration, losing our cell phone or the loss of physical mobility … occurring anywhere from everyday life to geopolitics.

And no platform better embodies the notion of mobility and the momentum of the digital world than the one we hold in our hands every day: the smartphone. We’re asking artist-creators to develop mobile and interactive experiences that are funny, moving, engaging or thought-provoking. You can be a designer, a writer, a creative coder, a digital artist, a musician or a game designer. You can be independent or part of a studio or collective.

An international jury made up of artists, producers and journalists will select the ten best entries that meet our criteria, embrace the theme of mobility, and respect the 10 rules of engagement. The ten winners will receive up to 10,000€ to produce their project and premiere it at IDFA DocLab in November 2017.

Time is ticking. Send us your projects.

The rules

• Is a 60-seconds experience.
• Is about mobility and demonstrates it through the use of smartphone features.
• Works in a mobile browser, no native apps.
• Brings personal and social media data into the story.
• Interacts with users intuitively. We don’t need a navigation menu.
• Is not a film.
• Uses sound.
• Is accessible to an international audience.
• Own or have had all rights released on all creative and technical assets.
• Break one of the creative rules (4 to 8) and explain why.
• You can see the full technical brief and information on how to submit your proposal here. Submissions close 10 April 2017 at noon. Proposals must be presented in French or English.
• All submissions, questions, or requests for clarification can be addressed by email to veryveryshort@idfa.nl. Questions may be written in French or English.