The World Fashion Shorts (WFS) festival will be one of the most memorable film events this autumn. It will be staged at the Artplay Design Centre on 5 October as part of Moscow Fashion Week, running in parallel with the BRICS+ Fashion Summit, where some of the WFS participants will give speeches. The WFS organizers’ ambitious mission is to join the network of international festival projects and invite acclaimed film professionals, while also assisting those wishing to take advantage of this aspiring democratic genre in Russia.
Short fashion films are one of the fastest growing tides in the fashion industry, which is no surprise because they are not expensive to produce while, in the era of social networks, their distribution can go viral and reach millions. “Reels are the major trend. There are many different ways to make them but they are always built on culture, music and tradition. These short videos capture the audience’s attention, helping to promote brands. Social media allow filmmakers to connect with their audience on emotional and intellectual levels, making fashion memorable in more than just a visual way,” says Bench Bello, Founder of the Manila International Film Festival, who will attend the WFS.
“Professionals may gain by enriching their experience. This is what WFS offers. To see the breadth of techniques, styles and forms of presentation of short fashion films. To discern and draw the line between art and advertising. To be carried away or appalled, depending on your taste. To learn to find new ideas and shape the future by showing a parallel universe. To seek and choose your own future.”
Svetlana Tegin, model maker and costume designer
Bello remarks that fashion films have already become a sociocultural phenomenon and, unlike traditional genres, such as commercials or fashion shows, they offer their creators greater opportunities for self-expression. David Fernandez Martinez Lugo aka Dfaniks, founder of the Cinettica International Fashion Film Festival, elaborates on this idea. He says that the new genre backs away from narrative and conveys “profound messages regarding cultural identity and pressing social issues” through clothing. “Fashion films offer a more subtle view of fashion, interpreting it not just as a series of trends or commercial products but as a unique form of personal and collective expression. They can use innovative visual effects and artistic expression to challenge stereotypes, highlight cultural diversity and trigger talk about social change,” Dfaniks points out.
He visited Moscow for the first and second WFS festivals and highlights that the Moscow event “helps participants with diverse perspectives to see work by people from different cultures, to network, learn and consequently push the boundaries in their own creative endeavors.” “Essentially, WFS provides a powerful bridge connecting new talents and paving the way to a richer and more progressive fashion landscape, as well as to economic growth within the industry,” the founder of the Cinettica International Fashion Film Festival recaps.
“I look forward to WFS as it will enable us to share and exchange fashion film ideas. It is really important to me because the event lets us learn from one another and join forces in disseminating valuable professional information on how to make fashion films.”
Bench Bello, Founder of the Manila International Film Festival
This “bridge” will widen even further this year: in addition to showing content of foreign partner festivals, the organizers will also promote Russian authors. Everyone interested could submit their works to an expert board for evaluation of the film’s concept, richness of characters and expression of identity. The best reels will be shown at WFS, where films will be demonstrated in a multimedia installation format, immersing the viewer in a kaleidoscope of bizarre images on a film screen. This will be a striking and offbeat experience with a WOW effect.
“Fashion films echo subcultures that explore fashion concepts. They project fashion through the lens of their authors’ views, opening up new perspectives for a wider audience and paving the way for sociocultural perception.”
Jon Darc, musician, show director
