The idea of an international short film festival was born in the autumn of 2004, and the first event successfully ran its course the following year. The festival became an international breakthrough in an exceptionally short period of time: we got 360 individual entries from 45 in 2007. We managed to double the entries in every year so far, we had plenty of festival screenings, selections of filmuniversities, feature films, film-, and all-art workshops in the program.

The festival was born to give the more and more thriving short film-society a scene the introduce itself in the capital, and young titans the possibility to prove their talent in an international field. We invite every year filmmakers and leaders from the European workshops in order to offer these communities a lucid and pleasurable being together, promoting at the same time the knowing of each other’s values.

Beyond the outings of individual filmmakers we had screenings of the winners of international filmfestivals and a conference negotiating the situation and the possibilities of co-operation of young European filmmakers. We offer European youngsters one chance to know the alternatives of cooperation and of safeguarding and exercising their interests.

Our mission is to develop the cultural identity of the audiovisual sector of Eastern and Central Europe. In 2006 , following the second festival we passed a 6-hour selection of Hungarian short films to 30 European festivals, which unburdens the getting into the market of young European professionals and the promotion and distribution of the screened European films.

In the long term we would like to make up Central-Eastern-European selections and convey them to other partecipants of the audiovisual sector which could strengthen cooperation among European festivals.

The main organizer (the Foundation) is a non-governmental organization, and so is the major part of its co-operating partners, so the collaboration between the non-profit sector and cultural institutions is essential to have the project succeded.

The essence of this success is to motivate common activity among young inland filmmakers and other European organizations taking part in the audiovisual program. We would like to give young European filmmakers a fair show to introduce and realize themselves in order to create a new common European value in which the supranational dimension is given by the partecipant countries.

Since the cessation of festivals you can see international short films once in a blue moon, because they are not screened neither at cinemas nor at television broadcastings. So we would like to show the shorts shot in the preceding years, giving the viewers a chance to see these works.

At the Oscar-nomination of the animation film entitled Maestro – which was given two prizes at BuSho- everybody was very suspenseful, at the end the outcoming winner was not accompanyed by so much attendnce. If somebody was interested which film was to beat „Maestro” in such a hard battle could see „The Danish Poet” at the first evening of the following BuSho festival.

We try to emphasise European works- mainly Central-Eastern-European works- and give their selections rope. Beside this we lay great store by the geographical variegation of the festival, so we accept entries from every part of the world so that we can fulfil our original aims.

Almost every European countries were present at the 3rd BuSho Festival- if not through individual works, then through a workshop or a selection. The international nature has reached its peak wgich is proved by the list of the undermentioned countries: we had filmmakers from 45 countries, from every continents:

Hungary, Germany, Netherlands, England, Poland, Canada, Spain, United States, United Kingdom, Israel, France, Czech Republic, Austria, Croatia, Australi, Romania, Hong Kong, Singapore, India, Bulgaria, Finland, Serbia, Greece, Switzerland, Bisnia-Herzegovina, Scotland, Italy, Portugal, Cyprus, Slovakia, Turkey, Slovenia, Belgium, Brasil, Cosovo, New-Zealand, Russia, Armenia, Estonia, Ukraine, Sweden, South Africa, Columbia, Litvania, Taiwan, China.

The festival is free for the public right from the start, accomodation and full board are provided for the international professional scientists and filmmakers and for the staff taking part in the organization. The main target audience of the international festival is the upcoming young generation of filmmakers, but we are open to entries int he 3 categories (thus experimental, fiction and animation.)

We have screenings in 3 halls (competition program, information screenings, festival selections) among the traditional confines and full house of the competition program seems to certify us.

Concerning the overall influence on the audience we have the buzz that they start to believe that we need this here in Hungary, because this kind of short film festival was missing.

The decision of the invited international jury was confirmed by the further success of the winner of 2005. (Doll nr. 639.) and of 2006. ( Superwash). And the Oscar nomination of Maestro, whisch has got two prizes at BuSho is only an extra. Plenty of foreign filmmakers has joined us, and their feedbacks were similar. More and more Hungarioan filmmakers, stufios and schools are prezent at the event, and we have broken our record in point of foreign participants, too. We had 70 foreign guests ( including the bands) plus the filmmakers, festival representatives and jury members.

During the second festival we managed to call in the decision process the National Student Jury, which consists of students of media-, and film faculties from various universities, so it sizes up an opinion in a free way, not influenced by any group or professionals or group of interests. Its members are not lay cinema visitors, but not qualified specialists yet.

We organized the animation workshop called GizmoSho in 2007 for the first time, with the helping hands of the professors of the University of Arts and Crafts where 12 young filmmakers had the possibity to make the first animation film of their lives.

After the screenings the international jury gives a consultation and evaluating conversation involving filmmakers and enquierers to motivate both individual filmmakers and teams to go on with their job and provide them with useful advises concerning their professional growth. During the parade we have some profesional debates, some of them are public, so anybody can have an insight into the background of European film relations and cooperation possibilities.

The program is one-of-a-kind Hungary, because this is the only festival in Hungary which screens exclusively short films. The international response is bigger and bigger every year, the number of artist and workshops telling their intent to take part in he event is continously growing. We emphasise the accompanying programs, too, we have international Folk, Etno and world music concerts, exhibitions and perforances. We screen every evening a feature film, with English subtitles.

The new venue of the 3rd BuSho was a great challange to the whole team, but the most important thing is that the competition hall was always full during the screenings just as in the previous years. We have selection screenings and evaluating conversations from and about the most successful works of the previous years at 12 Hungarian universities involving the National Student Jury.We forward these selections to partner festivals and to schools. We must go on with this mission in base of the feedbacks of the filmmakers and of the public.

Detailed program and ticket price info available here

Source and further info: Busho Festival