No, not canny hobbit filmmakers. We're referring to an Observer article we came across late last year, just after our last enews went out, which we thought worth saving for this edition.
In it, Killian Fox writes "Not long ago, if you wanted to catch short work by exciting new film-makers, you had to travel to a festival, hunt down a compilation on DVD, catch a charitable showing on TV or, if you were uncommonly lucky, before the main feature at the cinema. Now all you have to do, assuming you have internet access and a passing familiarity with video-hosting websites, is switch on your computer."
In other words, YouTube and the like. A new generation of filmmakers are foregoing short term profits (if any) to get viewings for their work, and women are very much represented.
Fox continues, "Many film-makers still balk at the idea of putting their work on the internet, but the advantages are hard to ignore, even if it means forfeiting revenue to gain publicity. This is excellent news for audiences. The sheer volume of short films that can be watched for free online will make your head spin. Inevitably, a lot of it ranges from the bad to the ugly, but there is more than enough good out there to make the search worthwhile."
He uses award-winning UK female director Pinny Grylls as a case in point, whose 'gentle, lyrical' film, Peter and Ben, has been viewed by almost 350,000 people, and won numerous prizes and accolades. We recommend you check out the full article here - and don't forget to click through to watch Peter and Ben!