'In 2010 there was a 40 minute film made by young men based on their dissatisfaction for China in the 1980s called Old Boys. It got 80 million views,' says Philip Dodd, chairman of Made in China, a cultural agency that works between China and Europe. He's talking on the Today programme about the craze for microfilms that has been sweeping China since 2010.
Typically made on low budgets and produced within 3–5 days, microfilms encompass everything from storytelling to music videos to adverts to documentary, and can range anywhere from 90 seconds to 40 minutes in length. Eschewing the traditional box office distribution channel, they reach their audience online and by word of mouth.
'We want to explore [microfilms] as a conversation. Looking at what micro films are and how we engage and bring them to the UK,' says Faith Blackmore, director of Nottingham's first International Microfilm Festival, which launches on 15 October.
Hoping to raise the profile of microfilms and showcase their application outside of China, where around 40 million people search for videos on the internet on a daily basis, the festival's organisers believe the sector provides a low-cost, high-value springboard for filmmakers and businesses alike. 'Micro films are about using creative expression and acting, which connects to business, connecting to public consumption,' says Blackmore. 'Technology is developing and so should our films.'
Dodd, who believes that microfilms on mobile phones are the future, adds, 'The point is that these films are made to watch whenever, wherever. They are entertaining young China.'
Running in venues across Nottingham, the programme of events includes category screenings, master classes, talks and panel discussions from leading industry professionals, and a production market event designed to support, promote and encourage an understanding of and access to the screen industries.
Popular in China, microfilms are typically made on low budgets and produced within 3–5 days. They encompass everything from storytelling to music videos to adverts and documentary, and can range from 90 seconds to 40 minutes in length. Pictured: Partial Silence, by Michael Jobling
Hoping to raise the profile of microfilms and showcase their application outside of China, where around 40 million people search for videos on the internet on a daily basis, the festival's organisers believe the sector provides a low-cost but high value springboard for filmmakers and businesses alike. Pictured: Para Sempre, by Alterea Films
Running in venues across Nottingham, the programme of events includes category screenings, master classes, talks and panel discussions, and a production market event. Pictured: L'AMOUR, 1.10’00”, by Camille van Wessem
INFORMATION
Nottingham International Microfilm Festival runs from 15–20 October
-
Explore Hiroshima through the eyes of those who rebuilt itJapan’s architectural phoenix continues to rise. ‘The Hiroshima Architecture Exhibition 2025’ explores a legacy of memory and modernism across 23 architects and artist groups
-
At Design Miami Paris, an artful menagerie tells a story of scent and natureVikram Goyal and Sissel Tolaas present ‘The Soul Garden’ at Design Miami Paris (until 26 October 2025), ‘a contemporary fable where the animals take new forms, reimagined for the world we live in today’
-
Check in at Aman Rosa Alpina, a modern Alpine cocoonSan Cassiano’s historic hotel has been reborn as a pared-back Aman refuge in the heart of the Dolomites
-
Out of office: the Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the weekAs we approach Frieze, our editors have been trawling the capital's galleries. Elsewhere: a 'Wineglass' marathon, a must-see film, and a visit to a science museum
-
Riccardo Dalisi’s first UK retrospective opens at east London gallery Spazio LeoneSpazio Leone draws together six decades of the Italian visionary’s work, from whimsical coffee pots to radical community workshops
-
Inside the fight to keep an iconic Barbara Hepworth sculpture in the UK‘Sculpture with Colour’ captures a pivotal moment in Hepworth’s career. When it was sold to an overseas buyer, UK institutions launched a campaign to keep it in the country
-
Thirty-five years after its creation, Lynn Hershman Leeson’s seminal video is as poignant as everLynn Hershman Leeson’s 'Desire Inc', at 243 Luz in Margate, blurs the boundaries between art and reality
-
A bespoke 40m mixed-media dragon is the centrepiece of Glastonbury’s new chill-out areaNew for 2025 is Dragon's Tail – a space to offer some calm within Glastonbury’s late-night area with artwork by Edgar Phillips at its heart
-
Lubaina Himid and Magda Stawarska’s new show at Kettle’s Yard will uncover the missing narratives in everyday life storiesThe artists and partners in life are collaborating on an immersive takeover of Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge, in an exhibition that delves into a lost literary legacy
-
See the fruits of Niki de Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely's creative and romantic union at Hauser & Wirth SomersetAn intimate exhibition at Hauser & Wirth Somerset explores three decades of a creative partnership
-
Caroline Walker's new show speaks to women everywhere, including me'Everything related to my life with young children, because it's such an all encompassing experience,' the artist says of her new show at the Hepworth Wakefield
