Small File Media Festival 2023
We are proud to present over sixty jewel-like works from across the globe. These movies are small in file size, but huge in impact: by embracing the aesthetics of compression and low resolution (glitchiness, noise, pixelation), they lay the groundwork for a new experimental film movement in the digital age. This year, six lovingly curated programs traverse brooding pixelated landscapes, textural paradises, and crystalline infinities.
Why small files? Because streaming media is killing the planet! Streaming comprises a significant chunk of the world’s digital carbon footprint. Information and communication technologies as a whole cause 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions—that’s the same as the airline industry—and are rising fast. Watching small-file media together on a big screen brings the democratic potential of cinema into the digital age by showcasing artworks made with eco-friendly practices, affordable equipment, and minimal processing time (all without sacrificing artistry or immersion).
OFFICIAL SELECTION
Lo Rez Skylines / Solarpunk Futures
Curated by Joey Malbon
53 Minutes
Tiger Tiger
Laura Marks
49 Minutes
Cinematheque Small File Showcase
Chelsea Burkes
A Certain Feeling for the Universe
Yani
Rings of Saturn
Joni Schinkel
Shards of Crystalism
Radek Przedpełski
Silent Running
Mena El Shazly
PROGRAMS & EVENTS
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TACTICAL MEDIA? SMALL-FILE MEDIA IN STAGES OF SIEGE AND INFRASTRUCTURAL PRECARITY
October 23, 2023
The Cinematheque, Vancouver, BC -
SMALL FILE MEDIA FESTIVAL MAKER’S FORUM 1
November 23
Online -
SMALL FILE MEDIA FESTIVAL MAKER’S FORUM 2
November 25
Online -
ON THE SMALL FILE IMAGE: INFRASTRUCTURAL INTIMACIES, CRYSTALS, AND DECOLONIAL WORLDS-TO-COME
October 18, 2023
The Cinematheque, Vancouver, BC -
SMALL FILE FILMMAKING, POLITICAL SUSTAINABILITY, AND RESISTANCE
October 21
The Cinematheque, Vancouver, BC
PARTNERS
The Small File Media Festival grows out of the School for the Contemporary Arts at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada, on unceded territory of the –Sḵwxw̱ ú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səlío lwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) and xwməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam) nations. We are grateful for support from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
The Small File Media Festival is forever grateful for its home at The Cinematheque.
