Longer than a feature film: 258 streamings at www.kurzfilmtage.de

[Kurzfilmtage]

For immediate release

International Short Film Festival Oberhausen
Longer than a feature film: 258 streamings at www.kurzfilmtage.de

Something's moving on the website of the International Short Film Festival 
Oberhausen, www.kurzfilmtage.de: now users can view over 250 short film 
clips, with a combined length of well over two hours, as streamed moving 
images. The number of hits on the site, as measured just over a year after 
its relaunch in October 2001, also shows significant upward momentum.

MOVING IMAGES
Oberhausen award-winners, films available for distribution, music videos 
and student films from German film schools  whoever is interested in 
learning more about short film can choose from a total of 258 short film 
clips (as of 14 January, 2003) at www.kurzfilmtage.de, in the Festival 
(www.kurzfilmtage.de/ikf/pages/festival/index.php?id=2&lang_id=2) and Short 
Film Exchange (www.kurzfilmtage.de/ikf/pages/sfe/index.php?id=5&lang_id=2) 
sections. Heading the list with 131 clips is the distribution program 
(www.kurzfilmtage.de/ikf/pages/sfe/index.php?id=105&lang_id=2) to be found 
under the Short Film Exchange heading. In co-operation with digerie.com 
(www.digerie.com) the student films have been digitised in Real Player 
format. Clips from award-winning films and films available for distribution 
have been streamed in Windows Player format, with the kind assistance of 
mediaways (www.mediaways.com).

MORE USERS STAY LONGER
Since December 2001 the rate of hits at www.kurzfilmtage.de has climbed 
steadily. With some 8,000 visits in October 2002, there were not only three 
times as many visits as in the prior year, but the time spent on the 
website was also unusually high, with each user calling up an average of 
more than 12 pages. Significant usage peaks can be seen between 3:00 and 
6:00 p.m.  which indicates that visitors access www.kurzfilmtage.de from 
their workplace, implying primarily professional use. "With the relaunch of 
www.kurzfilmtage.de we endeavoured to set up a long-term international 
online portal for short film. The visitor numbers show us that we are on 
the right track", says Ulrike Erbsloeh, managing director of the 
Internationale Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen gGmbH.

NEW FEATURE: FILM SCHOOLS ONLINE
A special service offered by the Short Film Exchange, which, with a film 
distribution service and archive forms a kind of international marketplace 
for short film, is Film Schools Online 
(www.kurzfilmtage.de/ikf/pages/sfe/index.php?id=307&lang_id=2). German film 
schools present themselves here with short profiles and clips from student 
films. Seven film schools are already online, and more are slated for the 
future. This website feature is designed as an orientation aid for 
newcomers as well as a platform promoting German student work abroad  like 
all other sections of www.kurzfilmtage.de, Film Schools Online is available 
in both German and English.

MORE THAN MOVING IMAGES
In addition to moving images, the Short Film Exchange also offers a steady 
stream of new material beyond the scope of the festival itself. 
Distribution programmes can be called up throughout the year, as can 
current screening schedules 
(www.kurzfilmtage.de/ikf/pages/sfe/index.php?id=106&lang_id=2) for Short 
Film Festival films. The archive catalogue 
(www.kurzfilmtage.de/ikf/pages/sfe/index.php?id=108&lang_id=2) is updated 
on an ongoing basis and now encompasses around 1,300 films from the history 
of short film and the festival, all of which can be researched online. 
Today the film market catalogue 
(www.kurzfilmtage.de/ikf/pages/sfe/index.php?id=102&lang_id=2) provides 
access to information on approximately 20,000 current short films from the 
last four years (both catalogues are password-protected).

ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
Of course www.kurzfilmtage.de also provides a variety of services in 
connection with the upcoming 49th International Short Film Festival 
Oberhausen (1-6 May 2003), to be found under the Festival heading. Starting 
in mid-March a list of all titles nominated for the festival competitions 
can be called up online. The complete festival program will be put up on 
the Web at the beginning of April, including service information such as 
directions to the festival, venues, accommodations during the festival, and 
much more. From mid-April the current film market catalogue will be 
available online under Short Film Exchange.

Oberhausen, 16 January 2003

Press contact: Sabine Niewalda, niewalda at kurzfilmtage.de


Internationale Kurzfilmtage Oberhausen
Grillostr. 34 | 46045 Oberhausen | Germany
Tel +49 (0)208 825-3073 | Fax 825-5413
www.kurzfilmtage.de
International Short Film Festival Oberhausen