![Shorts Not Pants 2024 Festival Poster [image]](https://shortsnotpants.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Shorts-Not-Pants-INSTA-POST-819x1024.png)
I’m delighted to reveal this year’s festival poster, designed for us by renowned local illustrator Leesa Westwood. I reached out to Leesa after seeing so many of her amazing gig posters and the album artwork she posts on her Instagram (@leesawestwood). I think it fits the whimsical tone we’ve always tried to convey with our festival artwork. Shorts are serious film art, but they’re also a lot of fun.
A (tearful) announcement…
It was with a mix of feelings that I reached the decision this summer to wrap up Shorts Not Pants, at least in its current form, after this year’s festival. There are a whole bunch of reasons, but perhaps the easiest one to articulate is that when I began the festival in 2012, I was severely underemployed, and spent many of the years following almost completely unemployed. I had lots of time and energy to devote to the festival. Since September of last year, I have been teaching ESL as an Adult Day School teacher with the Toronto District School Board. I love my new job, but it simply takes everything I have. I just don’t have the energy or the time to do the work that the festival requires. Since we incorporated back in 2020, the amount of work has increased (mostly administration, which I have always hated) and the potential upsides of incorporating have not materialized.
I have a lot of people to thank. From the many volunteers who have helped us over the years, to the programmers and board members, to industry partners and distributors, to sponsors, to the filmmakers, and lastly to you, the audiences. I have often wished that more people would discover the amazing world of short film through our little festival. But those of you who did know what kind of treasures these little movies are.
With that in mind, I’m happy that Toronto has lots of other great festivals who are supporting short filmmakers. By no means an exhaustive list, but please support:
- Future of Film Showcase
- Breakthroughs Film Festival
- Regent Park Film Festival
- Toronto Outdoor Picture Show
I suspect that I’m not done with short films, and that they are not done with me. Maybe we’ll see you down the road…
BUT: In the meantime, I hope you will join us at the Carlton Cinema from November 8-10 for one final blowout! Passes and tickets will be on sale in a few weeks. I’ll let you know