20-19 Heart of the World International Film Festival

A Festival is born out of many happy coincidences and strong ties of friendship! Welcome to the first of what, we hope, many festivals! The heart of the world beats everywhere on Earth. Not only in London or in New York but also at a small village in the jungle. Who knows maybe it's beating harder in the least expected places. As the 20-19 Heart of the World International Short Film Festival Board, we are looking for stories which are true and from the heart. It doesn’t matter if it is a big story or a small one. If the heart of the story is warm and beating, we will be sure to love it. We love anthropology and we love unknown places. We want to get in the places which we have never seen and get lost among the people with whom we haven’t had a chance to meet before. You will guide us through your camera and vision. We want to explore local traditions and rituals. We are the kind of people who prefer a local coffee shop to Starbucks. We are more than sad when a language is forgotten, a culture is dead, a ritual is no more in the world. We aren't obsessed with format but we are obsessed with meaning and the heart of the story. Yes we will give some pretty awards. But for us, a film with a mind and soul, a creator who dares to tell their real story sincerely, already deserves all the awards in the world. So it's not a competition but a celebration for all. There is no submission fee this time. So that anyone in the world will have the chance to apply for our festival. We know, there is little time between the announcement and the submission deadline. But time is maybe not linear but spiral. So if the story we are looking for is already in your soul, you will make it just in time. 20-19 HOWF is a part of something bigger, 20-19 Heart of the World Festival. Each year we will be celebrating the love and connection between two cultures. This time Birzai, Litvania and Istanbul, Turkiye ... And we will be celebrating the contribution of local cultures to our collective existence, like Jonas Mekas, a gift from Birzai to the world of Avant-Garde Cinema. After reading the rules and regulations section, if you still have questions please do not hesitate to contact us.