Avanti launches international festival of short films

Art by Chance will screen 30-second films of all genres, including fiction, animation, documentary, and video, with the exception of training and advertising films.

The 30 films screened will be selected by a panel of judges, including Ivan Clark, director of digital and creative solutions, at out-of-home agency Kinetic, based on how they adapt to the digital out-of-home environment as well as their cinematographic merit.

Art By Chance will take place in 59 cities across 11 countries including the US, UK, Canada, Turkey, Netherlands and Germany.

In the UK, as well as the Avanti screens, the festival will be shown on City Gateway Media's screens in Manchester and Canary Wharf, the BBC's 16-city centre screens, Streetbroadcast's digital products and the university out-of-home network SubTV.

Simon Rees, chief executive, of Avanti, said the festival was "a fantastic opportunity" for both filmmakers and the digital- out-of-home sector to "showcase its merits" on a national and global scale.

Parties wishing to enter short films around the theme  "journey" should submit entries by 20 March. As well as being shown on the digital networks, the films will be available online from 4 June to 4 July.

Go to www.artbychance.org for more details.