Go Short Arnhem Industry Day

Go Short Arnhem Industry Day
13:00-21:30, 11 October 2026, Focus Arnhem

Go Short invites film professionals from the region and beyond for a day full of industry activities. Come and discover the best short films from Gelderland, meet the filmmakers behind them, and connect with like-minded creators. The industry program includes Gelderland Film Pitch, a creative masterclass and a feedback session. The day will conclude with an informal networking dinner, followed by an evening screening of Gelders Kort and an award ceremony.

The industry program is free of charge, some events require prior registration. Tickets are required for film screenings. Full program of Go Short Arnhem is available here.

Partners: Focus Arnhem, OostPact, Beeld en Geluid.

Industry Program

13:00-14:00 Gelderland Film Pitch, Focus Foyer
14:30-15:30 Masterclass, Focus Foyer
16:00-17:15 Open Screen, Focus 3
17:30-19:15 Networking Dinner, Focus Foyer

Gelderland Film Pitch

Gelderland Film Pitch is a pitching platform and production trajectory stimulating short film culture in the region. Selected filmmakers will pitch their film plans to a jury of three and the industry audience. The pitch winners will receive the main prize of €3,000 production grant and additional in-kind awards sponsored by the pitch partners: OostPact and Beeld en Geluid.

Would you like to apply with a project? The call for entries is open until 31 August.

Masterclass: Embracing the Unexpected - Improv Filmmaking

In this masterclass, filmmaker and writer Kiriko Mechanicus will take the audience behind the scenes of her work. How can you prepare for the unpredictable developments in (documentary) filmmaking? The subsidy system often requires a well thought out plan, so how do you leave space for discoveries and surprises, which you may encounter during production?

The director of the acclaimed documentary How to Catch a Butterfly, which premiered at SXSW Festival in Texas and played at several international festivals, including the opening night of Go Short in April, will share her thoughts on the role of improvisation throughout every stage of filmmaking.

Kiriko Mechanicus (she/her, 1995) also known as Kiri Academy, is an Amsterdam-based Dutch-Japanese documentary filmmaker, writer of fiction and non-fiction, culinary researcher, photographer, host, full-time opinionated bitch and part-time party girl.

Her graduation film A Tomato Tragedy (2023) won the Filmfonds Wildcard prize. Her debut film How to Catch a Butterfly (2026) premiered at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas and won the award of best international short film at Millenium Docs against Gravity (Warsaw), IndieLisboa (Portugal) and best national short at Leiden Shorts. She directs music videos, short documentaries, experimental videos, television documentaries and babbles about cinema endlessly (publicly) on the Celebrating Cinema podcast. Kiriko writes for various literary publications such as Vice magazine and Hard//Hoofd. Once, she was even asked to write a poem for the visit of Italian president Mattarella at the 30-year anniversary of the European Union in the Netherlands. Wild! Professionally, she is down for anything, especially things that she hasn’t done before.

Open Screen

Would you like to share a fragment of work in progress or show the opening scene of your finished film to industry peers? Or perhaps test some new film ideas and receive instant feedback? The screen is yours! This interactive session invites filmmakers at all career levels to present their work on a big screen for up to 5 minutes and receive constructive feedback from invited experts.

The session will be held in English. Interested in presenting your work or do you have any questions? Email industry@goshort.nl with your name and a screener link to your film before 5 October.

Networking Dinner

A moment to reflect on the day and make some new industry connections – join the informal walking dinner at Focus Foyer and raise a glass for the regional talents!

Organized in collaboration with OostPact. Planning to attend the dinner? RSVP by filling out this form by 30 September.

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Go Short Arnhem Industry Day