ShorTS Comics Marathon
The registrations for the ShorTS Comics Marathon 2024 are finally open! The comic marathon organized by the ShorTS International Film Festival, scheduled this year from June 29th to July 6th in Trieste, begins the search for new talents of the ninth art who want to challenge themselves by reinterpreting the story of a famous film… in comics.
After opening its doors to all of Italy, making the Instagram page www.instagram.com/shortscomicsmarathon its headquarters, following the extraordinary success of the last edition (51 participants and 40 completed comics of excellent quality), this year too the available time will be one month, from Wednesday, May 15th to Saturday, June 15th.
All participants, regardless of age and gender, will be asked to redraw in comics the film assigned to them according to their expressed preferences from a list of over 100 historical titles. With some modifications… As in the last two editions, indeed, the comic resulting from the union of all the works will follow the adventures of Allan Spielberg, a boy with an important surname, who from a near future where cinema no longer exists returns to the past to understand what exactly the seventh art is. Jumping from film to film, at the end of the last adventure, he returned to his present with a firm conviction: “I have lived cinema. I will be the one to bring it back to life even in this time!”
The individual comics must be a minimum of 6 panels long. The technique is free as well as the style. The works must be presented in grayscale, but without excluding the possibility of also presenting a colored version to the jury. Graphic grid, specific theme, and pilot comic will be released in a downloadable kit at the beginning of the marathon, Wednesday, May 15, 2024. The same day, the assignments of the titles to reinterpret will be communicated. In writing the story, some fundamental guidelines must be followed to make the comic work both as a standalone work and as part of a larger graphic novel. Each contestant will therefore be followed by an editor who will assist them at every stage of the creation of the work and supported by professionals in the comic and film industries who will form the 2024 jury. In addition to a contest, the marathon can indeed serve as an experience and a comparison with a reality similar to traditional publishing.
The 15 (or more) works selected by the 2024 jury will also enjoy printing in a limited edition paper volume, which will be delivered to the home of each participant and to anyone who requests it for free, and distributed at events related to the ShorTS International Film Festival and connected to it. All completed works will instead be published in episodes throughout the year on the marathon’s Instagram page and will compose a volume downloadable for free from the website maremetraggio.com.
Among the novelties of the 2024 edition:
- moments of virtual meeting with professional judges
- the return of the live marathon in the city of Trieste, on a day dedicated to comics during the festival dates, during which the top performers will be invited to attend.
- collaboration in the organization and promotion of the Marathon of the Trieste Science+Fiction Festival, Trieste Science Fiction Festival.
Registrations: private message on instagram.com/shortscomicsmarathon or via email at 24hmarathon@maremetraggio.com.
Rules and Regulations 2024
– The SCM 2024 opens registrations from April 16, 2024, until May 14, 2024.
– SCM 2024 will run from Wednesday, May 15, to Saturday, June 15.
– Registrations are open to any aspiring artist who wants to test their skills, regardless of age, gender, or origin.
– At the time of registration, name, surname, date of birth, origin, and Instagram contact will be required.
A photograph (or avatar) will then be requested, which can be used for the participation announcement, as well as a drawing that reinterprets Allan Spielberg in color with one’s own style.
– During the first half of May, the list of films from which to choose 5 titles (in order of preference) to reinterpret in one’s own comic will be announced.
– On May 15, 2024, the assignments will be announced, and the pilot episode from which the requested work must start, as well as the final theme of the year, will be released.
– Works must be a minimum of 6 pages long. The technique and style are free. Works can be presented either in grayscale or in color, bearing in mind that in the case of print publication, everything will be converted to grayscale. Space for text will be calculated using a common font.
– During the marathon month, participants must interact with an editor at least 2 times, discussing the idea, storyboard, and any other advice regarding the drafting of their work.
– Participants are also required to attend at least one of the online meetings organized with the jurors.
– At the end of the marathon, the jury will meet to draw up a ranking of the received works.
– The top 15 ranked works and any mentions will be published in a limited edition paperback volume, which will be delivered to the home of each participant and anyone who requests it for free, and distributed at events related to the ShorTS International Film Festival and others..
– All works will be assembled into a free downloadable volume in PDF format from the maremetraggio.com website.
– All works will be published episodically on the marathon’s Instagram page throughout the following year after the edition.
– The 15 selected works will be announced via social media in the days leading up to the ShorTS International Film Festival, which will be held this year from June 29 to July 6. The ranking, as well as the name of the winner, will be announced in Trieste during the festival, on a day dedicated to comics. The top-ranked participants will be privately invited to attend the award ceremony for the best work. The event will be free of charge and open to the public.
– All works will be made individually available to all participants once the marathon is concluded so that everyone can vote for the colleague they believe deserves the most, who will win the relay prize awarded by the other participants.
– The works will remain the property of both the authors and the festival organization. Authors may use them as they wish, always citing their origin during the ShorTS Comics Marathon 2024. The festival organization may use the works or parts thereof for advertising and promotional purposes of the ShorTS Comics Marathon. In any case, the use of the works must be non-profit.
