Blog / ESG VMI awards Best Shorts award at KIFF 2023 24 July 2023 — by Barry Bassett VMI loves to support new entrants to the industry and after a successful inaugural Kingston International Film Festival (KIFF) in June 2022, VMI are proud to be continuing their support as a partner of KIFF for this year’s festival. VMI again sponsored the Best Short Film category at the festival which ran 23 – 25 June in Kingston upon Thames. The festival screens a diverse range of films from around the globe submitted by both established and emerging filmmakers at venues including the Rose Theatre, the Odeon and Curzon Cinemas as well as an outdoor screening in Canbury Gardens. In addition, KIFF delivers a number of workshops from Industry leaders such as Lee & Thompson LLP, Alliotts, Great Point Media and Zeiss, as well as networking sessions. Beth Park winning Best Short Film at KIFF 2022 KIFF strives to promote and support British independent filmmaking and to help find routes to finance, which was the topic for the festival Industry Panel, reported in Screen Daily. On Sunday the 25 June, the final day of an exciting weekend of events and screenings, Kingston International Film Festival held its Awards Ceremony. The Rose Theatre was the venue which was packed with eager filmmakers and the energy was palpable across the auditorium as attendees listened to the nominations. There was a selection of very high-quality films competing for the VMI Award for Best Short Film, the field was narrowed to 3 finalists – Night Lights (UK), A Moral Man (UK), Daybreak (Iran). The Award was presented by the Malaysian Ambassador to KIFF, Hau Woon San, to A Moral Man (UK) directed by Simon and Paul Wade, featuring actors Toby Jones and Claudie Blakley. Unfortunately, Barry Bassett, VMI’s Managing Director, was not able to attend the ceremony due to an injury, so it was accepted on their behalf by Deputy Festival Director and BAFTA-nominated Producer, Stephanie Charmail. In addition to winning this prestigious award, the Wade brothers received a VMI voucher for equipment hire worth £2,000. Well done guys! Trailer for A Moral Man, winner of Best Short Film, KIFF 2023 VMI CONGRATULATe ALL OF THE WINNERS OF THE KINGSTON INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2023 KIFF returns to Kingston in 2024 and we look forward to supporting it for another year. Read the Screendaily article about KIFF:‘Four Weddings’ director Mike Newell calls for creation of “UK film czar” to boost indie sector.