The Artists Forum Festival of the Moving Image returns for its fifth year with new, innovative programming beginning Oct. 16 through Nov. 14, 2020. The festival provides an accessible platform for filmmakers to share their stories with the world's creative, media, and film communities. 

For the first time, the festival will be held exclusively online. To expand its global reach, it announced that it had partnered with the international screening platform, Smart Cinema USA. 

Smart Cinema USA is an innovative virtual cinema which dramatically increases the day-and-date theatrical releases of international films in North America. Its app is accessible on cross-platform devices including mobile phones and smart TVs. 

"Since the very first day of our launch, our goal has been to always showcase the best films to international audiences," said Jack Gao, CEO of Smart Cinema USA. "We are honored that Smart Cinema USA has been selected by The Artists Forum to be the exclusive platform for this special event. We are committed to finding, as a virtual cinema, new ways to exhibit films."

Smart Cinema USA, part of China's Smart Cinema launched by Gao, has helped a lot of film festivals hold screenings online due to COVID-19 pandemic this year, such as Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, Shanghai International Film Festival, New York Asian Film Festival and CineCina Chinese Film Festival.

The Artists Forum Festival of the Moving Image will showcase 42 short films, created by independent filmmakers originating from 15 countries: Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Iran, Italy, Japan, South Korea, North Macedonia, Philippines, Serbia, United Kingdom, and the United States. The festival requires that films present an innovative vision and a unique perspective in 30 minutes or less. 

Each year, the festival highlights a wide variety of categories, such as: experimental, documentary, comedy, dark themes, animation, and music video. This year, the festival will also feature a special category: New York Stories. 

The 2020 festival has been divided into four weekly programs: Search for Belonging, Agent(s) of Chaos, Tales of the Heart, and Acute Stress Response. Online screenings take place Oct. 16 - Nov. 12, 2020, ending with a live award ceremony on Nov. 14, 2020.

"We are very excited about our fifth-year entries," said festival director Amos White V. "As in years previous, The Artists Forum Festival of the Moving Image will present a selection of original films from extraordinary filmmakers, including several premieres. We invite our audiences to '#discoveryourself' by exploring new interests through the art of cinema."

"The Artists Forum established its Festival of the Moving Image to provide an intimate alternative for both emerging and mid-career filmmakers outside of the traditional Hollywood community," said White, who is also the president and founder of The Artists Forum. "We are committed to producing an unparalleled opportunity for independent filmmakers to be seen and heard in the formidable New York City, international arts and media markets."

The Artists Forum, now in its 22nd year, is a New York City based non-profit arts service organization specializing in events, competitions, and media for artists. The festival is the organization's flagship program. 

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