The elevenths International Short Film Festival started in Chisinau. The event is held simultaneously in 80 towns from 14 countries during May 7-9. In Moldova, the festival takes place for the second time, Info-Prim Neo reports. Besides the international selection of 51 movies, the festival includes a national section of seven films of different genres: animation, fiction, documentaries, etc. “We hope that several Moldovan movies will be shown next year as part of the international selection,” said Louise Barseghian, official in charge of university and cultural cooperation at the French Alliance. Another novelty of this year’s edition is the Paroles de Femmes section, which is dedicated to women. It includes 21 films made by women or that focus on the role of women in the society. “This is very important for us because the French Alliance and the Embassy of France cooperate with a number of human rights NGOs, which promote mainly women’s rights,” Louise Barseghian said. Lidia Troianowski, manager of the Odeon Cultural Center that hosts the festival, said that the spectators will be able to choose the best film from the international selection by filling out a questionnaire. The questionnaires will be sent to Paris, where the results of this year’s festival will be analyzed. The International Short Films Festival (Le Festival des Très Courts) was held for the first time in Paris in 1999. The producers and the public immediately expressed interest in the short and concise format of the movies. The Short Film Festival is different from the numerous broadcast events through its powerful identity that centers on two major points: short length and simultaneous broadcast. The films last for less than three minutes and are made by professional or amateur producers from the whole world. The Très Courts Festival is organized by Tres d'Esprit and Nanosphère Productions, France. The local organizers are the French Alliance in Moldova and the Embassy of France, supported by the French Cultural Institute in Cluj-Napoca.