What with the small matter of a worldwide pandemic and a global economic meltdown, 2020 hasn’t been the best of years for health and wealth.

But creativity has thrived in the face of crisis, and the past year has produced an outpouring of filmmaking excellence that we believe should be recognised and celebrated.

And for that reason, 1.4’s annual Showcase and Party honouring brilliant emerging and established directors will be returning. Only this year, we’re doing things a bit differently. We’re going virtual.

So while we can’t celebrate IRL with the usual sold-out, jam-packed, dancing-on-the-tables kind of party, we can promise a vibrant virtual ceremony that showcases the winning Flying High and On the Cusp of Greatness entries – all in a safe and socially distanced way.

Because if there’s one thing Covid-19 hasn’t changed, it’s what 1.4 stands for: connecting people, sparking inspiration, and providing a platform for the very best short-form stories and the talented people who tell them.

We’ve always believed that talent can look like anything, can sound like anything, can speak any language and can come from anywhere in the world. The work speaks for itself. It’s as simple as that.

Now, more than ever, we want to see and share the stories that take us places we’ve never been before, give us insights into other realities, shift our consciousness, make us laugh, make us cry – maybe even make us fall in love with a brand. It can be a brilliant idea paired with a lo-fi execution, or a beautifully crafted, top-end production. All that matters is that it’s a great example of short-form storytelling.