France, Feb. 5 -- Tim Redford, in charge of the festival's international competition and the African Perspectives section, says it acts as a cultural barometer, measuring the level of short filmproduction around the world.

He also says there's no getting away from geopolitics and global economics, which have great impact on the quantity - and quality - of content.

"The current climate is quite complex, and we feel it immediately in short film production," he told RFI.

Despite having received more than 8,000 entries this year, he says armed conflicts have meant a lower number of entries - especially from Ukraine, Russia and the Palestinian territories. Meanwhile, inflation in Latin America has affected the number of entries from that pa...