Our Indie Cinema

Screened December, 2010

Eerie doesn’t come close to describing the mood instilled by Ben Westaway’s excellent compositions and wonderful static framings, a tone which is supported by pressure-heavy ambient sound design in graffiti documentary piece ‘The Ghostvillage Project’

‘The Ghostvillage Project’ was created over 3 days on the west coast of Scotland. Six artists – Timid, Remi/Rough, System, Stormie Mills, Juice 126, Derm – were given free reign to paint in an abandoned 1970s village. Working together on huge collaborative walls and individually in hidden nooks and crannies all over the site the artists realised long held dreams and were inspired by the bleakness and remoteness of the site.

Drawing on the history of the village the artists’ stated intent on completion of the project was to populate the ghostvillage with the art and characters that it deserved.

The collective who masterminded the project can be found at http://agents-of-change.co.uk/.

Screened December, 2010

Haunting, still and a wry counterpoint to many a short film, ‘Joy’ apparently moves and amuses its audiences in equal measure.

Telling the story of a modern-day miracle and its effect on the residents of a small seaside town, every conceivable audience reaction the film could possibly receive, it has pretty much gone on to get, assures director Kieron Clark

Screened December, 2010

This is freedom. This is movement. This is the city.

Caught at a BFI screening a couple of years ago, ‘Project One’ has always stayed with us thanks to its amazing mood of liberation, matched with its beautiful cinematography. A poetic and inspiring short, it follows a skateboarder’s travel across (and reclaimation of) London the day passes from morning through to night.

Since then acquired for the BFI National Archive (oh, if only the full film were available online!) it has also inspired a commissioned trailer for a subsequent BFI Future Film Festival, and remains a fantastic calling card piece for director / cinematography Yohan Forbes.

Winner – Best Film, December 2010

With great performances, some fine, fine camerawork (lots of moody pans) and a heart tugging, comedic warmth, ‘Self Help’ was a worthy winner of our last screening night of 2010!

A lonely oddball, crippled by insecurity, attends a seminar given by his idol, a brash motivational speaker John Power, in the hopes of changing his isolated life. Directed by James Page, ‘Self Help’ was partly inspired by James and co-writer Kurt Brookes’ experience with the universal struggle to be comfortable in their own skins, and the mask that many people wear to hide their real selves.

Masks that can sometimes employ fake moustaches…

Screened December, 2010

Ha ha!! We couldn’t resist showing this – a satire of bureaucracy and ‘blue sky thinking’ everywhere, featuring an added liberal sprinkling (ahem) of adult entertainment. Worth watching for the cracking lines alone… “But I’ve got me own DVD: ‘Avalaaaaaaaaaaaanche’. It’s got 12 ‘A’s!”.

Partake of director Graeme Holmes’ warped genius at Flick Factory Productions.

Screened December, 2010

Simple. Sweet. Beautiful and uplifting. Everything a short can be.

‘Side by Side’ is the story of two unlikely friends and the bond they share. Starring up and coming actress Mia Baker and Adeel Akhtar from ‘Four Lions’, it was made as part of the Philips Cinema – Parallel Lines competition in association with Ridley Scott Associates.

All the entries had to contain the same six mandatory lines of dialogue:
What is that?
It’s a unicorn.
Never seen one up close before.
Beautiful.
Get away, get away.
I’m sorry.

Director Jamie Hooper can be reached at http://www.jamhoop.com

Lots of comedy, riffs on the urban environment, biscuit porn and a beery, indie farewell to 2010 this month!

Hearty slaps-on-backs (along with cash-stuffed envelopes) went out to our two deservingwinners, James Page (Best Film: Self Help) and Emily Howells (Most Promising Talent: The Psychiatrist).

See you at our next night in February 2011!

December’s films in full:

• Schogetten >  André Marques  >  4 mins  >  comedy-drama
• Side by Side >  Jamie Hooper  >  3 mins  >  drama
• Project One >  Yohan Forbes  >  6 mins  >  experimental
• Driver > Stephen Fingleton  >  10 mins  >  comedy
• The Ghostvillage Project >  Agents of Change  >  12 mins  >  documentary
• Draft Love >  Alex Martynov  >  2 mins  >  comedy
• The Psychiatrist >  Emily Howells  >  2 mins  >  animation
• Suggestive >  Graeme Holmes  >  8 mins  >  comedy
• Joy >  Kieron Clark  >  7 mins  >  drama
• Mrs Wright >  Patrick Maxwell  > 8 mins  > drama
• Self Help >  James Page  > 16 mins  >  comedy

Screened December, 2010

Because we also like upbeat films about sentient toilet paper…

By Alex Martynov.