News Feature by Stephen Fairbanks
Once bubbling softly underground, now erupting in a fire-fountain of lava-balls (see: International short film); Manchester’s Kinofilm Festival has been the volcanic conduit to which flourishing filmmakers can prevail. I’m speaking figuratively, of course, Kinofilm isn’t literally a volcano; but it prides itself in, um… ‘out-heating’ other festivals, bringing to the vanguard the most diverse range of films possible; from the grotesque to the grandiose, from the elegiac to the extreme, from the candid to the comedic, from the… well, you get the picture.
Before becoming Manchester’s premium elucidation of short films as of 1995/6, its spasmodic screening locations became legendary; galleries, churches, the great outdoors, ex-Norwegian fishing trawlers… it says a little something about the about the vibrancy and enthusiasm of Manchester’s film community. As 2006 sees Kinofilm celebrate its 10th Anniversary, a decision was made to pull a few extra rabbits out of the hat.
Besides the BBC sponsored Four Countries One Cinema (English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh shorts), the regional North by NorthWest exhibition, and the Euro Cine events (providing the most exceptional shorts from Germany, France and Spain); Kinofilm also recently introduced BlueFIRE! a strand of cinematic urgency from British and International Black and Asian Filmmakers, and the Kino Cinemobile, a portable cinema harboured inside a gigantic blue bus; imagine the A-Team van with a cinema screen and a hundred seats; albeit with fewer guns and less B.A. Baracus.
Kinofilm officially dropped its shorts on Friday 24th February; presenting the 2006 Orange British Academy Film Awards for Short & Short Animation Films. Some of the most interesting Short Films included ‘Lucky’ a 20 minute film from Bex Hopkins and Avie Luthra; concerning an AIDS orphan named Lucky desperate to leave his rural Zulu village for the bright lights of Durban. Lucky’s bright-eyed buoyancy is subdued, as he has to learn about life the hard way, not through school or education; but through an unlikely bond with a racist Indian neighbour. Another highlight from the British Academy Short was ‘Call Register’ a 12 minute film from Kit Hawkins, Adam Tudhope and Ed Roe. The film eloquently highlights the confusion and jealousy between two friends fraternising with the same girl, one presently and one previously.
But the British Academy Short Film award went to Howard Stogdon, Amber Templemore-Finlayson and Daniel Mulloy for their film: ‘Antonio’s Breakfast’ a harrowing exposition into emotional entrapment and claustrophobia caused as protagonist Antonio becomes responsible for the care of his ailing father who cannot move, dress, eat or breath on his own. Antonio is desperate to escape, but he cannot let himself leave.
The Orange British Academy Film Awards for Short Animated Films provided further confirmation of the wealth and originality produced through contemporary animators worldwide. Most memorable are; Osbert Parker’s ‘Film Noir’ a 3 minute juxtaposition of classic noir images; using film-clips, pictures, models et al, arranging a fractured reminiscence of husky-voiceovers, whiskey-breath and a piece strapped to your ankle. Exciting in a more disturbing way; was Run Wrake’s ‘Rabbit’, a twisted fairytale embellished with a creepy over-use of captions, including; ‘rabbit’, ‘gun’, ‘carcass’, and so on. Using images from 1950s educational supplements, it sees two children receive a macabre comeuppance for the sake of a few jewels. Kids eh?.
The British Academy Animated Short gong went to Jarek Sawko, Piotr Sikora and Tomek Bagiński for their film ‘Fallen Art’ which can be viewed in, perhaps, topical circumstances as the film follows a group of soldiers who’ve been driven insane by the pressures of combat and memories that linger. Each soldier finds solace in creating their own ‘art’, though some opt for neither paper nor canvas, but rather something different…
Shuffling onward through Kinofilm sees the ever-popular Kino Tales; a selection of short films from around the globe including; Romantic Tales - which has Agent Smith, a.k.a. Lord Elrond, a.k.a. ‘V’ (for Vendetta), a.k.a. Hugo Weaving starring as Ray in Andrew Kotatko’s ‘Everything Goes’. There’s also Kino Fantasy; an experimental blend of sci-fi and the otherworldly; spearheading with Martin Eve’s ‘Blue Glow’ and Raf Reyntjen’s and Roel Mondelear’s lonely vision in ‘A Message From Outer Space’.
There is also Kino Extreme, a programme dedicated to bringing ‘extreme emotion’ to its viewers with Helene Cattet and Bruno Forzani’s ‘murder as performance’ in ‘L’entrange Portrait of le Dame Jaune’… Elsewhere we’ve seen Horror, Women in Film, Experimental cinema, Cult features of yesteryear; including the homosexual poetry of James Bidgood’s 1971 film ‘Pink Narcissus’ and a plethora of the best in European short films and beyond. And we’ve still got Made in Manchester, meaty chunks of Baby Cow’s (Kinofilm’s foremost benefactor) Comedy and Animation, more BlueFIRE!, KiX Professional Development & Education Programme (helping to mould future filmmakers), the closing parties and award ceremonies to go…
|
