Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival

An international celebration of the art of film, in the border town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, UK. 23 - 27 September 2015.

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BERWICK FILM & MEDIA ARTS FESTIVAL: ARTIST IN RESIDENCE

Filmmaker Paul Rooney is our new artist in resdience for 2015. He will produce a piece of moving image artwork informed by our Festival theme 'Fact or Fiction', which will premiere in Berwick in September 2015.

Read more about Paul here or watch one of his recent works above!

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Jukebox Kino: the seal of cinematic quality!

Ashley Horner of Jukebox Kino.

This year's Festival sees the launch of Jukebox Kino, a unique film distribution subscription service that provides maverick feature fiction cinema every quarter to a select group of yearly subscribers - we talk to Ashley Horner, the man who hopes to revolutionise film!

BF: Tell us a little about Jukebox Kino?

AH: As a film producer and director I visit a lot of film festivals and often see great European cinema and exciting experimental work. These films never seem to make it to the UK, even via the big digital platforms. Back in the eighties and nineties certain record labels would operate a seven inch singles club, where you paid ten pounds up front and received six limited edition vinyl singles over that year. You didn't know what you’d get, but you trusted the label and at the same time were helping these bands find an audience. As a cinephile I like to watch a film more than once, and I love unique extras such as short films, deleted scenes and director’s commentaries. We’re collectors and have libraries of films and so Jukebox Kino offers you the opportunity to see unique films and support the film makers directly, wrapped up in four beautifully designed, limited edition packages. And for those that don't want a physical thing there are options to download and stream the films, at a budget subscription rate.

BF: What is it about Jukebox Kino that makes it different to other DVD distributors and video-on-demand platforms?

AH: Well firstly we’re a yearly subscription distribution service, so you pay up front without knowing what you're gonna get. You have to trust Jukebox Kino and me! I'm working with two curators who programme for Critics Week and Quinzaine in Cannes, and also Carmen Gray, Dazed and Confused’s film editor. Between the four of us we see a lot of cinema, and have similar left field tastes which range from super lo-fi mumblecore to rarefied high art cinema. It's the eclecticism you buy into, the treat of a DVD landing on your doorstep every 3 months and the knowledge that you can't see this film anywhere else in the UK. Jukebox Kino is the ONLY way to see it! Initially the first year’s subscription will be limited to only 500 unique copies of each release, becoming instantly collectible.

BF: You’ve selected a fine choice for a first film in Dummy Jim – when will it be available on Jukebox Kino, and what’s next for you and the film’s director, Matt Hulse?

We launch the label at Berwick on September the 19th, with the first film shipping early October, and there will be a special discount code for those with Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival accreditation to help entice you to sign up. I'm really excited we got Dummy Jim, Matt Hulse’s hybrid fiction/nonfiction film that played at Edinburgh last year and was voted Best of the Fest. It's a truly beguiling piece of cinema that took twelve years to make and you can feel the passion and playfulness in the work. It's the story of a profoundly deaf man who accidentally cycles from Scotland to the Arctic Circle in 1951.Profound, funny, experimental and maverick, a perfect Jukebox Kino film.

Matt and I are now working on a new documentary about Britain’s youngest punk band from 1979. It's called The Hippies: Punk Rocked My Cradle and is a fascinating journey into the world of young kids playing punk rock, being managed by their mother and writing songs about Rabies and their Maths Teacher, hot political potatoes in the minds of pre-teens! Matt was their drummer as a ten year old, so a reunion might be on the cards...

BF: What are you looking forward to most about your launch event at Berwick?

Having a dance to the excellent DJ Stagger Lee Fisher who will be spinning an eclectic mix of reggae, retro punk and math rock, all at 45 rpm. And perhaps a wee glass of Festival ale...

Like what you read? Visit the Jukebox Kino website for more.

Jukebox Kino launch party is at Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival on 19 September, find out more.

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Third and final Jury member: Hilke Doering

Hilke Doering, confirmed as the third jury member for the 2nd Inntravel Short Film Awards

We are delighted to welcome Hilke to the judging panel, as she prepares to join Head of Film at the Guardian Catherine Shoard and filmmaker/visual artist Marcus Coates we caught up with her.

BF: Can you tell us a bit about how you got in to curating short films? HD: During my studies of Sociology I was part of a group who programmed films in a women's cinema. Very quickly I was the one who focussed on short and especially experimental films. After my studies I started to work for The International Short Film Festival Oberhausen and that was it. BF: What do you look for as a programmer of short films? What makes a great short film? HD: On the first hand it is important for me to programme films that challenge me and the (imagined) audience. A good short film should be about something in content and/or form that the maker of the film really wants to tell. For me it is important that the filmmaker really explores the topic (which can also be the form) and does not only perform good handicraft. I want to see films where there is an urge to make exactly this film.

   BF: Tell us a bit about other Juries you’ve been on? HD: I always appreciate jury work as it gives me the opportunity to speak about films with people I don't know yet. This is usually quite rewarding, sometimes of course also difficult, which in the best case can open one’s own perspective. I also like the process of watching films together and then slowly get to understand each other’s perspectives better. The final decision is often very hard as usually there isn't such a thing as the “best film” of the whole competition. BF: Finally, why are you excited to come to Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival? HD: I’m looking forward to visiting a Film and Media Festival, I am very interested in installations and performances as well as film, so I’m keen to see this open approach and generally I very much like festivals happening in smaller towns. Plus I am simply curious to get to know Berwick as I have never been there, or in fact to that part of England at all!

2nd Inntravel Short Film Awards takes place on Saturday 20 September at Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival. Click here for more.

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Budding young filmmakers from Glendale Film Club have spent the summer making their very own short documentary film which will premiere at the 10th Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival this year.

The film, commissioned by Northumbrian Water, explores water converastion in Northumberland.

Ruari Fletcher, aged 12, from the film club, said: “I’ve really enjoyed taking part in the Northumbrian Water film, getting behind the camera and finding out how to make a good film. We don’t normally get the chance to do things like this and it’s been great."

The film is being screened on Saturday 20th September, visit the website for more details.

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The Official trailer for 10th Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival.

Have you got your tickets yet? Visit the website today!

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'Mamarosh' will open the 10th Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival.

Join us for our Opening Gala on 17 September.

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'Bypass' - is morality a luxury?

Just last week our Board member, and North East film producer, Samm Haillay found out that his latest production, 'Bypass', is to be premiered at Venice in competition – we’re absolutely thrilled for him, and caught up with him so he could tell us about it...

SH: 'Bypass' was born from the question "is morality a luxury?", exploring the life of a young man, who knows what is right and wrong, who knows where his morals lie, but his reality forces him to go against them.

BF: This is a great example of a North East co-production with national and international partners – tell us more about the collaborations involved... 

SH: We partnered with Plattform Produktion in Sweden and Severn Screen in Wales. Both Erik Hemmenforff and Kate Crowther are producers that I've known for a long time and had discussed Duane's (Duane Hopkins, write and director) ideas with. They both like Duane's other films and I knew I wanted to work with them. In around 2010 I pitched the film to the financiers from Wales and Sweden who were keen and so the three way co-production was born.

We also had Italian money from the Torino Film Lab, vitally this was the first money into the project in late 2009 and this gave the traction for the BFI and the co-production money to come on-stream.

BF: Where did you come across lead actor George MacKay (pictured above)?

SH: When we began the casting in late 2011 George was one of the first people who came in to read for Tim, the lead character, after this initial sweep was done we put together a short list, George was on it and he was the one we consistently kept coming back to.  As soon as Duane met him too, we knew he was the one.

BF: Finally, how did you feel upon hearing that 'Bypass' will screen in competition at Venice?

SH: I was of course over the moon to find out about Venice. Duane's first film, 'Better Things' premiered in Cannes so for 'Bypass' to premiere in Venice feels right. I've another film too, 'Blood Cells' by Joseph Bull and Look Seomore, in Venice this year as part of the Biennale College Programme... as a producer to have two films there is humbling, I am of course very flattered. It's not something that comes along very often for any production company but for a small independent based in Newcastle-upon-Tyne it's AMAZING!

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In mid-July, Addictive TV came to Berwick-upon-Tweed to record with local musicians in preparation for 'Orchestra of Samples' - to be performed live on 19 September 2014 at the 10th Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival.

To make sure we found the very best musicians, we worked with sponsors Newcastle University's Institute for Creative Arts Practice - who offer the only degree in Folk & Traditional Music in the whole of England!

The degree course has bred some of the finest folk musicians, including Alistair Anderson (pictured, concertina), Rachel Cross of acclaimed folk band Bridie Jackson and the Arbour (pictured, fiddle), Shona Mooney award winning fiddle player and degree course lecturer and Callum Younger (percussionist) who is currently studying at Newcastle University.

Addictive TV will perform on Friday 19 September at Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival and will be joined on stage by Alistair Anderson and Shona Mooney. Tickets are just £7 so, what are you waiting for? Buy now!

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A sneak preview of ‘The Lawes of The Marches’, by visual artist Katie Davies, which will be premiered at Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival in September.

This Casting of The Colours takes place at the end of Selkirk’s Common Riding, re-enacting the story of Fletcher as the only man from the town to return from the Battle of Flodden. Fletcher cast a captured English flag above his head to indicate that all of the other men of Selkirk had been cut down at Flodden before he too, fell to the ground and died. Since Selkirk’s ridings began in 1509, 2014 sees the first woman to cast the Ex-Servicemen’s standard in the town square.

Read more Berwick Visual Arts / Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival artist in residence Katie Davies on our website.

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I entered the Inntravel Short Film Awards and...

This is Gunhild Enger and in 2013 she entered her film Premature into the Inntravel Short Film Awards - and won!

If you're thinking of submitting your film or moving image work, read on for inspiration...

BF: Can you describe your early relationship with film, were you always destined for the career you now have or did your interest evolve over time?

GE: I would say that I have worked quite determinedly towards a career in the production of film since I was about 19 years old. Before that I wanted to be an actress. The interesting fact is that it is only now, at the age of 34, I can say that I actually have some sort of career in the industry.

Having said that it is also very easy to lose momentum when you work as a director. There is always someone new, someone interesting - so the hard work never really stops. I suppose I always felt a need to express myself and my point of view. I don't think I would have kept on if it had not been for the 'need'. Many times I wonder how life would be with a 'normal' or 'stable' job, but right now I am doing exactly what I want and love to do.

BF: Can you tell us a little about the film you submitted to the Inntravel Short Film Award in 2013 and how it came about?

GE: The idea came about when my brother and his partner, were having their first child. We were all waiting for the arrival of the little one, and I suppose my parents was more excited that I really was. At the same time my mum was also very realistic about it, I remember that she said, quite a few month into the pregnancy, that we all should count our blessings and hold our horses - "things" might still happen…

I suppose that there is nothing wrong with that really, but it struck me that it's a bit sad to have to take all these concerns and reservations into consideration, instead of just enjoying it all. This is also a typically Norwegian trait. We can be quite skeptical, almost too realistic, before we let our emotions carry us away.

BF: How did you feel when you found out you’d won the inaugural Short Film Award from Inntravel & Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival?

GE: I was very happy of course. It is so nice, and such an honour, to win in an English speaking country. The language is so important in this film, and I am also really proud that the thematic seemed to translate so well.

BF: What projects have you been working on since, what project did the cash prize go towards?

GE: I have been working on both a new short film, and a feature film idea, so I would say that the money has helped both these projects grow. The new short film is actually also going to be in English, and I am really looking forward to that.

BF: Where is your award displayed in your home?

GE: It is not at home, but sitting on a shelf over my desk at my office. This way I can be reminded of my achievements, it's also a pick-me-up if I feel I'm at a dead-end creatively or not making progress as I'd like.

If you're inspired by Gunhild's story, you can still enter your short film or moving image work over on our website - we close for submissions in JUST THREE DAYS!

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Inntravel Short Film Awards live from Berwick!

We're very excited about the second Inntravel Short Film Awards, and as we approach the deadline for submissions (Monday 16 June - just five days away, click here if you want to know more) we thought we'd give you the full low-down on the awards and let you know how you can get your ticket!

The Short Film Awards is one of the few competitive elements of the Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival programme, we love it because we all believe that short films are a unique and very necessary form of the cinema art, but opportunities to see them are limited.

At Berwick, we want to give artists and filmmakers a platform to shine through this genre, but also give our audience an opportunity to see some fantastic shorts.

Sponsors of the award Inntravel were so impressed with the quality and depth of the submissions in 2013, that they've returned for a second year. Steve Jack of Inntravel said, "It was a real honour to be asked to present our award to Gunhild Enger from Norway last year, her film Premature having been selected as Best Short Film by the Prize Jury. Her awkward family drama, confined to the claustrophobic setting of a car, was a worthy winner, and a popular one among the audience."

So 2014 sees the Inntravel awards presented by supermodel, actor and broadcaster Eunice Olumide, on the jury we welcome Catherine Shoard (Head of Film at the Guardian) and Marcus Coates (Festival co-founder and visual artist) all coming together, with our (yet to be decided) shortlist of films and moving image work, the filmmakers and artists themselves and members of the public, for an awards evening on Saturday 20 September 2014.

"I can barely wait to be back in Berwick," Steve Jack told us, "the theme this year of Border Crossing is perfect for us; as a holiday provider we encourage our holidaymakers to try something different, to journey through unique and wonderful landscapes and hopefully find a hidden gem. Much like our cinematic journey from fiction and documentary to live action and animation to an eventual winner. The awards are a brilliant illustration of the power and punch this shorter format can deliver."

Interested in tickets to the Inntravel Short Film awards? Then sign up to our newsletter and we'll let you know when they're available.

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Eunice Olumide; supermodel, actor and presenter of the Inntravel Awards

Model, broadcaster and actor, Eunice Olumide will host the 2nd Inntravel Short Film Awards at Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival this September, we caught up with her on her return from Cannes.

BF: So, you’ve recently returned from Cannes Film Festival, how was it!?

EO: Cannes was a life changing experience. To be invited and have the opportunity to meet so many people who work in the industry was simply amazing.  It has restored my faith!

BF: Can you describe your early relationship with film, what inspired and excited you about the medium, what was it that led you to Queen Mary’s & ultimately your post-grad?

EO: I studied Communications & Mass Media and then went onto study film at a more in depth level such as the psychoanalysis of its impact and contribution to the world as we know it. For me film is one of the most rich and fulfilling means of communication and entertainment which as a significant impact on our day to day lives.  BF: Why have you decided to present the Short Film Awards at Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival?

EO: I think short films are an imperative part of the industry, as often they have a very different and unique way of communicating an idea or narrative due to the constructs of time.

BF: Our Festival them is this year is Crossing Borders, which is something you’ve done in moving effortlessly from film, media, PR and communications, music, fashion and much more – have you seen any films recently that have embodied this concept for you?

EO: I have always been inspired by African American actors such as Michael Winslow, David Chappelle, Eddie Murphy, Spike Lee and many more, largely because in my informative years there were no real British black movie stars. These US actors showed me that anything is possible and that sometimes the mentality we have in the UK that you cannot do more than one thing is completely incorrect. After all, these actors have had extremely successful careers in music, stand up, media and film.  This is also true in the case of Grace Jones who was a model, actress and musician.  In the case of many black actors including new stars such as Idris Elba, Adam Deacon or Ashley Walters they as in common with the US stars started out in different areas of the media before doing what they really wanted to do which was act.  For me I had to do other things until this point in time where I feel that both Scotland and the rest of the UK are much more open minded to ethnic minorities and including them on screen.  

Join Eunice and the rest of the Inntravel jury for the awards ceremony at Berwick FIlm & Media Arts Festival on Saturday 20 September; sign up to our newsletter to receive ticket information. Plus, there's still one week left to enter the Short Film competition, click here now!

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We talk to... Catherine Shoard

Catherine Shoard will sit on the jury of the second Inntravel Short Film Awards at Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival this year, we catch up with her to find out what she'll be looking for in the entries.

BF: Can you describe your early relationship with film, were you always destined for a career in film journalism or did your interest evolve over time?

CS: I didn't see a lot of films growing up, but was very heavily influenced by those I did see. I remember the excitement when Back to the Future II hit the local Blockbuster store, and going round trying to be like Doc Brown - which might not have quite worked, as a 12-year-old girl. Then I got into film journalism as a student, loved it, and then got lucky and got a job in it. BF: What excites you about sitting on the Jury for the Short Film Awards at Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival?

It's a festival I love - it has a great sense of place, and of integrity, and a sense of humour. I'm hoping that the directors who submit their work will be of a similar disposition. BF: Can you tell us as a jury member, what will spark your interest, or make a film stand out for you?

I'm a sucker for funny, but I guess clear-focus, manageable ambition and ingenuity within the genre. It can't just be a calling card; it needs to be a fully-formed work of art in its own right.

BF: Can you tell us about a memorable short film you have seen and what made it so?

‘Pasty Child’, a one-minute movie by Andy Luck, which won the GuardianWitness awards whose jury I also sat on. It was perfect: an intricate world you immediately lost yourself in, great craft and skill artistically, great economy of shots and a terrific black humour shot right through it. It had confidence and style - it zinged at 60 seconds, but it also made you hanker after a full-length version.

Deadline for entries is 16 June 2014, read more here.

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An interview with artist in residence Katie Davies as she starts her 6 month artist residency programme with Berwick Visual Arts and Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival.

Bristol based Katie Davies is a video artist who explores the politics of spectatorship, her installations valuing what is invisible and experiential, over a definitive image or document of time. Katie will be living and working in Berwick-upon-Tweed for the next 6 months and will be creating new work that will be premiered at the 10th Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival in September.

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We talk to...Marcus Coates

Marcus Coates is a visual artist and one of the founders of Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival. His work has been shown internationally, from London to Barcelona and Tokyo. He works in film, performance, photography, sculpture and audio and in 2014 he sits on the Jury for the Inntravel Short Film Awards, a competitive element of the Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival programme.

We chatted to Marcus about his involvement with the Festival and what he’ll be looking for in the entries to the Inntravel Short Film Awards.

BF: As a co-founder of Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival, can you tell us what it means to you to see the Festival reach its 10th anniversary this year?

MC: I feel very proud, that it has gone from strength to strength, and continually proves itself as an exceptional Arts Festival. It has always aimed high in terms of the quality of exhibition and ambition of scale, and I think this is part of its success. Its continuity is also a testament to the staff, volunteers and supporters, who have been and continue to be so committed to its future.

BF: Can you tell us about how you feel the Inntravel Short Film Award contributes to the Festival and the short film landscape?

MC: Awards highlight talent, not just for the winners but for all the participants. Showcasing talent, especially for up and coming artists/filmmakers is one of the main aims of the festival. Short films are a unique and very necessary form of the cinema art, but the opportunities for screenings is limited. This award brings together a programme which gives opportunities to both the public and the artists to give life to this work. For me it's one of the most exciting and important aspects of the film programme.

BF: Can you tell us as a jury member for the 2nd Inntravel Short Film Awards, what will spark your interest outside of the theme, what sets a film aside or makes it stand out, for you?

MC: The ability to stand out, for me, comes from an honest communication of a vision. The short format is a chance for the artist/film-maker to experiment and test the audience. I want to be challenged, not just about what I think but also how I see the world. I am drawn to films that are brave in how they ask us, the audience, to re imagine our lives.

BF: Can you tell us about a memorable short film you have seen and what makes it so?

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Roberto Enrico (1962) it’s a powerful story, about a moment we can only imagine - the seconds before we die.

~

The Short Film Awards are made possible by:

Closing date for submitting your work to the Inntravel Short Film Awards is Monday 16 June, read more here.

© Sean Dempsey/PA Wire: Marcus Coates with his work Unmade Monument

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I answered a call for proposals and...

On location © Mark Pinder

We chatted to Norwegian artist Sidsel Christensen, who was selected from our call for proposals last year to produce a new commission for the 2013 festival, in partnership with NABROAD and under the theme of “North by Northeast”.

BF: Hi Sidsel, tell us a bit about how you got involved with the Festival in 2013?  SC: I responded to an open call for proposals with the idea to expand on a video that I had produced the year before – the piece had been shot on the west coast in Norway, where I looked out towards the sea and captured the geological qualities of the landscape, sea and coastal line using the human form–the artist’s body as an interactive framing device. My proposal was to create a new work in which I would use the same approach, to return the gaze from Berwick out over the North Sea.  BF: You decided to actually produce the new work in Berwick itself – how did that go?  SC: The production was a smooth and dynamic experience, made possible by a really good production team from Berwick. All the practical efforts of the shoot as organised and executed very well, with professional and friendly people, and that made it possible for me to concentrate on the central artistic problems, and so push the formal, aesthetic quality further. During the process I also  expand my ideas, really because when I came to Berwick the town and landscape was so intriguing. Initially i had planned to concentrate on the coastline, which I did, but the river with the three bridges was also such a stunning space, that I decided to do a intervention there too.  BF: How did you feel about the work you produced?  SC: I was very satisfied with the outcome. It was great to feel how this outcome became a development that expanded and improved my previous project from Norway. The two videos were shown together at the Festival, giving body to this returning gaze. This time I also had made a new soundtrack of the natural elements, that added texture to the installation. The layout of the show was developed in collaboration with Melanie, the Festival Director. I experienced this as a successful install that added many dimensions to the reading of the work. 

Opening night  © Will Sadler

BF: What was your experience of the Festival?  SC: It is just such a thrill to have so much quality work concentrated in a more intimate setting like this. You can easily walk to see all the site specific video installations around Berwick, and the experience of the landscape mixed well with the cultural input somehow. The program was very dense and to a high standard. For example, it was really unique for me to see the 1929 film The Drifters with a specially made live score by John Grierson & Field Music. That felt like being part of a rare moment. And the shorts program had an impressive standard too.  BF: What would you say to other artists considering responding to our international open call for proposals?  SC: Go for it. If you want to be in a context that has a very high artistic and critical standard, and also work with very warm, friendly and professional people, then this is a chance to grab.  BF: So, what’s next for you?   SC: I just put on my first museum show at Stavanger in Norway. It is a bigger site specific installation and a performative piece, that evolves around the life and work of a Norwegian woman artist from the 19th century, Christiane Shreiber. I guess the installation works as a time machine, where my life merges with hers... I am just back from a Seminar we put on in in relation to this, about women artists that have been obscured in art history. That felt very stimulating and meaningful to take part in. Next up is a show at The Tetley in Leeds and Insitu Space of Contemporary Art in Berlin.

If you're an artist or filmmaker and inspired by Sidsel's story, visit our website to view our most recent Call for Proposals!

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The Longest Short Film Festival in the World

Our Chair Huw Davies headed to Oberhausen to check out the longest short film fest in the world: Just back from Oberhausan - the worlds longest running short film festival which has just celebrated its 60th edition –makes our ten years seem a drop in the ocean! For six days every May the residents of Oberhausen look on in bewilderment as we descend on their municipality like an alien force and then equally quickly disappear again – bit like Berwick really…   It was great to see some old friends, filmmaker Tony Hill (shown at Berwick Film & Media Arts Festival in 2005 and 2007), Mick Hannigan (resurrected through Indie Cork) and Rachel Moore as well as making many new friends. This year the highlight was ‘Memories Can’t Wait’ a programme of films made without film – all playing to packed sell out audiences. 

Oberhausen is one of the few festivals in the world where you can still see genuinely original experimental and groundbreaking cinema. This was my 8th visit and every year amongst the 150 or so films that I saw, I always find one or two truly brilliant gems – this year was no exception – but you will have to wait until August to find out!