Comments Off on Design a Postcard Competition Winners Announced!
Earlier this year, we asked you lot to design us a postcard for our membership packs for the chance to win a bunch of prizes, including your own set of the exclusive postcards, a goody-bag & the chance to have your postcard design exhibited in our walkway gallery space.
Today is the day where we get to share the winning postcard designs with you all! We had some truly amazing entries across the three age categories, so thank you to each and every one of you who took part.
We’d also like to say a massive thank you to our friends over at Moo Free Chocolates for providing the most delicious goody bags, filled with lots of ethically made, vegan, organic treats for our winners this year.
You can take a look at the winning picks below, but they’ll also be exhibited in our walkway gallery later this year for you to browse in person too – keep your eye on our socials for more details.
Exeter Phoenix are delighted to announce the return of the Bloom Poetry Competition! This competition is taking place as part of Bloom – our third annual festival celebrating Mental Health Awareness Week.
The theme for Mental Health Awareness Week 2022 is loneliness and we invite your poems on this theme, as well as the larger themes of mental health and wellbeing. The competition is free to enter and open to all.
Whatever your rhyme or reason for writing poetry, we look forward to reading your entries!
CATEGORIES AND JUDGES
Two categories are open for entries. One winner will be announced per category.
Bloom Junior Poetry Competition (for ages 17 and under)
Bloom Poetry Competition (for ages 18 and over)
Our judges for the competition will be Exeter Phoenix’s resident poetry enthusiast Anna-Ruth Peel-Cusson, The Poetry Archive‘s Dr Tracey Guiry and Spork!‘s Chris White.
WINNERS AND PRIZES
One winner will be announced for each category. A highly commended shortlist may also be shared. The winning poem for each category will receive:
An original illustration inspired by your poem
Your poem published on Exeter Phoenix’s website
An opportunity to perform your poem live at Exeter Phoenix for the BLOOM Open Mic Night on Sun 8th May 2022 (7pm – 9pm).
A pair of theatre tickets
A pair of cinema tickets
BLOOM POETRY COMPETITION DETAILS
Maximum length: 50 lines. Titles, dedications and lines between stanzas are not included in the line count.
Poems can be traditional or experimental in form
There is no entry fee – participation is free
Applicants may only enter one poem
HOW TO ENTER
The competition is free to enter and open to everybody. You can enter online by filling in the online form below.
The deadline for submissions is Fri 29th April 2022 at 10am.
If you would prefer to enter by post, please send your entries to: Bloom Poetry Competition FAO Anna-Ruth Peel-Cusson Exeter Phoenix Bradninch Place Exeter EX4 3LS
If you have any questions, need some assistance with the form, or would prefer to submit your work in another way, please email christina.bulford@exeterphoenix.org.uk and we will be happy to help.
This Easter Holiday, join us for two whole weeks of interactive performance, captivating theatre shows, creative performance workshops and even star in your own Superhero Movie workshop.
There’s so much to discover at Exeter Phoenix when school’s out and we can’t wait to see you for some creative fun this Easter!
‘Squidge’ is a fun interactive dance performance with live music and digital projection, which takes a light-hearted look at our sense of touch and how it influences our everyday lives.
Can-do koala Buster Moon and his all-star cast of animal performers prepare to launch their most dazzling stage extravaganza yet …in the glittering entertainment capital of the world.
A story of a little girl’s encounter with a very cheeky Jinn. Using physical theatre, original music and vivid design, this new play by award winning writer Asif Khan is a funny and endearing story for the whole family.
Comments Off on Turn Up The Volume x Green Phoenix
Turn Up The Volume for a sustainable music industry!
Here at Exeter Phoenix we are taking steps toward being a greener and more sustainable organisation with our new Green Phoenix project.
As our contribution to Turn Up The Volume week with Music Declares Emergency, we’ve got a line-up of talks, live music events and climate change awareness training coming up this month, which highlight the music industry’s need to respond to the climate crisis – and how we as venues, artists and music lovers – can all play our part in responding to it.
On Tue 19 April, we’ve got a day’s worth of certified Carbon Literacy learning that encompasses climate change science, context and action, designed specifically for the music industry. On Thu 21 April, join us for ‘in conversation’ event Music and Climate Activisim with Kate Honey on her work as both a composer and a climate activist, hosted by Tony Whitehead.
We’ll also be welcoming Music is Murder to Exeter Phoenix, with a live event on Sat April 23rd and A Quiet Night In, an event which explores the creative possibilities within quiet/silence.
In the film Hive, Fahrije and the other women in her village use their ajvar making skills to improve their financial situation. But what is ajvar? How’s it eaten and where?
Dr Celia Plender, who teaches a course on food preservation for the MA Food Studies at the University of Exeter finds out more.
In its most basic form the Balkan, roasted, red pepper paste ajvar (pronounced eye-var) is made from just three ingredients – red peppers,sunflower oil and salt. But to make it properly takes a lot of effort. Kushtrim who grew up in Pristina, Kosovo told me, “the way it’s made is completely crazy. It takes hours… days.” While Maria from Macedonia explained that “it’s a labour of love. It’s virtually impossible to make it by yourself. You needneighbours, you need family members. It’s an elaborate teamwork task. Butall that effort and all that work is really rewarded when you get the final product.”
In Maria’s hometown in Macedonia, the air would be filled with the smell ofroasting peppers in the autumn months when she was a child. You could often tell which families had been making ajvar, as children would come to school with nails stained red from peeling peppers. In her own family, there was always a jar in the fridge during the winter months and she had fond memories of having red lips from chewing on bread spread with the red pepper paste while playing hopscotch. Each autumn, large sacks of long, pointed, red peppers can be found all over the Balkans to be roasted, peeled, de-seeded, minced and cooked down into the thick, sweet and smoky paste known as ajvar. At times, other seasonings and ingredients are also added, such as chilies, aubergines or tomatoes, and while red pepper paste is known as ajvar in countries including Kosovo, Macedonia, Albania, Serbia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Croatia, there are other variations in Bulgaria and Romania such as Lyutenitsa and Zacusca.
Like many of the preserved foods that we study on the MA Food Studies, ajvar is associated with the practice of processing and storing ingredients for the leaner months. Dr Miladina Monova, whose work we look at, explains that it’s considered a staple that’s precious in the winter months not only for its nutritional value, but also for the work that goes into it.
Anna, a British anthropologist who runs Bolara Šešanta guesthouse in Croatia came to appreciate this when she started making her own ajvar. Although much of her other homemade produce circulated freely as gifts, her Croatian friends told her to hold on to her ajvar. On the occasions that she did give it away, she started to see a difference in how it was received by those who had a connection to ajvar and those who didn’t, who might let it languish at the back of a fridge rather than being savoured as it deserved.
Kushtrim still looks back with some nostalgia at the jars of ajvar that his uncle used to gift him and his parents when he was a child. This was cooked in a traditional pasllom or “cooking house” where peppers were roasted on a wood oven stove and then cooked down in a large cooking pot over an open fire. While other families might add ajvar to eggs with cheese and mushrooms, Kushtrim’s parents were more traditional, simply serving it spread on warm, crusty bread for breakfast or a snack, perhaps with a little bit of sheep’s cheese on the side.
Ajvar not only evoked strong memories for many of the people I spoke to, but also connected food, people and place. For Nina, a student on the MA Food Studies, whose family comes from Serbia, ajvar was often eaten as a condiment with kebab-like ćevapčići. Having grown up in the UK and USA, the pepper paste was a precious gift that usually arrived in a suitcase inside a recycled jar (a “classic of Balkan homemade goods”) when family members came to visit from home. Later, when she moved to Los Angeles, she found ajvar in a local Bosnian café. But she saw this “bought” version as a “bad imitation” of the homemade kind. While she could make do when necessary, it made “the experience of going back to Serbia or Croatia and getting a spoonful of real ajvar the best thing ever.”
In all my conversations, there was a strong distinction between the kind of ready-made ajvar you find in Balkan shops around the world and the homemade versions shared between family and friends, or sold at small scale by local makers. More than just a food, this kind of ajvar expressed the time, effort and care that had been put into it by its makers, creating powerful connections between people and places.
Find out more about how to make ajvar:
Hive screening in Studio 74 from Fri 1 April – Thu 7 April
As part of Bloom 2022: A Free Mental Wellness Festival, Exeter Phoenix and Spork! Poetry are recruiting a Bloom Community Poet to create a new piece of work and to perform as part of the Bloom Open Mic Night on the 8th of May.
We’re looking for a poet, writer, storyteller, musician or spoken-word artist to weave together a new Community Poem for Bloom Festival 2022.
This is a paid Opportunity, follow the link below for more information and how to apply!
Simply fill out the Google form below by 10th April 2022.
Comments Off on Meet The Artist: Annabelle Tim Hogben
In our new interview series, we get to know some of the creatives, artists and musicians from from our programme. Devon based artist Annabelle Tim Hogben talks to us about their creative practice and their current exhibition which is currently displayed in our gallery space: Hold me tight, I Speak a Different Language.
The exhibition info talks about your background in care giving. Can you tell us a bit more about that and how it informs your artworks?
The act of care is kind of where we are….It orientates us in a holistic way through life experience.
The works in your exhibition are all quite big – larger than life in fact! What role does scale play in your work?
Looking into the grass – looking for different perspectives….emotive touch points – points of interest … the scale is emotional gives emphasis and directs us…in construction it is the natural movement of the fully extended body – and when you stand in front of it you are in it!
Some of the works you are exhibiting are more conventionally representational, while others have more fragmented and abstracted imagery. What do you aim to convey from these different approaches?
Representation, abstraction, fragmentation, shape shifting…The combination of approaches allows for different visual languages to facilitate different possibilities to problem solving. But essentially I’m about making images so these coalescing approaches are used to create visual dynamics.
People have been interested in the way that you use two differently gendered names. Do you want to say any more about that?
Different gendered names – Each one of us is unique but convention requires some point of reference a ‘label.’ But for me these labels set our neural pathways to rigidly. There is a long history of labels being used to control and objectify others and an aspect of post colonial rule is the causation of polarised arguments in society that don’t facilitate ways forward but entrench positions. If those neural pathways are to fixed violence and limitations on inclusion persist and fester where new ways of thinking are needed to problem-solve age old issues. So adding a different gendered name keeps the label inaccurate but it does make you think…’Why would you do that?’ Is it two different people, is it a binary thing. Actually it highlights the problem. In a way our desperation for definition is our undoing! Organisation and efficiency have added considerably to the modern world but where a problem keeps showing up are these always the best way?
I’m Annabelle and also I’m Tim but actually this doesn’t describe me it raises more questions! This is interesting because it shows just how difficult it is to unpick manipulative thinking.
Lots of people have commented on the cat that appears in the corner of one of your paintings. Is that yours and if so, what’s it called?
Yes Kally is my companion. I’m always trying to work out how it is for the other.
Exeter’s very own retro-pop three-piece Pattern Pusher are back on a mission to uplift and inspire with feel-good music that is hitting all the right notes in a world that is crying out for positivity!
We caught up with them ahead of their headline show in the Exeter Phoenix auditorium, Friday 1st April. Not got your ticket yet? Get yours here!
You can also check out their new single – out today! Listen here
Firstly, can you introduce yourselves?
Alex: I’m the singer and keyboard player!
Ben G: I play the bass and run around lots.
Ben C: I smash the drums and will be the one with a big grin on his face!
Could you tell us a bit about Pattern Pusher and what you do?
Alex: we’re a fun loving trio playing upbeat, soul-inspired indie disco. If you’ve seen us before you’ll know we have a high energy live that we’ve been told is addictive.
What’s the most outrageous band story you can share?
Ben C: as part of a music video (Shakey) we drove a van full of speakers and lights outside a club at primetime Saturday night for a flashmob rave. It was absolute carnage, people joined in and climbed on the van. We had to be organised and used walkie talkies to avoid getting shut down!
If you curated your dream festival who would play?
Ben G: Gotta be Radiohead
Alex: Jungle (the band not the genre!)
Ben C: The Band!
What can we expect from your show at the Phoenix on April 1st?
Ben G: High energy and a few surprise additions…
Ben C: We’re going all in for our favourite hometown show.
Alex: The last time we played the Phoenix was back in February 2020 so we’re long overdue for a huge party with you.
What’s the best gig you saw at the Phoenix?
Ben C: I saw Squid not that long ago and was blown away by their live show.
Ben G: Everything Everything were incredible! I also really enjoyed all the Radio 1 Live Lounge sessions when that was here.
Alex: I think it’s gotta be Gentleman’s Dub Club for me, they bring the energy every time.
What company should sponsor your band?
Alex: Lucozade, sometimes it’s the only thing that can get us through a messy morning from the night before…
Ben G: I think we’d be happy with most beer providers to be honest!
Ben C: That or Ford & their Fiesta range, if a car that small can get 3 guys and all their musical gear up and down the country successfully for many years that deserves a shout out.
Previously you’ve used your gigs at the Phoenix to showcase local and up & coming acts, can you tell us about who you have in store for us this time around?
Ben G: I found this really cool sounding band from Leeds called Heir. They have a similar poppy upbeat vibe to us, with a bit of an 80s tinge. They’re really groovy and I think people are going to enjoy them a lot! I’m looking forward to seeing them.
Ben C: Our good friend & amazing DJ Cal Griffin has started a new band called False Worth. They have a lively pop-punk feel which is something a bit different for us! They’re all great musicians & as it’s their debut show as this outfit everyone has to get down early and give them some love.
Alex: We’ve got Poppyshow opening up the evening. We’re really excited to have them join us as we’ve known them for many years and they have an infectious energy that we can’t wait to see on the big stage.
Quickfire round!
Who gets hangriest?
Ben C: We all know this one…
Alex: My hanger is infamous.
Ben G: It’s like he shuts down, we’ve started keeping snacks on standby.
Who’s first to crash out at a party?
Ben G: When I’m tired I’ll find an excuse to dive out but I think we all know sleepyhead Ben C takes this one.
Alex: I’ve seen him fast asleep on a sofa all while carnage is breaking out around him. It’s like a painting.
Any pre-show rituals?
Ben C: stretches and warm ups, Alex wandering around making weird childlike vocal warm up noises.
Alex: All the strange vocal exercises and a big pint.
Ben G: Jump practice.
What’s your favourite song right now?
Alex: Jungle – Keep Moving
Ben G: Lucius – Next To Normal
Ben C: Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard – New Age Millennial Magic
Alex: You can find all those on our curated playlist for – Indie Spring Energy playlist we curated for The Phoenix!
Funniest story on the road?
Ben C: The time Alex nearly used one of those Dyson hand dryers as a urinal.
ENG-ER LAND – a play about national identity, racism and football fan culture told through the very personal lens of a female mega football fan of South Asian heritage.
Here, Hannah Kumari and former pro footballer Anwar Uddin have put together a blog piece, where you can read all about the play and explore some of the topics surrounding the connection between football and national identity.
ENG-ER-LAND playwright and actor Hannah Kumari In Conversation with Anwar Uddin, former pro footballer, FA Council Member and Campaign Manager for The Football Supporters Association’s (FSA) Fan’s For Diversity, a campaign Uddin set up six years ago which works to promote inclusivity in football.
Anwar Uddin: When you first contacted me with your idea for a play back in June 2020, it was a breath of fresh air – mixing the Arts and football – and just hasn’t been done enough. Your story is so topical regarding the narrative around under-representation, racism and discrimination in football and women’s experiences at matches. It’s also coming from a completely fresh perspective and that’s why I think it will be so well received by the fan base.
Hannah Kumari – I remember you saying to me that football is still quite old-fashioned in terms of getting important messages across – it’s done sitting in a room saying ‘don’t do this, don’t do that’ but as you rightly say, people just don’t respond to that method. So one thing I’ve tried to do with this play is to make it really fun and by writing the story through the lens of a young girl I hope people are more likely to empathise with her.
Anwar – That’s exactly right. I think people will see it as bold and brave. It’s going against the grain of the stuff they usually see. It’s inspired by your personal journey and this is my point, and this is what I’ve tried to highlight through the Fans of Diversity Campaign – it’s time to actually highlight some lived experiences. Use role models like yourself and those from under-represented communities who watch and play football, coaches and referees, and profile and highlight them. I think one of the criticisms I make of my own South Asian community is that I don’t think we do enough to highlight each other, we don’t push each other enough, for many complicated reasons.
Anwar Uddin
My dad used to say to me when he first came over to England many years ago from Bangladesh, that yes, the community did help each other out when they could, but ultimately everyone had their own battle and their own journey to make.
Hannah – Yes, I think it was a form of self-protection.
I’m mixed South Asian and white Scottish and had quite a white English childhood I suppose. For me, writing this play has been a journey of reconnecting with my South Asian heritage, which has been amazing. You talked about your dad coming over here and my ‘Bhabi’ (grandma) came over here from India in 1960. I’ve been thinking a lot about my grandma recently, coming over at that time with two small children. She hadn’t seen her husband for six years, and it’s pretty amazing to think what our parents and grandparents went through.
Anwar – I’m also of mixed heritage and I remember when East is East first came out, over 20 years ago. That film highlighted someone who is very, very Asian who met someone who is very, very white and all the issues that went with that family. My mum is from East London and as Cockney as they come. Her family worked in the markets and pubs, were West Ham fans and as East End as you get. I feel that gave me a massive head start when I was growing up. As a player going into different changing rooms I could sit down with ‘Joe Bloggs’, your average white boy from Roman Road, and talk to him and I felt comfortable. He was like my cousin and on the other hand I could go to a Mosque and to a Muslim wedding and sit with all my Bangladeshi cousins and equally feel at ease. Being able to understand and operate in both cultures was quite rare at the time. I can see why if you are from a predominately Bangladeshi background how you might not understand the football banter, the terminology, the language. Where would you get an opportunity to learn that from? That’s why there is such a disconnect sometimes between the communities. It’s hard.
Hannah – Do you think it puts people off going to football from South Asian communities? Did your dad want you to go to see matches?
Anwar – My dad used to say to me where we were growing up, predominately in the West Ham and Millwall, South and East London areas, that football match days were the worst days. Bricks were going through the windows and there would be non-stop violence. He literally had people chasing him around East London every time him and my mum went out. Racism was ever present. So when I started taking an interest in football and I wanted to go to watch West Ham, he said ‘No, that’s not for us. You can play but don’t watch, that’s for your mum’s side of the family to take you but I wouldn’t’t even feel comfortable with you going with them.’ And that was my experience in a mixed heritage family so you can imagine what your traditional Bangladeshi family would think. You realise and understand why our communities’ relationship with football is via Match of The Day, safe in the comfort of their homes and the teams they supported were Liverpool and Arsenal. That’s why the whole Asian community support those teams.
Hannah – Yeah, yeah, I totally agree.
Hannah Kumari – Eng-er-land
Anwar – Some people won’t even be aware of that. That’s why I think when you can express your lived experience, for me it’s through interviews and the talks I do, and for you it’s your show, it gives people an opportunity to just think about what it would be like to go to a football match as a Black woman, as an Asian woman or as a young Jewish man. I think that in itself will give the opportunity for fans to empathise and understand the challenges. Because it is a challenge. Sometimes, it is not even the challenge of going to the football match itself, it’s about having the confidence within yourself. For example, when I go and watch an England match away, in Lithuania, Spain or Estonia, I know I have been probably the only non-white face in our whole stand.
Hannah – Even now, that’s crazy isn’t it!
Anwar – And everyone is looking at me. They might not have an issue with me at all, but sometimes I feel a bit uneasy and I ‘m starting to imagine the way people are looking at me. So, my point is sometimes people might not be thinking anything at all but it is something we carry within us.
Hannah – Yes, I definitely identify with what you are saying. If someone is looking at me at a match my default is always to assume it is because of that. Especially when I’m often in places where most people are white and it’s really interesting to think about it like that, it is something we carry around with us.
Anwar – Things are changing though for the better. I do loads of work with clubs all over the country to try and encourage under-represented groups to go and watch football. There is always going to be a minority and the minority are louder than the majority and they always steal the headlines. No one wants to sanitise football but there are some football fans that are holding on to their traditions – watching films like Rise of the Soldier and Green Street – and act like this is their game, and say ‘don’t take it away from us’.
Hannah – That attitude comes from fear doesn’t it?
Anwar – Exactly and to be honest you are never ever going to eradicate that mindset. We are never going to live in a utopia, but someone used the analogy to me the other day about smoking. When the ban was first introduced people said it was never going to be accepted but now if you went into a restaurant and lit a cigarette, firstly you just wouldn’t, but now everyone around you would tell you that you can’t do that. So there’s a critical mass of opinion and everyone has joined in to make it inappropriate and unacceptable.
Hannah – Yeah, was that 2007? It feels like forever now.
Hannah Kumari – Eng-er-land
Anwar – It is a bit of an extreme analogy but when it comes to racism and other forms of discrimination in football, I think we are slowly getting there because nowadays if someone stands up and says something racist to a Black or Muslim player actually everyone will realise that person is wrong, some will report and challenge it, some may not as it can be quite a scary situation, but I think now we are in a place that people will be saying ‘that is wrong’ whereas 5, 10 or even 15 years ago you would probably have people joining in.
Hannah – Yes, that’s one of the things that I talk about in my play. I don’t want to demonise any particular club but I remember when I was at Rangers in the 90s and hearing a man who was shouting abuse at Ian Wright for the whole game and no one said anything to him. I was standing right next to him and I was about 12 years old and it was really scary. I was a young girl and the only person of colour in that stand hearing that and no one was stopping it. But I think you are right and hopefully it would be different now.
Anwar – There have been times when I’ve been in a stadium as a player and I’ve been subjected to abuse for the whole game because of how bad I was playing and that’s fine and part and parcel of being a player but there is a line you simply don’t cross and that line has been quite a thin line for a long long time. Why is it ok to talk about my skin colour or my religion? I still think there are terms bandied about in the stands which people think are acceptable. For example, I’ve played with Black players where they have been racially abused and the game has been reported but I’ve also played with a friend of mine who is a traveller and heard the whole half of the stadium shouting ‘where is your caravan’, songs and chants that a lot and people think are fine but they’re not. It’s had such a detrimental impact on his confidence and made him a more withdrawn character. I feel like the work I do for the Fans for Diversity Campaign has been my life’s calling because I’ve been having these conversations with myself and living through these experiences my whole life. That’s why I’m so keen to facilitate supporting people like yourself to come and share your story with the fan base.
Hannah – Yeah, I’m so excited to take this show to all these different venues and to football clubs. I did a performance in Bristol as part of a youth festival recently and just seeing the reactions from all different kinds of people about the show has been really fascinating because people take different things from it. I had a guy who was a Bristol City fan and he just loved all of the 90s references. I hope that it will appeal to lots of different people.
Anwar – You are tapping into the nostalgia of everyone’s previous experiences but also reflecting back on your own life as a fan. I think fans across the country are going to really enjoy watching the show and will go home thinking about their own journey but also some of the topics we’ve been discussing.
As a solo performer it must be quite an intense thing to carry a show on your own. There’s no understudy, so you can’t just have an off-night, can you?
Hannah – It is a bit nerve wracking, I’m not going to lie. You are quite exposed when you are performing and no, there’s no understudy, so you’ve just got to push on through.
Anwar – I guess it’s similar to a football player, except we do have substitutes! We are just so proud to be able to support what you are doing. There are so many ways to communicate positive change, new creative ways to show that football is changing and there is still more change to come and I think your show is doing just that!
Hannah Kumari and WoLab present ENG-ER-LAND, coming to Exeter Phoenix on Sat 26 March. Find out more & purchase tickets here >>
Comments Off on Join us for inspiring events to celebrate International Women’s Day 2022
Here at Exeter Phoenix, we are proud to offer a programme filled with events that celebrate and champion women creatives, artists and industry leaders, creating a platform that enables expression for women in the arts.
From female-led theatre performances and exhibitions curated by female artists to a night celebrating pioneering women in music, discover the local, national and global female talent that we’ve got coming up, and join us to celebrate International Women’s Day 2022 – and beyond.
Comments Off on ARTISTS MOVING IMAGE COMMISSION 2022
As part of our 2022 commissions scheme we will award one Artists Moving Image Commission of £1500. Exeter Phoenix Artists Moving Image Commission is specifically intended for contemporary visual artists who are based in the South West region. The commission aims to:
Recognise and support a sense of potential
Provide a platform for regional artists to share fresh and inspiring ideas from a range of perspectives
Assist in the development of a moving image based artwork for screen, installation or online display.
WHAT CAN YOU APPLY FOR?
We are looking for applications which outline original and engaging ideas, whether more traditional or experimental, conceptual, narrative or abstract in form and structure.
We will accept applications for the development of an existing moving image practice or a new direction for a contemporary visual artist currently working in another discipline,
The work may originate in any format including video, digital media, animation or film, but we would normally expect the resulting work to be primarily accessible in a digital presentation format. Above all we are looking for a sense of potential that can be realized with our support.
Exeter Phoenix is not restricting how the award is spent but you will be expected to provide a brief budget if you are invited to interview. Costs might include artists fees, crew, travel costs, covering personal time, location fees and materials.
We are open to being part-funders/commissioners where additional funding has already been, or is later, secured by the artist.
The successful applicants will also receive in kind support to the value of £1500, which will contribute towards the production. This includes access to:
Support and mentoring from Exeter Phoenix and/or industry experts
A schedule of industry standard training and workshops in cinematography, post-production and script development provided by Exeter Phoenix.
Advice in developing audiences.
Subject to agreement, the finished work may be premiered at Two Short Nights Film Festival and may be programmed before cinematic features in Studio 74.
WHO CAN APPLY?
The Artists Moving Image Commission is open to individuals (or groups) who reside in the South West region, as defined by Arts Council South West. This covers the counties of Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, Hampshire and Somerset, and the unitary authorities of Bath & North East Somerset, Bournemouth, Bristol, Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly, Isle of Wight, North Somerset, Plymouth, Poole, Portsmouth, South Gloucestershire, Southampton, Swindon, Torbay and Wiltshire.
We will accept applications from practicing contemporary visual artists including from current students, graduates and self-taught artists and will expect to see a reasonable prior level of engagement with and activity within a contemporary art context.
Applicants must reside in the South West, UK and must be over 18 to apply. The selected artist will be expected to make occasional visits to Exeter, therefore please consider this when applying.
COMMISSION TIMELINE
Applications open Wednesday 2 February 202.
Applications close 5pm, Wednesday 23 March 2022
Decisions for Artist Moving Image Comission made by the week commencing 28 March 2022
Interviews will be scheduled to take place in the week commencing 4 April 2022 TBC
Training and workshops will take place in April or May 2022, dates TBC
Projects are to be completed by 1st November 2022
APPLICATION AND ASSESSMENT
All applications must be submitted via our online submission form. Applicants will also be asked to complete a Diversity Standards form when applying.
Applicants will be asked to submit an original and concise proposal, outlining the tone, themes, genre and strategy of your ideas. Exeter Phoenix will accept ideas to be presented in written form (up to 400 words) or as a video (up to 3 minutes).
All applicants will receive a confirmation email to state we have received your application. Applications will be presented to the commission panel after the deadline.
Decisions will be made the week commencing 21 March 2022. All applicants will be notified of the outcome via email. If you are invited you to pitch your application at an interview you will be asked to present your ideas to the panel and discuss them in more detail.
You will also be asked to provide the panel with a brief budget and examples of how your production will meet our aims and objective outlined above.
Comments Off on 19-25 Devon Film Fund Winner Announced!
Following a successful Two Short Nights Film Festival earlier this month, Exeter Phoenix is excited to introduce the first of this year’s commissioned Film makers.
Anastasia Bruce-Jones pitched her ideas to a panel and live audiences at the festival and was selected for the 19-25 Devon Film Fund, which offer £1000 and support to realise her film. The 19-25 Devon Film Fund will be delivered in partnership with BFI Network, Film Hub South West and the finished film will be premiered at Two Short Nights 2023.
Anastasia, who’s film ‘Microwave’ is a pitch-black comedy exploring what happens when social mores collide with need, went up against 3 other young filmmakers, who all presented a wealth of creativity.
Photo credit: Rhodri Cooper
About the pitch, Anastasia said “it was just awesome to see the other pitches and meet the guys – there’s an insane amount of talent in Devon”.
Claire Horrocks, who represented Exeter Phoenix on the judging panel said “Anastasia presented a unique and quality idea at the pitch. We are excited about working with her”.
Photo credit: Rhodri Cooper
The Exeter Phoenix short film and artist Moving Image Commissions are currently open for submissions. Find out more and apply here >>
We are creating a new set of postcards for our membership packs. Using the card layout on our downloadable postcard template, could you be one of our winning artists?
We will be selecting four designs across three age categories (Under 11, 11-17 and adult). The winning artists will receive their own set of the exclusive postcards, a goody-bag, and the opportunity to be exhibited in Exeter Phoenix’s Walkway Gallery later in the year, alongside other shortlisted artists.
Your design must be 2D (I.e. we must be able to scan it) But there are no other conditions for entry. It could be created digitally, or on paper. You could create it on a separate piece of paper, but it must fit in the box on the downloadable template here.
Please submit your postcard design by 4pm, Friday 11th March by:
Handing in to the box office
By Emailing it to: holly.lawrence@exeterphoenix.org.uk
By Posting it to: RE: Postcard Competition Exeter Phoenix, Gandy Street, Exeter, EX4 3LS
We look forward to seeing your creations! Good Luck!
Comments Off on Guest Blog: Holly Fitzpatrick on Lavender
How Lavender’s Seed Was Really Planted
By Holly Fitzpatrick
I’ve been taking the time to reflect on LAVENDER’s growth, reminiscing (with laughter, I assure you) over the exact moment at which its glorious queer seed was planted – on the creative and personal soil I dug before I knew just how far reaching its roots would be. Whilst it is known that its life truly began during my Creative Writing Dissertation, it has actually been bubbling under the surface, surviving, if you will, for three years now, Nancy and Lucy following me and my emergence into womanhood.
Photo Credit: James Wills
Where LAVENDER really began was in late 2019, me loudly sobbing in a car park outside of a friend’s block of flats in Bristol. This pathetic image of a 19-year-old-girl’s running mascara and snotty nose is far apart from the glamour the project delights in now, with beautiful posters by Meg Shepherd and Thérèse Mulgrew, as well as intellectual Q&As. No, I was drunk-crying into the cold night’s abyss, alone and heartbroken over an ex-boyfriend, perched on a wall as a gang of boys – who on reflection really looked rather scary and dangerous – smoked and stared uneasily from their distant spot by some garbage disposal. That night ended with me puking up in the toilet, consoled by my wonderful friends, before eating chips and passing out.
The transformative experience was the coach ride home. At the time I believed I was furious over little trivial details of this romance gone wrong, when in reality, as I look back three years later, I was angry at a much larger force: gender roles, heteronormativity, at this invisible force that rewarded passivity, negated assertion, profited over women’s submission. I was angry at how soft I had to be, how apologetic, how I had to feel cute to feel valued. I was angry at pretty girls that scared me, that undermined this well-respected soft role that so far had been plain sailing. I was angry at just how much I wanted to tear the leather from the National Express seats, smash the windows, scream and stamp my feet like a child without a dummy. But here I was, staring pathetically out to the cars below whizzing by on the motorway, my throat horse from all that dramatic wailing the night before, hungover. Guilty for the blood that boiled within me.
Photo credit: James Wills
As soon as I entered my room at university accommodation, I got out my laptop and just wrote. Spilling onto the page were two women accusing one another for being a morally wrong woman. One woman was blunt, crude, a sadistic wing-plucker of flies, whilst another was perfect and organised, with plaited hair and flowing dresses. One was Nancy and one was Lucy, and both of them, at the time at least, were me: my deepest secrets, my confessions, my flaws criticised at one turn and loved the next, my truth, my bisexuality.
Lucy and Nancy became platforms in which I was free to debate what it is to be queer and political, queer and faithful, queer and loving, queer and creative, queer by the epic coasts of Devon, queer in the cramped, dingy club toilet cubicle in London. Those first drafts are nothing like the play is now, but it was the seed that started it all.
Photo credit: James Wills
A few years, an intense and formative Creative Writing Dissertation, a workshop, an R&D and the assembling of a queer-led team of incredibly talented theatre makers later, LAVENDER is beyond me and my self-indulgent anger. It is now a movement to foreground queer theatre in the South West, one that empowers the raging, boiling blood of queer women to bleed out across the region and beyond.
Catch ‘Lavender’ at Exeter Phoenix on Wed 23 Feb, a new play rooted in memories of a South West childhood. Conceived by a Torbay-based writer, this story seeks to protect LGBTQ+ histories both personal and political. Get your tickets here >>
Comments Off on February Half-Term at Exeter Phoenix
Calling all budding actors, adventure seekers and music makers!
This February half-term, join us for a week of captivating theatre shows, creative performance workshops and music making courses. There’s so much to discover at Exeter Phoenix when school’s out and we can’t wait to see you for some creative fun this half-term!
Imaginative young people aged 7 to 11 are invited to create a stage play with award winning PaddleBoat Theatre Company during the February half term.
The inventive Exeter-based company, which is known for its distinctive and playful approach to theatre, will guide youngsters through a week of storytelling, puppetry, music, design, acting and directing.
In the snowy town of Seldomberg test tubes bubble, experiments explode and new inventions whirr for the Science Academy’s Final Exams. But Faina’s got a problem… her project has unexpectedly burst into flames!
Desperate to pass her Final Exams, Faina sets off on a perilous expedition to find the legendary Snow Beast. With help from her owl assistant Maude, they encounter extraordinary spectacles and mountainous obstacles as they battle through the wild, wintry wilderness in search of the truth.
This show is a captivating collision of storytelling, original music and interactive science experiments which will inspire budding scientists of all ages.
The Madrigals are an extraordinary family who live hidden in the mountains of Colombia in a charmed place called the Encanto. The magic of the Encanto has blessed every child in the family with a unique gift — every child except Mirabel. However, she soon may be the Madrigals last hope when she discovers that the magic surrounding the Encanto is now in danger.
Your chance to experience the song everyone’s talking about! We Don’t Talk About Bruno on the big screen!
Comments Off on Two Short Nights Collaborations: Jin Lee
This year, Two Short Nights Film Festival has had the privilege of working with a number of creative collaborators, including Exeter Phoenix Young Audience Panel member, Jin Lee.
Jin explores the Two Short Nights Documentary screening and discusses the still-controlled nature of the “form” found in documentary filmmaking. How does each film in the programme utilises the film form to evoke certain feelings or references and remain effective and memorable?
Jin is an active member of Exeter phoenix Young Audience Panel and is currently studying Psychology at the University of Exeter.
He has created a number of short films commissioned through the university and he is particularly interested in slow cinema and the Taiwanese New Wave, as well as how to close the gap between those and the average movie-goer.
It’s all in the form…
By Jin Lee
Documentary, like all cinema, is comprised somewhat exhaustively of two components: form and content. The largest difference with narrative films is that the content is determined through a process of selection, rather than fabrication. (At least, I believe this to be the case under the popular, layperson’s understanding of documentaries.) Beyond that however, especially in formal construction, they are more similar than it seems at first glance.
A commonly held view about documentaries is that they are necessarily “truthful”. I place the word truthful in quotations as under certain parameters, this is, by definition, the case. The film must largely revolve around events and people that actually happened and existed, so in a sense any documentary is to an extent a vessel of truth. That being said, there are factors manipulable within the rules of the game.
The revered American documentarian Frederick Wiseman once said that he saw his films as being “more novelistic than journalistic”. This may seem odd, coming from a filmmaker who has built a reputation on veering clear of some of the popular contemporary documentary tropes; Wiseman’s films contain no narration, no interviews (talking-heads style or otherwise), and do not overtly reveal at any point the filmmaking process. However, Wiseman’s method also involves usually accumulating over 100 hours of film which gets shortened down to feature length. Here, Wiseman looks for a story and imbues the film with dramatic structure in post-production. Essentially, the film is made so the viewer has a certain reaction to it, much like a narrative filmmaker would intend. As every part of a documentary, from what to shoot to what to leave in or out, is born of a choice to direct the viewer, can that be said to be completely “truthful”?
This is not to say that a recorded visual approximation of objective reality is a measure of good cinema. If that were the case, all that people would watch would be CCTV footage. Instead, the crux of the point that’s being made here is that elevation of documentaries beyond moving images that are pure information conveyers is possible, with as much stylistic and thus emotive variance as narrative films. With that in mind, the Documentary Strand programme of the Two Short Nights Film Festival offers just this: a hugely diverse array of not only stories, but film-grammar.
For instance, Villi Hermann’s film “Last Pig Slaughter” (about photographs of a day spent with the local butcher peddler the filmmaker took in 1970, serendipitously uncovered in 2020) at first seems to be an archetypal “narration-over-a-series-of-stills” film but subverts that by moving the camera over the table on which the physical photographs were placed to move between images. It becomes a literal collage, where we are also privy to the process of sifting through the images as if we (the viewer) had just found them ourselves, beyond just being presented them in separate static shots. It evokes not only the feeling of nostalgia and reminiscence, but also that of rediscovery: a moment when the memories of a time and place, inadvertently shoved away to the furthest recesses of one’s mind, come rushing back all at once.
The film “Dajla: Cinema and Oblivion” (Dir. Arturo Dueñas) is probably closest to Wiseman’s ideal among the programmed films. The subjects and filmmakers do not interact within diegetic space at all, nor are they seen doing anything that seems as though they were prompted. Covering life at an Algerian refugee camp, the filmmakers are but a fly-on-the-wall, documenting the brief vitality that surges through the camp on the occasion of a film festival, as well as crucially the mundanities before and after. In that it is adjacent to that “direct cinema” style of observation rather than intervention, it allows for a (in Wiseman’s words) “biased but fair” portrait of a life most likely very far from most.
Two films on the programme that were wonderfully evocative of narrative filmmakers were “About Father, About Death” (Dir. Farhad Hajari) and “A Town Still Standing” (Dir. Marvin Meckes, Lukas Fuhrimann). The former is a remembrance piece, a contemplation on the life of the filmmaker’s deceased father as well as death itself. There are some memorable segments in it where the film flashes through stills or static shots of the father’s belongings, from which stylistic parallels can be drawn to the film “Beginners” (2008) by Mike Mills. Mills has used sequences of still images with narration over them frequently in his work, but the one that inevitably springs to mind is “Beginners”, Mills’ personal remembrance piece about his own late father. The manner in which both films conjure up such a vivid sketch of an individual through objects alone was equally deeply emotive.
The latter film, “A Town Still Standing”, focuses on the birthplace of the cuckoo clock: the town of Triberg, hopelessly engulfed by Germany’s Black Forest. Halfway through the film, the filmmakers employ the man who built the world’s largest cuckoo clock to stand in front of a sign reading “visit the world’s largest original cuckoo clock”. This, alongside all the various occasions of the filmmakers allowing the residents of Triberg to be the narrators of their own story (in voice and in person), was immediately resonant of Bob Balaban’s “Narrator”, in Wes Anderson’s “Moonrise Kingdom”. This connection was further cemented by the almost fairy-tale appearance of the village, the central concept itself, as well as the whimsical score throughout. Despite this the compelling and immensely engrossing nature of this is in the stark contrasts it has with Anderson’s films: Anderson makes films that walk around with a sign taped to their heads saying “fictitious”, yet “A Town Still Standing” is about real people in a real-life location.
The final two films in the programme are more directly intimate than the others, but like the others utilise their film form in a unique and mood-congruent manner to cement their intimacy, yet in strikingly different ways from each other. Fergus Cruickshank’s “Patter Merchant” is a celebration of the life of Mr. Colin Mackellar, under the thinnest of veils of being a cheeky exposé of his fabricated (but nevertheless smile-inducing) stories. Cruickshank is very direct, often Colin is asked directly about the things the filmmaker is interested in, a process we see on-screen, therefore becoming a very involved, necessarily bidirectional film, which only adds to the closeness we feel to “Colin’s Glasgow”.
Ciara Flint’s “Totalis”, on the other hand, is about a young musician who, through Alopecia, loses hair and starts losing his whole person as a result. It’s not only extremely frank verbally about his difficulties but is so in visual terms also, resulting in a painfully visceral intimacy with the subject. The constant low contrast black and white, and occasional extreme closeup of his face are components only secure the initial bleakness of the situation. Within the confines of the same film however, those identical techniques are utilised to hammer in the poignancy of the mental fortitude of the person that remains, bravely staring straight at us.
Comments Off on Two Short Nights Collaborations: Valentina Huxley
This year, Two Short Nights Film Festival has had the privilege of working with a number of creative collaborators, including writer + illustrator Valentina Huxley.
Valentina Huxley is a member of Film Hub South West’s 360 Beyond Boundaries scheme. She is a writer, Illustrator and runs regular poetry nights. Check out her Instagram here.
In this collaboration, Valentina responds to I Too Am America from Shorts #2 & Scapelands from Shorts #5.
Through delicate artistry and poetic verse, Valentina offers her reactions to these upcoming films as part of Two Short Nights Festival 2022.
‘I TOO AM AMERICA’
I Too Am America from Shorts #2, a dance short film that intertwines perception and one’s true identity. A Transgender story inspired by true events.
SCAPELANDS by Valentina Paz Huxley
In
Mornings are soft.
But heavy.
For every dawn line
Is an ellipses,
Foreboding…
Kettle boils syrup,
air- thick dust,
floor magnetized to sole,
sweet hushhh before the rushhh.
Out
The scales are askew, stimuli in acid bloom, metallic orgy soup, ringtone parties collude,
senses are off, sight-smell-sound molotov, but i must appear unreadable, whilst insides froth.
in
Pace honey pace
Head from show to back stage
Out
How to ground when the ground rejects you like a transplant?
How to round when the round is bruised by a sharp hand?
In this collaboration, Ella offers her critical eye over two films from Short #2: Bodies in Motion, a collection of shorts that explores our relationships with our bodies, how we connect through them, and the stories they tell. In this review, Ella focuses on the nuances between films ‘From a Strange Land’ and ‘Crumbs.’
Ella Moorhouse studied Film Studies at Exeter College and is an aspiring screenwriter. She is an active member of Exeter Phoenix Young Audience Panel and has curated season for Studio 74. She lives by the sea and currently runs her own business selling vintage clothes.
Let Them Eat Cake: Food and The Body
By Ella Moorhouse
Even the most arbitrary of rituals can say a lot about ourselves. Films of opposites, Caroline Steinbeis’ ‘From A Strange Land’ and Maya Zaydman’s ‘Crumbs’ revolve around the politics and inner turmoil of the most simple action of sharing cake, which in turn reveals something about our bodies and what they mean to us.
The modern silent film ‘From a Strange Land’ shows us how our bodies can create whole private worlds and the inevitable pain of them being exposed. We open on the scene of moving-in day, boxes being ripped open, the bare legs of a child running through the barren landscape of a newly emptied house. Immediately, we’re juxtaposed with the knick-knacks of a different dimly-lit house: old framed photographs and vintage make-up canisters, which introduces us to our main character, Margaret, an older woman with a penchant for William Morris pattern and golden retrievers.
Within the first minute, we are presented with the binary opposition of freedom vs restraint between the two households, the chaotic abandonment of the younger family and the quiet solitude of the single retiree. This contrast is further explored through the turning point of the revealing of Margaret’s housewarming gift; a cake, exquisitely baked and decorated with flowers.
In Zaydman’s ‘Crumbs’, our gaze is shifted into how our bodies can trap us in our search for comfort and pleasure
Despite her hours of work, Margaret quickly returns the lid of the tin, obscuring it from view. Here we have a portrait of a woman battling her own freedoms, seen when she anxiously decides whether to leave the top button of her blouse unbuttoned, trying to appear relatable to her new neighbours. A homemade cake represents the epitome of pleasure and allowance, however Margaret denies herself this indulgence and gives her enjoyment away; the hours of unseen preparation to create this beautiful gift represents her inner tussle with her relationship with her appearance, and the need for perfection.
Meanwhile, next door could not be more different. The father, only wearing a cardboard box on his head, pretends to be a monster; the mother, also naked, laughs from the sofa. Whilst bizarre and absurd from the outside, the ability to reveal their true unclothed selves to each other shows their bond; in their world, being comfortable in their own skin makes their house a home, even more than material possessions. Unlike Margaret, who yearns for the past, the young family live firmly in the present, enjoying this brief window of time before their son grows up and the embarrassment of unclothed skin inhibits his freedom. A crescendo builds as Margaret, carrying her talisman of the cake, walks next door, emphasised by the jump cuts between squealing of laughter from the bacchanal scene inside the house and the quiet hush of the street. After ringing the doorbell with no avail, Margaret tries through the back entrance, crossing the threshold in this ‘strange land’, and stumbles across the bizarre scene. The climax is marked by her dropping her gift; the destroyed cake representing the destruction of not only the young family’s private world by an outsider but Margaret’s quiet life being viscerally challenged. After the Adam and Eve moment, Margaret gingerly leaves a biscuit that survived the fall; an olive branch that suggests that all playfulness is not lost. Both households are stunned by the hilarity of what they have just experienced, and despite their differences, they have started the journey of learning to empathise and understand each other, even beyond the end credits.
The modern silent film ‘From a Strange Land’ shows us how our bodies can create whole private world and the inevitable pain of them being exposed”
Where ‘From a Strange Land’ shows us the beauty and freedom our bodies can create for us, in Zaydman’s ‘Crumbs’, our gaze is shifted into how our bodies can trap us in our search for comfort and pleasure. We open on the arresting image of a couple in an intimate embrace, the woman suggesting warmly, “There’s cake”. We cut to the domestic scene of the couple sitting eating a homemade cake out of its baking dish. In this short exchange, our first assumptions of the nature of their relationship are challenged. The woman, Noa, played by Maayan Turgeman, asks, “So what’s up? How are you?” suggesting that they are friends, however her short white slip and kimono reveals the sexual nature of their relationship. The man, Yoel, played with cool detachment by Nir Shlomo, deflects her question, instead remarking about the cake, “Hang on, this is really good”. Already the power dynamics are at play. Noa’s attempts to normalise and domesticate their relationship are shut-down; not only is the cake “really good”, but the casual, pleasure-focused type of relationship that they share is too good not to spoil.
Suddenly, Yoel’s phone rings, and he answers it with, “Hey babe”. The full extent of their situation is revealed; they are not only friends with benefits, but Noa is Yoel’s secret mistress behind his steady girlfriend’s back. As soon as Yoel answers the phone, Noa’s body language changes; she plays with her hair and picks at the crumbs of the cake. Throughout the film, the cake represents the boundaries Noa has failed to establish; she has spent hours making this cake to share this man, only for her to be left with eating the crumbs.
Cake is not nourishing and is not sustainable to eat everyday; through Yoel’s eyes, Noa is a treat to indulge in every once in a while, whilst Noa changes herself and her tactics constantly to try and win Yoel over, keeping her life on hold until he wants her. However, Zaydman excels at painting a real portrait of modern womanhood, consent and sexuality. Noa initates sex, calling Yoel “beautiful”, and whilst things are going well, Yoel withdraws his consent, stating “maybe we shouldn’t sleep together”. The lines are immediately blurred; is Noa being too pushy as Yoel is not expressing his full consent, or is Yoel confusing the boundaries of their relationship; if he’s not there for sex, what is he there for? After Noa’s attempts to create intimacy once again end in disappointment, we see a woman at the end of her emotional endurance; each tactic she has tried has failed, every intimate moment has been empty. Our alliances shift again when Yoel confides about his historical childhood trauma; despite Noa being sympathetic at first, she accuses him of not telling her sooner. Yoel retaliates with “this is always nice… why make things complicated, heavy”, mirroring his remarks on her cake at the beginning; he has compartmentalised her in his mind, and neglects to see that things have already become complicated for Noa. Afterwards, Yoel lies on her lap like a child, Noa’s sexual appeal has diminished for him and instead she become a comfort blanket, just like a piece of cake. After she tells him to leave, she picks at the remains of the cake, consuming the last crumbs of her old self and drawing up the fuel needed to rebuild her new one.
Comments Off on Two Short Nights Collaborations: Gavin Spoors on The Balance of Power
This year, Two Short Nights Film Festival has had the privilege of working with a number of creative collaborators, including freelance critic and writer Gavin Spoors, who has given us his insights on Short #3: The Balance of Power
Gavin is a freelance critic and writer whose work has featured Filmhounds Magazine, JumpCut Online and Flip Screen. He has covered festivals such as London Film Festival, BFI Flare, and Norwich Film Festival which champions short films from the UK and across the globe.
Salt Water Town
Rising sea levels aren’t the only worries for the father and son at the centre of this well-crafted drama. Set in a failing caravan park on the Welsh coast, Liam (Tom Glynn-Carney) clashes with his father Glenn (Game of Thrones alumni Owen Teale) after they receive news that in time their park will succumb to the coastal damage caused by the climate crisis. Liam wants to leave, Glenn wants to stay. But there’s more bubbling underneath: Liam doesn’t seem t belong anywhere in this soggy, poverty-stricken town and Glenn is stuck on his old ways even though he knows it’s only a matter of time before things get seriously dire. The miserably cold, wet location is beautifully captured on screen but it’s the stunning performances that reel you in and sticks in your mind.
Greed
At the centre of Greed is a terrific monologue and a ‘What if?’ scenario aimed at those who have benefitted from women’s inequality. Presented in one location set at a banquet for one, the focus is very much on the narrator delivering a message for women to become greedy and take what they want, just like how the patriarchy has done for thousands of years. With the monologue as the driving force, the direction and camera work don’t make much of an impact but thankfully the performance and pacing of the overall film does.
Two Options
Two Options is a tense ride mostly set within the confines of a van. A Polish immigrant drives around a menacing accomplice who hides a mysterious motive from the audience as well as the driver. The simplistic cinematography creates a claustrophobic atmosphere as a good portion of the film is shot from one angle within the van. Adding to that tension are the stellar performances. The “Polak” is a fish out of water with both the situation and the language barrier, and “Le Tare” is a dangerously unpredictable firecracker. As the true objective comes to light and the titular two options present themselves, the tension reaches a boiling point even if the ending is slightly predictable. There’s a poignant observation on racism and immigration too underneath the surface of this thrilling short film.
Meat Market
This one minute short has a great idea that isn’t quite executed as well as it could have. A man waiting by a mysterious burger shack follows after a woman in the street but meets a grisly fate. The Giallo inspired lighting and sets are a lot of fun, and the filmmakers know it. There’s a sarcastic tone but having the film literally wink at its audience feels a bit overboard, especially when dealing with a serious topic.
The Pie Shop
Featuring TV actors such as Royce Pierreson (The Witcher,Line of Duty) and Georgina Campbell (Black Mirror, His Dark Materials), the performances are unsurprisingly terrific but thankfully the story is equally as engaging. Set in the titular pie shop, regular customer Mickie (Royce Pierreson) approaches another regular, Kim (Georgina Campbell), and the two get to know each other by reflecting on the past. Throughout subtle direction and acting from the cast, there’s a sense that something isn’t quite right and the true nature of what is happening is brilliantly played. It builds towards a devastating ending that, although slightly overlong, will stick in your mind long after the credits roll.
One Acre
The climate crisis has been at the forefront of many a documentary, including this short film that puts the spotlight on a young first generation farmer. Through voice over she reflects on her experiences so far; from her daily process, to friendships, and of course the climate crisis itself. It’s a fascinating subject but unfortunately the lacklustre direction undos a lot of the narrative weight the dialogue is carrying. The imagery on screen doesn’t necessarily reflect what our narrator is talking about and doesn’t make the most out of the wonderful location on hand.
Al-Sit
Al-Sit is a triumph of a short film. This is very much a Sudanese story about the arranged marriages that still happen to this day, but the film gracefully tackles universal themes of choice, love and tradition vs. modernity. Set in a cotton-farming village, fifteen year old Nafisa (played by first time actor Mihad Murtada) is confronted by her arranged marriage to a young businessman that was arranged by her parents. Nafisa’s grandmother Al-Sit (Rabiha Mohammed Mahmoud), the village matriarch, stands in the way of the marriage but has her own plans for Nafisa. It’s a visually stunning film thanks to gorgeous sun-kissed cinematography and costumes bursting with colour, but the story and performances are exemplary. The meat of the story – Nafisa caught in the crossfire of a conflict between the traditional Al-Sit and the modern groom-to-be – is riveting, thanks to the camera filling the frame with the actors’ faces as they verbally spar. Even with the heavy themes at play, Al-Sit ends with a hopeful glimpse of the future for girls like Nafisa.
Comments Off on Two Short nights Collaborations: Gavin Spoors on Life at a Distance
This year, Two Short Nights Film Festival has had the privilege of working with a number of creative collaborators, including freelance critic and writer Gavin Spoors, who has given us his insights on Short #1: Life at a Distance.
Gavin is a freelance critic and writer whose work has featured Filmhounds Magazine, JumpCut Online and Flip Screen. He has covered festivals such as London Film Festival, BFI Flare, and Norwich Film Festival which champions short films from the UK and across the globe.
The Beyond
It’s ironic that the first film of the Life at a Distance strand is an exploration of death. This documentary follows morgue attendant Mathieu as he tends to a recently deceased patient who succumbed to Covid-19. The Beyond is a fascinating insight into Mathieu’s work as he washes the hair and cleans the body of not just a person but a family member, a friend, a person. The way Matthieu interacts with the other deceased in the morgue is morbidly amusing, treating death as just another part of life. Even though the narrative is framed around the pandemic the filmmakers don’t make any particular statements about what that means for Mathieu and the audience, but they have still crafted an intriguing and insightful experience.
Aqueducts
“Aqueducts transport water. Images transmit the memory. Images of aqueducts are useless”. Despite the pessimistic sentiment from the documentary’s pivotal quote, Aqueducts is a poetic exploration of memory through photography and film. Narrated by an unknown woman who chronicles her relationships with different family members through old photographs and film reels, this short makes a stark point about how these objects don’t actually serve a crystal clear memory. Even though it is by design, Aqueducts is cold and puts the audience at an arms length from the main subject, but there is a warm point made about how we are instinctively drawn to these fragments of memories passed down – like water through an aqueduct.
The Wheel of Destiny
The Wheel of Destiny immediately stands out with its visuals and sound that harken back to classic game shows from the 80’s – from the costumes to the film grain and theme music. Three contestants compete in a nondescript show to win some sort of prize but what begins as a loving homage quickly spirals into an absurd comic nightmare. What really sells the strangeness is the sound design: the emptiness of it creates an uneasy feeling until the building of ticking clocks and wheel spins leads towards a tense crescendo. It’s debatable whether The Wheel of Destiny is a simple one note joke or has something deeper bubbling underneath, but it’s a short entertaining ride for sure.
Round Round Baby Round Round
Unsurprisingly there are quite a few short films that explore the pandemic in their own unique ways but unfortunately Round Round Baby Round Round misses the mark. A pregnant woman calls her friend and attempts to explain her ex’s reasons for wanting to keep the baby, all whilst they both struggle with connection issues. The focus on bad video call communication is meant to reflect the same trouble we’re currently facing but it’s just as annoying watching it on screen as it is experiencing it in real life. Round Round Baby Round Round is shot in a squared aspect ratio which works well for the verticality of the shots focussed on an iPhone but doesn’t work with shots featuring the protagonist – mostly due to the bizarre shot composition and framing, All of these issues, plus some lacklustre direction, unfortunately makes this a weak entry in an otherwise strong programme.
Survivers
This darkly comedic sci-fi short may have particular relevance during the global pandemic but even so this is a fantastic film. It’s the end of the world and humanity is made up of three scientists in a car wearing protective helmets – and they’re itching to take them off. The striking costume design doesn’t only provide a cool sci-fi look but also actively contributes to the film’s dark tone with the helmet’s ominous neon red lights. Having the cast initially in the car makes for a claustrophobic location that is bolstered by some great camera work and direction. Survivers has some gruesome tricks up its sleeve too and balances comedy with drama to make comments on the individualism rampant throughout society. You don’t want to miss this one.
Baby X
Like many of the films featured in this programme, Baby X was filmed during the first English lockdown and tackles issues surrounding the pandemic. What makes this experimental short stand out, however, is it’s unapologetic anger from being a pregnant woman in a country where the government has failed its citizens. Combining footage of herself drenched in sinister red lighting with segments from government speeches, the anger and anxiety can be felt through the editing and overall pacing of the film. You’d be mistaken for thinking this is a dystopian sci-fi short, which makes the reality of this film all the more terrifying.
Gliding
At the centre of Gliding is a heart-warming relationship between a young roller-blading girl and her grandmother. This is yet another pandemic story but the focus here is on the importance of physical interaction and looking after vulnerable family members. Thanks to the great performances, moments such as the girl and her grandmother touching hands on opposite sides of a window come across as sincere and moving, and thankfully not cringe-worthy or disrespectful. There is also a subtle but powerful coming-of-age narrative woven throughout the film, with the young protagonist having to face the realities of the pandemic. It’s a shame then that one of the last moments is so heavy-handed that it threatens to derail an otherwise moving experience.
Hey Ma
hey, ma explores that moment in which we’re convinced we’ve seen someone it couldn’t or shouldn’t be and attempts to put some dramatic weight on it. It unfortunately doesn’t quite achieve that goal but the fantastic cinematography and performances make this worth a watch. A young woman pursues someone she is convinced is her lost mother and attempts to communicate with her. Anyone watching can hazard a guess on how things will play out from the very beginning and it seems the filmmakers are banking on the audience to be shocked by its predictable conclusion. The journey, however, is more enthralling thanks to creative cinematography that captures the great performance from the film’s lead.
Thank You So Much
Equally hilarious and horrifying, this sharp satire takes a stab at the performative truth behind the Thursday evening clap for healthcare workers. A family competes with neighbours from across the road in a quaint village in showing the most support for NHS staff, all while an actual nurse tries to get to her shift. The competition between the two families is genuinely funny as they drag out unimpressed military veterans and grand pianos for impromptu singing, and it only becomes increasingly ridiculous and hilariously uncomfortable from there. Thank You So Much reaches a dark and dramatic climax, bringing the issues of class and race divides to the forefront. This is a brilliantly designed short film and one of the best featured in the festival.
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