Encounters launch 2017 competition programme
Skwigly
Encounters Short Film and Animation Festival has launched its full competition programme with tickets now on sale. From 19th – 24th September there will be more than 400 films and 60 events across 6 days, featuring the very best of animation and short films from new and emerging talent.
I Am Here (Dir. Eoin Duffy)
This year’s competition programme is extensive and diverse, featuring a range of genres from sci-fi to documentary, with 247 competing films being shared with audiences and judges across the festival week.
This year’s Desert Island Flicks will feature Michaël Dudok de Wit, Academy Award® winning animator of The Red Turtle, taking over the stage on Thursday 21st September to talk to audiences about the key influences for his animation career. Pierre Coffin of Illumination, co-director of the Despicable Me films and voice of the Minions will talk to festival audiences in an exclusive masterclass.
Boris-Noris (Dir. Laura-Beth Cowley)
This year more than ever, the festival is shining a spotlight on female talent including Females in Puppetry, as well as the festival’s two guest VR programmes curated by Catherine Allen from the female gaze.
Brand new to the festival this year is Immersive Encounters. Audiences can enjoy 4 days of collaborative viewing experiences from the best new filmmakers making VR/AR and 360 degree work. In a huge coup for the festival, Stuart Warren-Hill will be showing his futuristic music/VR crossover piece, Holotronica 3D. The electronic musician, AV producer and visual artist will be taking over the Arnolfini on Friday 22nd September with a 3D experience like you’ve never seen before. We will feature two interactive audience exhibits Marieke Verbiesen’s Mayhem Machine and Playback from Random Acts, whose short films reflect the vision of young people working with film today.
Negative Space (Dir. Max Porter/Ru Kuwahata)
This year, the festival’s focus on accessibility continues the success of its ‘Widening the Lens’ initiative, with a workshop for emerging filmmakers from diverse backgrounds. The festival will take a family friendly turn on Saturday morning featuring an extended interactive version of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, a screening of the Children’s Jury selections from local children and a screening of Revolting Rhymes, two half hour screenings based on Roald Dahl’s delightful book.
Accessibility continues with the festival’s pricing structure – this year Encounters is a “Festival for a fiver” with film screenings all priced at £5.
For more info and to buy ticket visit encounters-festival.org.uk