Be Transported: The BBC British Short and Hamburg International Film Festivals When I was invited to screen my short film "Life History Of A Star" at the BBC Short Film Festival in London and the Hamburg International Film Festival in Germany, I decided to attend and figured it would be a unique opportunity to see an extensive selection of films while traveling abroad. On September 16th the BBC British Short Film Festival opened to a packed house at The UCI Empire Theater Leicester Square in Central London. The festival runs for a full week screening over 300 hundred short films at the Empire and more than a hundred videos at a second location, Planet Hollywood. The opening night screening entitled "The Best Of British-1" showcased films with UK celebrities and lavish budgets. Although many out of town filmmakers were turned away at the door for this sold out event, I was fortunate enough to sneak my way in once the lights went down. What I witnessed was mainly mediocre films with commercial agendas set forth by the BBC. Most of the films did not have a lot going for them aside from the slick camera work and popular talent pool. The one film in this show which held its own and I found to be quite charming was "Inside-Out" by the Guard Brothers. This 7 minute short involves the comic antics of a market researcher on the street as he attracts the attention of an amused window dresser. The film later received the Bravo Award for Best British Short Film at the closing night ceremony. As awards go, it's only fair to mention that two other shorts from this program tied for the Kodak Award for Best Cinematography. The honor was split between the Photographers of "Truth or Dare" by Stuart Clarke and "The Bee Sting Wasp" by Keiren O'Brien. Marco Windham, Cinematographer for "The Bee Sting Wasp" felt overall disappointed in the quality of work at the festival. Windham is also cinematographer on "6%" by Simon Edwards which screened later in the week as part of the same program, "Best of British". "6%" is a slick narrative revolving around an on-line romance which leads to a devastating twist of fate. Edwards had strong opinions on the work at the festival. "Nothing really gripped you or stood out as a great film" Edwards adds,"...most of them just sort of stop. There are no really good endings." Apart from a handful of films, Edwards felt that most of the films he saw, were technically poor and of low budget quality. I have to disagree and at least acknowledge that low budget does not equate a lower standard of filmmaking. I viewed a number of films with an alternative edge that were effective without the gloss and gimmicks. This argument over production value vs. artistic vision resurfaced throughout the festival amongst filmmakers. I am bias to artistic vision and tend to distrust short films with overblown budgets. One that stays true to it's vision is "The Night Frontier" by Laurence Turnbull. This film is a gritty but beautiful glimpse into the city at night through the eyes of a lonely astronaut. The 35mm blowup from video was befitting for the subject matter. This was also part of the "Best of British" series. "British and International Dramas-Dance Till You Drop!" , was a program that showcased a wide range of styles and genres, side by side, all focusing on dance. Not a fan of dance films, I was impressed with the curating of traditional story-lines with the more non-narrative dance films. "Ginger Beer" by Seamus Rea (UK) tells the story of an insecure gay teacher that finally comes out to his students with help of his dance lessons. This quirky narrative took home the BBC Radio1 Audience Award. Inspired by the spirit of Dada, "Dadance"(UK) is a collage of movement and rhythm. Directed by Hugh Wheadon and Rob Horsley, "Dadance'' makes use of the black and white film medium to its extreme through high contrast of shapes and images. When I asked Horsley about his influences within the Dada movement, he made it clear that the film was not originally conceived as a Dada film. It was started as a collaboration with musician and co-director Hugh Wheadon. "After rehearsing in a gym from WW1, things fell together and it naturally became a Dada project. The German aesthetic is very much in there. I've liked German still photographers; the really hard black and white work...very mannered and symmetrical." Horsley describes. As for his views on the festival, he felt that the screenings were very uneven. Although he thought some of the films were good, most of them were expensive and that surprised him. "There isn't so much cheap stuff. A lot of it is big budget 35mm. It's somewhat odd, I mean I can't see why these films are made a lot of times. The smaller films have a different film language altogether. When you've got no money, you have more freedom oddly enough. You can take risks but also shoot in a different way." The screenings of the "Atlantic Crossing" programs seemed to have less of a turnout than the British and International ones. I had the pleasure of seeing "Devil Doll" by Jarl Olsen for a second time. This one minute piece is about two girls who find a talking doll at the beach. In the same program was "Peep Show" by Charlie Call, which won the American Airlines Award for Best American Short Film. A woman enters a peep show, but instead of a lurid striptease , the male performers play a warped mind game that pokes fun at female stereotypes and obsessions. "Peep Show" was obviously slick and well acted, but I didn't get it. It was kind of a one line male fantasy lacking any spirit. "Jorge" by Joel Hopkins was a winner, recipient of the Radio 1 Award for First Time Filmmaker. His film screened as part of the program "From the Film Schools". Also part of this same series was "Jump", a documentary film exploring the filmmaker's decision to refuse radiation therapy for a metastasized cancer. Closing night I was able to catch up with director Cade Bursell from San Francisco to get her views on the festival. "The best part of being at the festival was seeing many films from a lot of different places; films made specifically to be short and not necessarily on their way to becoming features. This is especially true of the animation which was really incredible here as were the documentaries. I thought the dramas were actually made by filmmakers looking to make features. They were sort of calling cards." The most interesting International films that I saw were from the Experimental programs. "Flesh(Haragia)" by Begona Vicario(Spain) is a visually stunning portrait of bodies and voices of those who have disappeared and are presumed dead. With the quality and perspective of security cameras, "I See You" by Richard Valk(Netherlands) is a short drama focusing on the 'encounter' as it stresses the element of chance. Both, yet stylistically different, had strong visuals and emotional content. Overall the festival seemed unfocused and difficult for filmmakers to meet. The absence of any Q & A after the screenings left little opportunity for interaction or discussion. Filmmakers would be swallowed up in the congestion of Leicester Square. As for their claim to be a festival where "invaluable contacts are made and lucrative deals are signed", none of this was happening. If you are looking for a networking frenzy, this isn't necessarily the festival for you. Despite everything, I did appreciate the opportunity to view so many short films from so many different parts of the world and as a filmmaker I was glad to have been invited.When the week came to an end, I packed up my film print and was ready to travel over to Germany for the Hamburg International Film Festival. As soon as I arrived in Hamburg I was greeted by a festival representative and taken to the main office to check in. It was September 27th and opening night was just a few hours away. Because the opening night film was in German without subtitles, the festival planned a dinner for those international filmmakers who were not fluent. This was the start of a ritual that continued throughout the week and brought festival guests together from all parts of the world. There was always a comfortable environment for filmmakers to gather, talk, eat and exchange ideas. With over 75 feature films screening and 26 international shorts, there were a number of interesting guests in attendance at the festival. Peter Greenaway, was there with his new film "8 1/2 Women", which is an elaboration on the subject of eight and a half archetypes of male sexual fantasy. This film is much more narrative if compared to his other works and because of this, it was surprising to hear him attack narrative and story structure. He is an excellent public speaker and Q & A went on for close to an hour. Also that day I was able to see "The Magic Hour" by Guilherme de Almeida Prado, veteran director from Brazil. This tropical film noir is a hommage to the world of soaps. Set in 1950, when television is only a myth read about in the newspapers, "The Magic Hour " portrays a time when all is listening to the world revealed over the radio. Unfortunately this film will probably never reach an American audience. When asked about distribution, Guilherme told me that none of his films have ever been distributed in the United States. Sadly, this was true of a number of excellent films I saw at the festival. This year Filmfest Hamburg presented a new section featuring first films/new directors: the Tesafilm Festival. Totally financed by the German pharma gigant BEIERSDORF A.G. (producer of the adhesive tape "tesafilm" a.o.) the tesafilm Festival presents 10 to 12 first films from different countries. For those selected, the festival offers seminars, daily press lunches, interviews, conferences, etc. Directors also have the opportunity to visit with companies offering the most advanced technology for filmmaking including technical demonstrations as well as meetings and debates with German film students and their international teachers. Lisanne Skyler was a participant in this program with her film "Getting to Know You" which tells the story of two teens who meet in a bus station and develop a relationship through storytelling. The film is based on short stories by Joyce Carol Oates. "Ratcatcher" by Lynne Ramsey(Great Britain) is another very impressive first feature chosen to be a part of the Tesafilm Festival. Through the eyes of a twelve year old boy we are taken into the world of a rat infested Glasgow housing project. The boy is haunted with guilt from the death of his best friend and alienates himself from his family. Although his isolation from this harsh reality grows throughout the film, he is determined not to submit himself to the misery around him. Films from Korea, France, Israel and Australia are some of the other nationalities represented in the program. The other American films chosen were "Judy Berlin" directed by Eric Mendelsohn and "Twin Falls Idaho" directed by Michael Polish. There are no programs of just short films at Filmfest Hamburg. All shorts are screened in front of a feature and this only applies to a small percentage of feature films. This year films were paired up based on a shared visual aesthetic. An excellent example of this is the short documentary "go to Shanghai" by Daniela Abke/Dorothee Bruwer(German), which screened in front of the feature "Peau Neuve" by Emilie Deleuze(France). Filmed at a shipyard in north Germany, "go to Shanghai" describes the birth of a ship by using images and sounds, without words. This graphic black and white film has an industrial feel as it focuses on the process and machinery involved with building a large Chinese ship. In "Peau Neuve" , most of the action focuses on a training location where participants learn to maneuver bulldozers. Both films visually portray the world of heavy machinery in a graphic, stylized manner. Roy Unger from Los Angeles was at the festival supporting his short film "Requiem", which is a dark, futuristic tale about a man on death row, condemned for the love of the woman he cherishes. Roy had a few words on the festival, "There seemed an instant rapport and camaraderie among the filmmakers(attendees) because no matter where you make films in the world it's always a struggle and labor of love. Even though the filmmakers(we each) came from different cultural backgrounds we all spoke the common language of cinema(and thankfully English)." Also from America, Ari Gold showed up with his short film "Culture", a one minute plunge in which he follows his own set of Dogma rules. "Dirt" by Chel White and "Stubble Trouble" by Philip Holahan were both at Filmfest Hamburg as well as the BBC Short Film Festival in London. Dirt. One man's obsession eventually manifests itself on a most surreal level. "Dirt" is based on a story by Joe Frank. "Stubble Trouble" is the story of Mr. Footface, a character created by director Philip Holahan. A quirky short with a lot of sole. There were many other interesting films at both festivals that I just couldn't fit into one article. And then there were all the films that I didn't get to see. In the end, I hope you can someday judge for yourself. Until then I hope I've scratched the surface and shed some light on both these festivals. Jennifer Gentile is a filmmaker living in Los Angeles. Her other short films include "My Pretty Little Girlfriend", "Isabella Holding A Pot Of Basil", "One Eye Leads" and "Corn Smut". Film Arts Foundation's... Release Print... 2/00.....