Encounters 2012 Annual Review by Mireia O'Prey

“The short film and animation communities descend on Bristol for this annual gathering, which offers networking for pros and viewing pleasures galore for punters.” The Guardian “Opening up new avenues of cinema that we’d never really thought about before.” Crack Magazine “An unrivalled six-day celebration of the world’s best short film-making talent… prepare to be amazed at the breadth of talent on display in modern short film-making.” Venue Magazine “One of the nicer associations with the festival is the sense of community and largely supportive indie spirit, and the vibes in both regards are strong.” Skwigly “A pop-up cine sauna? A travelling cinema powered by a milk float? And there I was mourning the loss of summer. The vibrant as ever Encounters Short Film and Animation Festival will see us through autumn.” Marie Claire

18TH ENCOUNTERS SHORT FILM AND ANIMATION FESTIVAL 18 – 23 SEPTEMBER 2012 BRISTOL, UK

SHORT FILM, BOLD IDEAS

Celebrating emerging film and animation talent from around the globe creative england

EDITORIALS David Sproxton Chair Of The Board

Liz Harkman Managing Director

Mark Cosgrove Artistic Director

“Encounters is here to stay and is regarded with respect and tremendous enthusiasm by the filmmaking community worldwide”

“It is important to reflect on the impact and importance of short film festivals in the UK and across the world.”

“A range of events, from a Pop up Cine-Sauna to live music and screenings in a big top circus tent… made the city more of a character in the narrative that is the festival.”

ow 18 years old, the Festival this year really did feel as if it had come of age. The international reach, the quality of the films, the number of awards and the calibre of the special guests all pointed to the fact that Encounters is here to stay and is regarded with respect and tremendous enthusiasm by the filmmaking community worldwide. With its shift to September this year’s festival also benefitted from lighter evenings and warmer weather, encouraging people to move around the venues and take in more of Bristol’s sights and sounds. Yes, it was even possible to stand outside and talk to people without either freezing or getting soaked to the skin, so the shift in the date had definite benefits. Another new aspect of the Festival was the blogging by a small team of young journalists under the New Film Journalism Workshop, putting out a constant stream of reviews, comments and impressions as the Festival progressed. You can read some of the output in this report. It was a win/win for everyone; great commentary for the Festival participants and excellent experience for the young journalists, working in a “live” environment with tight deadlines and long hours, covering a dynamic and exciting event. Great stuff. Thanks must go to the entire Encounters team, including all the volunteers who add so much to the event every year. The Festival has a very small permanent staff and without these volunteers it would simply be impossible to stage the event, so a huge thanks for their time, dedication and commitment. Funding the Festival doesn’t seem to have got any easier over the years, on the contrary, so huge thanks must go to all those companies and people who have contributed either cash or in-kind support to Encounters once again. We hope you’ll stick with us as the Festival approaches a full two decades of screening the best of the world’s short and animated films. Now it’s time to get down to planning the 2013 Festival.

ith the 2012 festival behind us, one word that keeps coming to mind is relief. Relief that we succeeded in moving from a relatively secure position in November to uncharted territory in September: a month when Bristol comes alive with cultural activity, from See No Evil to BrisFest. It was always a concern that we would fit in and whether people would notice the move. Student numbers may have been slightly down due to the festival taking place just before Fresher’s Week, but we certainly weren’t disappointed this year by the quality of the audiences. Over the past five years we’ve been working on building a larger community following in Bristol. We present external activities to help achieve this: the 0117 Hour Film Challenge for local filmmakers and animators, the Solar Powered Cinema Tour in parks throughout Bristol and South Gloucestershire, and our education programme in partnership with FilmClub which visits Bristol schools. For 2012 we extended this with a new partner, Showcomotion, by organising a young people’s programming workshop. Read more about all these activities on page 6. As we approach our 20th year in 2014 it is important to reflect on the impact and importance of short film festivals in the UK and across the world: the value of supporting emerging and established talents, showcasing great work, and keeping the medium of short film alive in an industry of limited distribution, exhibition and revenue generation. This year several key industry events have sadly not been able to continue their work. The first to be affected was Worldwide Short Film Festival in Toronto, Canada; the second was the Rushes Short Shorts Festival in London. Both have been long-term partners of Encounters and will leave a large gap in the landscape of support for short film, which is all the more reason for us to keep working hard.

oving the dates of an established festival is always going to be a challenge, so we thought long and hard before taking the plunge. One of the rationales for the move was the potential to get visitors to Bristol engaging more with the city. We organised a range of events, from a Pop up Cine-Sauna to live music and screenings in a big top circus tent, which not only enhanced the festival’s programme but also made the city more of a character in the narrative that is the festival. However the main anxiety was, would we be able to recreate the unique buzz of previous editions; that energetic, dynamic atmosphere when creative people meet, see each other’s work and network with potential ideas and future projects? Let me tell you a story. I have always been a huge admirer of producer Jeremy Thomas. His filmography is a high watermark in independent cinema, ranging from films like Eureka and The Last Emperor to Sexy Beast and A Dangerous Method. He has worked with a Who’s Who of international directors. We invited him to the festival and he generously agreed - generously, because he rarely puts himself in front of an audience. I was a little bit nervous of what he might think about the festival, but as we walked through Watershed café/bar alive with the chatter of yet to be realised films, he said to me “Mark, there’s a real buzz here.” For me that recognition of the festival’s energy was as good as it gets. The endorsement from someone of Thomas’s experience in the film industry confirmed that Encounters is on the right track. I am delighted to say that he has agreed to be a Patron and work with us in developing the festival over the coming years. Here’s to 2013 and beyond. Mark Cosgrove

Liz Harkman

David Sproxton

FESTIVAL STAFF Thank you to all the volunteers, without whom the festival would not be possible.

Kieran Argo Animation Programme Manager

Gaia Meucci Brief Encounters Short Film Programmer

Rich Warren Operations Manager

Martin Hammond Guest Liaison Coordinator

Encounters Festival LTD

Tilly Wood Ticketing and Guest Coordinator

Watershed 1 Canon’s Road Bristol, BS1 5TX Tel: +44 (0)117 929 9188 info@encounters-festival.org.uk

Jude Lister Marketing And Events Coordinator

Emma Hardy Web and Print Coordinator

encounters-festival.org.uk Find us on

@EncountersSFF

Katrina Hood Programme Coordinator

AWARD WINNERS Brief Grand Prix

Animated Grand Prix

Brief Best of British

Animated Best of British

PREMATUR (PREMATURE)

OH WILLY...

ON THIS ISLAND

I AM TOM MOODY

Dir: Gunhild Enger (Norway 2012 - 17 mins)

“A prize like this gives me courage and energy to keep on making films. Thank you so much.” Gunhild Enger

Dir. Emma de Swaef, Marc James (Belgium, France, Netherlands 2012 16 mins 35 secs)

“As stop frame animators, Bristol holds a special place in our hearts, so we’re very happy!” Emma de Swaef and Marc James

Dir: Matthew Knott (UK 2012 – 15 mins 56 secs)

Dir: Ainslie Henderson (UK 2012 – 7 mins)

Prize sponsors:

Best of South West

Documentary Award

Brief UWE European New Talent Award

Animated UWE European New Talent Award

KLOVESTEINEN

CUTTING LOOSE

DURA LEX

Dir: Anke Blondé (Belgium 2011 – 18 mins)

KUHINA (SWARMING)

Dir: Joni Männistö (Finland 2011 – 7 mins 18 secs)

Prize sponsor:

Audience Award

Children’s Jury Award

Cartoon D’or Nomination

Depict! ’12 Award

Þegar Kanínur Fljúga (WHEN RABBITS FLY)

MUCH BETTER NOW

HEAD OVER HEELS

Depict! ‘12 British Special Mention Award

Depict! ‘12 Random Acts Special Mention Award

Dir: Anders Furevik (UK 2011 – 3 mins)

Dir: Helgi Jóhannsson, Halldór Ragnar Halldórsson (Iceland 2011 – 21 mins 23 secs)

Shooting People Depict! ’12 Audience Award

Dir: Finlay Pretsell, Adrian McDowall (UK 2011 – 30 mins)

Dir. Philipp Comarella, Simon Griesser (Austria / Italy 2011 - 5 mins 55 secs)

Dir: Timothy Reckart (UK 2012 – 10 mins 20 secs)

THE FAT CAT

Dir: Mole Hill (UK 2012)

DepicT! is supported & managed by

DepicT! Awards sponsored by

Supported by:

HEY!

Dir: Scott Coello (UK 2012)

LIVING WITH DEPRESSION

Dir: Anna Ginsburg (UK 2012)

BIG SIGNAL

Dir: Evelien Lohbeck (Netherlands 2012)

INSIDE ENCOUNTERS

Encounters Short Film and Animation Festival, in partnership with Relays at Watershed and IdeasTap, invited nine talented young journalists to cover its 18th edition via a daily blog. As part of a New Film Journalism Workshop, this dynamic editorial team worked day and night to bring audiences the ultimate lowdown on the festival as it happened. Full coverage, including video reports, interviews, photos and reviews, is available online at InsideEncounters.tumblr.com. Here are just a few edited articles.

STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS Milling around with the filmmakers, meeting new people. Musical baggage. Learning, pushing for a feature. First film, latest film, something for a charity. Worried panelists, short stories and minimalist music. Was it music? Was it just sound? Excited faces, hungry minds. Piles of Nachos. Free badges. Burning buildings and film noir. More than meets the eye. Young couples in love, perhaps too much love. Lo-fi. DLSR. Floods of light. Red luxurious empty seats of anticipation. Chitter chatter, clapping the clapper. A full house. Late night. Benji Corless

IN FOCUS: Aardman Animations On Creature Comforts: Francine Stock (to Nick Park): Has an Oscar made a difference? Peter Lord: Your wardrobe Nick Park: People would look at me differently Peter Lord: From a kneeling position if I recall… Nick Park: Curtsey, actually.

he celebration of all things Aardman kicked off with two retrospectives followed by a conversation with all three company directors - the first time in 18 years they’ve been on stage together. Aardman as we know it really came about in 1983 when Nick Park, a film student interested in 3D modelling, was given a workshop by David Sproxton and Peter Lord. They saw something in him, and in return for helping them with a shoot, they would help him create his graduate film; A Grand Day Out. Naturally things came up, and it took Park 7 years to finally finish his film. But I’m pretty glad he did! Their success boils down to two main things, talent and a little bit of luck. Channel 4 commissions played a huge part in their careers. David Sproxton said that the first time he felt like they could really make it as a company was with their first C4 commission. When asked “Did you have a mission statement?” Peter Lord replied “Survival”. The panel itself was enjoyable, with the three men having a wicked sense of humour and speaking frankly about their experiences. Also, really lovely guys. Some choice quotes:

David Sproxton on American comedy: British comedy is about losers, people at the bottom of the pile. American comedy is about people with aspirations. Nick Park on A Grand Day Out when shown at Bristol Animation Festival in 1989: It didn’t get a great reception On filmmaking: David Sproxton: Real people don’t speak like scripted dialogue. Peter Lord: Acting is all in the eyes and eyebrows Nick Park: My inspirations were from live action more so than animation. And finally, some advice for aspiring animators and filmmakers: Find people to share the experience. Try and do a lot with a little. What do you want this film to do for you? Be sure to check out the Aardman exhibition on the ground floor of the Arnolfini which is open all week and completely free. If you want a more hands on approach there’s the Rapid Prototyping Workshop and the Kids Animation Workshop, on Friday and Saturday respectively. Alice Corner

Cutting Loose, by Finlay Pretsell and Adrian McDowall, UK, 2011 13 years on from his BAFTA winning first feature, Adrian Mcdowall’s Cutting Loose proves the number is only unlucky for some. What can you do to reform a bunch of murderers, heroin addicts and misbehaving mobs? According to the Scottish Prison Service, the answer is an annual hairdressing competition. Place a pair of scissors or a razor into an inmate’s hand and trust him with your life? Anyone would be hesitant. But there should be no hesitation in going to see this beautiful and civilly obedient piece. Perhaps they are prisoners cooped up in a cage, perhaps they made a mistake in the past but don’t we all? As Cutting Loose clips together the perfect amount of sympathy to accommodate a momentary lapse in judgement, it helps blow-dry away prejudice and straightens out the fact they too are humans with aspirations and fears. A world with fresh air, outside

of impenetrable walls ensnared by barbed wire is the biggest fear for most. Without hairdressing the reigning champion, soon to be released Francis, would be “pure lost” but it’s not a thirdtime win he’s looking forward to… first prize would be walking out of those front gates. Interspliced with comic mug shots of clients’ new hairdos and a subtly crafted soundtrack that slices, snips and clips, this observational peek behind the bars of a volatile environment is more than absorbing. But the cyclical narrative is troublesome. Will Francis stay out? Or like many of his fellow convicts, is he sentenced to repeat his mistakes? Natalie Smyth

INTERVIEW: Isabella Eklöf, Director of Notes from Underground (Noter Fra Kælderen)

aving graduated from the National Film School of Denmark last year, Isabella Eklöf has already made 11 shorts including Notes from Underground (Noter Fra Kælderen), showcased at Encounters this year. The film is notable (sorry) for its pastel colour cinematography and the excruciatingly awkward, sometimes brutal and sometimes romantic, relationship between the middle aged Karlberg (Rasmus Haxen) and young girl Anita, a bold performance from Lærke Engelshart. Given the content of the film, it came as something of a surprise that when I met her yesterday to discuss the film, practically the first thing she did was buy smoothies for the both of us. Congratulations on getting the film into the festival, it’s a very provocative work. I hope that’s what you intended? Not really, no [laughs]. But that’s okay, I never intend to provoke. It’s not interesting to me. All I ever want to do is investigate something. And yeah, that may not always be so entertaining, and stuff is called ‘provocative’ to make somebody watch something that they find difficult. Do you think it’s harder to shock people today with violent video games and movies? Yes and no. There are trends to everything. This film is not about the love between and a girl it’s about domination it’s about force, but if you were to have made a film in 1910 about an older man and a young girl I don’t think many eyebrows would’ve been raised. So it’s different - what’s provoking in different ages. How important is context, so for example where and how see it? If perhaps Notes from Underground was played in an art gallery, does that change the impact? Of course. Absolutely. And the example of the art gallery is very poignant because that is a completely different audience and they have completely different expectations. Notes from Underground would be perceived differently compared to which films before, which films after. But placed in an art gallery it’d be very radical, something I would never do because I don’t perceive it as that kind of film. If I wanted to make a piece of art for an art gallery I’d make something that was cyclic and something that you could watch for ten seconds and still understand.

ParaNorman ParaNorman does a lot of things right. It twists the idea of zombies and utilises the horror genre as a motif rather than its genre. The film is witty throughout (with a striking belly laugh at the end for me) and provides tactile slapstick that children will adore. Sam has passionately worked on the title, keen to retain its “edges”, which i feel is incredibly apparent. In the Q&A afterwards he discussed how he really didn’t care so much about the age of his audience or the specific demographics, instead intending on telling a story visually and working with a format that he admires.

Which audiences reacted strongly against it? I don’t know if I can categorise it, I just know that at any screening there will be people leaving in disgust. Not for the subject matter, but something that I do to them. They think the film is bad, basically, and an insult. Like David Cronenberg said “I touch people in places they don’t want to be touched”. Exactly [laughs]. Where does your personal taste originate from, thematically? Social prison. This is just looking back at the films I’ve made. It’s not something I was conscious of when I made them. You never are. You just do something because it feels right, and then afterwards you can analyse it… I made a film about a black girl in a German bourgeois family. Like a Fassbinder film… Yeah, in a way, but more Seidl than Fassbinder. And then a Polish girl in love with a Swedish man… It’s always about constraints, about not being allowed to follow your nature. It’s something I really hate about humankind. That you’re not allowed to follow your nature. All the other animals do it [laughs]. I don’t believe in a higher entity, so I don’t see that human kind is different from any other animal species. I know that we have to constrain aggression of course because we don’t want people hurting each other. But I just can’t understand why we just don’t do whatever we feel like, why we put up all these meaningless rules for everything. Thomas Beale

Sam said that using stop frame made him “an old git going back”. The animation industry has grown stale in CG, he discussed before lording the new technologies in stop frame such as 3D printing and Microsoft’s Kinect cameras for lighting rigs. The movie’s look could quite easily be mistaken for computer graphics which may put off some die-hard fans but the photography here simply captures the pristine smoothness of design by combining Maya graphics with 3D printing to replicate each digital movement physically (although producing a colossal library of printed plastic heads). ParaNorman is a fun movie which doesn’t outstay its welcome. The film’s conceit is a little thin in places and Norman’s power is quickly forgotten amongst the mayhem but overall I would much rather see a smart character drama with a message over most of the low grade CGI sequel feature films being released in the recent months. Benji Corless

05 Report: Bafta Craft Masterclass with Lol Crawley Hand held, honest, simple, understated, bold. All statements that apply to Lol Crawley, cinematographer of Four Lions, Ballast, The Crimson Petal and the White and the upcoming Hyde Park on the Hudson. He likes to get hands on, designing his own light setups and getting down and dirty with the camera kit.

REVIEW

Horizon by Paul Negoescu, Romania, 2012 The opening shot of Horizon (Orizont) speaks the whole conceit of the film. At first, it appears to be little more than a gigantic tree arching over us as if a higher authority. In silence, it begins to topple with grace; a suitable swan song to such a majestic freak of nature. After a stunning beginning that pinned me in my seat, Horizon then reveals itself to have a much more humbling human side. Mihai Cismaru stars in the central, and only, role as a fisherman making a living from the Romanian sea. Whether he’s working or not, the fisherman spends the majority of his time waiting and smoking a faint cigarette in the searing sun. Director Paul Negoescu approaches much of this formulaic sequence as a documentarian would a subject, quietly observing the action with a lightness of touch. DP Andrei Butica helps bring the sense that this man is just a small, small blip compared to the gargantuan vessels he travels past, appearing no bigger than the letters printed on their hulls.

By keeping his sole character silent, and indeed excluding all dialogue and music from the film, Negoescu transforms Horizon into something which subverts the conventions of the monster flick genre; a twist on a legend. Just as the natural equilibrium of the forest wobbles and eventually topples, so too does the fisherman meet his fate on the cruel sea. The climax of the picture, when it comes, feels rushed resulting in a disappointing and wholly inconsequential finale for a film in which subtlety was everything. Over the past 5 years, Negoescu has established himself as a diverse short filmmaker, showing sombre and optimistic attitudes towards relationships in Examen and Radu + Ana, respectively. He’s gained 3 Golden Bear nominations at the prestigious Berlinale and with Horizon his most promising short work yet. Thomas Beale

Yet Horizon has a secret. The waves that crash against his shoddy boat don’t seem natural, almost as if something was toying with him, taunting him.

hat an exceptional and rare gift Kim Longinotto has; after nearly two hours in discussion with her at Filmmaker Focus, a packed audience had to be repeatedly asked to leave the room, such was her passion and her honesty that people simply wanted to be in her presence as long as possible. I imagine that she could have held our rapt attention if all she’d talked about was her opinion on the carpet.

Films such as The Day I Will Never Forget and Hidden Faces have caused controversy for discussing issues such as FGM, female imprisonment in the home and violent patriarchy. A gentleman put up his hand and asked a question half way through the session that began, ‘I like your films, they’re strong, but I’m from the Middle East…’ and went on to ask if she understands how patronising much of the work created by white Westerners, particularly those that negatively stereotype whole cultures, can be. Kim’s response suggested that, more than anything, she wished we could have seen more than just a snapshot of each film, and discovered that they are without political agenda, not documentaries about countries or issues, but stories about people.

The Inside Encounters team:

His early work on his friends’ films such as Field (Duane Hopkins), allowed him to cut his teeth on shorts, music videos and commercials. As his friends got successful, he grew with them and his talent shone. Somewhere along the way, he found his own voice, a British look of simplicity and realism. After working with low budgets and with very creative talent, Lol preaches an unusual doctrine: “Do less”. We are all familiar with the notion of ‘less is more’ but Lol aims to take this one stage further. He advises crews spend time on location, watching as light changes and experiencing the environment to allow it to speak for itself. Less lighting and less camera movement highlights the places where the cinematographer has chosen to apply resources and often helps give realism to a scene.

How did you spend your Thursday evening this week? Sat in a freezing circus tent in a car park behind Bristol Temple Meads watching some three Finnish men dressed as women dressed as zombies play the live score to a silent movie from early Soviet Russia on a selection of kitchen appliances? Well I did.

Her films, she said, are made with people, not about them. Time and again people want to be a part of what she’s creating, not because they want to be in a movie, but because they want to be asked questions, they want the voice the camera gives them, and because they need her to bear witness to their lives. She spoke candidly of the families who could pose questions in the presence of the camera that they might otherwise have never dared to ask, and of those who could speak freely on film in a way they couldn’t with even their closest friends. Tessa Coates

Writers: Thomas Beale, Tessa Coates, Benjamin Corless, Alice Corner, Tristan Martin, Natalie Smyth

Naturalism can often be hard to capture for filmmakers but Lol Crawley seems to have no problem at all. It can often be a tricky decision to decide whether to stylise a look onto a scene or let it speak for itself but Lol’s work comfortably balances the two. From his early work in film, Lol has an ingrained passion for the tangible qualities of the analogue. Digital brings with it immediacy on set that encourages a vaguely communistic approach to scene design. Although he has worked on high end digital cameras more recently (see his work for the BBC), he appreciates filmmaking is not all about technology. Hyde Park on the Hudson looks to be an Oscar® contender this year, so it will be interesting to watch his style change as he moves onto bigger and more expensive projects especially if the current popularity of visual realism begins to wane. Benji Corless

Report: Cleaning Women / Aelita - The Queen Of Mars

IN FOCUS: Kim Longinotto W

Showcasing several short clips of her work, Kim discussed, all too briefly, her career and early life, and the dreadful boarding school environment that may have influenced her to focus her films on characters who survive and rebel against figures of authority.

Lol has had a very different career path from most upcoming filmmakers today. Although he met his close creative partners at university, his work was almost entirely on film (both 8mm and 16mm) which is largely unheard of today. He worked his way up through the ranks as a trainee, camera loader and eventually focus puller but always managing to stay working with real film.

Duane Hopkins is known for using non-actors in scenes and has been known to grab people off the street to use their natural mannerisms without pretension. Lol feels that a simplistic set keeps non-actors at ease as well as allowing him to be more reactive when they move around in unexpected ways.

Cleaning Women, a three piece band who claim to be ‘stylish cross-dressing zombies’, tour the music festivals of Central Europe, bringing their challenging Finnish sounds to the masses. If I’m honest, I was a little disappointed in the lack of cross-dressing or zombification. They were stylish, sure, but I wanted more than some tunics and tights; I was looking for dresses and heels and blood and dismembered limbs, but no matter, they had lots of make-up and great hair so I went with it. Their instruments are made entirely from recycled materials, the main one being a modified metal drying rack, and even to someone with limited technical appreciation, the sound is astonishing. Since 2005 Cleaning Women have been composing and performing live scores to silent movies, their most famous, and the name of their second album, being Aelita - Queen of Mars. Yakov Protazanov’s 1924

Video bloggers: Alice Corner, Cristina Cretu, Tristan Martin, Luke Tucker Photographer: Rhiannon Ellis InsideEncounters.tumblr.com

Workshop organised by:

cult classic is often heralded as the first science fiction movie ever made, but it’s also a deeply political documentary on early Soviet life and attitudes to Lenin’s New Economic Program. At nearly two hours long, with several confusing and contrasting plots, some set on Mars, some later discovered to be a dream, Aelita demanded your full attention; perhaps it even demanded you do your homework in order to get the most from the experience since the film is more a piece of fascinating historical interest than it is entertainment. The accompanying performance had moments of total brilliance when the action and music merged in perfect harmony, both working to evoke the same emotion; but too often the sound, while incredible, travelled a different path to the film and fell to being repetitive. Will I be watching Cleaning Women again if they find themselves on this side of globe? Certainly, but I’ll be bringing plenty of layers, my most musically minded friends and making sure I do my homework. Tessa Coates

In partnership with:

YEAR ROUND ACTIVITIES

2012 wasn’t only about an intense six-day festival. Encounters worked year round with a range of partners to develop audiences of all ages through original and inspiring programming, as well as nurturing emerging creative talent. Outreach activities included free outdoor screenings for local communities, an educational programme bringing short film into schools and a high energy filmmaking event inspired by the London 2012 Olympics!

0117 FILM CHALLENGE

“Bristol is a city that values and crucially, nurtures talent, brings it together gives it space to be creative, and that reputation brings in more skills and abilities and new ideas. This is why events like this are so important.” Councillor Guy Poultney To celebrate the arrival of the Olympic Torch in Bristol, from 19-25 May 2012 we challenged filmmakers and animators to create a short film in just 117 hours, inspired by Sport, Games and Play in the city. Teams had the chance to win £1,000 in cash.

Derby had a difficult decision to make, but in the end were most charmed by Wind co-directed by Joanna Beard and Paul Thomson from the Bearded Gnomes team. This wonderfully humorous, eccentric piece featured a high-octane race between some tiny plastic competitors.

A total of 27 teams registered to take part, with participants coming from a wide range of ages and backgrounds, including professionals, students and film enthusiasts. 24 short film entries of all genres were submitted for the final deadline: the final competition featured everything from archival documentaries to quirky animations, live-action comedies and musical pieces.

Public screenings have showcased the 0117 films in Bristol and beyond as part of the Hansel of Film relay travelling from Shetland to Southampton, a project co-curated by the UK’s leading film critic Mark Kermode.

Jury members Col Needham, founder and CEO of IMDb, David Sproxton, co-founder and Executive Chairman of Aardman Animation and Tuisku Saralla (aka “The Blizzard”), Chair of Bristol Roller

The Bristol Encounters 0117 Hour Film Challenge was presented by Bristol Film Office, Bristol City Council, Encounters Short Film and Animation Festival and M Shed. The event was inspired by London 2012 as part of the Cultural Olympiad in partnership with Relays, Legacy Trust and Watershed.

SOLAR CINEMA We believe that great films don’t have to be enjoyed in the cinema, which is why Encounters brings shorts and animations into open, accessible and sometimes unusual public spaces, reaching out to wider audiences. The Outdoor Solar-Powered Cinema Tour visited local communities in Bristol and the surrounding area every weekend in September 2012, for free screenings of fun and family-friendly short films. The unique solar-powered cinema was provided by Know Alternative, a mobile solar unit with all equipment - including their electric milk float projector - powered by the sun. We invited audiences to bring a picnic, a blanket, friends and family and wrap up warm for a night of entertainment under the stars. As an extra treat, music festival Brisfest programmed a series of live acoustic performances as a warm up before the screenings and local caterers set up food stalls to satisfy any rumbling bellies. As part of the tour we visited a number of parks and green spaces as well as the Creative Common, a unique circus tent venue located next to Temple Meads train station. Audience response was fantastic, with the events attracting a total of over 1,000 people. The 2012 Solar Cinema Tour was supported by Bristol City Council, South Gloucestershire Council, Bradley Stoke Town Council and Friends of Page Park.

FRESH FLIX Fresh Flix caters for young people, children and their families, providing a platform for young talent to showcase their creative achievements, watch films and participate in workshops. This year it was programmed and organised by participants of Watershed’s Future Producers programme and included activities as diverse as stop-motion animation, (temporary) tattooing, puppet making and quilting. For the first time as part of this strand, in June 2012 Encounters organised a Children’s Jury programming workshop at the Showcomotion Young People’s Film Festival in Sheffield, in cooperation with FILMCLUB. The films selected by the young people during this workshop have since toured schools through 60 different screenings during the autumn, with around 300 schoolchildren (7-16 year olds) voting on their favourite which became the winner of the festival’s Children’s Jury Award. The screenings were accompanied by discussions which encouraged the young audiences to think about their viewing choices and broaden their tastes. Fresh Flix’s free open submission platform Electric December (www.electricdecember.org) celebrated young filmmaking talent. In 2012, local young people from Bristol shaped the project from concept to delivery including the selection of the films from a record number of entries. Encounters thus allowed a diverse range of young people (and more established talent) from across Europe to present and share their creativity to a worldwide audience.

“My children loved it and I like that they can explore their creativity and realise other career options” Parent of children at Animal Animation Workshop

KEY FIGURES FROM 2012 Income % Of Total Budget

Total Special Guests

13%

46%

24%

17%

SPONSORSHIP

GRANTS & DONATIONS

IN-KIND SUPPORT

EARNED INCOME

Ravi Amaratunga, Chris Auty, Paul Bush, Caroline Cooper-Charles, Lol Crawley, Laurent Crouseix, Sam Fell, Owen Gay, Alexandra Heneka, Katarzyna Klimkiewicz, Emily Kyriakides, Jukka-Pekka Laakso, Emma Lazenby, Frances Lea, Julie Lockhart, Kim Longinotto, Nick Park, Peter Lord, Fraser MacLean, Will Massa, Conor McCormack, Agnieszka Moody, Jan Naszewski, Annabelle Pangborn, Jim Parkyn, Finlay Pretsell, Marjut Rimminen, Will Rose, John Smith, Jeremy Thomas, Darren Walsh and many more.

Programme

Submissions, Box Office, Delegate passes, Advertising

Audience

1,889 Submissions 79 Representing countries

4,449

Total audience for year round activities

96%

11,531

15,980

Total festival audience

466

Total 2012 audience

of audience members felt that the overall festival was good or excellent

Fresh Flix audience

298

School screenings (from 9 schools, ages 7-16)

Delegates

660

42%

18%

12%

28%

FILMMAKERS

STUDENTS

BUYERS DISTRIBUTERS FESTIVALS

OTHER

COUNTRIES REPRESENTED BY DELEGATES

TOTAL prize money

of Delegates travelled from the local area

67 INTERNATIONAL

16 EUROPEAN

111 16 EVENTS

BRITISH

137

AWARDS

101

SOUTH WEST

£11,300

196 194

SCREENING PROGRAMMES

Recorded between April – Dec 2012

13,880

ONLINE FILM VIEWS

332

205

NATIONAL PREMIERES

41,055

Unique website visitors

7,982

27%

of Delegates travelled from other regions of the UK

324

DOCUMENTARY

4,673

Total Films Screened

56%

ANIMATION

Digital Marketing

17%

FICTION

69%

of Delegates travelled from abroad

FEATURE FILMS

36%

of Delegates were aged 18-34

of Delegates worked within the Media/ Film Industry and 33% were seeking work

SHORT FILMS

DELEGATES IN TOTAL

WITH THANKS TO OUR 2012 SUPPORTERS FUNDERS

PARTNERS

MAJOR SPONSORS