COMPETITION WINNER: Visiting BFI's Future Film Festival - Courtesy of Dogwoof!

VISITING
BFI's  FUTURE  FILM  FESTIVAL
compliments  of  DOGWOOF!

The British Film Institute held its annual 'Future Film Festival' from the 21st to 23rd of February for people aged 15-25 looking to progress in areas of the film industry. It's divided into Fiction, Animation and Documentary over three days. Held at the BFI Southbank in London, visitors are treated to: masterclasses, Q&As, workshops and screenings all geared towards helping attendees progress in their respective field. I entered a competition on Twitter to be a part of it and was selected by DOGWOOF (a fore-running DVD distributor of excellent documentaries) for two tickets to attend the Documentary Day.

Hussain Currimbhoy presents at BFI

When I arrived at the BFI, there was a really great energy in the air from people, a buzz from the festival. In the morning, I attended an IdeasTap presentation about breaking into the documentary industry, with a panel made up of accomplished filmmakers Katrina Mansoor and Tristan Anderson. I thought this was a useful talk and had a solid unpatronising vibe which resonated with me. They talked a lot about the personal side of making films and how it affects normal life. Of course, they're things I am (and I'm sure others are) sorely aware of. Though a reiteration from persons deep in the industry is a reassuring statement as someone like myself adjusts and moves forward through inevitable difficulty that can affect self-esteem and motivation. I talked to Tristan after the session about my work and he was really pleasant to talk to. He invited me to submit to his own screening/network night as an opportunity for me, the well-known DocHeads.

The second session was presented by Hussain Currimbhoy, a programmer of Sheffield Doc/Fest. I really enjoyed this Prezi rundown of a (brief) history of documentary film. It encompassed many theories, styles and international works into a tight schedule that moved from the dawn of film chronologically to modern day. Considering the 2 hours or less he had, I was very impressed at the scope of it! I came away with new films I'd jotted down to watch and a re-appreciation of many others.

Sadly, the third session didn't take place. Call in Sherlock, because the speaker who was going to talk about funding myths disappeared... If anyone knows what happened and why, I'd love to know?! Apparently he just walked away. Perhaps he felt inspired? Perhaps I'm being overly optimistic? Haha, it was shame but oh well, I was left with more time to delve into the BFI Shop a.k.a. The Abyss of Treasures. I'd been dying to go in there all day and it was a real treat, as I'd assumed. The shop contained masses of cinema and no less than the whole libraries of my favourite DVD labels: MASTERS OF CINEMA, ARROW VIDEO and BFI DVD. It felt like Toys R' Us in the 90s. Absolutely amazing.

Referencing from earlier, check out IDEASTAP if you haven't done so already. I met my collaborator for THE BODY CANVAS on the site and it's a valuable resource for artists/filmmakers in terms of connecting, funds and networking.

Thanks for reading about my time at the Future Film Festival and THANK YOU Dogwoof for selecting me for the Documentary Day tickets. It was much appreciated!

Follow Me On Twitter @PaulEVernon & Check These Guys Out!:
DOGWOOF >  @dogwoof
IDEASTAP >  @IdeasTap / @IdeasTapJobs
DOCHEADS >  @DocHeads
BRITISH FILM INSTITUTE >  @BFI
MASTERS OF CINEMA >  @mastersofcinema
ARROW VIDEO >  @ArrowFilmsVideo

In the BFI lobby.