A feature documentary that I worked on - New Town Utopia - screens at the East End Film Festival on April 14th, in Birmingham at the Flatpack Film Festival on April 18th and following that a West End preview at Picturehouse Central before its cinema release. All the screenings are planned to have Q&As with director Christopher Smith and at some the cast of characters and artists from Basildon are expected to take part as well. A journey through memory, place and performance… through utopian dreams and concrete realities… the challenging, funny, and sometimes tragic story of the British new town of Basildon, Essex. Facing austerity, adversity and personal battles the citizens of Basildon are driven by a creative spirit to help their community through art, poetry, music and some rather angry puppets. Featuring Oscar-winning Jim Broadbent as the voice of Lewis Silkin MP. Having recently seen the finished film, I can tell you that it's a fantastic testament to the people of Basildon and a unique document exploring the conception of the "new town". It portrays a genuine and inherently unique place in a dreamlike tour of testimony and history with honesty, detail and artistry. The Oscar-winning actor Jim Broadbent delivers the layered voice of optimism and oppression as Lewis Silkin MP throughout. New Town Utopia was a pleasure to work on and my first feature film. I was a production assistant helping the director shoot interviews in Basildon and I also edited an early version of a trailer which helped towards the crowd-funding campaign. Christopher Smith is a super hard-working director and he's crafted a brilliant debut feature. Having stayed in touch with him for the time in which the film has been in production and then in post, I am happy to see it featured at festivals and look forward to following its progressing future. Thanks for reading - watch the trailer below and then book your tickets!
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New Film Commission 'Hildegard' Screens at Lingua Ignota at Hackney Showroom THIS Saturday21/2/2018 The last few months I've been working on a new film commissioned by Filthy Lucre for the event LINGUA IGNOTA themed on imagined languages; my interpretation of the divine visions of German nun Hildegard von Bingen. My film will be musically accompanied entirely by a vocalist and synthesiser. The event is this coming Saturday the 24th of February at Hackney Showroom. Tickets Available Online. It was a challenge to make the film (as are all films) especially in the early stages as I conceptualised with my research on Hildegard's prolific and creative life many hundreds of years ago. In particular the task of visualising these visions which resulted in the creation of fresh language, paintings, science and music felt very daunting. I've aimed to give the audience a sensory experience and offer narrative moving through the stages of the visions. Come and see the results of my work this Saturday and a night of music you won't hear anywhere else in the country, let alone London! Photo prints from my previous Filthy Lucre film commission which premiered in New York in October 2017 and earlier in the year won an Experimental Award entitled Lost In The Nameless City will be on sale at the event. They can be purchased online as merchandise on their website too. Thanks for the support and reading this blog. See you on Saturday. Next Thursday December 14th The Play Space / The Flying Dutchman will host two premiere screenings of my film work: the London premiere of Lost In The Nameless City and the world premiere of Råjberg Mile Migrates (the latter co-directed with Julie Schmidt Andreasen). Following on from its Artists Forum of The Moving Image selection in New York in October, I'm overjoyed to screen Lost In The Nameless City in London, the city of which the film observes. Råjberg Mile Migrates is a short dance film I shot on the high hills of the Råjberg Mile desert dunes in farthest North Denmark, made whilst out there shooting a separate video commission for Skagens Museum supported by the Danish Arts Foundation. The Play Space screenings marks the second in London I'll be attending this month after last week's Exploding Cinema and the last of 2017. Mark yourself as interested and find out more details such as the other films showing on the Facebook event. Thanks for reading & supporting! You can find me on Instagram: @paulfilmmaker. art Like a Terminator rising from ashes... I had assumed that after its last festival screening in 2016 that A Film By Abigail would not be shown again for some time but it will be a part of Exploding Cinema at The Horse Hospital this Saturday which looks to be a great event. And... I must admit I forgot something that happened earlier in the year; A Film By Abigail was the winner of the Documentary 2nd Prize award in Romania at the 12 Months Film Festival. A lot was happening at the time and I must have been preoccupied with other projects and work. I only went and didn't mention it! Well, there it is and to coincide with what would appear to be a last hurrah for the short documentary. A Film By Abigail premiered in 2012 as a opening film of a showcase at BAFTA and subsequently went on to feature in official selections of London Short FIlm Festival at the ICA, Los Angeles International Children's Film Festival at LACMA, New Orleans International Children's Film Festival, San Diego Comic-Con and most recently at Chinh India Kids Film Festival 2016 in New Delhi. It has also been exhibited in galleries including in London, used in a Danish film competition for Doc Lounge, been award nominated internationally in countries such as France and Russia, opened and closed programmes / festivals including in Germany and was featured in the art curriculum of a New York school for an example of international cinema. London's Ironic Exploding Cinema returns ... another night of Independent, Underground, Experimental short film. There's no knowing what will grace the screen in the room where horses once recovered from whatever Victorian London could throw at it. There's also no knowing whether YOU the audience will be in any state of recovery after FILMS, PRIZES, PSYCHEDELIC PROJECTIONS and OUTLANDISH LIVE ACTS have trotted through your brain for our amusement. I will be attending Exploding Cinema - it's not often (in fact nearly never) that screenings of my work are actually in the UK, so I'm looking forward to going and seeing the film with an audience. I'll be making announcements regarding newly commissioned video work I'll be creating for 2018 very soon and there's more official selections at events / festivals for Lost In The Nameless City I'm yet to share. Sincerely thanks for reading and supporting!
Fresh off its October world premiere in New York at the Artists Forum Festival of The Moving Image, the award-winning short documentary Lost In The Nameless City screens in the official selection of the DocFilm Festival this Friday the 17th of November in a showcase screening and a part of the Documentary Media Month. Head to the Documentary Media Centre between 4-6pm with free entry to watch the film. Check out the press release below. I've really been blessed that John Coster, journalist and director of the DocFilm Festival, has been interested in my work for the last few years and always given my work a home with selecting The Ice Cream Men, A Film By Abigail and The Next Room to screen at his events. Now in its 8th year I'm glad to see the DocFilm Festival in my hometown of Leicester continuing to progress and wholeheartedly support its growth as it boasts its unique programme and diverse selection of documentary forms on offer.
The feature documentary New Town Utopia that I worked on "about utopian dreams and concrete realities… the challenging, funny, and sometimes tragic story of the British new town of Basildon, Essex" had a preview screening at the Towngate Theatre in Basildon on 21st of October. I was on it briefly as a production assistant shooting on location and then I also edited an initial assembly trailer for director Christopher Smith. The film has moved from strength to strength completing a successful crowd-funding campaign earlier in 2017 and then the casting of Oscar-winning actor Jim Broadbent as the voice of Lewis Silkin MP as the narrator.
I hadn't seen the film in its entirety, only portions I'd worked on or with, so I watched it fresh with the audience. It is an excellent cinematic achievement that has similar visual flourishes to a documentary I really admire called Sleep Furiously; wide and distinct imagery blistering through the facade of normality allowing the viewer to truly observe what's presented looking within often overlooked surroundings. The overall narrative, stories and interviews shine through individually but there's a great sense that the town and people is one cohesive whole character; an artistic and philosophical organism wrapped in the concrete and mislead promises of years gone by. It was impressive, humorous and moving - a great film I'm proud to have had a part in making.
You can follow the progress of the film as it gears up to be screened in the UK in 2018 in cinemas and galleries with details TBA. You can follow the film on Facebook. Thanks for reading. Artists Forum New York World Premiere Tonight for Lost In The Nameless City and iTunes Score Release10/10/2017 It's finally here; the world premiere screening of Lost In The Nameless City is TONIGHT at The Artists Forum Festival of The Moving Image in Manhattan, New York City. It will take place at The Cell Theatre in the Chelsea District with all synopses and schedules for the 31 films available now online. In addition to the premiere screening, by complete coincidence (or perhaps miraculous collaboration!) Lost In The Nameless City's composer David C. Hëvvitt has released the film's score on iTunes also today and it's available here to download. The Artists Forum is an expansive and progressive entity, which has been established in New York now for a solid 19 years, also has a television show: Artists Forum TV on MNN (Manhattan Neighbourhood Network) which brings together industry expert and artists of various disciplines and mediums: In the lead up to the New York festival the lovely people at Midlands Movies did a very generous write-up about me in their "Spotlight" section a few days ago. Thank you to them for that! Well... I sincerely wish I was in New York City tonight (!) for the opening session of films in which Lost In The Nameless City is a part of. However, simply being involved in the event from afar looking across the pond is brilliant and humbling. Though damn I'd like to be there! I am really happy and proud that my film has made it into this official selection, arguably my biggest film achievement and there will be more announcements in the next weeks and months regarding the film. Follow me @paulfilmmaker on Instagram#AFFESTNYCNew York World Premiere for Lost In The Nameless City at Artists Forum Festival of The Moving Image29/9/2017 The award-winning Lost In The Nameless City will have its world premiere screening in New York City! My short experimental documentary is 1 of 31 short films selected from around the world showcased at The Cell in the Chelsea District of Manhattan. 9 countries are being represented: UK, Brazil, Canada, Cyprus, Germany, Iran, Poland, Spain and the United States with all films eligible for nominations in competition for various awards. THE ARTISTS FORUM FESTIVAL OF THE MOVING IMAGE will present a selection of innovative and critically intriguing films from extraordinary filmmakers, including several world premieres, geared to stimulate the minds and captivate the hearts of theatre-goers... We are committed to producing an unparalleled opportunity for independent filmmakers to be seen and heard in New York City’s formidable arts and media market.” The Artists Forum is in its 19th year, however this will only be the 2nd edition of the film festival as the organisation looks to expand and progress their stature as a major destination for filmmakers with the event. It runs from the 10th - 13th of October 2017 with Lost In The Nameless City screening in Session 1 on the opening night: I want to send a huge thank you to festival director Amos White V. for saying such kind words to me about the film after I learnt of its official selection, to the judging panel and those who make the festival possible. It's a cliché to say it but I am genuinely honoured for my work to be included with the other filmmakers and films selected from around the world. Instagram: @paulfilmmaker / Twitter: @paulevernon
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