BRISTOL ENCOUNTERS FILM FESTIVAL 2011
Bristol Encounters International Film Festival is back at Watershed and the Arnolfini this week – a showcase the best short film and animation talent from around the world. The UK’s only gateway to the Academy Awards, BAFTAs, Cartoon d’Or and European Film Awards, the festival, which started on Wednesday and finishes on Sunday, showcases 180 new films from emerging and established talent from 31 countries in competition across strands Animated and Brief Encounters.
Highlights in this year’s competitive programme include: A Gun for George, directed by, and starring Matthew Holness of Garth Marenghi fame; A new work An History of Civilisation by esteemed experimental filmmaker Andrew Kotting (Gallivant, This Filthy Earth); Luminaris by the award winning Argentinian animator Juan Pablo Zaramella; Ella, the South West Digital Short by Screen International’s Star of Tomorrow Dan Gitsham; Long Distance Information, the debut drama from Douglas Hart, previously of The Jesus and Mary Chain starring Peter Mullan (Neds); Apele Tac by upcoming German filmmaker Anca Miruna Lazarescu; Pitch Black Heist, featuring recent Venice Film Festival winning actor Michael Fassbender and cinematographer Robbie Ryan; Bertie Crisp by recent NFTS animation Graduate Francesca Adams starring Kathy Burke (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) and Tamsin Greig (Tamara Drewe); Tony Grisoni, screenwriter of Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas, presents his new short film The Pizza Miracle.
For the past 12 years Mark Cosgrove, Head of Programme at Watershed has had the challenging responsibility of selecting the Brief Encounters competition programme from the 1,800 submissions received every year. From 2012 Mark will be passing the programming baton on to work as the Artistic Director of the Festival. This opens up an exciting new opportunity for a Short Film Programmer which will be advertised by the festival shortly. Alongside the board and Managing Director, Liz Harkman, Mark will focus on the overarching creative vision for Encounters as it moves into a future of exciting technological and creative opportunities. More news on these developments to be unveiled in 2012. He said: “Programming Encounters has been a great source of inspiration and perspiration: Inspiration because it never ceases to amaze me that each year such brilliant new filmmaking talent appear, perspiration because I never want to say no to a film. From next year I will be relinquishing the perspiration but will be soaking up the inspiration as I work to develop the scope of the festival in my new capacity as Artistic Director.”
For more information visit www.encounters-festival.org.uk. Join the discussion and find us on Facebook and Twitter @EncountersSFF #ENC2011
