Calling All Film Makers…
GLENN IBBITSON writes:
Think of Newcastle Emlyn, and international film making may not be the first thing that comes to mind, but it will in the near future if the town’s Attic Theatre Company has anything to do with it.
The inaugural Attic International Film Festival will be held in the town this autumn: 13-15 October. It is organised by four members of the thriving group: Melanie Davies, Carole King, Peter Mount and Glenn Ibbitson – all of whom are captivated by the medium of film.
Their aim is to encourage excellence in film-making and to present the movie medium to audiences through this free weekend-long event.
The invitation to submit extends worldwide. Already, within days of going live, films have arrived from the US, Iran, Canada and of course Wales.
As Glenn explains: “Attic has an 80-seat auditorium in a Grade II listed historic building in the centre of town. All selected films will be shown on a full-size screen, promising the authentic filmgoing experience. Better still, our festival will be free to the public. Our patrons are welcome to grab a seat for the whole event or simply drop in for as long as their free time allows. They can stay to view a film or three; hopefully they will return for a further hour or two later in the weekend.”
The official selection for the festival will consist of approximately 40 short films in competition. Screenings will be divided into sessions of four to six short films.
There will be awards in several categories:
Drama
Experimental
Animation
Cinematography
Documentary
Black and White [Pete and Glenn are particular aficionados of monochrome]
Music
Eco/Environmental
The ATiFF Award [the Directors’ Choice]
“The category which may appeal most to our readers is Best Made in Wales. We want to encourage home-grown talent within the umbrella of an international event. As with other media across the visual spectrum, I am confident that Welsh artists can make work to compare with product from anywhere in the world.
“Although award categories have been established, there will be no separation of genre into specific screening sessions. Audiences attending any sitting will experience a full range of visual styles and subjects.
“In one sense, the ATiFF co-directors are poachers turned gamekeepers within the Welsh film scene: film-makers turned film festival directors.”
Melanie (writer/actress), Peter (photographer) and Glenn (photographer/director) are part of the team within Attic which produced thoughtpolice4891, a portmanteau short film of about 12 minutes: a series of dramatic episodes traces the life experiences of several female characters from the pages of George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four. It centres upon human rights issues and state-sponsored oppression.
“The film was entered into the Cynon Valley Film Festival, where it won the Festival Director’s Award. We may include it in the programme at some point, though of course it will not be eligible for competition. That would be a serious conflict of interests”, promises Glenn. “After all, this is Newcastle Emlyn – not Westminster.”
You can submit your film here:
https://filmfreeway.com/
You can learn more about Attic Theatre here:
