Friday, 21st November 2008
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Encounters Film Festival Finds a Dark Thread amid Global Entries
Screen actor Paddy Considine, 15-year-old first-time screenwriter, Megan Elliot, the French video artist Jean Gabriél Périot, a Mexican e-comic book creator, and the twice Academy Award nominated animator Bill Plympton (US) are among those who will be vying for honours when the 13th annual Encounters Short Film Festival takes place in Bristol from 21 to 25 November.
Before agreeing the 187-strong shortlist for the 15 major awards that will be presented on Saturday 24 November, the festival's preliminary jurors viewed more than 1,700 entries from a record 66 countries including, for the first time, Belarus, Ecuador, Ghana, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Uruguay, Western Sahara and Zambia.
Festival managing director, Sue Lion, says: "In choosing the finalists for Encounters 2007, our selectors have picked 187 films that tell very different stories - funny, tragic, scary, dramatic, shocking - and in a broad mix of styles, from live action thrillers to charming animation. Each of them deserves to engage attention. But what is also fascinating is how the entries provide a barometer to the mood and preoccupations of the world today. Despite the number of entries seen, and the huge diversity of countries, cultures and styles represented, there's a thread of darkness running through many of films. Loss, the threat of violence, anxiety about change and the things that may go bump in the night are themes that occur again and again. Even the comedies often have a hint of black humour about them."
Of the 300+ films that will be screened in Bristol when the festival takes place, from 21 to 25 November, over 120 will be UK or international premieres. Other attractions at Encounters 2007 include:
a major debate on animation training, exploring whether UK schools are equipping graduates to work in the global industry
the unveiling of the UK's list of contenders for an international list of the all-time best short films
interviews/talks with Frank Cottrell Boyce, Shane Meadows, visual effects guru Henry LaBounta and the star of SE Asian cinema, Royston Tan
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