Programme Launch
NEWS FROM ENCOUNTERS:
Bristol’s annual international festival of animated & short filmCOUNTDOWN TO ENCOUNTERS 08
BEGINS WITH PROGRAMME LAUNCH
Diary dates: Tuesday 30 September, 5pm
New-look website goes live and online ticket sales start for Bristol’s 14th annual Encounters Short Film Festival
www.encounters-festival.org.uk
Tuesday 18 to Sunday 23 November 2008, 10am - late
Encounters Short Film Festival takes place, with screenings of over 300 international short films and animations, a Film School, awards ceremony, celebrity guests, and more.
Watershed, 1 Canons Road, Bristol, BS1 5TX
The countdown to the 14th annual Encounters Short Film Festival begins today (30 September) with the online publication at www.encounters-festival.org.uk of this year’s programme of screenings, awards, celebrity visitors, skills events and industry debates, and the launch of public bookings.
BAFTA-award-winning actor and director, Paddy Considine; triple Oscar winner, Richard Williams, and Clare Kitson, the former Channel 4 commissioner credited with rejuvenating Britain’s animation industry, are among the guests confirmed for the five day festival of international short film and animation in Bristol, UK, from Tuesday 18 to Sunday 23 November.
Talks by them will be complemented by screenings of around 300 shorts and animations, from 30 countries, including newly-rediscovered early animations by Alexander Shiryaev, new BBC comedies, the finalists for the 2008 DepicT! 90-sec film challenge, the latest film by 2007’s International winner, Radu Jude (Romania), the debut short by Turner Art Prize nominee, Sam Taylor Wood, and COME HERE TODAY, starring by Rhys Ifans and exec produced by Sadie Frost.
The festival will also offer a Film School, on editing; explorations of new digital developments and pervasive media, a cinematography masterclass, guest screenings from Ireland, Poland, Russia, Scotland, UK film schools and UK-based minority filmmakers; a birthday tribute to the music videos of Bristol’s Collision Films, three new BBC music shorts, the regional premiere of WALTZ WITH BASHIR, and screenings and hands-on events for young people.
Managing Director Liz Harkman says: “It’s a terrific programme and fully reflects why Encounters is one of Britain’s best known and best liked short film festivals, and why it commands such strong local, national and international support.
The credit crunch makes these challenging times for cultural events everywhere but we feel that the industry, film students and general public won’t want to miss the rich variety of experiences we will be offering – whether their interest is in watching a visual feast, hearing fresh stories, clocking new talent, networking, learning from experts, hearing insider accounts or exploring new ideas or new technology.”
As a new service to festival-goers, the Encounters Short Film Festival website has been revamped so that it now offers an online bookings service as well as programme details, regular updates, special offers and useful links.
Tickets are also available from the festival’s main venue, Watershed, 1 Canons Road, Harbourside Bristol, BS1 5TX, telephone 0117 927 5100 (or +44 117 927 5100 for calls from outside the UK), email: info@watershed.co.uk or online via
www.watershed.co.uk.
[Please see <Highlights> doc for main listings or visit www.encounters-festival.org.uk]
The Encounters Short Film Festival is an Encounters Festivals Ltd event. Chief funders are Bristol City Council (www.bristol.gov.uk), South West Screen (www.swscreen.co.uk) and the South West Regional Development Agency (www.southwestrda.org.uk).
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MEDIA ENQUIRIES
For more info, images, interviews or press passes, please contact:
Pam Beddard, on +44 (0) 117 987 0442 or +44 (0) 7767 621207, or by emailing: pam.beddard@btinternet.com
About ENCOUNTERS SHORT FILM FESTIVAL
The Encounters Short Film Festival is run by Encounters Festivals Ltd. It began in 1994, as Brief Encounters, and initially focused exclusively on short film (ie films under 30 minutes long). In 2001, it was joined by a second festival, Animated Encounters, for animated film of all lengths. Since 2006, both events have taken place back-to-back, to pack in more screenings and enable filmmakers from both sectors to take part in events of shared interest. Chief funders are: Bristol City Council, South West Screen, and the South West England Regional Development Agency.
The Encounters Film School is funded by Skillset. Principal Sponsors are: Aardman, Films@59, HP Labs, the UK Film Council and Watershed. Major sponsors are: 4mation.com, Babelgum, Film Four, ITV West, the University of Bristol and the University of the West of England.
Additional sponsors are: BAFTA, BBC Film Network, British Council, Bristol Media, HIT Entertainment, Kodak, NAHEMI, the Polish Cultural Institute, Smith & Williamson, and UK Trade & Industry. Sponsors in kind are: A Productions, Andy’s T-Shirts, Arnolfini, Brian Wogan, Fed Ex, Goldbrick House, The Hospital, Ibis Hotel, ITFC, InBev Ltd, London Film Academy, Mercure Holland House, National Film and Television School, Tijuana Design, Premier Travel Inn, Pixillion, Visual Impact and Wonky. Media sponsors are: Shooting People, Imagine, Televisual and Vertigo.
“The big thinking short film festival” - The Guardian
