Flipside film festival
Encyclopedia
Flipside was the title of the 2008 international film festival held in Plymouth
, UK which focused on independent and experimental film practice. Flipside is also a Collective which explores participatory modes of film-making, alternatives to the industrial technical obsolescence model and takes its inspiration (and central research methodology) from the DIY punk subculture.
The first Flipside Film Festival was conceived and curated by film-maker Dan Paolantonio. The festival is a now tri-annual event, and is a public output of Dan Paolantonio's academic research. The next festival event (due May 2011) will consider the amateur family film / home movie as its central subject matter. In addition to a week-long film festival event, Flipside 2: The Familial Lens Festival will also feature a conference and academic symposium, to permit the discussion and debate of issues surrounding and pertaining to the amateur family film / home movie.
In addition to the film festival outputs, Flipside also finds form as a collective of film-makers with various outputs. The Flipside collective is currently engaged with the production of a series of micro cinema events to be held in the city of Plymouth conceived of by film-maker Allister Gall. These 'Imperfect Cinema' events will explore the potential of translating a DIY punk methodology to participatory micro cinema /film-making events. Each event will have its own manifesto and will be launched in an event featuring the reading of the manifesto, interviews with invited guest speakers, film screenings and details of masterclasses / film training to support the production of films for each project. The first event 'Imperfect Cinema Launch' will take place on October 29, 2010 at Jack Chams bar in Ebrington Street, Plymouth. The following event 'Imperfect Cinema 1' will be curated by Allister gall and will explore the democratic potential of affordable digital technology in micro cinema production. 'Imperfect Cinema 2' will be curated by Dan Paolantonio and will explore the potential of utilising redundant image-making technologies to develop a politically charged aesthetic which challenges the unsustainable 'obsolescence model' dominant in the contemporary image-making industries. Following these first three events, members of the Flipside Collective will be invited to write & present their own manifestos and hold their own events, which will be supported & produced by Allister Gall & Dan Paolantonio. Each Imperfect Cinema event will result in a publication in various media formats.
The 1st 'Flipside Film Festival' ran from 21–31 May 2008, in Plymouth and showcased both feature-length and short films. The 'Flipside' ethos is drawn along strictly non-hierarchical lines and was a filmic celebration and exploration of alternate, unorthodox and under-represented views of our world, rather than as a market place for 'film product'.
'Open Call' film entries for the first Flipside Festival could be of any genre or film-making style, although were required to explore one or more of the following thematic areas:
In addition to Flipside's Open Call there was also an 'Official Selection' programme of films as follows:
In addition to programmed Open Call & Official Selection film screenings there was various thematically relevant film workshops. The 2008 festival was anchored around a keynote screening and panel discussion event in which the works of pioneering film artist Don Letts was explored and celebrated, with Letts in attendance & leading the event.
Flipside was strictly non-hierarchical and both established and emerging film-makers shared the same platform for their works. The emphasis was very much on furthering cinematic debate and celebrating diversity of experience in film.
Flipside was the largest film festival event to have ever been held in the city of Plymouth, UK
The next Flipside Collective project is a collaboration between Allister Gall and Dan Paolantonio, which taking inspiration from Julio García Espinosa, is entitled 'Imperfect Cinema.' This project will comprise a series of participatory film-making / screening events, in which the focus is very much on collaboration, freedom of expression and intellectual curiosity. The outputs of each of the Imperfect Cinema projects will be published by the Flipside Collective in various media formats.
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
, UK which focused on independent and experimental film practice. Flipside is also a Collective which explores participatory modes of film-making, alternatives to the industrial technical obsolescence model and takes its inspiration (and central research methodology) from the DIY punk subculture.
The first Flipside Film Festival was conceived and curated by film-maker Dan Paolantonio. The festival is a now tri-annual event, and is a public output of Dan Paolantonio's academic research. The next festival event (due May 2011) will consider the amateur family film / home movie as its central subject matter. In addition to a week-long film festival event, Flipside 2: The Familial Lens Festival will also feature a conference and academic symposium, to permit the discussion and debate of issues surrounding and pertaining to the amateur family film / home movie.
In addition to the film festival outputs, Flipside also finds form as a collective of film-makers with various outputs. The Flipside collective is currently engaged with the production of a series of micro cinema events to be held in the city of Plymouth conceived of by film-maker Allister Gall. These 'Imperfect Cinema' events will explore the potential of translating a DIY punk methodology to participatory micro cinema /film-making events. Each event will have its own manifesto and will be launched in an event featuring the reading of the manifesto, interviews with invited guest speakers, film screenings and details of masterclasses / film training to support the production of films for each project. The first event 'Imperfect Cinema Launch' will take place on October 29, 2010 at Jack Chams bar in Ebrington Street, Plymouth. The following event 'Imperfect Cinema 1' will be curated by Allister gall and will explore the democratic potential of affordable digital technology in micro cinema production. 'Imperfect Cinema 2' will be curated by Dan Paolantonio and will explore the potential of utilising redundant image-making technologies to develop a politically charged aesthetic which challenges the unsustainable 'obsolescence model' dominant in the contemporary image-making industries. Following these first three events, members of the Flipside Collective will be invited to write & present their own manifestos and hold their own events, which will be supported & produced by Allister Gall & Dan Paolantonio. Each Imperfect Cinema event will result in a publication in various media formats.
The 1st 'Flipside Film Festival' ran from 21–31 May 2008, in Plymouth and showcased both feature-length and short films. The 'Flipside' ethos is drawn along strictly non-hierarchical lines and was a filmic celebration and exploration of alternate, unorthodox and under-represented views of our world, rather than as a market place for 'film product'.
'Open Call' film entries for the first Flipside Festival could be of any genre or film-making style, although were required to explore one or more of the following thematic areas:
- Films which provide the viewer / audience with the opportunity to literally 'see' our world from different and unfamiliar visual perspectives, achieved by manipulating 'the real' with various alchemic cinematic techniques & technological trickery.
- Films which celebrate non-mainstream / non-traditional and minority viewpoints and experiences of our world (especially political / spiritual / ideological viewpoints and experiences that are under-represented by mainstream broadcast media): A thematic celebration of the diversity of experience in our world and a challenge to the institutional shortcomings of 'broad' cast media.
- Films which creatively embrace 'endangered' media practices, processes and technologies, featuring everything in the 4:3 aspect ratio, from Super8, Standard 8, & Standard 16mm film, to analogue & pixelvision 'toy' video. This is the thematic antidote to HDTV, where the focus is the celebration and exploration of the gloriously rarefied and obsolescent, rather than the aggressive product-profit driven 'technical redundancy & replacement' industry model.
In addition to Flipside's Open Call there was also an 'Official Selection' programme of films as follows:
- 'Tony Hill: A Retrospective' (Including Laws of Nature / Downside Up / History of the Wheel (UK)
- 'Super-8 Cities' by Nathan Coombs (UK)
- 'Our Sufferings in This Land' by Ed Hill (UK / Palestine)
- 'She's A Punk Rocker: UK' by Zillah Minx (UK)
- 'There is No Authority but Yourself' by Alexander Oey (NL)
- 'Confusions of an Unmarried Couple' by Jason & Brett Butler (CAN)
- 'ALF: Behind the Mask' by Shannon Keith (USA)
- 'The Dead Brothers: Death is Not the End' & 'Zownir: Radical Man' by M.A. Littler (GER)
- 'Dancehall Queen' & 'Westway to the World' by Don Letts (UK)
In addition to programmed Open Call & Official Selection film screenings there was various thematically relevant film workshops. The 2008 festival was anchored around a keynote screening and panel discussion event in which the works of pioneering film artist Don Letts was explored and celebrated, with Letts in attendance & leading the event.
Flipside was strictly non-hierarchical and both established and emerging film-makers shared the same platform for their works. The emphasis was very much on furthering cinematic debate and celebrating diversity of experience in film.
Flipside was the largest film festival event to have ever been held in the city of Plymouth, UK
The next Flipside Collective project is a collaboration between Allister Gall and Dan Paolantonio, which taking inspiration from Julio García Espinosa, is entitled 'Imperfect Cinema.' This project will comprise a series of participatory film-making / screening events, in which the focus is very much on collaboration, freedom of expression and intellectual curiosity. The outputs of each of the Imperfect Cinema projects will be published by the Flipside Collective in various media formats.