Ever the supporter of upcoming film-makers and festivals, THN want to guide you in the direction of Underwire, the UK’s only short film festival dedicated to showcasing the raw cinematic talents of women. They’ve just announced the programme for their third annual festival, that runs 20th – 24th November at the fantastic Ritzy Cinema in Brixton, London.
It’s set to feature an eclectic mix of genres, themes and aesthetic styles across ten programmes, plus the festival welcomes two new award categories this year for Best Sound Designer and Best Actor. These ten craft awards aim to recognise outstanding female film practitioners working in the UK today.
Highlights from this year’s festival include The Art of Science, sponsored by the Wellcome Trust – a programme of weird and wonderful biomedical shorts, made by women, followed by a discussion and drinks with scientists; LOCO presents Live Wire, a night of live and filmed comedy, featuring up and coming talents Lady Garden, ; Carol Morley (DREAMS OF A LIFE) and guests Underwire and Sight & Sound launch their exciting new competition for women film journalists. Helen Jack, the festival co-Director had this to say about the event:
“Underwire has boomed this year, our 2012 Tour across the UK has opened our eyes to the amount of female film talent we have in this country, and the duty we have to nurture it”.
Founder & co-Director Gemma Mitchell added,
“With a trebling in submission numbers this year, we?re reminded of how necessary a festival like Underwire is. Inequalities still exist in the industry – for a multitude of reasons – and with each festival we try and address these issues and push progress forward”.
The films in this year’s festival put interesting female characters at their center, featuring an OAP activist, an eccentric engineer, and a female boxer who battles with discrimination. With a mix of animation (BELLY, TOSH), documentaries (ANOTHER NOTE, RACING TIME), drama (SUMMIT, WILD) and experimental film (ANATIDAE, MOMENTS), these films will inspire and excite audiences.
Alongside the film programme, UnderWire is hosting a day of affordable industry events on Saturday 24 November. Sessions include Walking the Wire, a marathon workshop providing practical and empowering information vital for women working in the creative and media industries; In Your Own Hands, which looks at why DLSRs are changing DIY filmmaking from the avant-garde to the mainstream, and Script, Shoot, Slice, Screen will take an in-depth look at the craft of a short film from start to finish, through a series of Q&As and screenings.
Follow Underwire – facebook.com/underwirefestival and twitter.com/underwirefest
