Preview: Aesthetica Short Film Festival 2013
It is often said that opposites attract. This saying will certainly speak true on the weekend of 7-10 November, when the historic city of York will be hosting one of the most contemporary film festivals around. This fusion of old versus new, of timber-lined streets versus digitally drenched screens, is precisely what sets the Aesthetica Short Film Festival (ASFF) apart from the rest. Three hundred film shorts from thirty different countries will be screened in an assortment of venues, bringing together and exhibiting international cinema at its very best.
As a Londoner, I shamefully admit that up until now I’ve been pretty lazy when it comes to venturing beyond my hometown to seek out art and culture. Naturally I’m excited to visit York and see what the festival has to offer. Across the four days of the festival, the hum of projectors will resonate from fifteen distinctly different venues across the city. The itinerary promises an eclectic mix of screening locations in which festivalgoers will be able to explore York’s culture whilst immersing themselves in the best of short film. They will be able to leave screenings in some of the city’s most iconic medieval sites, such as Kings Manor, in time to catch showings at smaller, more intimate locations such as the According to McGee gallery or the White Stuff store.
Of course no film festival would be complete without the presence of a few famous faces and Aesthetica 2013 won’t disappoint. An impressive array of talks, master classes and panel discussions will come from some of the industry’s finest, including speakers from Channel 4, Raindance Film Festival, Warp Films and Film4. Amongst some of the must-see speakers are Alice Lowe – co-writer and star of Ben Wheatley’s critically acclaimed Sightseers – who will be discussing the art of screenwriting, and Warp Film’s very own Barry Ryan, the producer behind This is England, Submarine and Four Lions. The panel discussion “Is a Short Ever just a Short?” promises to be a lively debate on the nature of short films, with representatives from BAFTA and the London Film School on the table.
The fact that I’ve not yet touched on the brilliant new films to be showcased is testament to the unique atmosphere of the festival. Here I’ve rounded up an assortment of the shorts to look forward to:
- Lost Senses, from Polish director Marcin Wasilewski, is one of the most heavily talked about animations this year. Having won the Jury Award at the Siggraph 2013 Animation Festival, it has received much attention in recent months. Taking its inspiration from the paintings of Giorgio de Chirico (Google “Mystery and Melancholy of a Street” to get the idea) the film combines the artist’s disorientating visuals with what Little White Lies have named “whimsical charm”.
- Man vs. Sand, created by UK-based NonPop Productions, was influenced by the Theatre of the Absurd and takes place on a post-apocalyptic beach (unsurprisingly it fits in well with the Experimental category).
- For music fans, one of the most exciting entries within the Music Video category this year will be the much-anticipated Bat for Lashes video, Lilies (in which I’ve heard life-sized puppets feature heavily).
- Others needing mention are the award-winning documentary Unravel from director Meghna Gupta, and Kevin Lim’s Australian comedy The Pledge for Mr. Bunny.
It seems to me that, ultimately, this festival is about the synthesis of the old and the new. ASFF is increasingly becoming synonymous with a world of film enthusiasts who desire more from the medium than the average trip to their local multiplex. Creating new and immersive ways to watch films, as Secret Cinema and Hot Tub Cinema have been doing, is what short film needs right now. Through ASFF’s blend of exquisite new cinema and iconic locations, the act of film going will fully reclaim the sacredness it once enjoyed. York is the ideal setting for viewers who want to immerse themselves in beautiful and engaging films nestled within some of England’s most distinctive locales. If that’s not reason enough to leave my precious London in the name of cinema, I don’t know what is.
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When: Thursday, November 7, to Sunday, November 10
Where: Venues across York
Tickets: Three-day pass £18-£30, Individual Day passes also available
The Boar will be covering the Aesthetica Short Film Festival
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