17–26 November 37fi lms Animations, documentaries, dramas 11programmes 10 days
FREE iwm.org.uk/film-festival SCREENINGS #IWMFilmFest @I_W_M IWM SHORT FILM FESTIVAL 2017
From the Syria conflict to modern terrorism and from suffragette surgeons to war art, IWM Short Film Festival presents an imaginative, edgy and challenging selection of films responding to past and contemporary conflict. The Festival shows documentaries, dramas and animations by filmmakers from all over the world. Our screenings explore themes like displacement, hope and fear and our special evening events offer an insight into the challenges of documenting terror and a chance to experience a hostile environment workshop. Six awards will be given out to remarkable films, and at each screening you can cast your vote for the Audience Vote Award. Filmmakers will also be in with a chance of having their film screened at Picturehouse Cinemas. The Festival is part of Age of Terror: Art Since 9/11, a major exhibition season showcasing contemporary artists’ responses to war and conflict since the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001.
The films are presented within themed programmes, which cover animations, dramas and documentaries. All daytime screenings are drop-in and free of charge.
Please note that some of our films are unsuitable for children or contain flashing images. They are marked as follows:
– contains adult themes including strong language and scenes of a graphic, violent or sexual nature.
– contains some strong language and scenes of moderate or brief violence.
– contains sequences with flashing images. Courage 44mins of 93-year-old John Wilkinson invites the audience to question Two gripping stories of the and listen to those around horrific conditions of war us. Defined by its charismatic and the decisions to risk storyteller and interviewee, the everything for victory. film pays homage to one of the dwindling number of heroes SATURDAY 18 | MONDAY 20 from the Second World War. 02 The Orange Story SATURDAY 25 NOVEMBER Eugene Park, Erika Street Hopman Displacement 46mins 17mins Set in the United States during Four personal tales that the Second World War, Koji explore the experience of Oshima is the owner of a small being forced to leave home grocery store, but as a Japanese and start anew. American he must abandon everything and report to an FRIDAY 17 | WEDNESDAY 22 assembly centre. A moving 01 Fray Bentos SUNDAY 26 NOVEMBER story of friendship and fear in Callum Burn the midst of wartime hysteria. 27mins An edgy, claustrophobic First World War drama that portrays the struggle of a tank crew during the Battle of Passchendaele in 1917. Based on true events, the film captures the grim conditions and enveloping helplessness that 01 The Box overtakes the crew when they Merve Cirisoglu Cotur 03 Beauty of a Stateless Mind find themselves stranded in no 7mins Lutia Swan-Hutton man’s land for three days. A striking and stirring animation 10mins shot from the perspective of a WINNER: Annie Dodds Award child who finds his life forever for Best Documentary changed by the conflict in WINNER: IWM Special Category: Syria. Accompanied by his cat, Age of Terror and with no belongings except Sensitive and compassionate, for a cardboard box, the film Beauty of a Stateless Mind chronicles his journey from delves deep into the lives loss towards hope. of three artists living in ‘The Jungle’, Calais’ refugee camp. 02 The Gentleman Next Door Their day-to-day struggles and – The John Wilkinson Story dreams of a different future John Mollison are interwoven with reflections 17mins on art and creativity that Reliving his days as a Spitfire challenge our assumptions on pilot, this affectionate portrait what it is to be a refugee. 04 Fragments 01 Lula 03 Yara’s Home Carlos Cova Aoife O’Kelly Emilie Baillargeon 12mins 17mins 15mins Emir Kamenica and his family WINNER: Best Creative Response Forced to flee Syria in 2011, Yara were among the hundreds of WINNER: Best Student Film is passionate about photography thousands of refugees that Based on a true story, and set and its ability to capture a fled their homeland during the in German-occupied Poland moment in time. Yara’s Home Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s. during the Second World War, eloquently explores concepts of Inventively shot and edited, the pregnant Lula receives displacement and memory, Fragments provides a deeply unwelcome visitors searching and the struggle between personal account of the for her husband. What will yearning for the past and the outbreak of war, its profound Lula do? As the encounter need to build a new future. and lasting effect on Emir’s unfolds, she is faced with family and how memories a moral dilemma and the fracture over time. tension mounts.
Family 50mins
A selection of films exploring the impact of conflict on those closest to us and 04 Hitler Was My Neighbour on future generations. Tom Young 8mins SUNDAY 19 | FRIDAY 24 02 Writing the Peace Hitler Was My Neighbour tells SATURDAY 25 NOVEMBER A D Cooper the unlikely story of Edgar 10mins Feuchtwanger, a 92-year-old At the close of the Second German Jew who lived on the World War, the Allies found same street as Hitler during themselves without a the 1930s and escaped with surrender document for the his family before the outbreak Germans to sign. Combining of the Second World War. A archive material and family compelling and curious tale interviews, Writing the Peace of an incognito upbringing. tells the surprising story of John Counsell, an actor- turned-soldier, who had ninety minutes to choose the words that would formally put an end to the war. Fear 35mins Co-directed by Syrian refugees harrowing testimonies of those living in exile in Turkey, War Log fl eeing from confl ict. The fi lm A compelling set of fi lms condenses the thoughts and challenges our preconceptions visualising the agony caused experiences of a Syrian soldier. of what life as a refugee is like by having to fi ght for one’s life. Split into three chapters and using and stresses the importance of diary extracts, this challenging, understanding and empathy. SATURDAY 18 | MONDAY 20 abstract fi lm combines animated THURSDAY 23 NOVEMBER toy soldiers and images of confl ict to potent eff ect. Hope 45mins
A series of fi lms that balance the atrocities of war with crucial moments of progress and triumph.
FRIDAY 17 | TUESDAY 21 SATURDAY 25 NOVEMBER 01 Kitty’s Fortune 03 L’Hiver – Winter Sophie Shad, Adam Mario M.Maquedano Baroukh, Dalton Deverell 7mins 12mins During a lesson, a young dancer After being on the run for three is put through her paces when years, Kitty and her mother a door suddenly opens and Rosa are captured by the Nazis soldiers enter the room. In a and taken to concentration matter of seconds, her teacher camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. is ushered out and she is Based on real events, the fi lm dancing for her life. A tense and 01 The invisible killer of tells the powerful story of Kitty’s enigmatic exploration of artistic World War I: Blast injury fi rst night in the camp and her expression and violence in a Amanda Alfaro Córdoba encounter with a palm reader nameless, totalitarian state. 9mins who predicts the future. Using archival material, this meticulously researched documentary illuminates the impact of blast injury and highlights the pivotal role played by neurologist Augusta Klumpke. Concisely charting the developments in neuroscience and treatment of the ‘invisible 04 Do not come killer’, the fi lm reveals the 02 War Log to Europe decades of research that now Ahmed Otham, Pontus Joneström, inform modern medicine. Mustafa Abdullatif, Minna Lundberg, Hesham Eiras, Abdul Hanna Pousette Sattar Alherek, Ahmed 12mins Kanjo, Yara Ibrahim, Unearthing the current issues of Hibato Allah Joumaa displacement in the Democratic 4mins Republic of the Congo, Do not come to Europe relays the often Legacy 41mins
Three contemporary interpretations of critical events in history, exploring how the past can help our understanding of conflict today. 02 Through My Eyes: 02 Deeds not Words: Hani’s Journey SUNDAY 19 | THURSDAY 23 The Suffragette Zahra Mackaoui SUNDAY 26 NOVEMBER Surgeons of WWI 30mins Alison Ramsey An intense and intimate 13mins portrait of blind Syrian refugee WINNER: Best Use of IWM Hani Al Moliya, who uses Archive Material photography to relate to the As part of the broader campaign world around him. Inspiring and for women’s right to vote, emotional, this documentary suffragettes Flora Murray and is a story of courage and Louisa Garrett Anderson founded determination set against the the Endell Street Hospital, run backdrop of the ongoing Syria 01 A Letter to Auschwitz entirely by women. Skilfully conflict and migrant crisis. Melissa Varela using rarely seen photographs, 3mins letters and archival film, it tells A Letter to Auschwitz is a the remarkable story of the poetic and personal reflection women who tirelessly worked on the Holocaust and how at the hospital. it has forever changed our understanding of history, memory and humanity. Powerful and thought- provoking, the film takes us 03 In Defense of through the modern-day, empty the Rocket corridors of concentration Martin Ginestié camp Auschwitz-Birkenau and 6mins invites us to reflect on what the 03 Boy Soldiers: voices The ebb and flow of the camp signifies today. from the Great War Middle East Peace Process is Mark Maxwell charted through a collection 25mins of photographs and set to Interweaving archival film the rhythms of Beethoven’s with extracts from original Symphony No 7. The iterative letters written by those at and circular nature of the the front, Boy Soldiers: voices process is expressed through from the Great War is a multi- the juxtaposition of imagery and textured and poignant film that deftly edited to the tensions reimagines the lives of young and repetitions of the music. men from Islington who joined up, many never to return home. Loss 36mins refugee camp. This moving Hungarian border as forced documentary gives an insight labourers – many will not return. A selection of fi lms into the lives of children who In this perilous environment, three highlighting the loss of have been uprooted by confl ict. people, all acquaintances, make youth, innocence and home life or death decisions. Set in one in times of war. room, Visitor is a claustrophobic and unsettling ensemble piece. SATURDAY 18 | TUESDAY 21 SUNDAY 26 NOVEMBER
03 South Forest Wenrui Huang 7mins In a world in which food is 02 Horseshoe Theory precious and human kindness Jonathan Daniel Brown 01 Chronicles of a Migrant often a scarce commodity, South 12mins Zena Assi Forest tells the powerful story of a After arranging a weapons deal 3mins young girl caring for the animals in online, a white supremacist A poignant depiction of a an abandoned zoo. This colourful and a member of the Islamic migrant’s odyssey as he is and abstract animation creates a State meet behind a diner to forced to fl ee his war-torn dark, surreal space that portrays fi nalise the exchange. After a homeland in search of a Gaza from a diff erent perspective. tense beginning, the odd pair new life. This imaginative fi nd they have more in common and multi-layered animation than they imagine and their captures the meandering voyage Relationships 41mins relationship changes. of despair and transcendent A provocative comedy with humanity as the migrant searches Three fi lms exploring how a twist. for a country to call home. war can forge, cement and destroy relationships.
SUNDAY 19 | TUESDAY 21 FRIDAY 24 NOVEMBER
03 Lancaster 02 Eyes in Qaah Philip Stevens Tamim Kalash 15mins 26mins A remarkable story of a Katia and Fatima love to write Lancaster bomber crew that and sing songs about their 01 Visitor embarks on a dangerous hopes and dreams for the future. Stef de Hoog mission from Lincolnshire to Forced to leave their homes in 13mins occupied France. Intertwining Syria, the girls and their families Hungary, 1944, thousands of reports of eyewitnesses, fi nd shelter in the Qaah Roma are sent to the German- veterans, reconstructions and fl ashbacks, the fi lm adeptly Sacrifi ce 51mins distils the perilous experiences of Royal Air Force crew more A series of poignant fi lms than seventy years ago. exploring the sacrifi ces willingly and unwillingly made in times of war. Responses 37mins 02 Escape From Disorder FRIDAY 17 | WEDNESDAY 22 Three artistic works Nathalia Bell SUNDAY 26 NOVEMBER experimenting with diff erent 6mins ways of visualising and Experimental and absorbing, interpreting confl ict. the fi lm interrogates the rise and fall of the Third Reich, SATURDAY 18 | THURSDAY 23 but also the role and allure of FRIDAY 24 NOVEMBER cinema in cultivating ideology, infl uencing audiences and how we frame the past through fi lm. With its haunting soundtrack and contemporary resonances, 01 Fallen Leaves Escape From Disorder d e fi e s Elliot Wallis easy categorisation. 14mins ‘I was shot down today – a most novel experience’. A tribute to the young fi ghter pilot George Barclay 01 Peter Kennard – who played a signifi cant role in the Unoffi cial War Artist Battle of Britain. Using excerpts Roland Denning from his secret diary, archive fi lm 12mins and reconstructions of his exploits, A revealing study of Peter the fi lm helps us to understand the Kennard, one of Britain’s leading 03 Road Through War realities of aerial warfare. political artists, and his fi rst Louie Palu major retrospective at IWM. 19mins Documenting his early Cold War A road trip through unexpected infl uences and development locations in the battle-scarred as an artist, the fi lm examines landscape of East Ukraine how his imagery has become presents the stories of civilians, synonymous with the modern soldiers and journalists whose protest movement. lives are aff ected by the confl ict that started in 2014. Highly atmospheric and 02 A War to End No Wars beautifully shot, Road Through Ruth Coggins War provides a unique view of 5mins life in war-torn Ukraine. A poignant stop motion animation depicting the journey of soldier Tommy Atkins through the trenches and terrifying battlefi elds of the First World War. Accompanied by a strumming melody, A War to End No Wars explores the despair experienced in confl ict and is a tribute to all of Trauma 49mins civilian life. A powerful and those who served. penetrating assessment of one Four fi lms highlighting the man’s struggle with his past and physical, emotional and journey towards understanding. psychological impact of confl ict on everyday lives.
MONDAY 20 | WEDNESDAY 22 SATURDAY 25 NOVEMBER
03 The Devil’s porridge in Gretna Samuel Bowman 03 The Victorious 9mins Chris Anstey The quiet town of Eastriggs in 10mins Scotland becomes a hive of After a tragic incident on the activity in 1916 when 17,000 way to the battlefi eld, Private workers, mostly women, descend 01 Tommy – William Davis struggles with on the town to work in the largest Remembrance of the post-traumatic stress disorder cordite production plant in the Dishonoured Casualties as he enters the frontline. How country: HM Factory, Gretna. The James Sieradzki will he cope under the German fi lm provides a comprehensive 3mins onslaught? A taut and gripping and illuminating portrait of Haunted by the horrors of the take on the horrors of the First the hazardous working First World War, an anonymous World War as experienced conditions endured by the soldier struggles to readjust through the psychological munition workers. to civilian life and escape his prism of one man. traumatic past. An experimental and artfully rendered fi lm that explores the intensity of memory and the pity of war.
04 On the Road to Relief 04 The Survivor Jake Graves Danial Afzal 23mins 26mins At its peak there were 10,000 On 16 December 2014 inhabitants of the Calais migrant 02 Spike gunmen enter the Army camp known as ‘The Jungle’, Simon Cross, Public School in Peshawar, many of whom were supported Ian Tierney Pakistan, killing over 150 by volunteer organisations. 10mins children and staff .The Skilfully contrasting the An ex-soldier who served Survivor is the personal demolition of the camp with in Northern Ireland and account of Muhommad the continuing eff orts of the now suff ers from post- Muneeb Khan who strives volunteers, On the Road to Relief traumatic stress disorder to fi nd meaning and purpose reveals the complex realities of uncompromisingly recounts after losing his brother in humanitarian intervention. his experiences of military and the massacre. TIMETABLE
12pm 1pm 2pm 3pm Friday Sacrifice – Displacement Hope 17 November
Saturday Fear Responses Loss Courage 18 November
Sunday Relationships – Legacy Family 19 November
Monday Fear – Courage Trauma 20 November
Tuesday Loss – Hope Relationships 21 November
Wednesday Trauma – Displacement Sacrifice 22 November
Thursday Responses – Legacy Fear 23 November
Friday Family – Responses Relationships 24 November
Saturday Hope Family Courage Trauma 25 November
Sunday Legacy Displacement Loss Sacrifice 26 November
Please note that some of our films are unsuitable for children or contain flashing images. They are marked as follows:
– contains adult themes including strong language and scenes of a graphic, violent or sexual nature.
– contains some strong language and scenes of moderate or brief violence.
– contains sequences with flashing images. SPECIAL EVENTS Evening events exploring the challenges faced by frontline war reporters and filmmakers in an age of terror.
Documenting Terror: Conflict Journalism Since 9/11 Panel Discussion | IWM London | 22 November 2017, 7pm | £15, £12 How has the landscape of newsgathering evolved since 9/11? A panel of leading journalists, filmmakers and academics will discuss how conflicts and acts of terror have affected how media is produced and used by audiences and journalists alike.
Panellists include: Vaughan Smith, Frontline Club founder and independent video journalist; filmmaker Christian Stephen, the first person to film 360° footage in a war zone; and Daniella Peled, Managing Editor of the Institute of War and Peace Reporting.
Includes exhibition entry to Age of Terror: Art since 9/11, a major exhibition showcasing contemporary artists’ reponses to war and conflict since the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001.
Filming Under Fire: Hostile Environment Experience Interactive Workshop | IWM London | 23 November 2017, 7pm | £25, £22 A unique opportunity to take part in a hostile environment experience session with 1st Option Safety Group, responsible for training journalists from leading news organisations including BBC, CNN and ITN. This interactive workshop will introduce participants to the practicalities of preparing, planning and navigating a conflict zone – expect first-hand insight.
Please note: This workshop involves role play, footage of combat situations, gunfire sounds, and accounts of casualties, which some visitors may find distressing. Not suitable for under 18s.
Conflict on Screen: Best of IWM Short Film Festival Screening | Picturehouse Central, London | Wednesday 6 December, 6:30pm | £10, £8 The most hard-hitting, relevant and inspiring films relating to war and conflict in 2017, presented by Picturehouse Cinemas and Imperial War Museums. Featuring an introduction and Q+A with Matt Lee, Festival Director. iwm.org.uk/film-festival DON’T MISS
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iwm.org.uk/fi lm-festival #IWMFilmFest @I_W_M IWM SHORT FILM FESTIVAL 2017 AWARDS
Matt Lee, IWM Short Film Festival Director, says…
“The sheer amount of entries for this year’s IWM Short Film Festival was incredible, and it is a testament to the quality of the submissions that we have a shortlist of nearly 40 powerful and provocative films – more than we’ve ever showcased previously. We’re very excited to be presenting the films thematically, as we feel it allows new and stimulating ways to for audiences to engage with the topic matter. Films featuring this year are as varied and wide-ranging as an animation about a zoo in Gaza, to a reimagining of the experience of life in the trenches for soldiers during the First World War.”
Lord David Puttnam, Patron of IWM Short Film Festival, says…
“My dad was one of the very first war photographers in the Second Word War, and I was brought up on a diet of war films, which were so popular in the 1950s. None of those films would have been as vivid and as credible had it not been for the real material that is available in the archives of the Imperial War Museum. The fact that these events are recorded possibly allows us to become a little more human, a little more understanding and even a little wiser about conflict and the impact it has on our fellow human beings. I hope that the Film Festival will have a role in promoting the importance of not just the Imperial War Museum, but the issue of war, and the role that film has played in our understanding of conflict.”
There are six award categories for IWM Short Film Festival 2017:
– The Annie Dodds Award for Best Documentary – Best Creative Response – IWM Special Category: Age of Terror – Best Use of IWM Archive Material – Best Student Film – Audience Vote Award
SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE
Share what you thought of IWM Short Film Festival on Twitter via @I_W_M using #IWMFilmFest or find us on Facebook and Instagram Prizes for 2017 include:
– Two archive and restoration packages of up to £5,000 each with R3Store Studios Ltd – A 12-week paid internship with October Films – Five days access to a fully equipped studio space or high-end post-production facilities at London South Bank University – Use of one of King’s College London’s historic venues for a film premiere
The winners were announced at an awards ceremony held at IWM London on 15 November 2017.
With thanks to our judges and patrons:
Lord David Puttnam (Academy Award-winning Producer); Lydia Beilby (Edinburgh International Film Festival); Sheyma Buali (BBC Arabic Festival); Jemma Desai (Shorts and Global Exhibition, British Council); Chris Elliott (London South Bank University); Dr Toby Haggith (Imperial War Museumsl); Chris Harris (Picturehouse Cinemas); Sandra Hebron (National Film and Television School); Shona Illingworth (Exhibiting Artist, IWM London: Age of Terror); Matimba Kabalika (BFI Film Fund); Matt Lee (Imperial War Museums); Kevin Loader (Free Range Films); Jane Manning (October Films); Richard Melman (Spring Films); Dr Lawrence Napper (King’s College London); Jack Penman (Channel 4, PBS and National Geographic Channel); Bonnie-Chance Roberts (Monumental Pictures); Helen Upcraft (Imperial War Museums).
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More than 40 artists including: , 2015 © Ai Weiwei Studio; Courtesy Lisson Gallery Studio; with Plinth , 2015 © Ai Weiwei Surveillance Camera Ai Weiwei
UNTIL 28 MAY 2018 IWM.ORG.UK
IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM LONDON Lambeth North Waterloo and Elephant & Castle