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Filmonik #43 Review :: June 2009
Well, clearly not everyone in Manchester and Salford went to see Oasis on June 7th… Filmonik’s host venue, Odder, was rammed to the very doors by filmonikers old and new in search of the latest in independent short film from the region. The packed venue had an equally packed programme, as Filmonik #42 saw the return of some old friends and a whole lot of new faces. As ever, motor-mouth Maria Ruban rocked the mic as our hostess with the mostest, the unsinkable Mark Haig was our tech maestro, and the cinematic roll-call will soon enter into local legend…
First up, Filmonik newbie Roger Barker provided a darkly funny study of an uncomfortable reunion between a babysitter and his former charges in A QUIET NIGHT IN. Sometimes the past isn’t somewhere you’d want to revisit!
Next up, our old friend Tant Lay returned to the Filmonik Fold with SHELDON’S STORIES, a mischievous and unpredictable exploration of cinematic storytelling technique through the eyes of a psychopathically unreliable narrator.
Another long-time Filmonik Associate, Andy Birtwell, offered an object lesson in high-risk, seat of the pants, white-knuckle guerrilla filmmaking with TYRED, actually shot on his mobile phone while he was driving on a motorway. Hope there are no traffic cops reading this…
After a short break, spent mostly at the bar, it was time to MEET CHLOE AND DAVE, interviewees who reveal rather more than they realise, in a Mike Leigh style character comedy directed written and performed by Filmonik first-timers Anna Denise Whelan & David Tynan.
After his striking debut last month, Jason Vaughan returned with MAN OF SORROWS, a droll line animation based on his own sketches of European Renaissance religious paintings. A moment for contemplation, perhaps?
Next up was another debut, the punchy music video VOICES by Meshach Ricardo Brencher, another new name to the Filmonik roster, but one we expect to hear more from. But first he has a forfeit film to make: Simon Cowell the Gangster. So let’s just hope the strange-trousered king of lowest-common-denominator pop music isn’t of a litigious nature, eh?
Finally in the second segment of the show was Gary White’s MINDLOCK’D which, in a world where actors are increasingly cast for their resemblance to software, offers True Love in the style of classic computer game Space Invaders. Some sticks and glitches on this one, but we let him off a forfeit because he remembered the Filmonik logo.
More drinks and then Round Three, featuring four more filmmakers making their Filmonik debut…
Nobody likes to be conned, but everybody loves films about con artists, so no wonder Liam Shanagher’s deft and devious THE MANY DEATHS OF ANNIE MOORE proved a real audience favourite. Like all the best films of its kind, it exposed how the con worked - so that’s another one we won’t get fooled by in the future.
In 3 WISHES Jemshaid Ashraf showed how regret for actions done and undone can follow you beyond the grave. And that the chance to put things right may be no real chance at all. Alas, Jemshaid has something he needs to put right himself before he can screen again - no Filmonik logo means we want a forfeit film from him: Bollywood Horror. Hopefully, it’ll have some dancing in it, too…
David Schofield’s jaw-dropping LAST TRAIN was a visceral mood piece, focusing on face and gesture and oppressive ambient sound to depict the escalating sense of threat in a scenario we have all faced – waiting for late night public transport. This really should have got a forfeit for not including the Filmonik logo, but we were all so blown away by the film we let him off with a warning.
Finally, last, but by no means least, in a quirk of happenstance that makes it look like we programme this event in advance, James Waring & Rory Couper offered a broadly comic solution to precisely this kind of threat in their spoof commercial for the CHAVKICKER protection suit. But even so, we saddled them with a forfeit: Pirates on the Rochdale Canal. We really don’t know where our audience gets this stuff from, but by this stage in the evening, hopefully it was the beer talking.
All in all, a hell of an evening out, even if we do say so ourselves. We love it when a plan comes together, and even more so when everything comes together without a plan, but makes us all look like film programming masterminds even so.
We’ll be back in two months time, on August 2nd.
So start shooting those films now!
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Filmonik #43 :: May 2009
Filmonik “Open Mic” Screening, Sunday June 7th, 7.30pm till Late, Odder, Oxford Road, Manchester.
Filmonik, the North West’s premiere “Open Mic” screening returns on June 7th. That’s less than a month away. Sure, right now that sounds like a lot of time, but experience tells us it isn’t. If you want to be a part of our next event, let us know now. If you have work to screen, we want to hear about it. If you’ve a film you want to make before then, start making it. If you’ve something to show, all you need to is contact us and book a slot. If you’re simply keen to see what’s happening in the world of low budget independent short film, then come on down. We want full screens, and big audiences.
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Filmonik Flashbacks! :: April 2009
Sunday May 3rd, 13.30 - 16.30 The Night and Day Cafe, Oldham Street, FREE ADMISSION.
As everyone psyches themselves up for the next Filmonik "Open Mic" Screening (Sunday, June 7th, 19.30 - Late, Odder), we thought it might be nice to remind everyone of the Story So Far. And when MAPS Festival suggested a little retrospective screening, this seemed like an ideal opportunity for us to have a quick flashback. So we've been rummaging through the archives, and scrabbling about in the backs of our wardrobes to compile a programme of Kabaret Klassics, show-stoppers, and jaw-droppers from screenings past, present and to come. Want to know which films we’re showing? Well, there’s only one way to find out: Come along and see for yourselves! Be inspired. Get involved. We are always looking for new recruits. More details here: www.mapsfestival.co.uk
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Filmonik #42 :: April 2009
Sunday June 7th, 7.30 pm till late, Odder Bar, Oxford Road, £2 admission.
It's been a very busy few weeks, what with the nine-day creative frenzy of the Kick-Start Kabaret, and then our special one-off "Sunday Lunch with Filmonik" Matinee screening less than a fortnight later. We've hardly had time to sleep recently, and all of us have day jobs, too, you know...
So you might think that we're taking some time now to relax, right? Wrong. Rest is for wimps, and we'll sleep when we're dead. The next Filmonik screening is only two months away. Sure, right now that sounds like a lot of time, but experience tells us it isn't. If you want to be a part of our next event, let us know now. If you have work to screen, we want to hear about it. If you've a film you want to make, start making it. We want full screens, big audiences. We want to spread the word, far and wide. We want the Kabaret to have kick-started something that doesn't know when to stop. We want you to keep that ball rolling.
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Sunday Lunch With Filmonik :: March 2009
Sunday April 5th, 12 noon till 4pm, Odder Bar, Oxford Road, £2 admission.
The Filmonik Kabaret is well and truly over, but the show goes on! Our next screening is only two weeks away. That’s right - just two short weeks from now we’ll be back with more unpredictable independent short film entertainment.
We’ve been having a lot of late nights recently, however, and some of us have got young children, so we thought that we’d try something different, something that might reach out to another audience: A special, one-of-a-kind Sunday Lunch Matinee screening. You are cordially invited to join us at Odder on April 5th for a show offering all of the usual white-knuckle, anything-can-happen thrills of a regular Filmonik “open mic” screening, but earlier in the day, and while you are eating! We just hope all the excitement doesn’t give you heartburn…
As ever, we are interested in hearing from filmmakers who have work they want to screen. We offer a warm welcome and a censure-free platform to those making films with the minimum of means. We will give you a screen. We will give you a slot. We challenge you to challenge yourselves: "Do well with nothing, do better with little, and do it now!"
Odder, 14 Oxford Rd, Southern Quarter, Manchester, M1 5QA, Tel: 0161 238 9131.
We hope to see you there!
The FILMONIK Team
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Filmonik Kabaret Blog Online :: March 2009
Click here for the Kabaret blog.
In the spirit of communication and all things social surrounding the Filmonik Kabaret, we now have a blog, where you can keep up-to-date with all the latest news. Hopefully we'll have some filmmakers sharing their stories, a few pictures from events and general banter on all things Kabaret. Sign up and get involved!
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Filmonik Hijacks Mini Cine For our Launch Party! :: March 2009
March 15th, 2009, Odder Bar from 7.30.
Next week it’s going to be impossible to move for short filmmakers, as Filmonik 2.0 presents the Kick-start Kabaret: Nine days of white-knuckle guerrilla filmmaking on the streets of Manchester and Salford. This maverick cinematic marathon kicks off the very same weekend as the third Mini Cine Picture Show at Odder, and as we share a venue we thought it would be nice to pool our resources for once in a headspinning double bill of unpredictable short film entertainment. First up, Mini Cine offer a programme of odd and eclectic screen gems, all guaranteed to spark ideas, challenge expectations, and trigger debates. Then Filmonik will be hijacking the proceedings for a selection of outrageous shot-on-the-hoof cinema from previous Kabarets, to set the ball rolling for this year’s creative frenzy. This is a chance for the uninitiated to see what it’s all about; for Filmonikers and civilians alike to meet up, sink a few drinks, share a few stories, and get steeped in the local film scene in readiness for some seriously peddle-to-the-metal movie-making.
If you’re not already neck-deep in cinematic creation, that is…
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Kabaret Details Announced :: February 2009
“What good is sitting alone in your room? Come watch the movies play.
Film is a Kabaret, old chum, Come to the Kabaret.”*
(*with apologies to John Kander and Fred Ebb)
FILMONIK KABARET MARCH 14TH - 22ND 2009 - DETAILS NOW UP ON THE KABARET PAGE!
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Filmonik 40 :: Feb 2009 DEBRIEF (Filmonik 2.0 Relaunch)
“Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but the snow looks so delightful….” Except when you have to travel anywhere in it. A Hell of a night for a relaunch - bitterly cold, blizzards bringing half the country to a standstill - but neither snow, nor hail nor nor gloom of night can keep Filmonikers from attending a screening.
No less than THIRTEEN films screened, in a variety of styles, genres, formats and approaches, and the venue was packed out to the doors all night. Such enthusiasm was truly heart-warming on such a cold, cold night, as we welcomed back some old friends and an equal number of filmmakers new to Filmonik.
Salford filmmaker Mark Ashmore debuted a rough cut of his hard-hitting study of a country in crisis, BROKEN BRITAIN, which came complete with its own official beer! Neringa Stulgyte made her Filmonik debut with THAT LIGHT, a moody experimental piece exploring the light patterns of the city roads at night. There was more experimental work, animation this time, from another Filmonik debutante, Vivien Peach, who had two films to screen - the hypnotic abstract MAGIC SPELL, and the Svankmajer-esque stop-motion, ROAST BEEF. Vivien was one of several filmmakers with more than one film. Giles Perkins of onsuper8.org offered two Super 8 gems - BUTTONED, a wry study of a very real phobia and SATURDAYS ONLY, featuring a trip on a very special train. Our old friend Jon Kershaw of Cameras Not Cars, in true hardcore Filmonik style, shot a mini-short TREE AND BIN, that very weekend to screen at the launch. The ever-loyal Craig and Shaun from Reach for the Dream traveled all the way down from icy Barrow-in-Furness with their outrageous pitch-black horror comedy, THE BED, aimed at insomniacs everywhere. In an equally darkly-comic vein, Andy Blake showed us the ultimate April Fool’s Day prank gone wrong in GAG. Luck of the draw meant the two darkest films played back to back in the final slot, so it was lucky we had Olivier Richomme’s elegant study of a life in stasis, LA LETTRE, to chill us out and calm the nerves at the close.
All in all, thanks to our filmmakers, to all at our new host venue, the lovely Odder Bar, to mighty motor-mouthed Maria Ruban for manning the malfunctioning mics, and to our audience for making our come-back such a success. We’ll be back with another screening in April. Before that, there is, of course THE KABARET!
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The Filmonik 2.0 Kick-Start Kabaret :: January 2009
To energise the region’s filmmakers, to draw out eccentric new talent, to generally slap everyone back into shape, we’re having a Kabaret. Those of you who lived through the earlier ones will have some idea what to expect, those of you new to this are in for a wake-up call. This is cinematic bootcamp. A whole week of flat out, peddle-to-the-metal 24/7 filmmaking, where fortune favours the brave, the quick-witted and the fast-working, where only the strong survive and the crazy obsessives flourish. If you’ve always dreamed of making “that little movie”, if only you had the time / talent / equipment, now is your chance to watch that dream crash and burn, and see something else come stumbling from the ashes.
This is the chance to get really involved, to eat, drink, and breathe cinema. The only thing you won’t get to do is sleep. There’ll be access to equipment and talent, training for novices, opportunities galore for creative collaboration. We’ll even have a few spare script ideas available for people who don’t like to set off without a road map. There’ll be three screenings during the week in different venues around the city, and there may even be prizes.
Watch this space for more details as soon as we confirm them.
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Announcing Filmonik 2.0 :: January 2009
Odder :: February 1st, 2009 :: Doors 7.30, films from 8pm :: £2 Entry
Hello Everyone,
And a happy New Year from all at Filmonik!
Did you miss us? Did you wonder where we’d gone? Did you feel neglected when we didn’t write? Did you think we’d disappeared for good?
Then we owe you an apology and some reassurances. We never intended to be away so long. We were undergoing a few changes of personnel, and so, while we were at it, we took some time out for reflection.
But now we’re back. We’ve a new venue - ODDER on Oxford Road - and a new schedule - we will now be operating bi-monthly instead of every month - but otherwise this is a return to basics. Filmonik #40 will be a reboot, and a restatement of principles. It will be the beginning of Filmonik 2.0.
With Filmonik 1.0, we provided a regular “Open Mic Night” for filmmakers – the first of its kind in the region, and still the best. But this wasn’t enough for us. The Censure-Free Open Screen is a fine idea, but there is always the fear that one day it will stand empty, unless we do something more to encourage and promote active movie-making in the region. The dream was always that filmmakers would be inspired, encouraged, even driven to create new work specifically for Filmonik screenings. This did happen, of course. We had and have our loyal Filmonikers. But we want more. We want new faces, new work, new commitment.
We will give you a screen. We will give you a slot. Now get out there and create. Make something new. We challenge you to challenge yourselves.
If you want to get involved, if you have a film you want to screen, if you’ve questions to ask or gripes to make, then get in touch!
See you in February...
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Website Relaunch :: December 2008
Welcome to the new look Filmonik website...
Filmonik will be returning in 2009, updates will appear on the site very soon. In the meantime check out the various links, subscribe to our podcast and our YouTube channel... and most importantly, get making those films!
See you soon...
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