Creativity has always been at the foundation of the Manchester School of Art. How fitting, then, that the institution will launch its first ever film festival at HOME Manchester, the leading centre for contemporary film, art and theatre in the North West. The MSA Film Festival will take place on June 7th, showcasing a diverse range of over 20 student productions. Expect science-fiction, animation, and artist moving images, and more importantly, films ‘that matter’.
The festival has been organised by MSA productions, a recently founded, student-lead company whose productive ethos ‘fosters creative partnerships’. Importantly, MSA functions as a pedagogical project, and has developed connections locally with the Royal Northern College of Music. The artistic industry professionals involved offering their support include MMU filmmaking lecturer Christiane Hitzemann, whose short films have featured on the global festival circuit as well as Delaval film productions’ Loran Dunn.
The event will bring together individual artists and production groups as part of their collaborative approach, providing an important step forward for those venturing into the industry. HOME will harbour such creativity into their state-of-the-art cinema screens. HOME’s film programme has become recognised for encouraging audiences to take a chance on something fresh and innovative, so what better place for MSA’s filmmaking students to find an indigenous organisation to welcome their hard work.
The festival line-up includes I am Flesh, a science-fiction standout about a young woman who must escape the factory she resides in, after a strange vision of her embodying another person. For now, any further details are being kept under wraps, as the film’s cerebral qualities are what makes it so enticing. In keeping with such an engaging concept, My Synthetic Excuse will present an artist’s view of climate change, offering a personal but abstract perspective on a major global issue.
Molly and Lexi’s Multiverse Odyssey will also provide an astute outlook at animation. Molly the cat and Lexi the dog find themselves in different spacial dimensions as they attempt to find their way back home, something more challenging than expected. MSA festival will also screen the dark comedy Let’s Not Cry Over Spilt Milk, a story about a young woman’s attempt to decipher her father’s suicide note, with the help of her ex-boyfriend. Moving away from fictional efforts, the documentary Firehouse will reflect on the thriving community at London Road Firehouse, a beacon for overseas workers to retain their identities in foreign surroundings.
In a post-Brexit Britain, a sense of unanimity in our culture is crucial, and the MSA Film Festival will present the achievements of working together in an open, collective environment.
Featured image: FX / Disney Press Following the premiere of the limited anthology series Love Story (directed by Ryan Murphy) on Disney+ earlier this February, show protagonists John F Kennedy Jr and Carolyn Bessette have become favourites for a new generation. Almost 30 years after their real-life untimely passing, the show’s popularity has unleashed a…
By Holly Lindsay and Amelie FalconerFeatured image: Jamie Taylor Remember nestling into your parents as they read you the worlds of Harry Potter, The Faraway Tree and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? Unfortunately, not all children get the opportunity to create a lifelong love of reading, as 1 in 8 children in the UK currently…
Featured image: Leire Ribeiro I remember a time in music when a VIP concert ticket bundled with a meet-and-greet and early entry would not cost more than £150. Today, we have artists like Harry Styles selling tickets for £725 with no soundcheck and no meet-and-greet, the only bonus being good visibility at the show, which…
Featured image: Fabiola Gonzalez Prato Every single day I hear someone complaining about not being in a relationship. I go online and watch videos of people who are tired of going on dates with those who “only want a good time,” eventually deciding that staying single is for the best. These days, the reasons behind…
Leave a reply