As part of #WellTogether Week, we wanted to share with you ‘Dundee Isolation Film Festival’, a night for collectively enjoying the best of Dundee’s own moving image work, even while stuck in quarantine! University of Dundee PhD Researcher and Filmmaker Christopher Gerrard will be hosting this fantastic online event in association with Creative Dundee on 29th May. If you would like to submit something for the festival please read the text below! We’re looking anything you want screened, not just coronavirus related pieces. So if you’ve had a screening or gallery show cancelled, this is the place to get your work out there! If you are more of a film-watcher than film-maker, then keep 29th May in your diary and look out for more information on the Dundee Isolation Film Festival Facebook Page.
DUNDEE’S ISOLATION FILM FESTIVAL
With Coronavirus forcing the closure of our cinemas and galleries, there’s been a loss in connection between filmmakers and film-watchers. We all want our work to be appreciated, but now there’s nowhere to screen it. And we all want to appreciate the talents of others, but we can’t see them. An Instagram post can be passed by and a YouTube video can be saved in Bookmarks for a ‘later’ that never comes. But what we lack the most is the collective experience of film. Whether it’s in a cinema or a gallery, we love to gather together to experience the moving image. That’s why we (in association with Creative Dundee) are organising the first (and hopefully only) Dundee Isolation Film Festival. It will be a one night streaming event (held on the 29th May), where we screen as many short films as we can fit in. It’s a chance to collectively enjoy the films that would have been on in cinemas and galleries, as though we’re there. We’ll be sharing links and having a live chat, so that we can join together as a group to appreciate the work of talented filmmakers.
That’s where you come in! Anyone who is either from or lives in Dundee can send in work, from any genre and of any style. It may have been prompted by the lockdown, but it is a space to share any work and isn’t themed around the Coronavirus. If you had a film screening or gallery show cancelled, or have been extra creative since lockdown, send it in. You want to share your work, we want to see it! This is the chance to have a public viewing in the era of social distancing. We want to share the best work, to inspire and entertain those trapped in quarantine. This is a space for discussion and sharing. There will be no prizes, no “best” film. It’s not a competition, instead it’s a place to enjoy others’ work and raise attention to great local artists. So, have fun with it!
WHO’S ELIGIBLE?
• Any genre of film is acceptable. We’re looking to share the broad talents of local filmmakers. So, we’ll be screening anything from narrative fiction, to documentary, to the work normally screened in galleries (since we can’t currently visit any). Whether you’re a traditional filmmaker, an avant-garde artist or an enthusiastic amateur, we want to hear from you!
• Made by a Dundonian Filmmaker or in the Dundee area.
• Made within the last year. (There will also be a specific showcase of shorts made during the current crisis).
• Under twenty minutes. We want to screen the work of as many filmmakers as possible, so shorter films allow us to show more people’s work.
HOW TO APPLY:
This part is simple. To apply, please email dundeeisolationfilmfest@gmail.com with the following details:
– A link to your film on a video sharing site (YouTube, Vimeo, etc.). If you’re selected, we’ll contact you for a file share link, but a streaming copy will do for now.
– A short description of the work, a short biography of yourself and links to any websites or social media. Even if your work isn’t selected to be screened, we’re putting together a list of artists to be shared on the night and your links will be included there.
The deadline for submissions will be 5pm on the 22th May. If you have any further questions, please email and we’ll answer them. In this difficult time, there’s nothing more uplifting than to see creativity at work. We’re extremely excited to see the fascinating work that is made by all of you talented people. So, apply now!