This year’s Aesthetica Short Film Festival took place in York from November 1st-6th and continues online until November 30th. As usual, it was great to attend the festival and to get stuck into all the great events and things going on around the city over the first week of November. From short films, to VR, masterclasses, and talks from award-winning industry professionals, there was something for everyone at this year’s Aesthetica.
Vision sent a few writers down to the festival to take it all in and we’re here now reporting on some of the highlights.
One of the best parts of the festival was getting to hear from some incredible industry professionals. Going to a talk on editing from an editor whose credits include Belfast and The Crown in addition to upcoming TV shows for HBO and Disney+ was especially insightful. Carly Brown spoke about getting her start in the industry, from doing student media at university to starting off with sports and the Olympics before becoming an assistant editor and making her way up to editor.
Other talks we attended included an incredibly fascinating talk by one of the VFX supervisors at Framestore, the Academy Award winning VFX company behind big blockbusters like Avengers: Endgame and Blade Runner 2049. Stuart Penn shared behind the scenes footage with us showcasing the development of the visual effects on major productions like Moon Knight and Spider-Man: No Way Home. He further explained all the different roles that work together to make the final VFX which decorates our screens and detailed the range of new techniques that are pushing effects and filmmaking into the future.
Early in the week composer Jim Williams highlighted his vast experience in scoring films and the different inspirations film music can draw on. He showed us a number of his works from horror films to comedies, and displayed the range of decision making that goes into matching a piece of music to a scene.
Another fascinating talk was by Elisa Iannacone, a Canon Ambassador and conflict photographer who enlightened us to the ethics behind cinematography. She showed historical photographs and noted the ethical concerns behind them, before describing her own path towards a more ethical form of photographic social change, including the primary question of “Who am I documenting this for?.”
In and amongst all the wonderful masterclasses we did have time to check out some of the fantastic short films playing at the festival. The ‘Animation 1’ strand had some beautifully animated shorts including the magnificent The Seine’s Tears (Les larmes de la Seine) showing the peaceful demonstration of the Algerian workers in France in October 1961. Featuring stunning animation and fantastic music, this was certainly a short not to be missed.
Another excellent animation was the 16 minute long Breathless Puppets directed by Naaman Azhari which wonderfully tells the story of two people with a passion for dance who were forced apart in childhood by the expectations of their cultures and how they reconnect through the tragedy of the pandemic. Breathless Puppets won the Best Screenplay Award at the festival indicating that it certainly is one to watch.
The ‘Comedy 4’ session was one notable crowd pleaser. Themed around “Family can f*ck you up, sometimes”, the strand included shorts from a range of countries, including Ireland, the United Kingdom and Luxembourg. However, it was the first French story The Right Words which had the cinema roaring with laughter. Set on a bus, it follows 13 year old Madhi as he works up the courage to talk to his crush Jada, spurred on by annoying older sister Kenza. Hidden amongst the entertaining visuals and brilliant young performances was a heartfelt message – love is always meaningful, regardless of age.
Another unique aspect of the festival was the VR Lab, set up in the basement of City Screen and waiting to immerse visitors in a range of new worlds. We tried out Monoliths and Dislocation, which blended stunning visual surroundings with fascinating tales of identity and disbelief. It was certainly a different experience watching a short film emerge around us in the privacy of our own headset!
Away from the big (or little) screens, directors, writers, and critics alike attended a varied programme of social events at Aesthetica. It offered a great opportunity to chat to directors after seeing their films and to get to know all manner of people who made York their home this week. Whether it was a team member for the short film Anaconda trying to sell us on their use of prosthetic penises or the lovely crowd from Bolton Film Festival, it was a highlight of each day and reminded us that films don’t just exist on a screen.
The bar and restaurant 1331 was the home of Aesthetica this week. Having a central hub meant you could catch up with other attendees every evening. At the mixer on Friday night, it was standing room only and continued into the smaller hours. This let us speak to an actor one night, see their film the next day, and catch up later that evening. It makes the on screen action all the more impactful when you can get to know the crew personally and learn about the experiences that led to their film over a drink. Soon you find a group of friends and it becomes a brilliant and essential part of the festival experience.
After a difficult few years for the film industry and festival circuit, Aesthetica showed the joy of packed cinemas and shared experiences. In a tense part of one of the thrillers, a member of the audience gasped loudly resulting in ripples of laughter. In another, one of the leads mentioned that there were demons ‘among us’ which similarly set the crowd off into some kind of terminally online delirium. It’s daft but also important and it made the Aesthetica Film Festival feel like a home for filmmakers, the general public, and us.