Birkbeck to host inaugural Essay Film Festival
Widespread public interest and critical acclaim in cinematic essay sees new platform for enthusiasts
Film fans in the capital will have a fresh focus next week when the inaugural Essay Film Festival (EFF) kicks off. Screenings will be held at the Birkbeck, University of London Gordon Square Cinema and the ICA, with discussions and special guests on hand to help highlight the global expansion of this hybrid form of film making.
The essay film brings together elements of documentary and experimental filmmaking into a highly personal and often politically engaged mode of expression. Some classic exponents include king of the essay film Chris Marker, Harun Farocki, Agnès Varda and renowned British Director Patrick Keiller.
As part of the EFF, there will be a tribute to the late Peter von Bagh and an evening devoted to The Otolith Group who were nominated for the 2010 Turner Prize. One of America’s foremost practitioners of the essay film - Thom Andersen – will also have his latest film, The Thoughts That Once We Had (2015) make its UK premiere at the festival.
Daytime screenings and discussion events at Birkbeck Institute for the Moving Image will complement the evening sessions being held at the ICA. For more information and bookings please visit Essay Film Festival.