Puppets On Film Festival 2011 - Puppet Shorts Evening

The Tree Man by Navin Dev :
Puppets by Tony Sinnett
Puppeteers: Tony Sinnett, Sara Kirkpatrick
and Raven Kaliana

As part of the 'Puppets on Film Festival' at the Little Angle Theatre there was a puppet shorts evening. I had been looking forward to this since it was announced, not only because one of the films showing was one I worked on as puppetbuilder and puppeteer, but also because I was interested to see what other people had been creating.

The range of film styles and techniques was varied and inspiring although stop motion was probably the primary technique employed. There were some very neat ideas and inventive uses of objects/body parts as puppets. Some films had bigger budgets than others but overall the quality of the films was very high.

Noesis - Directed by Sophie Klevenow

I hadn't realised that there was to be judging of the films by a panel until I actually arrived at the screening so was a little surprised but very happy for Navin and all the crew (including puppeteers Sara Kirkpatrick and Raven Kaliana who helped me bring life to Pinocchio and Burnt Pinocchio) when 'The Tree Man' was awarded the judges vote along with joint winner -  'Noesis' by Sophie Klevenow.

I really hope that this event will run again in the future and it has really inspired me to get a move on with my other projects in development at the moment.


Here is a list of the films in order of screening:
(text taken from programme - links and award winners added by me)

THE TREE MAN - Dir: Navin Dev - JOINT WINNER OF THE JURY PRIZE
Set between chapters 15 and 16 of Carlo Collodi's 'The Adventures of Pinocchio' The Tree Man is a dark interpretation of the classic novel with the use of traditional puppetry.
Watch 'The Tree Man' here: http://exposureroom.com/thetreeman

HICKORY DICKORY - Dir: James Baker
A mouse races against an unexpected clock in this film combining live-action puppetry with detailed compositing.
Watch the Film here: http://www.ourindiecinema.com/2010/07/11/hickory-dickory-by-james-baker/

DAMAGED GOODS - Dir: Barnaby Barford - WINNER OF AUDIENCE VOTE
Damaged Goods is a tragic love story played out by porcelain figurines. It explores notions of forbidden love, material wealth and class divides using the traditions value within ceramics.
Watch the Film here: http://www.barnabybarford.co.uk/image_gallery/damaged_goods

MICROPODIUM - Dir: Brian Hibbitt
Shot during the Buxton Puppet Festival this film shows the work of virtuoso Hungarian puppeteer Andreas Lenart.

DOG TAIL SOUP - Dir: Dave Reeve and Bronia Evers
In a storybook land of music and mayhem, Elwood has to find a new place to live when he is thrown out by his grandfather Dog Tail.
Watch the film here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fPArxOsdDg

INTO THE BLUE - Dir: Jeremy Bidgood
Frustrated by his election prospects, Gordon Brown infiltrates the magical world of the To'ri to steal their precious Electium.
Watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9GdMQGIz6I

NOESIS - Dir: Sophie Kelevenow - JOINT WINNER OF THE JURY PRIZE
Noesis is an animated short about growing up and the changes and losses on the way.
Watch it here: http://vimeo.com/groups/1314/videos/16116972

THE PHANTOM COACH - Dir: Richard Mansfield
A young traveller finds himself lost one cold winters night. The snow falls and he encounters a terrifying supernatural force
Watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPVEVunozv4

MISSING - Dir: Tariq Rimawi
A window opens on a child who lives in a war torn area where he longs for his past and peaceful life. Screened at numerous international festivals and Winner of the Best Short prize at 16th Franco Arab Film Festival.

PUNCH DRUNK - Dir: Ben Kent
Mr. Punch was a national celebrity- an icon of his time. But time moves on and when you've reached the top, the gutter is a long way down.
Watch it here: http://vimeo.com/12151860

FREDS MEAT - Dir: Robert D'Arcy
Foxes are on the menu in Fred's patch. But when change means dwindling supplies, Fred has to act..
Watch it here: http://www.behance.net/carolinestory/frame/538389

WORMS SONG 1 - Dir: Matilda Tristram
Worms singing popular ballads.
Watch it here: http://vimeo.com/6455124

ROUND - Dir: Kirk Hendry
A tale of death and rebirth in a jungle world of shadowy hands
Watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-J9714e76g

INTERVAL

PINOCCHIO - Dir: Lesley Butler
In this reversal of the traditional Pinocchio story, instead of a puppet becoming a boy - a woman becomes a puppet.

DOG IN THE BURNING BUILDING - Dir: Fran and Will Krause
A music video for the Miles Kurosky song 'Dog in the Burning Building'
Watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYjli42Rxwk

CLEMENTINE AT THE FILM FESTIVAL - Dir Mark Mander
Post Modern Plastic Pinocchio Clementine, the Living Fashion Doll, is delighted to be invited to talk about puppets at the Puppets on Film Festival. But perhaps she has more interesting things to think about - her own glittering career for example...

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Judges for the Puppet Shorts Jury Prize

Cariad Astles is a puppetry Tutor for BA Theatre Practice at the Central School of Speech and Drama and also chair at Centre for Research into Objects and Puppets in Performance.

Dr Dan North is a Senior Lecturer in Film in the Department of English at the University of Exeter. He is author of Performing Illusions: Cinema, Special Effects and the Virtual Actor, and is currently researching a book about puppetry and cinema.

Roman Paska is a writer, director and puppeteer whose original productions, under two succesive company names, Theatre for the Birds and Dead Puppet, include The End of the World, Dead Puppet Talk, Beethoven in Camera, and Schoolboy Play, which was commissioned by Linz'09 European Capital of Culture and presented in 2010 at the National Theatre of Portugal. He directed August Strindberg's Dreamplay with puppets for its centennial at the Stockholm Stadsteater, and for several years was the director of the International Institute of Puppetry in France. His 'magical-realist' documentary feature, Rehersal for a sicilian tragedy, with John Tuturro, premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2009.