2020
Texts / overall direction: Mark C. Hewitt
Editing / image manipulation: Matt Parsons
A collection of eight stylistically coherent micro-videos plus two variations. These enigmatic miniatures - all less than 90 seconds duration - were made in collaboration with digital artist Matt Parsons. All use found footage from out-of-copyright black & white films and each is voiced by a different actor. The videos were created as visual counterpoints to a poem sequence bearing the overarching title, Les Coffrets, related to the shape of the poems on the page: small boxes, each of thirteen and a half lines, surrounded by a lot of white. The 'authorial voice’ in this sequence is largely abandoned in favour of chance elements, such as words seen on clothing or overheard on journeys or in the street. As such, they offer no consoling message, but (in the words of playwright Howard Barker) 'who trusts the message giver anymore?'
Typically, these filmpoems have a retro noir quality and are highly surrealistic in feel and construction. Individually, they've now been screened, either virtually and/or live at 40 short film festivals in 19 countries, earning a plethora of laurels and awards. Les Coffrets / Premium was was also a Finalist at the prestigious Arte Laguna Prize exhibition in Venice in March/April 2023.
The videos
Bamboo (voiced by Vanessa Labrie)
White (voiced by Richard Attlee)
Premium (voiced by Melissa Sirol)
Premium (sans musique accessoire)
Limelight (voiced by Mark C. Hewitt)
Camp (voiced by Jonathan Cullen)
Boobs (voiced by Isabella McCarthy Sommerville)
Excuses (voiced by John Cormack)
Excuses (alternative version)
Apprenticeship (voiced by Mark C. Hewitt and ad hoc chorus)
A trailer for the whole collection can be viewed on the Blank YouTube channel »
Above: still from Premium
Above: still from Premium
Above: still from Camp
Above: still from Excuses
Above: still from Apprenticeship
SCREENINGS, AWARDS & RECOGNITION
• Premium is October 2020 WINNER in the One Minute Film category at Cult Critic Movie Awards in Calcutta, India.
• Apprenticeship is an Official Selection at London-based Under the Floorboards virtual film festival, Nov 2020.
• Boobs is a Semi-Finalist in La Notte dei Corti Comici film event in Milano, (a celebration of the experimental, absurd, alternative, satirical and tragicomic).
• Premium earns an Outstanding Achievement award and Camp an Honorable Mention at Berlin Flash Film Festival, Dec 2020.
• Excuses receives an Outstanding Achievement Award at Berlin Flash Film Festival, Jan 2021; Boobs, Bamboo and Limelight are official selections.
• Boobs is an Official Selection for Screener Short Films virtual festival in London, Feb 2021.
• Premium is a Finalist at Roma Short Film Festival, (Micro Film category, Feb 2021). Excuses is an Official Selection.
• Premium is an Official Selection at Paris International Short Festival, Feb 2021.
• Bamboo and Premium are both Finalists at Sweden Film Awards, the other six are Semi-Finalists (Jan/Feb 2021).
• Boobs is a Finalist at New York Flash Film Festival. Premium, Excuses and Camp are Official Selections, Feb 2021
• Premium is an Official Selection at Toronto Independent Film Festival of Cift. (March 2021)
• Excuses is a Finalist at Seoul International Short Film Festival, March 2021.
• Premium is WINNER in the Micro Film category at New York Tri-State Film Festival, (March 2021).
• Premium is an Official Selection at San Francisco Indie Short Festival, Vienna Indie Short Festival, London Indie Short Festival of 24 Frames and New York City Independent Film Festival, March 2021.
• Premium is a Finalist at Vancouver Independent Film Festival (March 2021)
• Premium is WINNER in Best Microfilm category at New Wave Short Film Festival in Munich (March 2021); Excuses is an Official Selection.
• Apprenticeship is a Finalist at Roma Short Film Festival, April 2021.
• Premium is a Finalist at Tokyo International Short Film Festival.
• Excuses and Boobs are Official Selections at Sydney Indie Short Festival, Australia.
• Premium and Bamboo are Official Selections at Hong Kong Indie Film Festival.
• Apprenticeship receives an Honorable Mention at Berlin Flash Film Festival, April 2021.
• Premium is a Finalist at Berlin Shorts Award, April 2021.
• Premium (sans musique accessoire) and Camp are Finalists at Paris International Short Festival, April 2021
• Premium and Premium (sans musique accessoire) are Finalists at Rotterdam Independent Film Festival, April 2021
• Bamboo is a Finalist at Toronto Independent Film Festival of Cift, April 2021.
• Premium is a Semi-Finalist at Phoenix Shorts (Canada), May 2021.
• Premium is a Semi-Finalist at Madrid Arthouse Film Festival and Florida Shorts, June 2021.
• Limelight is a Finalist at Paris International Short Festival, June 2021.
• Premium is a Finalist at Short Shot Fest in Moscow, July 2021.
• Premium is a Finalist at Brighton Rocks International Film Festival, July 2021 (first UK live/physical screening).
• Premium is a Semi-Finalist at Stockholm Short Festival, July 2021.
• Premium is a Nominee at Madrid International Short Film Festival, October 2021.
• Excuses is shortlisted for the 9th Ó Bhéal International Poetry-Film Competition in Cork City, Ireland, November 2021.
• Premium is an Official Selection at London Super Shorts Film Festival, December 2021.
• Excuses is a Semi-Finalist at Dublin World Film Festival, Ontario, February 2022.
• Premium is a Semi-Finalist at Palm Springs Movie Awards, February 2022.
• Premium is a Quarter-Finalist at Rio de Janeiro World Film Festival, March 2022.
• Boobs is WINNER in the Micro Movie category and Camp an Official Selection at Hastings Rocks Film Festival, April 2022.
• Boobs is featured in Haus-a-Rest (online art & writing magazine) Issue 26 - Dada to Surrealism. June 2022.
• Excuses and Apprenticeship are Finalists at Brighton Rocks International Film Festival, July 2022.
• Premium is a Semi-Finalist at Dublin World Film Festival, Ontario, July 2022.
• Premium and Bamboo are Semi-Finalists at Montreal Arthouse Film Festival September 2022.
• Apprenticeship is an Official Selection at Japan International Film Festival and receives an Honorable Mention, October 2022.
• Premium is nominated for a Jean Luc Godard Award at Cult Critic Movie Awards, Kolkata, October 2022.
• Premium is a Semi-Finalist at Prague Underground Film Festival, November 2022.
• Premium is a Semi-Finalist at Venice Indie Film Festival, December 2022.
• Premium is a Finalist for the Arte Laguna Prize Exhibition, Venice. March/April 2023.
• Premium is longlisted for the BBA Gallery Artist Prize, Berlin. March 2023.
• Premium is a Finalist for the Arte Laguna Prize Exhibition, Venice. March 11 - April 16, 2023.
• Premium is exhibited (as an Arte Laguna Prize finalist) at the Art Nova 100 Annual Exhibition, Beijing, China, April 21 - May 3, 2023.
• Premium is an Official Selection at Star International Film Festival, Firenze, May 2023.
• Premium is a Quarter-Finalist at Edinburgh Film Awards, September 2023.
• Excuses is WINNER of Best Micro Short Film at Your Way International Film Festival in Valletta, Malta, December 2023.
• Excuses is an Official Selection at Black Owl Film Festival in Bodrum, Turkey, January 2024.
• Bamboo is a Finalist at the We Art Open 2024 exhibition at CREA Cantieri del Contemporaneo, Venice, February 17 - 29, 2024.
• Excuses receives an Honorable Mention at Sofia International Film Festival (Bulgaria), March 2024.
Above: award for Best Micro Movie (Boobs) at Hastings Rocks International Film Festival presented by actress Madeline Smith
Read the interview with Hastings Rocks »