Artist Filmmaker Ursula Mayer Wins the 2014 Film London Jarman Award

Film London has announced Ursula Mayer as winner of the 2014 Jarman Award. The Austrian-born filmmaker was selected from a shortlist of 10 visionary and boundary-crossing visual artists working in the UK. An annual celebration of experimentation, imagination and inspiration, the award recognises artist filmmakers whose creative practice defies conventional classification or definition. As winner of the seventh Jarman Award, Mayer joins the ranks of previous prize recipients Luke Fowler, Lindsay Seers, Emily Wardill, Anya Kirschner & David Panos, James Richards and John Smith.

Last night’s awards ceremony at the Whitechapel Gallery, London, offered attendees the opportunity to reflect on an innovative and highly-experimental group of artists and filmmakers. Following a successful national touring programme of exhibitions, talks and screenings, shortlisted works were showcased at a special weekend of film, live performances and artist/curator discussions at Whitechapel Gallery, prior to the concluding awards evening event. Judged by a panel of industry experts, Mayer received £10,000 and a film commission for Chanel 4’s short-form arts strand, Random Acts. Joining the artist and Random Acts for their own commissions are shortlisted filmmakers Sebastian Buerkner, Marvin Gaye Chetwynd, and Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard (also announced earlier this week as winners of the British Independent Film Awards Best Debut Director).

The jury, comprised of filmmaker John Maybury, Whitechapel Gallery director Iwona Blazwick, Channel 4’s Commissioning Editor for Arts John Hay, ICA’s Associate Curator of Artists’ Film & Moving Image Steven Cairns, and artist filmmaker Beatrice Gibson, commented on Mayer’s intuitive connection with film creative Derek Jarman (1942-1994) ‘s innovative practice: “It was the work of Ursula Mayer that came closest to touching on the language that Derek Jarman himself so often strived for. Fusing historical research with a dazzling contemporary aesthetic, Mayer brings to life the heroines and bêtes noires of feminist Modernism. In the spirit of Jarman, she has also brought to the screen a cast of remarkable contemporary performers”.

The Film London Jarman Award touring programme ran from 23 September – 7 December, nationwide.

Ursula Mayer’s work can be seen in Mirrorcity until 4 January at the Hayward Gallery, London.

For additional details and a preview of Mayer’s work, visit www.filmlondon.org.uk/jarman_award.

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Credits
1. Ursula Mayer, Gonda (2012). Courtesy of the Hayward Gallery.