ASFF Announces its Artist Film Programme for 2012

The Aesthetica Short Film Festival (ASFF) will opening in venues across the city of York, UK, from the 8-11 November this year. Hosted by Aesthetica Magazine, the international arts and culture publication, this year’s ASFF will exhibit the festival’s strong links with the world of contemporary art, showcasing an enticing and varied line-up of Artists Films and related masterclasses that will allow new audiences to experience the latest developments in this increasingly prominent medium.

Consistent with ASFF’s uniquely site-specific approach, the Artists’ Film screenings will occur in two contrasting dedicated venues. Bar Lane Studios, a contemporary art space, will be the focus of the Art strand, hosting screenings throughout the festival alongside a dedicated reading area supported by the likes of Tate Publishing, Thames & Hudson, the BFI and Prestel. From Saturday 10 November, it will be joined by York St Mary’s, a beautiful medieval church that is also York’s foremost contemporary art space, recently hosting exhibitions from the likes of Laura Belém and Cornelia Parker. In these beautiful environs, visitors will be able to view a range of films from across the world, gaining insight into different cultures while experiencing these exciting, innovative pieces in a uniquely approachable context.

This year’s Artists’ Film strand represents a cross-section of the emerging and established talent working in film and video art across the world. From strong graduate entries from the Royal College of Art and Central Saint Martins to contributions from Pieter Geenen, winner of Art’Contest 2011 and Andrea Dojmi and Lorenzo Bona’s YICCA winning film, Ely, each of the 25 films screening represents an exciting perspective on the relationship between art and film. Other highlights include work by Samuel Dowd, who has recently exhibited at Transmissions Gallery, Glasgow and HBC Berlin and David Jacques, winner of the Liverpool Art Prize 2010 and recently exhibited at the Walker Gallery and at Liverpool Biennial.

ASFF is also proud to host some excellent masterclasses that augment and elucidate the insights offered by its screenings of Artists’ Film. Tabitha Jackson, Channel 4’s Commissioning Editor for Arts, will be talking about her recent project, All in the Best Possible Taste with Grayson Perry, illustrating television’s attempts to work with artists and present visual art in a new, more accessible way. Visitors will also be able to learn about this extraordinary genre from two of its leading exponents: in a discussion with Dr Sam Lackey, Curator at The Hepworth Wakefield, Ed Atkins and Patrick Ward will be exploring video art and the boundaries between contemporary practice and traditional filmmaking. This masterclass will also begin with a screening of their work Defining Holes, a work that draws startling parallels between art, cinema and literature, epitomising the remarkable relationships that can be achieved across disciplines through the medium of film.

ASFF represents a unique opportunity to see Artists’ Film in dedicated space, but also to interact with the genre, exploring its growing profile within the world of contemporary art and its influence upon the way we experience art in the media today.

Aesthetica Short Film Festival, 8 – 11 November, across the city of York.

Credits
1. Screenshot from Reduction Study (Ping Pong), 2012, Directed by Joanna Tam, USA, courtesy of ASFF.