If you've got a boat it is feasible to sail across to France for dinner and be back in time for supper. For those of us that don't there's another reason to visit Jersey at this time of year; Branchage Film Festival.
The last few years have seen a host of vibrant new film festivals spring up; offering alternative delights to their big-industry counterparts. These smaller festivals thrive on a boutique selection of films, art, music and unusual settings, and generally create a dynamic and intimate atmosphere. Branchage Film Festival is one such festival. Established in 2008 and based on the charming island of Jersey off the coast of France, events stretch across the island from St Helier to the harbour and include art installations and live music.
Now in its 4th year, Branchage combines a creative, lovingly- curated programme full of site-specific events
and one-off performances. Tickets are on sale now via the festival website www.branchagefestival.com
FILM PROGRAMME
Senna - Ambitiously constructed and deeply compelling, Asif Kapadia’s portrait of F1 hero Ayrton Senna is documentary making at its most thrilling..
Pina – a mesmerising tribute to the work of virtuoso choreographer Pina Bausch. Wim Wenders’ latest film will
be shown in Jersey Opera House, preceded by a live dance performance.
Of Gods And Men – Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes, the intense and absorbing atmosphere of this
masterpiece by Xavier Beauvois will be amplified by its screening in a monumental French Catholic church.
In A Better World - Susanne Bier is known for her intense relationship dramas, and this revenge-themed
masterpiece earned her the 2011 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.
Tabloid - The latest from veteran doc-maker Errol Morris revisits the 1977 headline-grabbing story of former
Miss Wyoming Joyce McKinney and an abducted Mormon.
Project Nim – Oscar-winner James Marsh’s new documentary tells the story of Nim, a chimpanzee raised like a
human child as part of a ‘scientific’ experiment to see if chimps could be taught to use language.
NEW COMMISSIONS & LIVE SOUNDTRACKS
King Kong Live Score: Rob da Bank - A rare chance to see BBC Radio DJ Rob da Bank’s live set to the classic and original RKO 1993 epic film King Kong.
Teeth of the Sea present Reaper - The UK post-electronica outfit will be bringing Doomsday upon us in Reaper, their newly commissioned live visual re-imagining of Neil Marshall’s apocalyptic vision.
Serafina and Sam Steer present: This Side Of The Moon - Harpist and songwriter Serafina Steer and her brother animator Sam Steer join forces for a performance inspired by Kenneth Anger’s Rabbit’s Moon (1950). Supported by a selection of classic and recent animated short films.
Around Cape Horn Live Score: Gerard Le Feuvre - Celebrated virtuoso cellist Gerard Le Feuvre will perform to the spectacular footage shot by Captain Irving Johnson during his 1929 rounding of Cape Horn aboard a square rigger vessel. Le Feuvre has based his accompaniment to Johnson’s vast seascapes on Carl Vine’s epic composition Inner World.
The Great White Silence Live Score - The festival will close with Simon Fisher Turner and The
Elysian Quartet performing his soundtrack to The Great White Silence – Herbert Ponting’s breathtaking 1924 footage
of Captain Scott’s last, tragic Antarctic expedition. The film was recently restored and released by the BFI.
SPECIAL EVENTS & INSTALLATIONS
Variable 4 at the coastal Elizabeth Castle - The wild weather conditions of the Jersey coastline will be
transformed into a dynamic musical composition by this 8-speaker outdoor sound installation. Created by artists
James Bulley and Daniel Jones, Variable 4 uses meterological sensors adapted to the environment to create music.
Whose Hedge Is It Anyway? - Jeff Leach (Big Brother’s Big Mouth) curates an afternoon of stand-up comedy
and improv featuring comedians including Mark Dolan (The World’s... And Me / Balls of Steel) Sara Pascoe
(Being Human) and Katherine Ryan (Campus).
Bergerac Black Tie Dinner - To mark the 30th anniversary of Jersey’s most famous export, we are celebrating
with a Black Tie Dinner in aid of local charity Holidays For Heroes Jersey. John Nettles himself will be in
attendance to present clips from some of his favourite episodes, along with the show’s creators and other cast
members, plus entertainment by Jersey-born comedian and Bergerac-fanatic Will Smith.
At Sea / At Land / At Last: A Utopian View on the Personal Histories of the Island of Jersey - Artist
and filmmaker Fritz Stolberg is re-arranging home-cinema films from different eras, that people of Jersey have
contributed, into a multi-projection live film event. This will be accompanied by an experimental live music score
by English folk-duo This is the Kit.
PARTIES
Branchage Globale - Internationally-flavoured live acts and DJs performing music from around the world.
Headlining is Santigold-cohort Martelo, plus Capitol K, local electronica collective Bubblebrain and more.
La Bordee d’Branchage: A Mythical Island Party - Always an extravaganza of live music and performance,
La Bordee d’Branchage transforms the Barclays Wealth Spiegeltent into a world of wonder. Many expeditions
have failed to reach this year’s Mythical Island of impossible beauty, but our sources say the veil of mist is due to
clear this September.
Club Kamikaze presents Teenage Riot! A Night of Grunge Music - Four bands - Brighton’s Skirts, Jonny
& The Rats, The Morves and The Midnight Expresso - will perform covers of The Pixies, Sonic Youth,
Nirvana and Daniel Johnston, respectively, along with their own original material.
Branchage Film Festival runs from 22 - 25 September.
For further information and tickets visit www.branchagefestival.com
ASFF
The Aesthetica Short Film Festival (ASFF) is a celebration of independent film from across the world. Taking place in 14 diverse locations from 3 – 6 November, York’s medieval halls, tourist destinations and contemporary art spaces will be transformed into one-off, site-specific venues that will allow visitors the opportunity to explore the city and experience film in an accessible and unique setting.
Incorporating creative programming and alternative venues, ASFF will bring new and innovative cinema to visitors in Britain’s best-loved city. The screenings will cover a wide variety of genres and filmic styles, including narrative films, documentary, animation, music video and artists’ film amongst others.
In addition to four days of screenings, the full programme will include a series of masterclasses and workshops which support and champion short filmmaking, such as: From Shorts to Features with Ivana MacKinnon (Associate Producer of Slumdog Millionaire),pitching with Channel 4 and other industry leaders.
Images:
Stills from Pina, Benda Bilili and Just Do It: A Tale of Modern-Day Outlaws
