2010 Festival Theme
Darklight 2010: Heroes Edition, Guest Programmers Announced!
For Darklight 2010: Heroes Edition, we’ve asked some of our festival alumni and contributors from the past 10 editions to invite their heroes to this year’s Darklight. They will be programing screenings, workshops and gigs for the festival. Our Guest Programmers for 2010 are:
Animator David O’Reilly, art/music/technology collective Synth Eastwood, independent gig promoters and record label Skinny Wolves, Film & Animation History lecturer and musician Michael Connerty, digital rights expert and documentary filmmaker Caroline Campbell and Producer extraordinare Katie Holly.
The Heroes
Lance Weiler
Lance Weiler is the Chief Story Architect of Seize the Media. He’s also a critically acclaimed award winning writer / director. Recognized as a pioneer because of the way he makes and distributes his work – Wired magazine named him “One of twenty-five people helping to re-invent entertainment and change the face of Hollywood” and BusinessWeek recognized Lance as one of the “18 people who Changed Hollywood.” Lance has successfully self distributed his films THE LAST BROADCAST and HEAD TRAUMA to more than 20 countries while grossing over 5 million dollars in the process.
Over the course of 2009, Lance co-created and produced 24 episodes of a stylized doc series entitled RADAR. The series explores storytelling and creativity in the digital age and was recently nominated for a Streamy Award for best doc series. Lance often speaks about the changing landscape of entertainment. From the evolution of storytelling to changes in media creation, distribution and discovery – Lance has spoken at MIT, USC, Columbia, Cannes, and Sundance in addition to high level ad agencies, brands, gaming, and media companies.
An early advocate and pioneer of digital distribution and filmmaking, Liz is a digital film and media expert. She advises international media companies, film financing organisations, filmmakers and film festivals about using cutting-edge distribution and production techniques and new film business models. Liz has recently been appointed as the Digital Distribution Strategy Advisor to the UK Film Council.
Liz was the Programme Director of Digimart’s Global Digital Distribution Summit, a ground-breaking event that brought together, for the first time ever, leading filmmakers, innovators and digital pioneers from around the world who are building new film distribution models.
By using social media, unconferences, open source debate, and creating a ‘Lab’ type environment with a hands on DIY approach Future Artists are able to work with a cross section of the creative communities and empower them to become fully aware of the powers of working in a Transmedia environment, by demonstrating case studies that Future Artists Ltd have worked on, analysing success and failures, by creating an environment to collaborate and share, future artists live is at the forefront of the new wave of digital thinking and story telling by exploring convergence culture and transmedia in the UK.
Development Producer, Tora Young founded Caveman Films in 2009 along with Actor/Director Andy Serkis and Producer Jonathan Cavendish.
Caveman Films is a new British film company specialising in cutting edge comedy, horror and thriller films. It offers a creative environment for talented actors, comedians and directors who share the Caveman mission to expand the imagination and scale of British independent film-making. They’re also the creative partners behind THE IMAGINARIUM – a pioneering UK based Performance Capture hub (Studio/Consultancy/School and Production team) that aims to push the boundaries of digital characterisation in film, video games, commercials and the live performing arts.
Jeremy Nathan is a producer for Dv8 films and has been involved in the South African film and television industries for nearly twenty years. He has produced numerous features, television dramas, documentaries and short films, has lectured in many local institutions, and written widely about the industry.
Dv8’s focus is on commercial, challenging stories that are innovative, unique and suitable to be financed and produced in South Africa . Dv8 Films produces filmed content across the entire spectrum, including feature films, and documentaries, commercials and corporates. It produces for the cinema and television, mobile and Internet distribution platforms.
Read almost any piece about Xiu Xiu and you’ll see words like ‘harsh’ or ‘brutal’ — the same words that appear before ‘truth’ when an unwavering eye is turned on any intimate detail of our lives. Fair descriptions of the themes central to the music, they sit incongruous to the refined, intricate, and beautiful approach taken in crafting the twelve tracks on Xiu Xiu’s new album Dear God, I Hate Myself.
Stewart is joined by new full-time band member Angela Seo on piano, synth, and drum programming; with production handled by Jamie and Deerhoof’s Greg Saunier. Together they’ve crafted a fully grown sound for Dear God, I Hate Myself with elements from goth and pop that are expertly performed by a crop of brilliant musicians. Saunier himself plays on much of the record as does Ches Smith (John Zorn, Terry Riley, Marc Ribot) who supplies timpani, conga and moog along with a broad range of other instrumentation. Deerhoof’s John Dieterich is all over a rendition of the traditional folk song “Cumberland Gap” and Xiu Xiu is even joined by the Immaculata Catholic School Orchestra in Stewart’s ode to heartbreak and healing, “This Too Shall Pass Away (for Freddy).” The title track, one of four songs done primarily on a Nintendo DS, explores the relationship between faith and despair with a layer of commentary provided by the bizarre sounds of the music itself.
Dear God, I Hate Myself is a beautiful piece of humanist art. It’s an important addition to the growing body of intelligent music from Xiu Xiu. And it’s a brilliant gothic pop record that can stand next to anything.
“Former Ghosts is a new synthpop project from Freddy Ruppert, formerly of This Song Is a Mess But So Am I. The band is also comprised of Xiu Xiu’s Jamie Stewart and Zola Jesus’ Nika Roza. Ruppert is the lead songwriter on this brutally gloomy, Joy Division-esque project. The title of the debut, Fleurs, is a reference to the white-flowered iris (Iris germanica). ” – lastfm
Gruff Rhys (Super Furry Animals, Neon Neon)
Gruff Rhys (Super Furry Animals, Neon Neon) will attend Darklight 2010 to premiere his new documentary Separado! The screening will be followed by a Q&A with both Gruff & Director Dylan ‘Goch’ Jones.
The documentary is a psychedelic western musical in which Gruff takes us on a pan continental road trip in search of his long lost Patagonian uncle, the poncho wearing guitarist Rene Griffiths. Director Dylan Goch follows Gruff Rhys on a tour that takes in the theatres, nightclubs and desert teahouses of Wales, Brazil and the Argentine Andes as he discovers what became of his family, the Welsh Diaspora and its musical legacy.
In Synth Eastwoods own words: “Gruff’s music, his quietly relentless work ethic and the constantly inventive visual identity tied to each project he is involved in are the key reasons why Synth Eastwood have invited Gruff to Darklight 2010. There are too many amazing videos, record covers, ideas, stage designs, notions, props and stunts to mention here but the infectious sense of creativity, occasion and fun is always evident in everything Gruff produces.”
