York film festival first (From York Press)

York film festival first

7:52am Friday 26th August 2011 in Film reviews By Julie Hayes, Business editor

YORK’S medieval attractions and modern art spaces will be the backdrop for the city’s first film festival in November.

The Aesthetica Short Film Festival (ASFF), from November 3 to 6, will celebrate independent film from across the world with 150 films being screened from 30 countries in some of York’s most inspiring venues.

The festival will include a series of master classes and workshops which support and champion short filmmaking, including From Shorts To Features with Ivana MacKinnon, the associate producer of Slumdog Millionaire, and Screening Writing with Matt Greenhalgh, screenwriter of John Lennon biopic Nowhere Boy and Control, the biographical film about Joy Division frontman, Ian Curtis.

The festival will be launched at the City Screen on November 3, followed by events in locations, including York Art Gallery, National Railway Museum, Micklegate Bar Museum, Merchant Adventurers’ Hall, York St John University and the Barley Hall with speakers from 3D animation studios Escape Studios; the short film programmer of SXSW, America’s premier film, digital and music festival, and the senior commissioner of Channel 4.

The new event in the city’s calendar is the brainchild of Aesthetica Magazine, an art and culture magazine which is based in York and has been welcomed by the film and tourism industries.

Sally Joynson, chief executive of Screen Yorkshire, said: “In a time of uncertainty over future funding it is heartening to see fresh and energetic projects making good things happen, adding a new and vibrant experience to the Yorkshire and UK festival scene.”

Gillian Cruddas, chief executive of Visit York, said: “York’s first short film festival will attract thousands of new visitors to the city and raise the bar of the city’s cultural offering still further. It is such a coup to have top class producers such as Ivana MacKinnon taking part in the festival and we offer our full support to this dynamic and innovative event.”

Cherie Federico, director of Aesthetica, said they wanted ASFF to bring a new experience to the boutique festival, bringing “a new enthusiasm to cinema and the overall festival experience”.