SSAW Students dominate in the Ffresh Festival Shortlist 2010

Congratulations to the following SSAW students whose films have made the overall shortlist.

ANIMATION

A Short and Happy Film
Steffan Roberts
IFSW, University of Wales, Newport

A short and happy film where the whole world sings along to a song.
"The title says it all. Well animated and nicely designed. Simple, fresh and funny."

Another Last Case
Matt Pollock & Nick Clackett
University of Glamorgan
Private Eye, Blake tries to pin down two Mafia crooks.

"Another Last Case takes a classic Film Noir setup and gives it a new spin with its inventive mix of 2D and stop motion."

Heartstrings
Rhiannon Evans
IFSW, University of Wales, Newport
When falling in love means being tied together, what happens when you reach the limit of that piece of string?

"Heartstrings says a lot with very little. Simple design, two figures in one shot, but great character animation tells the whole story."

Sky-Caper
Todd Setter & Dean Wright
University of Glamorgan
A sky high comedic caper! A battle between Ivan and Suds as they compete to see who’s the best window cleaner.

"Sky-Caper delivers all you want in an animated short: It’s is well animated. It’s written and directed with humour and great timing. It’s visually inventive, successfully mixing 2D and CGI, and has high production values throughout."

Super Lexi Games
Bryony James
University of Glamorgan
Lexi battles through the history of computer games...for a carton of milk.

"A funny short with lots of visual gags. Super Lexi Games is well directed and animated with a great pay off at the end."

FICTON UNDERGRADUATE
with judges comments by Owen Stickler

A Short and Happy Film
Steffan Roberts
IFSW, University of Wales, Newport
A short and happy film where the whole world sings along to a song.

"The title says it all. Well animated and nicely designed. Simple, fresh and funny."

Another Last Case
Matt Pollock & Nick Clackett
University of Glamorgan
Private Eye, Blake tries to pin down two Mafia crooks.

"Another Last Case takes a classic Film Noir setup and gives it a new spin with its inventive mix of 2D and stop motion."

Heartstrings
Rhiannon Evans
IFSW, University of Wales, Newport
When falling in love means being tied together, what happens when you reach the limit of that piece of string?

"Heartstrings says a lot with very little. Simple design, two figures in one shot, but great character animation tells the whole story."

Super Lexi Games
Bryony James
University of Glamorgan
Lexi battles through the history of computer games...for a carton of milk.

"A funny short with lots of visual gags. Super Lexi Games is well directed and animated with a great pay off at the end."

FICTION UNDERGRADUATE
with judges comments by John Giwa-Amu and Caradog James

Brennan’s Sacrament
Erik Kentta
IFSW, University of Wales, Newport
The near future: Ray Brennan is an imprisoned political activist who plunges himself in to a desperate fight to over throw a perverted prison manager and to gain freedom for himself and his fellow inmates.

"This film had impressive visuals and production design, but it was completely let down by an overlong and pretentious script. The film is a very good example of a director that was clearly concentrating on the wrong aspects of his film. We felt that he ignored his audience and paid no attention to their need for clarity, brevity and emotional engagement."

Prints
Patrick Rees, Oliver Nudds & Josh Muzaffer
IFSW, University of Wales, Newport

Amateur photographer David wants more photos of his ex-girlfriend Iris. Photography, the only outlet he can express himself through, drove her away. Now he revives their relationship through hundreds of photographs of her.

"This was a well shot and constructed film. The filmmaker involved the audience in the story and created tense and disturbing scenes. There was very good production design. He got good performances and it was an example of well executed storytelling. We felt that he is a very competent filmmaker who showed lots of potential. Our only criticism was that it was hard to care for any of the characters and this meant that it was hard to emotionally engage with the film as a whole."

FICTION POSTGRADUATE
with judges comments by Helen Grace

A Monster Movie
Marc Holtbecker, Valeriy Eremenko & Chiara Carbonara
IFSW, University of Wales, Newport
When Anne applied for a mortgage she had no idea that it would lead to an epic struggle against the forces of capitalism. A riotous, satirical look at the credit crunch and a fight to the death between two very alternative superheroes.

"Surreal and imaginative, and highly entertaining. This fx-heavy short film is a good calling card for the visual creative talents of the film-makers"

Billy's Day Out
Ann-Marie McCormack
IFSW, University of Wales, Newport
Recently bereaved Billy embarks on a day out to the gym to help overcome his loss, only to discover, to the amusement of others, that things are not as simple as the seem.

"Great performance from the lead actor, and well-handled comedy moments with a good overall consistency, showing promise."

Birthday
Nicolas Booth & Cyrus Mirza’Shara
IFSW, University of Wales, Newport
Mary celebrates her twentieth birthday with Leonard, a middle-aged professional in their small suburban home. However, Mary is determined this will be the last day of her captivity as she dreams of a gruesome escape from her keeper of ten years.

"Dark and mysterious, with a gripping tense tone, 'Birthday' uses sound design and frame composition effectively. Director Nicolas Booth is a talent to watch."

Videotapes
Brenning Hayden & Lucy Lawson - Duckett
University of Glamorgan
Sarah Colins had the life she imagined, but not the life she dreamed of. A tragic event brings Sarah home where she must confront her past.

"The director has drawn out good performances from his cast, and achieves a satisfying pace in this intriguing and well-rounded short film."

SHORT SHORTS
with judges comments by Brian Hannant

Aaron
Edward Andrews
University of Glamorgan
Aaron has announced he is a homo-sexual which has an impact on his life.

"A film brimming with imagination in terms of its imagery, visual language, use of superimposed text – and with a clear message. The filmmaker has managed to voice his anger and frustration without compromising the fine cinematic qualities of his film - nor the audience’s experience of watching it. Some phrases of the text needed a little more screen-time, nevertheless the overall statement was not lost. The first shot isolating the lone figure of the young man amid the swirl and bustle of the townspeople around him is perfectly achieved and dramatically accurate. And it sets the problem of HIV squarely in even the most ordinary community –nails it there. A very personal film."

Blok
Krystian Morgan
University of Glamorgan
Experimentation of an unusual presence.

"A work of artistic merit: a cube moves through an architectural space, a light-well, a room. Mysterious, threatening. Great use and control of the images and sound – and focus. A film that is strong in its feelings for atmosphere and texture."

Tomorrow
Jalal Ali
University of Glamorgan
A hard hitting visual perception of what happens unless we act today for tomorrow.
"A collage and mosaic of the present. And then a glimpse of a possible apocalyptic tomorrow – a child’s vision. A clear but simple message. Excellent use of image, montage and sound. Its tempo seems accurate and chilling."

The Ffresh 2010 Awards will take place on Friday 12th February in Aberystwyth. Visit the website for full details. www.ffresh.com