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What the critics have said about HUFF06: "hi snakes.. wow! been watching th disk pip sent.
was increadable..im realy impressed James Robinson 2007 {jamesrobisnson.co.nz} |
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(HUFF06 BELOW)
HAMILTON UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL 2006 |
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| A NIGHT OF EXPERIEMENTAL FILM FROM HAMILTON,NZ,USA,UK,JAPAN | ||
FILM MAKERS: |
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What: HAMILTON UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL Sept 13th 2006
Info website: http://www.circuit47.com/otato/ The inaugural Hamilton Underground Film Festival presents International and Local Films by 13 Contemporary Filmmakers from Hamilton, USA, UK and Japan combined in one show, and on one DVD!, Over one hour of short films ranging in length between 2 and 9 minutes. The audience can buy a DVD of the programme at the door for Ten Dollars, this includes the price of admission.
Extra cheap for students/+unwaged : $2:50 !!!
INCLUDING FILMS BY:
MICHELLE SAVILL – former WINTEC student presents her film ‘Martin and Snakes go to the Zoo’ fresh from the New York International Independent Film Festival. Martin and Snakes are, of course, Martin Webclaw formerly of the band Wendyhouse and intermedia artist Emit Snake-Beings. JOE CITIZEN’s recent computer scratch film with sound by Emit Snake-Being MARTIN RUMSBY – New Zealand’s experimental filmmaker, disappeared into Chicago’s African American ghetto in 1995 shortly after co-founding X FILM CHICAGO. Long considered Missing in Action, Rumsby moved to Hamilton a few months ago where he has completed six films this year. Rumsby’s short film LIVE challenges the authority of media representations and includes references to the war in Iraq. This will be the first public screening of a Martin Rumsby film in New Zealand since 1984. Rumsby also recently completed a film on the demise of the OVERLANDER passenger train service between Auckland and Wellington. Further information is available at: http://www.rumsby.net/martin EMIT SNAKE-BEINGS – Founder of the Hamilton Underground Film Festival, composer, musician and electrical shrine maker, travelled in Europe for 12 years shooting films in Spain, Mexico, Fiji and Japan. Resident in Hamilton since 2000. Emit Snake-Beings will present his recently made stop frame puppet animation ‘Death of an Orchestra’ see http://Snakebeings.co.nz for more info PIPSIX – Shows her 4 minute long film ‘Rabbit and Possum’ in which two common pests go fishing and drink beer together. American filmmaker PHIL SECRIST’s film MOMENTO MORI (2006) is a dark, surrealistic journey into death and time in which a man relives his life; certain doors open and close, leading him to his ultimate destination. Filmed in Hamilton. The crazy vision of Auckland based musician and filmmaker THOM BURTON, of the band Yokel Ono, in a random collection of shorts, including GREEN EYED MONSTERS and LE PESTSE, which mix suburban fantasy and nightmare. Further info at: www.myspace.com ROSIE PERCIVAL’s film Fellow is a 2 minute long experimental film using Adobe After Effects and featuring identical twins having a short conversation. STEFAN NEVILLE / SUGAR JON/ PUMICE- Ex Hamiltonian, now international noise music innovator – Stefan, a musical associate of Chris Knox and currently touring the USA, and Sugar Jon chop wood in Dunedin to the raw sounds of Pumice-raft. 4 mins. WITCYST – Internationally known noise magician from Whangarei has released over 700 tapes and 400 CDs – now working in visuals as well - http://witcyst.blogspot.com for more info. OCTPOB FILMS –miscellaneous NZ short films OKOK SOCIETY – A selection of scenes by mysterious film and sound Kaosmagician Mark Reeve sent directly to us from his base in Wales. http://www.luminouspress.chaosmagic.com/ STEVE RIFE – USA Pyrotechnics expert and filmmaker from St. Paul, Minnesota PATRICK MAUN - USA OTATO COLLECTIVO – INTERNATIONAL/LOCAL collaborations and network group Check web page for further titles to be announced. Info website: http://www.circuit47.com/otato/ Made possible with the support of the Hamilton Community Arts Council
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Hi OTATO, Thanks for the quick chat today. As mentioned, this will be the lead story in Thursday's ent. page in the Times. Righto, below are a bunch of questions - OK: 1) I see you're the founder of HUFF, and the event is in its first year. Is it quite a lot of work for you, or simply a case of getting in touch with like-minded individuals? In reality this event would be impossible to create without all the hours and weeks of hard creative work which the 13 filmmakers have invested into their films, my job, along with Martin Rumsby has been to simply create a focus and channelling of the vast invisible creative powers which are resident right here in Hamilton. The event is organised by the OTATO COLLECTIVE, a loose affiliation of counter-cultural filmmakers which the festival is designed to showcase. Membership of OTATO is open to anybody, all you have to do is make a film. This act in some way challenges the complacency which has become the side effect of commercially driven cinema. OTATO was inspired by the amount of interesting short films which have wormed their way out of Hamiltonian brains in the past few years and so a festival was created to celebrate this unseen creativity. Hamilton is also the most underground (underrated and invisible)city in New Zealand Excuse the cliché question, but how did you come up with idea, and what spurned you to action? See above 2) I see from the CIRCUIT47.com website there are film makers from several countries involved - how did they get on board? All based locally? After Michelle Savill’s film “ Martin and Snakes go to the Zoo” was shown in the New York film festival we realised that the Hamilton film community had a near perfect base from which to launch into international waters. One of the aims of the H.U.F.F. is a pooling of international contacts; for this reason several overseas filmmakers who have affiliations with the OTATO COLLECTIVE were invited to join the locally made filmmakers. The resultant DVD which will contain all of the films shown on 13th September will be given to each affiliated member of OTATO – this means that Hamilton f ilm will be viewed at other Underground Film Festivals around the world organised by the overseas OTATO operatives. There is for example a great venue in Hull, Humberside UK which is called the Hull arts Lab where the huff DVD films were recently shown. They were also shown at Bruce Hitchcocks allottment party in Hull,UK june 2006 3) Is it fair to call the film -makers "amateur", or are some of them In paid professional work in the film/TV business? Or would "struggling auteurs" be more accurate? Nearly all of the films to be shown have been created through systems which are outside of the commercial industry, if you want to see authentic, grassroots, genuine number 8 (or super 8mm) film then come to the festival. If you want to support us to develop a creative culture which is not reliant on the existing commercial system please affiliate your self to the OTATO COLLECTIVE and contribute whatever energy you can to the development of underground film. 4) Martin Rumsby (nee Webclaw) is well-known in Hamilton's arts/alternative culture scene - quite a coup to be screening one of his films? Actually there are three Martins. One is Martin Webclaw; actor in Michelle Savill’s films and ex-casio keyboard player from the NZ art rock band ‘WendyHouse’ and the other is Martin Rumsby the experimental filmmaker. Martin Rumsby, who disappeared into Chicago’s African American ghetto in 1995 shortly after co-founding X FILM CHICAGO, moved to Hamilton a seven months. Rumsby’s short film LIVE challenges the authority of media representations and includes references to the war in Iraq. This will be the first public screening of a Martin Rumsby film in New Zealand since 1984. Rumsby also recently completed a film on the demise of the OVERLANDER passenger train service between Auckland and Wellington. Martin Rumsby’s ‘Overlander’ film is currently causing a stir with Wellington and Auckland television producers who are considering employing Martin to extend the film into a full length television documentary. Martin Rumsby is also currently engaged in a practical examination of 'landscape film' for his Masters Degree at Waikato university. The third martin is Martin Fischer, local actor with ‘slip of the tongue’ theatre company and bass player with Cosmic Ska Child. Martin Fischer co-stars with local Shakespearian actor Alex Forbes in Pip Smith’s ‘Rabbit and Possum’ film; also to be shown in the festival. 5) What qualifies a film for "underground" status, and thus makes it able to be shown as part of HUFF? This years HUFF is aimed at bringing existing and potential underground filmmakers, as well as potential film backers, out of the rotting woodwork of obscurity, just like worms. In this sense all OTATO filmmakers are underground, we have been busy in our cellars and outhouses and now the work shall be revealed. However it is an ongoing process and next year we can continue to forge links between Hamilton filmmakers and international filmmakers overseas and provide a expansive forum of expression which will hopefully generate more opportunity for the creative output of Hamilton. Actually this is all guff- but you need a story to print do you not? 6) Do you have a personal favourite among the films being screened, and if so, why? My personal favourite is the film by the Hamilton based ‘OKOK society’ because it has been made using a very different process to any other film I have every seen. The approach can be described as ‘Third cinema’ because it is highly political. The film uses the soundtrack of a confession from a medieval witch trial that has been obtained under torture. The confessor can be heard taking cues from the interrogator and in the film this is linked to the present day US torture of prisoners in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. 7) The average cinema patron/movie-goer might consider the films to be "weird", or at the least, a bit on the peculiar side - how do you feel about that, and is that the intention of the festival? The weirdest thing about film is that the average mainstream audience have become very accustomed to the Hollywood formula of filmmaking. The audiences of HUFF will hopefully find that these limitations and techniques are not the only way of making films which are entertaining, enjoyable and stimulating. 8) What's been the most frustrating or difficult part of putting the festival together? Since we put out the word that there was going to be a festival, we have been overwhelmed by the amount of support from both from Hamilton Community Arts Council, who provided funding, and the Waikato Museum who have generously allowed us free use of their lecture theatre. There was also the vast submission of films from Hamilton film makers. Since the festival was only organised for the single showing on the 13th sept unfortunately, many of the films can not be shown . OTATO collective operates on a very limited budget and very outdated machinery which means that also several films could not be converted from their obscure formats. Since the worms had eaten into the mechanisms transforming the zeros and ones into worm juice. 9) Your personal opinions/perceptions of some of the films being screened? I can’t wait to see all of the films compiled on one disc and shown on the night. There are some very creative and thought provoking films which have been made right here in Hamilton and I am amazed that the general public has not had previous access to view them. I also think the true power of these films will be perceived more fully once they have been seen in their collective state, once the events of the night have been chewed over, and once this collection of films has been sent to other OTATO affiliated festivals around the world. With the amount of talent resident in Hamilton, I think we will see similar situations as Michelle Savill’s New York Film Festival success, and hopefully Hamilton Underground Film Festival will allow that to happen for more people. 10) Why should people attend HUFF? This is a one night only event, Wednesday 13th September, If you want to see what is happening in the film world, right here under your feet in Hamilton, don’t dig a hole; just turn up. $2:50cents is all you need, all welcome. |
