KinoFilm Festival is a nine-day international short film festival showcasing 300 short films in several beautiful locations across Manchester.
Having spoken to Paul Allen, the festival manager, it’s clear that the locations of the film screenings are just as important as the films themselves. The festival hub will be at the N.I.A.M.O.S. which is “back in the hands of the community and is an artist led space”. One of the ambitions of the KinoFilm Festival is to bring cinema back to the heart of the community; there are four venues used during the festival which together will “galvanise all the different communities in Manchester”.
There is an abundance of films on show throughout the nine days. Festival director John Wojowski and the team have split the programme into “big over-arching sections like British new wave, and then within that we’ve got British comedy”. One film Paul Allen recommended is Brexicuted by Chris Shepard, a satirical animation about Brexit which is “hilarious… and is one to watch”, which will be shown on the 30th of November at 4pm as part of Animation 1: Special Selections.
Now enjoying it’s 15th edition, the festival continues to be supported by volunteers and highlights the significance of the community within the festival. In addition to the 50-volunteers assisting the day-to-day running of the festival, an additional “team of [ten] volunteers come in when they can and do what they can” prior to the launch and the beginning of the festival.
This festival provides the opportunity and platform for voices that often get lost – short films don’t get the recognition they deserve and I’m glad that Manchester has an entire festival devoted to the celebration of these, especially one that is so international. There are a multitude of screenings collecting films from different countries, including O!PLA to promote the works of Polish animators, and a retrospective of Slovak Animations amongst countless others.
If you’re stuck for choice, these are a few highlights:
26th November, 8:30pm: We Love Manchester sharing all things Mancunian;
1st December, 4:00pm: Middle Eastern Collection which will focus on stories and the experiences of childhood;
2nd December, 12:00pm: Animation – Family Kids’ Corner which looks to be full of endearing and nostalgic animation with a selection from nine countries.
The festival runs from the 24th November until the 2nd December, with student tickets costing only £4.
For more details about the festival itself and the full programme of film screenings, take a look at the KinoFilm Festival‘s website and scroll through the selections on offer.
