Suffolk Shorts took place at Ipswich Film Theatre and online this month and the organisers were delighted to see so many Walberswickians in attendance.
The Suffolk Short Film Festival CIC was established in 2018 by Walberswick resident Claire Whittenbury and Rachel Aldridge, daughter of Harry and Inger Edwards, daughter-in-law to Mandy Erlenbach and Mark Aldridge. The festival brings independent British and International short films to Suffolk with an award based competition at its heart. With a special category for East Anglian Films, the social enterprise also aims to encourage local filmmakers and those telling local stories. The festival attracted submissions from 28 countries and 43 films were selected by the programming team to be considered in the 5 award categories; Animation, Art & Performance, East Anglian Film, Drama and Documentary. The winners of each category were announced by the juries, and screened at the Award Night on October 8th, at Ipswich Film Theatre. Two days of short film programmes followed, then the films could be seen online for 10 days.
The juries were made up of individuals with a wealth of experience in their fields, and most had a Suffolk Connection. On the drama jury, on of the most active judges was David Morrissey, one of the UK’s best-known and best-loved actors, a household favourite since his first role in One Summer (1983) and a cult favourite since he appeared in The Walking Dead. He’s also an acclaimed producer and director. David is an active supporter of a number of charities, and an ambassador for UNHCR. Corralling the Documentary jury was Walberswick home owner Executive Producer Tracey Gardiner, who has over twenty years’ experience developing and making documentaries and low budget feature films. Her production company Iridescent Films recently co-produced feature doc 100 Men (Netflix). Her award winning films include: Keys to the Castle (Scottish BAFTA and RTS), How M&S Lost its Millions (Wincott Award – Best Documentary), and the Grierson Newcomer Award for Send Me Somewhere Special. The Art & Performance jury had three local judges, including Kate MccGwire, an internationally renowned sculptor whose practice employs natural materials to probe the beauty inherent in duality. Her work has been exhibited at the Saatchi Gallery (London), the Museum of Art and Design (New York), Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature (Paris), Snape Maltings (Suffolk) and Glasstress at the Venice Biennale. She currently splits her time between London and Suffolk. Her mother, Shirley Anne, lives in Walberswick.
The East Anglian category's sponsored by University of Suffolk and featured films from local filmmakers, including Huw Brentnall and Zoe Wells. Their Film Boadicea/Boudicca had its premiere at the festival. Based on the life of historical figure Boadicea, the film takes place in the heart of Suffolk. A young mother, Boudicca, is adrift after losing her daughter. In a bid to save the land they both loved from local developers, she resorts to squatting. In the wilderness, she begins to piece herself together. However, the land has a mind of its own and the supernatural forces that surround her threaten to tear her apart.
The festival organisers are currently working on development for the 2022 event, if you'd like to get involved or have a film in production you can contact the team at info@suffolkshorts.co.uk