Ffresh 2008: Forging relationships with industry and recognising fresh talent
It might start on Valentine’s Day but budding film makers in the back row of the cinema at Ffresh 2008 will have more on their mind than affairs of the heart.
While audience members at the student moving image festival of Wales might be hoping their Brief Encounter leads to True Romance they aren’t thinking about Love Actually.
Rather the students from colleges across Wales are looking for Close Encounters with people who can turn talent into reality.
Forging new relationships is the theme of Ffresh, now its sixth year, Ffresh will be an even stronger arena for communication and collaborative relationships between higher education establishments and the moving image sector in Wales.
The annual two-day event held at Aberystwyth Arts Centre brings together more than 700 students from around Wales with representatives from the media sector in Wales, the UK and abroad.
At its heart is the festival’s mission to search out, recognise and reward new talent and provide a gateway into the media sector in Wales.
The festival provides a unique platform to showcase the best work being created by up-and-coming talent in Wales by screening all the short listed entries from the Ffresh Awards in the Arts Centre cinema. They will also be broadcast online to a global audience through the festival website www.ffresh.com.
Judged by a panel of industry professionals, the awards consist of nine categories of excellence. There will also be online voting for the Audience Award for best short-listed film
Ffresh will also showcase student work from around the world, making it a unique UK event that showcases a broad and eclectic selection of international student work. The festival will also be working with the British Council Wales to achieve the festival’s aims in creating links between Welsh and foreign higher education institutions.
To compliment the programme of screenings there will be an eclectic and engaging selection of masterclasses, panel sessions and workshops that will focus on the business of the moving image sector.
Star name guests at previous festivals who have excited, interested an engaged with the students, professionals and audiences alike have included Stephen Frears, Marc Evans, Sara Sugarman, Justin Kerrigan, Andrew Davies, and Oscar-winning editor Jim Clark and Steve Robinson.