25 April 09  

Michael Brooke (bfi) delivered an excellent talk on the work of master animator Jan Švankmajer.

Brooke distinguished between the films using recognisable dance (as in a wonderful parodic ballet of soviet propaganda films) and the sense of motion and space that pervades his films in general. Švankmajer's assured “essays of movement” were an illuminating and inspiring addition to the festival programme. The majority of the festival's programme is from emerging and mid-career filmmakers, and to see this brilliant work developed over decades added depth and perspective.

(For anyone wishing to brush  up  their Švankmajer, the BFI has just released a painstakingly researched compilation DVD).

A new strand of Moves this year is a selection of films for young audiences. The “Cartwheels” programme was an eclectic mix of styles and themes, and would certainly have worked for kids – however the average age in the auditorium was at least two decades above the recommended 9+ years. Hopefully they will come next year.

Moves film festival is a showcase for “movement on screen”, and this is its 5th year. Its mainstay are experimental films, many with a distinct choreographic sensibility. It opened on Thursday, and already there has been much food for thought, from interactive digital storytelling to children's short films.

This year's theme is 'narrative', which, while not a departure, is still a new focus for the festival. It is already noticeable (on day 3) that the selection is much more verbal, word-heavy than previous years.