Flatpicks: Sam Groves
Team Flatpack have been providing recommendations on what not to miss at Flatpack 10 over the last week (see them all here). Still need more suggestions? Take a look at the below selection by Programmer Sam Groves...
1) Sound + Vision This night of analogue AV promises to be a little bit special. Optical Machines have never performed in the UK before, Transforma rarely do, and Graham Dunning, although a regular on the UK circuit, is always a joy to see. What's more we've got Adrian Flury merging people's faces on a big screen too. For anyone who was at Usaginingen last year, you mustn't miss this.
2) Channel 4: Eye Openers It's not every year we can claim to be screening the perfect film, but this year [as far as I'm concerned] we are. As a teenager, seeing Music for One Apartment and Six Drummers on C4 was a revelatory moment for me - it was pure craft, unadulterated craft. The following day I showed my parents, and then friends, and then friends of friends. I've basically been doing that now for about 15 years, and now it's such a pleasure to be screening it as part of a programme of shorts celebrating Channel 4. I asked some other filmmakers, curators and commissioners to pick their revelatory Channel 4 films too - they picked some crackers also.
3) Short Film Competition I can't bang the drum loud enough for these - five eclectic programmes of basically the best contemporary filmmaking you're likely to come across.
4) Ruined Heart: Another Lovestory Between A Criminal And A Whore People always talk about films that 'stay with you', well this certainly did for me. It's a raw, visceral, confounding, punk piece of filmmaking with real [ruined] heart to it. As soon as I could I bought the soundtrack on vinyl - it's amazing.
5) Pierre Bastien + Brian Duffy Pierre Bastien makes music and visuals using Meccano - it's ace. He's ace. Last time I saw him I was so enthused I was unconsciously and genuinely doing the Kriss Akabusi 'awooga' fist rolling gesture - that's how good he is. With Brian Duffy as a double bill, it'll be a real treat.