Watch This Move by Kate Smith

Known as the largest exhibition platform in the UK for media and experimental short film with an individual theme, Moves 11 – The International Festival of Movement on Screen has now packed up a 7th successful year, its second being held in Liverpool after setting up home at the Bluecoat  these last five days of April.

It is a showcase for artists the world over to bring forward innovative, cross- over art forms explored through short films and multimedia exhibitions. Through to the interactive installations that are shown at the Bluecoat, The CUC and on city BBC screens and Revolution Bars throughout the UK.  Also, there is interaction on the internet and live audiovisual performances.  Each piece having the specific theme of movement and the moving images you observe on screen will literally make you feel the urge to move, dance or interact. Moves festival takes on a different theme each year, and this year being ‘Intersections, Filming Across Culture and Technology’.  All entries have been filmed across a range of cultures using and containing various forms of technology with movement as the narrative.

This festival encourages open participation from artists, filmmakers, students of film, dancers.  musicians and industry people to meet and discuss and share ideas. Also through the Film Lab project sessions, participants can create a short film in the week ahead of the festival to be screened on the final date and to be shown online.

Moves, as part of the European arts network, also plays host of the final exhibition of the Alternative Route Award winners.

The winners of the award include moving installations from artists such as Sara Bjornsdottir  in ‘Salem Nights’,  a video artwork that joins the imagery of smoking with the natural phenomenon of The Northern Lights.  Rimas Sakalauska’s ‘Synchronisation’ is a moving video projected onto a gallery wall, accompanied by loud repetitive industrial noises showing footage of the artists Lithuanian soviet  childhood followed by images of a revolving  space craft preparing for take -off  before spinning up high above land and clouds. This video encompasses all the festival themes of movement and technology and also the audience participation, the rotating image from the space craft acts as a simulator to a dizzying effect to the viewer, feeling like virtual reality and you are preparing to fly high into the sky.

As well as film screenings onsite, Moves also showcase experimental cinema online. Audience interaction is enticed further by combining film and the worldwide web though the online feature Sufferrosa by Dawid Marcinkowski,  a neo- noir, a completely non linear narrative whereby the viewer can pick and choose from 110 scenes and 3 alternative endings.

The festival views over 600 short films, from applicants through their website. The films are selected and grouped in a series of screenings presented by the Moves organisers.

Each short film is non static and contains movement in each and every frame.  Whether  it is through music,  characters physically dancing,  walking shots through a characters point of view, fluid camera pan shots, fast cuts or moving graphics. They range from grainy documentary style to dream like surreal split screen pieces. There is the beautifully shot interview and observational style in the

award winning ‘Sand’ by Car Ann Shim Sham, showing the relationship between a father and son in the historical tradition of sand dancing. But is in locally based  Liverpool’s Movema’s  on going project  ‘Where in the World?’ that ultimately highlights all of the Intersections themes. This lively, inventive project, uses today’s most popular forms of technological communications of the mobile phones and the internet – using youtube and skype to create an interesting documentary piece  about dance by interviewing participants all over the world. Interviews take place through skype while accompanied by video footage of dance on youtube posted to Movema .  From a young man in Africa explaining how dance is integral to his culture, how it represents power and historical significance, to young Americans explaining how Michael Jackson’s style of dance influenced many to interviews with local dance groups. These various interviewees are collected alongside an energetic youtube montage of videos from participants. These feature Indian bhangra dance, to breakdancers, to African tribal dance, to Moonwalkers, bodypopping through the streets of New York, to children dancing in front of the tv to tourists dancing in front of famous landmarks.

Art cuts announced earlier this year have cast doubt for the funding and running of many projects and events in the foreseeable future, and Moves are no exception too at this moment. However, regular updates on their website will certainly keep everybody informed as well as the entry requirements for any short films anyone would wish to submit for future Moves projects.