Disposable Film Festival
Encyclopedia
The Disposable Film Festival (DFF) is an annual juried
international festival of short films made using casual, lo-fi video capture devices like cell phones, point and shoot cameras, webcams, and inexpensive handycams. It also features artist profile screenings of filmmakers working in these media and hosts educational film workshops.
The first DFF event was held at Artists' Television Access
on January 19, 2008. The program then went on to play at venues across world, including screenings in conjunction with the Portable Film Festival
based in Melbourne
, Australia
, at South by Southwest
in Austin, Texas, the New Media Meeting in Norrköping
, Sweden
, and at Jonas Mekas
's Anthology Film Archives
in New York.
In October 2008, the DFF partnered with Dave Eggers
's 826 Valencia
non-profit, to host a workshop teaching teenagers how to make films using inexpensive video capture devices. A screening of films completed by workshop participants was held on November 16, 2008 at the studios of KQED-TV. Also in 2008, the DFF collaborated with Spike Lee
on the Nokia
Productions project to crowd-source video clips in order to make a three-act feature length film on the themes of life and death.
The second annual Disposable Film Festival ran from January 29 through February 1, 2009. The opening night screening of the competitive shorts program was held at the Roxie Theater. Subsequent nights featured
artist profiles showcasing the work of New York film collective Red Bucket Films' feature BUTTONS, VOL. 1 and short works by Fritz Donnelly. The DFF also held a filmmaking panel at Oddball Films.
The Disposable Film Festival held a screening of their 2009 shorts program in London, England on April 17, 2009 in conjunction with Exploding Cinema.
Additional screenings were held in Paris
, Brussels
, New York
, and Beijing
.
On May 13, 2009, the Disposable Film Festival held an outdoor bike-in screening in conjunction with sponsors Good Hotel and Zipcar
, along with the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition
and MobMov
. It was the first bike-in screening held in San Francisco, a format that was subsequently used by the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition
several times.
On September 22, 2009, the Disposable Film Festival held a screening at New York's Anthology Film Archives
. The festival screened selections from its 2009 competitive shorts program, selected short works by Fritz Donnelly, and premiered BUTTONS, VOL. 2 by New York filmmakers Red Bucket Films.
The third annual Disposable Film Festival began with four days of events in San Francisco, March 4–7, 2010. The festival's theme was 2010: The Year of Disposable Film. Featured filmmakers included Red Bucket Films, Ben Slotover, and Alex Itin. The last day of the festival featured a filmmaking workshop held by Vimeo
community director Blake Whitman.
The Disposable Film Festival held their second annual outdoor bike-in screening on May 12, 2010 in San Francisco's SOMA
district, in honor of San Francisco Bike Week. The event was held in partnership with forageSF which held an Underground Market alongside the event, and was sponsored by Globe Bikes, Crumpler Bags, Alite Designs, and Good Hotel. The screening included highlights from the DFF 2010 Competitive Shorts program.
In May 2010, Slatkin stepped down as co-director of the festival and Katie Gillum became associate director.
On July 14, 2010, The Disposable Film Festival held a special Bastille Day
screening featuring many French language films at San Francisco's Hotel Rex.
In July 2010, The Disposable Film Festival signed a major partnership with Globe Bikes. Globe Bikes agreed to help the festival reach out to bicyclists through Bike-In screenings and bike valet in ten cities around the world. In the summer of 2010, The Disposable Film Festival held events in partner ship with Globe Bikes in Pittsburgh, PA, London, UK, Los Angeles, CA, and Portland OR.
On September 15, 2010, The Disposable Film Festival held a screening in Beijing
, China
, in partnership with Chinese art and film organization Electric Shadows
at the Penghao Theater.
From March 18 through March 25, 2010, The Disposable Film Festival screened for one week at The Greenhouse in New Delhi
, India
, an organization supported by the Goethe Institute.
http://www.moviemaker.com/festivals/article/25_coolest_film_festivals_2009_20090731/
Juried (competition)
A juried competition is a competition in which participants' work is judged by a person or panel of persons convened specifically to judge the participants' efforts, either by the competition's stated rubric or by a subjective set of criteria dependent upon the nature of the competition or the...
international festival of short films made using casual, lo-fi video capture devices like cell phones, point and shoot cameras, webcams, and inexpensive handycams. It also features artist profile screenings of filmmakers working in these media and hosts educational film workshops.
History
The Disposable Film Festival was founded in San Francisco in 2007 by Carlton Evans and Eric Slatkin, who became the co-directors of the festival. As a result of the Disposable Film Festival, the terms "disposable film," "disposable video," and "disposable filmmaking" have come to refer to the practice of making video in a do-it-yourself aesthetic that is less reliant on formal filmmaking training and more on experimentation with easily-available technology.The first DFF event was held at Artists' Television Access
Artists' Television Access
Artists' Television Access is a non-profit art gallery and screening venue in San Francisco's Mission District in the United States of America. ATA exhibits work by emerging, independent and experimental artists in its theatre and gallery space as well as on its weekly Public-access television...
on January 19, 2008. The program then went on to play at venues across world, including screenings in conjunction with the Portable Film Festival
Portable Film Festival
The Portable Film Festival is an online channel and film festival offering audiences the chance to download an entire curated international film and video program for free to a portable device, such as an iPod, Sony PSP, 3G capable mobile phone or laptop...
based in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, at South by Southwest
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
in Austin, Texas, the New Media Meeting in Norrköping
Norrköping
Norrköping is a city in the province of Östergötland in eastern Sweden and the seat of Norrköping Municipality, Östergötland County. The city has a population of 87,247 inhabitants in 2010, out of a municipal total of 130,050, making it Sweden's tenth largest city and eighth largest...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, and at Jonas Mekas
Jonas Mekas
Jonas Mekas is a Lithuanian-born American filmmaker, writer, and curator who has often been called "the godfather of American avant-garde cinema." His work has been exhibited in museums and festivals across Europe and America.-Biography:...
's Anthology Film Archives
Anthology Film Archives
__notoc__Anthology Film Archives is a film archive and theater located at 32 Second Avenue on the corner of East Second Street in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City devoted to the preservation and exhibition of experimental film. It is the only non-profit organization of its...
in New York.
In October 2008, the DFF partnered with Dave Eggers
Dave Eggers
Dave Eggers is an American writer, editor, and publisher. He is known for the best-selling memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius and for his more recent work as a screenwriter. He is also the co-founder of the literacy project 826 Valencia.-Life:Eggers was born in Boston, Massachusetts,...
's 826 Valencia
826 Valencia
826 Valencia is a non-profit organisation dedicated to helping children and young adults develop writing skills and to helping teachers inspire their students to write.-Overview:...
non-profit, to host a workshop teaching teenagers how to make films using inexpensive video capture devices. A screening of films completed by workshop participants was held on November 16, 2008 at the studios of KQED-TV. Also in 2008, the DFF collaborated with Spike Lee
Spike Lee
Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, has produced over 35 films since 1983....
on the Nokia
Nokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
Productions project to crowd-source video clips in order to make a three-act feature length film on the themes of life and death.
The second annual Disposable Film Festival ran from January 29 through February 1, 2009. The opening night screening of the competitive shorts program was held at the Roxie Theater. Subsequent nights featured
artist profiles showcasing the work of New York film collective Red Bucket Films' feature BUTTONS, VOL. 1 and short works by Fritz Donnelly. The DFF also held a filmmaking panel at Oddball Films.
The Disposable Film Festival held a screening of their 2009 shorts program in London, England on April 17, 2009 in conjunction with Exploding Cinema.
Additional screenings were held in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
.
On May 13, 2009, the Disposable Film Festival held an outdoor bike-in screening in conjunction with sponsors Good Hotel and Zipcar
Zipcar
Zipcar is an American membership-based car sharing company providing automobile reservations to its members, billable by the hour or day. Zipcar was founded in 2000 by Cambridge, Massachusetts residents Antje Danielson and Robin Chase, and is now led by Scott Griffith, Chairman and Chief Executive...
, along with the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition
San Francisco Bicycle Coalition
The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is a California 501 nonprofit public benefit corporation established to "transform San Francisco's streets and neighborhoods into more livable and safe places by promoting the bicycle for everyday transportation." Founded in 1971, dormant through much of the...
and MobMov
Mobmov
Mobile Movie is a worldwide network of guerrilla drive-ins using car-powered video projectors and FM transmitters. The MobMov represents over 150 independent guerrilla drive-ins, from United States to France, India, and Australia....
. It was the first bike-in screening held in San Francisco, a format that was subsequently used by the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition
San Francisco Bicycle Coalition
The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is a California 501 nonprofit public benefit corporation established to "transform San Francisco's streets and neighborhoods into more livable and safe places by promoting the bicycle for everyday transportation." Founded in 1971, dormant through much of the...
several times.
On September 22, 2009, the Disposable Film Festival held a screening at New York's Anthology Film Archives
Anthology Film Archives
__notoc__Anthology Film Archives is a film archive and theater located at 32 Second Avenue on the corner of East Second Street in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City devoted to the preservation and exhibition of experimental film. It is the only non-profit organization of its...
. The festival screened selections from its 2009 competitive shorts program, selected short works by Fritz Donnelly, and premiered BUTTONS, VOL. 2 by New York filmmakers Red Bucket Films.
The third annual Disposable Film Festival began with four days of events in San Francisco, March 4–7, 2010. The festival's theme was 2010: The Year of Disposable Film. Featured filmmakers included Red Bucket Films, Ben Slotover, and Alex Itin. The last day of the festival featured a filmmaking workshop held by Vimeo
Vimeo
Vimeo is a video-sharing website on which users can upload, share, and view videos. It was founded by Zach Klein and Jake Lodwick in November 2004...
community director Blake Whitman.
The Disposable Film Festival held their second annual outdoor bike-in screening on May 12, 2010 in San Francisco's SOMA
South of Market, San Francisco, California
South of Market is a neighborhood in San Francisco, California, United States.-Name and location:Its boundaries are Market Street to the northwest, San Francisco Bay to the northeast, Mission Creek to the southeast, and Division Street, 13th Street and U.S. Route 101 to the southwest...
district, in honor of San Francisco Bike Week. The event was held in partnership with forageSF which held an Underground Market alongside the event, and was sponsored by Globe Bikes, Crumpler Bags, Alite Designs, and Good Hotel. The screening included highlights from the DFF 2010 Competitive Shorts program.
In May 2010, Slatkin stepped down as co-director of the festival and Katie Gillum became associate director.
On July 14, 2010, The Disposable Film Festival held a special Bastille Day
Bastille Day
Bastille Day is the name given in English-speaking countries to the French National Day, which is celebrated on 14 July of each year. In France, it is formally called La Fête Nationale and commonly le quatorze juillet...
screening featuring many French language films at San Francisco's Hotel Rex.
In July 2010, The Disposable Film Festival signed a major partnership with Globe Bikes. Globe Bikes agreed to help the festival reach out to bicyclists through Bike-In screenings and bike valet in ten cities around the world. In the summer of 2010, The Disposable Film Festival held events in partner ship with Globe Bikes in Pittsburgh, PA, London, UK, Los Angeles, CA, and Portland OR.
On September 15, 2010, The Disposable Film Festival held a screening in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, in partnership with Chinese art and film organization Electric Shadows
Electric Shadows
Electric Shadows is a 2004 Chinese film directed by Xiao Jiang. The English title of the film is the literal translation for the Chinese term for movies or "dian ying" ....
at the Penghao Theater.
From March 18 through March 25, 2010, The Disposable Film Festival screened for one week at The Greenhouse in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, an organization supported by the Goethe Institute.
Honors
The Disposable Film Festival was named one of the world's 25 coolest film festivals in the Summer 2009 issue of MovieMaker Magazine.http://www.moviemaker.com/festivals/article/25_coolest_film_festivals_2009_20090731/
External resources
- Disposable Film Festival official site
- New York Times article about The Disposable Film Festival, November 4th, 2008
- San Francisco Chronicle article about The Disposable Film Festival, August 9th, 2008