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maltatoday | SUNDAY • 14 NOVEMBER 2021 6 FILM The 17th edition of Kinemastik Short Film Festival THIS year's 17th edition of Kinemastik International Short Film Festival will take place 14 - 21 November 2021, deviat- ing from their usual model of bringing short film to a local au- dience in outdoor venues across both Malta and Gozo, this year will see a mix of venues host- ing various types of screenings, to ensure the spirit of KISFF is kept alive despite the ongoing restriction and concerns. None of the screenings will be taking place online, with a strong em- phasis of bringing together the community, for cinema is a so- cial act. The week-long programme kicks off with the Neck of the Woods screenings, offering a programme continuing on from last year's screenings of the one-minute film series at the Pietà Kiosk, sourced from Amsterdam-based The One Minutes, a global network de- voted to moving image. Since 1998, The One Minutes has produced and distributed more than 17,000 video works by art- ists from more than 120 coun- tries. Every month, The One Minutes Foundation puts out a new series of 60-second films that investigate how we per- ceive and engage with moving image. Museums and cultural organisations around the world subscribe to the series. This year, The One Minutes X Kinemastik commissioned a programme that will premiere at Café Riche in Birgu on Sun- day 14 November. Entitled Forked Tongue, the one-min- ute films have been selected by Marseille-based artist Madison Bycroft from worldwide sub- missions, as well as a one-min- ute film programme entitled Akwatik, curated by Kinemas- tik. Speaking with a forked tongue, saying one thing while meaning another one is to write in two directions and open space for an active non-knowing impulse. But it is also understood that to speak with a forked tongue is to lie, enter the realm of de- ception, ethical inconsistencies, double standards and betrayal, where thin, fleeting promis- es benefit only the promiser. Forked tongue, you ask? You'll have to come and see. Madison Bycroft graduat- ed from the Piet Zwart Insti- tute-Master Fine Art in Rot- terdam. Working with video, sculpture and performance, Madison Bycroft's current in- terests extend into forms of reading and writing, expres- sion and refusal. They explore the politics of illegibility and legibility through language and material, asking how 'sense' is framed by historical contexts, terrestrial bias and structures of power. Akwatik is a programme that explores the land/sea dialectic omnipresent in maritime an- thropology. Colonialism, in- dependence, developmental and conservation policies have all disrupted communities in- habiting maritime space. The concept of the sea as a human space, marked by cultural diver- sity, has been stubbornly resist- ed. Perceived instead as a ho- mogeneous space, as 'widow of the ways' (veuf de routes) and as 'irremediably wild', the sea was viewed as refractory to any form of 'domestication'. Until recently western mod- els dominated ideas about the sea, but now a reversal is taking place, opening up a middle way – a space for reflection that is scientific, political, social. Akwatik steers from land to sea, from air to water, seeking to occupy space without claim- ing it. The One Minute selections then go on tour, screening on Monday night at the Vilhena Band Club in Floriana, on Tues- day night at Balzunetta Gastro Pub in Floriana, and on Thurs- day and Friday night at The Royal British Legion in Valletta where an extended programme selected from The One Minute Series will loop throughout the evening. Films selected for the Main Screen International Competi- tion will be screened between 18-22 November, showing in Valletta at Spazju Kreattiv, St James Cavalier and in Rabat, Gozo at the Citadel Cinema, whilst a programme made up exclusively of Maltese films, entitled It-Talkies, will be screened at The Royal British Legion in Valletta on Wednes- day 17 November. The Main Screen section con- sists of four programmes — Rupture, Possibly Repair and We Are All Political (Animals), Ways of Seeing and (Don't) Look Away. The films have been selected from Sheffield Docs, Berlinale, FIDMarseille, Cannes (Semaine de la Critique), Locar- no, Animateka, Venice, IDFA, Guanajuato, Toronto (TIFF) and Rencontres Internation- ales Paris/Berlin, and consist of a variety of genres including animation, experimental, doc- umentary and fiction, all under 30 minutes in length. In a post pandemic world, in- trospection, and the need to escape back into reality have become common themes dis- cussed across social media and global media. Playing on themes within psy- choanalysis, sociology and art criticism, we have selected films that both concede with and chal- lenge the pre-conceived notions of social behaviour, as well as seeking ways to bring a diverse set of observations from with- in current cinema into the dis- course. Programme One, enti- tled 'Rupture, Possibly Repair', looks at how rupture can be a chance to strengthen relation- ships, and therefore repair is critical. Sometimes though, it's best to walk away… Programme Two, entitled 'Ways of Seeing', explores how representations of men and women in visual culture entice different gazes, different ways in which they are looked at, taking that a step further we consider how accessing all areas gives us fresh perspective and a chance for better insight, to say nothing of delight. Programme Three, entitled '(Don't) Look Away', considers the human urge to bolt, the uncertainty of fight or flight, and how sometimes we have to look away, whilst other times we are transfixed, either way we encourage you (not) to look away. Finally, Programme Four, entitled 'We Are All Politi- cal (Animals)' delves into what it means when we refer to humans as 'political animals' — now seen as a way for cynics to describe human behaviour as competitive and manipulative rather than as altruistic rule-following. The more positive ancient under- standing of political animals can help us to understand ourselves better. The selection of Maltese sub- missions is a mixed bag (that's quite heavy on the horror) – we traditionally call this section It-Talkies, and this year sees a selection of 11 films from a dynamic group of directors, including renowned artist Roxman Gatt and award-win- ning animator Fabrizio Ellul. This year's jury is made up of acclaimed director of the award-winning film Luzzu Alex Camilleri, actor Marama Cor- lett and urbanist/architect Žel- jka Abramovic, together they will be awarding the Kinemastik Golden Dot to the best film in the international section. Audi- ences will vote for their favour- ite films in both the interna- tional and national sections. All films include English subtitles. Kinemastik is supported by Arts Council Malta through the ICO Fund, the German Embassy in Malta, Spazju Kreattiv Cin- ema, Citadel Cinema, Marks and Spencer, and ALDO. For the FULL programme, including showing times and ticket links please visit www.kinemastik.org