The Curse of the Phantom Tympanum in Lisbon

The latest episode of our pre-constructed adventure serial of the future, UNIVERSAL EAR, will receive its world (festival) premiere at IndieLisboa International Festival of Independent Cinema this May. The Curse of the Phantom Tympanum also played in a temporary cinema during Mr Cole's solo exhibition at Bandits-Mages in November. It marks the Institute's return to IndieLisboa ten years after It's Nick's Birthday received a Special Mention from the Jury at the 2009 edition - although a tight connection has been maintained between the festival and the Institute in the interim, through our presence on the prize jury in 2013 and attendance in support of colleague Aleksandra Niemczyk's work in 2016 and 2018. From wherever you're sat, it's a good festival.

Synopsis: Time-travelling record producer Harley Byrne crash-lands in a virtual reality heritage theme park in 22nd-century France. Corrupt holograms, cyborg saints, and sentient statues haunt an absurdist Super-8 universe, digitally re-colourized for your pleasure!

EVENT: UNIVERSAL EAR: The Curse of the Phantom Tympanum at IndieLisboa '19.
PROGRAM: International Shorts

WHERE: Culturgest - Pequeno Auditório, Edifício-sede da Caixa Geral de Depósitos, Rua Arco do Cego, 50, 1000–300 Lisbon

WHEN: Sunday 5th May, 2019, 21.45 & Wednesday 8th May, 2019, 17.00

COST: €4.50
NOTES: Writer/Director Graeme Cole will be in attendance for the Sunday screening (and potential intro/Q&A duty).

It's Nick's Birthday in Mayfield

Is it mumblecore? Is it post-Eustachian whimmery? No. It's not. It's SLOW CINEMA.

Our 2009 DIY hermitwave AidanSmithcore shabby musical It's Nick's Birthday dances once more, in the company of three of Mr Cole's Bistrik 7 comrades, at the rather fine-looking Slow Short Film Festival next week.

EVENT: It's Nick's Birthday at Slow Short Film Festival
PROGRAM: Block 2
WHERE: Mayfield School Concert Hall, The Old Palace, Mayfield, Essex, TN20 6PH
WHEN: Saturday, 9th September 2017, 14.15 (festival day begins 11am)
COST: £11.21 (buy online)

UNIVERSAL EARLog III: Day 7

Yesterday, that is. A day of meetings - the final one, with DESTINY!

In the A.M., Niemczyk and I finally read the screenplay for Tympanum from cover to cover, making a preliminary pass to sketch out some possibilities (categorising what is possible to shoot, given the prevailing laws of light, and what is otherwise) and removing not the impossible parts, but the unessential (which always seems a shame).

We’ve seen the movie now. It’s too long and it destroyed its creators. (But more on that later).

A lunch meeting is held with Robin-Tyrek, assistant director and more, who promises she has “a lead on some cardboard”. Regular viewers will know how important this is. We pitch the movie to/at her, starting with the whole UNIVERSAL EAR concept and leading to the polyauthentic reveries of the new episode; Robin-Tyrek’s expression seems to suggest flabbergastery at the childishishness of our endeavour, but she clarifies that she is flabbergasted merely at the scale of what we must achieve.

The lunch team moves onto the Bandits-Mages HQ, where the first disaster is to happen. Niemczyk and I are pleased to catch up with Boris Lehman, who is in town on archiving business - not least archiving the faces of all whom he meets with the little handy snapper that hangs from his neck; but when I step back to pose with him for Niemczyk, I manage to put my foot through the floor of the Bandits-Mages production office. The scar will prove to be a cruel pre-parody of things to come.

Next, we scour the B-M shed with Quentin Aurat, trying to tick as many pieces of equipment and junk as possible from our need-list, but mostly adding newly-spotted items to our want-list. Outside, where the land that Bandits-Mages share with the neighbouring Emmetrop organisation is being re-configured into office, performance, and garden space, Niemczyk narrowly avoids being decapitated by an industrial digger.

The evening, and a group dinner chez B-M chief Isabelle Carlier in her divine water-mill conversion home. Lehman gives us a slide show of a workshop he attended last year, and a secret preview of a new movie on which he collaborated with a mutual friend; I make an excruciating screening of It’s Nick’s Birthday, the problems with this movie - shot a decade ago - only illuminating (undesirable) flaws in the new project; and Niemczyk shows her painterly Gjemsel to the acclaim of a plum tart-devouring audience.

A peaceful ride home through the quiet suburban roads of Bourges is punctuated by the slamming of a spinning pedal into the back of my right calf on our arrival. Indoors, while reading about the impending nuclear war, I notice blood dripping down my leg, but think not too much of it until I roll up my trousers to discover a pinky-sized lump missing from the flesh. In all likelihood, rival filmmakers have tampered with the pedal of my Bandits-Mages-issue bike.

It’s not a wound that’s going to heal itself without polyfilla, so we call a taxi to the hospital - on the far side of town - where a three-hour wait gives us a chance to put the wound, the creative crisis and the nuclear apocalypse into perspective. Five artfully applied stitches later, the taxi operator recognises my foreign tones and orders us the reverse taxi back home. If only script-doctoring were so painless.

It's Nick's Birthday in London

The Institute's short DIY musical It's Nick's Birthday will close the 2nd Slow Cinema Symposium at UCL next Friday. Please note, director Graeme Cole will tragically not be in attendance.

EVENT: Symposium No. 2: Slow Cinema Screenings

PROGRAM: Shorts 4

WHERE:  UCL Malet Place Eng 1.02, UCL Institute of Archaeology - 31-34 Gordon Square - London, WC1H 0PY

WHEN: Friday, 8th July 2016, 16.00-18.00 (symposium starts 09.30)
COST: FREE with registration 
NOTES: Some kind of talk with leading man Stewart Lockwood is likely to unfold.

It's Nick's Birthday: our Super 8 musical is now online

Following its transcontinental festival run, our homemade musical is now available to watch online in full.
Written & directed by Graeme Cole with award-winning music by Aidan Smith, It's Nick's Birthday follows four friends as they waste a precious day failing to communicate - except, perhaps, on a level that only Nick can bring himself to acknowledge.

Further details, festival list, awards, credits and so-called Extras can be located here.

It's Nick's Birthday: a glimpse behind the giant pizza-top finale

*UPDATE: the musical is now available to watch in full on Vimeo.*

April 2007, and the It's Nick's Birthday crew reconvene to shoot the big finale of our DIY musical: a triumph-over-adversity-romance on a giant spinning pizza complete with dancing cigarettes, pineapple chunks and Grim Reaper Olive.

The raw unedited footage in the video above is comprised of a single reel of Kodak Vision Super 8 film and seems to capture the joy, energy and mess of the day. As writer/director I felt a bit lost, as much of the focus of the day went on building the set (in the Studio at Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre), learning/developing the dance moves (our philosophically inclined choreographer was Fran Higginson, who would later re-join our crew as Physical Welfare Enforcer on the UNIVERSAL EAR project) and getting the technical stuff up and running - chiefly the rear projection. As such it was a brilliant opportunity to master the skill of looking important and busy but not really doing anything - a vital director skill I suspect they don't teach at film school.

The drawings below are art director Louisa Birkin's visions for the costumes. Following a successful festival run, the film will be online in full from March 4th. Please Like our Facebook page for updates.

 

It's Nick's Birthday in Aubagne

Feet bleeding, the dancing celluloid heroes of our Super-8 musical It's Nick's Birthday limp on to another festival screening this week, at Aubagne near Marseille:

It's Nick's Birthday @ 11th International Film Festival of Aubagne

WHERE: Theatre Comedia, 7 Bd Jean Jaurès, 13400

WHEN: Thursday 24th March, 2011, 19.45

COST: enquire at venue

Aidan Smith awarded "Best Music" for It's Nick's Birthday score

We are most proud to announce that the Institute's staff composer Aidan Smith has been awarded "Best Music" for his It's Nick's Birthday score at La Cabina Medium-Length Film Festival, Valencia.

Whilst the Institute's staff were too thinly spread over other award ceremonies, diplomatic functions etc., to attend the prize-giving in Valencia, it has been reported that on being told the news privately Mr Smith responded with modesty, gratitude, and bouts of nervous mock-boasting followed by fierce self-degradation and an unsureness about where to look.

Mr Smith's solo work can be appreciated here, with his nightwear/pop outfit Pyjama Party represented here.

(Here follows a music video the Institute made with Mr Smith some years back).

It's Nick's Birthday screenings in Valencia, Bucharest, Poitiers

Our hermitcore musical It's Nick's Birthday goes on a mini-European tour next week, stopping off at Valencia, Bucharest and Poitiers:

It's Nick's Birthday @ La Cabina International Festival of Medium-length Films
WHERE: MuVIM, c/ Quevado 10, 46001 Valencia
WHEN: Saturday, 20th November 2010 , 20.00 & Saturday, 27th November 17.00
COST: €2

It’s Nick’s Birthday @ Bucharest International Experimental Film Festival
WHERE: one of two venues (program to be updated)
WHEN: Friday, 26th November 2010, 16.00
COST: enquire at venue

It’s Nick’s Birthday @ 8th Festival O.F.N.I.
WHERE: Cinéma Le Dietrich
WHEN: Saturday, 27th November 2010, 23.15
COST: €6

Lost In Europe?

Trapped on the mainland? This week, our short musical It's Nick's Birthday, that soaring cloud of gaseous Englishness, will congeal at the 7th Brive Festival of Cinema to choke the eye engines of natives and exiles alike:

It's Nick's Birthday @ 7th Brive Festival of Cinema European Medium Length Film Meetings

WHERE: Cinéma Rex, 19100 Brive, France

WHEN: This Thursday, 22nd April 2010 , 17.00 & Saturday, 24th April 15.00

COST: €3.50

It's Nick's Birthday in Bilbao

Our short musical It's Nick's Birthday plays in Bilbao this Tuesday:

It's Nick's Birthday @ 11th International DANTZALDIA Festival

WHERE: Theatre La Fundicion, Francesc Macià, 1-3 48014 BILBAO

WHEN: This Tuesday, 9th March 2010 , 19.00

COST: Enquire at venue

We have been advised La Fundicion is the small venue for "risky business" - so watch out.

It's Nick's Birthday screenings: Bangkok Falstaff Barcelona

It's Nick's Birthday @ 7th World Film Festival of Bangkok
WHERE: Paragon 12, Paragon Cineplex, Bangkok
WHEN: This Thursday, 12th November 2009, 13.30
COST: Enquire at venue

It's Nick's Birthday @ L'Alternativa Festival de Cinema Independent de Barcelona
PROGRAMME: Minor Symphonies
WHERE: Hall Screen, Barcelona Centre for Contemporary Culture (CCCB)
WHEN: Saturday 14th November, 18.30 and Wednesday 18th November, 22.00
COST: 4,5€

It's Nick's Birthday @ 9th Falstaff International Film Festival
PROGRAMME: Music/Animation Strand
WHERE: Civic Hall, 14 Rother Street, Stratford-upon-Avon
WHEN: Friday 20th November, 14.30
COST: £6/£4

It's Nick's Birthday at Antimatter

Most pleased to announce the Institute's work will once again be represented at the Antimatter Film Festival in Victoria, Canada, as our "bilious Mancunian musical" screens there this week.

WHAT: It's Nick's Birthday @ Antimatter Film Festival
PROGRAMME: Der Spiegel
WHERE: Cinecenta, University of Victoria Student Union Building, Victoria BC
WHEN: This Tuesday October 13th, 7pm
COST: $5.25-7.25 - see here

It's Nick's Birthday screening this week :: Abandon Normal Devices (Liverpool)

Our Super-8 musical It's Nick's Birthday will show at the very exciting and completely inaugural Abandon Normal Devices festival in Liverpool this Thursday:

WHAT: It's Nick's Birthday @ Abandon Normal Devices (AND)
PROGRAMME: AND Short Fims Programme 1
WHERE: The Box, FACT, 88 Wood Street, Liverpool, L1 4DQ
WHEN: 12 noon, this Thursday 24th September
COST: £7/£5 (members & concessions)

September Screenings: It's Nick's Birthday in Budapest & Pilot For A 22nd Century Sitcom in Manchester

Two of the Institute's short films will screen in fully two different countries over the next few days, as It's Nick's Birthday plays Budapest and Pilot For A 22nd Century Sitcom returns home to Manchester.

It's Nick's Birthday will show at the BUSHO Budapest Short Film Festival, former hosts of both Pilot and our debut A Case Of Making The Knife Fit The Wound. If you’re in the area, the Institute heartily endorses spending at least a day and a night and a mealtime (oh sweet, sweet pasta!) at this intimate and friendly festival.

WHAT: It’s Nick’s Birthday @ BUSHO Budapest Short Film Festival
PROGRAM: Information Screening Mixer 2
WHERE: VÖRÖSMARTY SMALL HALL, VIII. Üllői út 4, Tel: 311 4542, Metro: M3 to Kálvin tér
WHEN: This Thursday, 3rd September 2009 @ 21:00
COST: FREE

The Manchester Pilot screening is a different sort of arrangement. You will certainly remember that Manchester's Kinofilm festival gave both the film and the Institute our debut screening at their 9th incarnation in 2005. In the run up to the relaunched Kinofilm 11, the organization is putting on a series of short film nights, and Pilot will feature in next week's courtesy of guest programmers Cinematopia.

WHAT: Pilot For A 22nd Century Sitcom @ KINO SHORTS 5
Presented in association with CINEMATOPIA.
WHERE: Green Room, 54 56 Whitworth Street West, Manchester, M1 5WW
WHEN: Next Wednesday 9th September 2009 @ 20:00
COST: £4 full/ £3 (conc)

Some sort of public interrogation will take place after the screening, for which Pilot director Graeme Cole will represent the Institute. Please note it is advisable to email johnw[at]kinofilm.org.uk in advance to reserve tickets.

This from Cinematopias comms dept:

“Just to let you know we're running the BEST OF CINEMATOPIA 09 programme at KINO SHORTS in Manchester. If you missed it at Glastonferret now's your chance to see it, if not come and see it again on a reet big screen!

As usual in normal Kino style, a number of the filmmakers will be present to talk about their films and be grilled by our eager audience of Cinephiles. Questions posed by Manchester's one and only John Robb, legendary punk-rocker, journalist, writer and media commentator."

It's Nick's Birthday screening :: 15th Sarajevo Film Festival

Our short Super-8 musical It's Nick's Birthday plays at the 15th Sarajevo Film Festival this weekend. If you, like my personal hero James Nesbitt (actor), are in town for the premier film festival in the Balkans, these are the details you will need:

WHAT: It's Nick's Birthday @ 15th Sarajevo Film Festival

PROGRAM: New Currents

1st screening

WHERE: KINO MEETING POINT

WHEN: This Sunday, 16.08.2009, 20:45

COST: BAM 5,00 KM and KM 6,00

2nd screening

WHERE: POZORIŠTE MLADIH

WHEN: This Monday, 17.08.2009, 12:30

COST: 4,00 KM and 5,00 KM;

Glavni Box Office/Main Box Office
Bosanski kulturni centar, Branilaca Sarajeva 24

Right click-save to download the festival brochure

I won't be able to get away from the office, but if you happen to spot Mr Nesbitt and fellow guest, the lout Mickey Rourke (former pretty-boy),do set the former on the latter on my behalf - we'll soon see who the real so-called "Wrestler" is!

I apologise for any violent sentiment that may be implicit in this last paragraph. Really they should talk it out. I just wish I was there.

There are further screenings coming up at the BUSHO Budapest Short Film Festival at the beginning of September and the 7th World Film Festival of Bangkok (November 6 to 15) - more details when we get them.

In Edinburgh? Industry?

It's Nick's Birthday is available for industry professionals to watch at the Edinburgh International Film Festival Videotheque from today until the 28th of the month.

"The Videotheque helps industry professionals make the most efficient use of their time at the Festival, and is used by sales agents, distributors, producers, acquisition executives, talent agents, exhibitors and festival programmers, with priority access given to buyers."

The official Institute line is: mug a suit and watch our film with his pass.

It's Nick's Birthday screening :: Bourges

WHAT: It’s Nick’s Birthday @ 11th International Festival Bandits-mages
EVENT: SI_11 (Rencontres internationales)
WHERE: L’amphithéâtre, ENSA Bourges (école nationale supérieure d’art), 7 rue Édouard-Branly, F-18000 Bourges
WHEN: This SATURDAY, 9th May between 2pm and 8pm
COST: FREE

Please check their programme for details.

The film features in their dynamically unwieldy cyber-catalogue of the future on p.144.

It's Nick's Birthday honoured at IndieLisboa'09

It's Nick's Birthday received a Special Mention from the Jury at the 6th IndieLisboa International Independent Film Festival, at the awards ceremony last Saturday night.

Barely more than a greyish-brown speck in the massive auditorium of Lisbon's art deco Cinema São Jorge, our representative Mr Cole made his way up on stage to collect the menção honrosa in the style of the film - stumbling, flickering and slightly out of tune with himself.

The full list of awards is available for perusal here.

Sun and Sangria on the Humber

In a strange and unexpected moment at about 11.45 on Wednesday morning, the charming proprietor of Sabrini's cafe (Princes Road, Hull) plonked a chilled jug of pink sangria on the terrace table in front of Mr Brown and myself, and we two out-of-towners squinted through the bright sunlight at each other: we had arrived, young gods on the Yorkshire riviera.

Feeling rather marvellous, we were ushered inside by our genial hosts - Messrs. Boyce and Jensen of the Hull Film organisation - where the Importance Of The Medium program began with Eva Weber's ethereal documentary on cranes and their drivers. Following a break for nachos and cigarettes, the moment came for It's Nick's Birthday to be unveiled to the public - a lunchbreak public 20-strong and united in festival spirit. The homemade and accident-happy ethos of the film was channelled into the atmosphere of the room through the guitar amp sound system and reinforced by the phlegmatic purr and splutter of the coffee machine and obsessive brush-strokes of the hot chilli-oriented hung paintings. Afterwards, Mr Brown and I were interviewed to video by Boyce's people, a process that could have been torturous had the sun and the breeze and the people (and the bellyful of punch) not been configured so divinely, and which was all the same makey of pitsweat.

For weeks in advance, we had awaited with childlike anticipation our trip to Hull's Glimmer short film festival, so it was perhaps inevitable the hit-rate of our daydream-embellished expectations would be at best off-centre, if never off-target. Having been tipped that Hull would smell of death (it did a bit) and planned in mouthwatering detail the fish and chips we would acquire for our midnight train journey back to Manchester (we didn't feel like eating after an unsettling aperitif of top-drawer David Firth animations), we met reality half-way on discovering that Hull wasn't in fact a coastal port and the big bit of water by it was (to quote Mr Brown) "merely an estuary". We had promised ourselves we'd see the sea, and the see the sea we would: Mr Brown, and myself, and a young lady from Australia whose acquaintance we made over sangria at Sambrini's, stared out at the glistening brown Humber, alone and together, imagining it to be the ocean for the best part of forty minutes. Although we stood in silence, the synchronised remapping (more accurately re-demapping) of three neural networks (one of which was Australian) was felt to be an adequate riposte to the tyranny of fluvial geography. (Mooring fees in the area have not been affected).