Q&A: Philip Ilson And The London Short Film Festival
Philip Ilson founded the London Short Film Festival in 2003, an annual event celebrating the best of the UK’s short film-making talent. This year’s programme has around 350 short films selected from submissions across 35 themed programmes - from comedy and animation to experimental, documentary and drama. Run Riot asked Philip about short films, music crossovers and Vine.
Eli Goldstone: What sort of thing can viewers usually expect from short films that you don’t find in feature length films?
Philip Ilson: Short films have a real honesty that isn’t always found in feature films, except those more independent smaller films perhaps. Shorts can be windows on the world of the filmmaker who has complete control to tell his or her story in a bitesize fashion. And they can be varied, as the Festival screens documentary, experimental, animation, low budget work, as well as drama and comedy, so there’s a whole lot of different genres and types of film to choose from, even in a single programme.
Eli: Can you tell us about the films commissioned as part of With Teeth 2017?
Philip: The Festival has always supported independent talent by screening the films of new and emerging filmmakers, so we’re excited to develop that into a commission fund called With Teeth, with support from Arts Council England. We love filmmaking that just won’t conform, and this commissioning furthers our commitment to developing the most exciting moving image talent around. We’re a big supporter of the auteur, and have showcased the work of many auteur driven filmmakers over the years from Andrea Arnold to Peter Strickland, so this is allowing us to select artists from within the festival’s vast alumni to create new visual work, premiering at LSFF 2017. Conceived as a long term commissioning initiative, With Teeth will foster diverse film talent, aiming to bridge the gap between mainstream and experimental viewing sensibilities, whilst nurturing artists with the support to take creative risks.
LSFF2017 Festival Trailer from London Short Film Festival on Vimeo.
Eli: Many of the special events involve bands and musical subcultures, including DIY, riot grrl, Bowie specials and Afro-punk. Is there a special relationship between short film and music?
Philip: We have always seen a strong connection between film and music, and not just with film music composition, but with live scores to film and film documentary of subcultures and music. There’s always that crossover and cross pollination. You mention Bowie (who died back in January 2016, so we’re remembering the one year anniversary of his death) who worked as an actor and provided music for film, and riot grrrl was seen in fanzine culture and experimental film and not just in the bands that were formed at the time. We think it’s important to see these links to inspire future filmmakers and artistes.
Eli: Vine has recently announced its discontinuation: what are your feelings toward the ultimate short film medium and its demise?
Philip: We’re excited to be screening 600 short films in a single programme this year (is this a record?), with the vines of Scottish comedian Limmy, and poignant to do this now with the demise of Vine. Filmmaking can be anything, on any format and any length, so we feel people will find other ways of getting work out there in the most creative ways and simple ways possible, even without Vine.
Eli: Do you get overwhelmed by the sheer number of films that you see while programming the LSFF?
Philip: Because filmmaking is a cheaper process, with easy access to phone cameras and home editing software, the number of films will go up. Gone are the days of the BFI offering 90 grand for short film funding, but regardless of costs and expense, the most creative and interesting filmmakers will always rise to the top, and it’s exciting every year to see who is coming through and what they’re doing with the medium. So, in that sense it’s never overwhelming, but sometimes the sheer volume of films that look and feel similar can be disheartening, seeing that cheaper equipment can make everything look polished and ‘good’, but the story and originality may not be there.
Eli: You have a background in producing club nights, are you still interested in the cross-disciplines of film, art and music?
Philip: Yes, this interest has always been there, and as I said above it’s important to keep those aspects of the Festival going to make it consistently interesting to new audiences. There’s an element that the Festival is auteur and personality driven, as the whole team all have a shared interest in the sort of work being programmed, and are all excited to showcase the work that inspires and excites us.
Eli: The London Short Film Festival originated as part of the Halloween Society – are the festival’s spooky/alternative roots still visible?
Philip: Following on, the personality of the Halloween Society will hopefully always be there, as back in the 90s we were kicking against the establishment. Now that we are more in line with the establishment, I hope we haven’t lost that sense of excitement and experimenting. Though I always try to remain a little outside the mainstream, or to subvert from the inside, and hope that With Teeth can help with that.
Eli: What are your tips for budding filmmakers that don’t know how or where to start?
Philip: I always say just get out there and make stuff, but also to watch as much stuff as you can at festivals and on-line to get inspired. Of course, film schools are important for technical aspects of filmmaking, but I’m a big believer in the punk rock spirit, which has always been with the Festival.
Eli: What would you pick as the music for the closing credits of the film of your life?
Philip: That’s a tough question to answer, as music is as important to me as film. I’ve been listening to a lot of Bowie again this year, who has been close to me since I was 15, and his Berlin albums have been integral to me since then; I love the use of his music in Christiane F, particularly in the opening credits using V2 Schneider as we ride the U-Bahn at night, so perhaps this track should be my closing credits…
