International Ann Arbor Film Festival comes to campus

A film expert from Edge Hill University has been instrumental in bringing the high-profile annual Ann Arbor Film Festival to campus next month.

Due to his research and knowledge Owen Evans, Senior Lecturer in Film and Television and Co-Founding Director of the European Cinema Research Forum (ECRF), has forged new links with America's longest-running independent film festival.

To seal the partnership, the University has been chosen to screen a number of films from the 2011 programme at the Rose Theatre on 1st February as part of a tour that includes Los Angeles Filmforum, the Boston Institute of Contemporary Art and the School of the Art Institute, Chicago.

Featuring filmmakers from England, USA, Japan, South Korea, India and Denmark, this selection of eight films from the 49th tour include six past prize-winners and embraces the genres of documentary, short narrative feature and experimental video. From Jessica Sarah Rinland's Nulepsy, a film exploring an old man's compulsion to remove all his clothing, to Natasha Mendonca's Jan Villa, a moving documentary of the aftermath of the monsoon flooding of Mumbay in 2005 and the Best of Festival winner this year, the short films collected here demonstrate Ann Arbor's promotion of young and talented filmmakers from across the world. See some footage from the Festival here.

Talking about the University's involvement, Owen explained: "The Ann Arbor Film Festival is the longest-running independent and experimental film festival in North America and is internationally recognised as a premiere forum for independent filmmakers and artists. It has pioneered the concept of the travelling tour, bringing films to venues that represent the only means for new and challenging filmmakers to have their work seen by appreciative audiences. This is a really exciting opportunity for us to be a part of this experience because we are the first overseas hosts of the tour for a considerable length of time. I hope we can set up a lasting relationship with the Festival in the years to come as it allows us to engage audiences and students with remarkable cinematic experiences."

Donald Harrison, the Executive Director of the Festival, will also be at Edge Hill in April talking publicly about the festival, its history and plans for the future.

In return Owen, a leading thinker in the film industry, has also been invited to America for the Festival's 50th anniversary celebrations in March and will conduct a series of interviews and carry out some archival work as part of his research on the role and function of festivals as industry and community events.

Owen's research interests include German film, literature and culture, European cinema, film festivals, autobiography, and the representation of history and cultural memory.

For more information about the screening on 1st February or to book tickets, contact the Rose Theatre on 01695 584480 or email rose@edgehill.ac.uk.