Late last year, Jakob Lewis Barnes – the creative director at Jump Cut Studios and founder of Jump Cut Online – had the idea of creating a film festival that took place entirely online.
Oh boy, did that turn out to be a great idea.
Amidst a season of cancelled film festivals, delayed productions and pulled film releases, Cell Adore has dodged the onslaught of consequences from the coronavirus. Due to run over the weekend of 10-12 April, the first ever Cell Adore Film Festival will showcase 15 short films from a variety of independent filmmakers. If access to new films from the comfort of your isolation chamber somehow isn’t enough to tempt you, perhaps this will be: tickets are completely free. Yeah, that got your attention.
If there’s one film festival film fans should take notice of, it’s Cell Adore, not only because it’s one of the few film festivals that still has the ability to run, but because it champions independent cinema and platforms new and exciting voices.
On their site, Cell Adore say they do not discriminate based on budget or experience. Furthermore, they didn’t have submission fees for entries, which helped open up access to all filmmakers. The intention of this film festival is to platform emerging talent; some filmmakers may be first-timers whereas others will be veterans in the independent cinema scene. During a time of turbulence in film productions, where even the big budget studios are losing money, now may be as good a time as ever to go back to our roots, get a little creative and produce under restricted budgets. Even more importantly, now is the time to support filmmakers who have poured every part of themselves into a livelihood that has just crumbled beneath them.
The online debut of Cell Adore Film Festival offers a multitude of genres, enough to please any film fan. These genres include animations, horrors, comedies and romances. The programme is deliciously tempting. Audiences will have the opportunity to vote for their favourite short, which will be recognised as the Audience Prize Winner, alongside the other award titles voted on by a team of 8 judges. These titles include: Jury Prize Winner, Special Mention, Best Director, and Best Performance.
Tickets for this festival are available now and will remain available until Friday 10th April. Five films will premiere each day and will be made available to stream at 2pm and they will be taken off by 10am the next day to make room for the new day’s scheduled programme.
Below is a short description of each film from their programme, in order of when they’ll be screened over the weekend.
Friday 10th April
Let Her Rip; Dir. Micky Wozny
What happens when you just can’t hold it in any longer? This playful animation is the perfect way to start the weekend, combining stop-motion and digital illustration to great comedic effect.
Bill; Dir. Dan Gitsham and Sophie Mair
Inject a little fear into your Friday night with this gruesome tale of the dark arts. When a widow conducts a séance to reconnect with her late husband, she gets a little more than she bargained for.
The Drive; Dir. Adam Thomas Wright
Prepare for an emotional journey as we explore dementia and the effect this has on a father-son relationship. A beautifully shot film, which plays out like a photo album of memories.
Only Looking Forward; Dir. Shaun Stone-Riley
A comedic whirlwind in the style of Edgar Wright with fast-paced action, sharp editing and hilarious gags. All of this works particularly well thanks to a sterling lead performance from Adan Osborne.
Clementines; Dir Laurie Barraclough
Finish the night in style with this sumptuous exploration of family, sexuality and secrets, which utilises stunning cinematography and incredible performances to tell a powerful story.
Saturday 11th April
Road Trip; Dir. Ronald J. Wright
Low-budget zombie flicks can be cliché, but this film’s high production value and convincing special effects combined with an engaging story set it apart from the rest.
Max; Dir. Micky Wozny
Another super-short animation from this talented director, this time using sand to craft a touching story of the bond between mankind and our beloved canine companions.
Percentile; Dir. Harry Tye
This depiction of a dystopian world fighting for survival has sadly become rather familiar of as of late, but fear not, there is some gorgeous cinematography offered here as an escape.
Lovebirds; Dir. Emma Robson
A bizarre and unique take on the world of modern dating with a darkly comic twist. Will you laugh? Yes. Will you feel uncomfortable? Probably. But it’s all worth it, trust us.
Scrabble; Dir. Anthony Hett
Wrap up day two with this beautiful, heart-warming, poignant story of kindness and connection, which will leave you with a smile on your face and tears in your eyes.
Sunday 12th April
Pete; Dir. Jonathan Hawes
Kick off the final day of our festival with a few laughs as you watch a couple dealing with the loss of their pet. Now, you’re probably thinking, “that doesn’t sound funny.” But just wait and see.
Out on a Limb; Dir. James Joel Dann
Ideally, we would have more than one documentary in our line-up, but the one that did make the cut is a truly insightful and endearing look at disabled people in the world of winter sports.
When We Were Foxes; Dir. Anthony Hett
This is the second film among our selections from this talented filmmaker. A short but sweet poetic piece, set against the backdrop of some wonderful urban cinematography.
See You Again; Dir. Jayne Slater
We’ve really put your heartstrings through their paces this weekend, but there’s one final hurdle to overcome. This stirring piece on parenthood packs quite the emotional punch.
Re-Displacement; Dir. Lewis Coates
We conclude it all with this thought-provoking sci-fi short which has everything you could ever want: vibrant visuals, an impacting score, great acting and a riveting story.
Follow them at “@CellAdoreFest”
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