Ffresh - the Student Moving Image Festival of Wales - 2008
14 - 15 Feb 2008Ffresh – the Student Moving Image Festival of Wales – 2008 took place at the Aberystwyth Arts Centre on February 14th and 15th, and was once again organised by The Festivals Company Limited. The 2008 event was one of the most successful in festival’s history – now in its sixth year - with over 500 people attending the two day event, including a record number of industry representatives. 
The festival programme included panel sessions and masterclasses with industry professionals, and screenings of student work from Wales and abroad. A few of the highlights included a "lightwriting" Masterclass with the German collective Lichtfaktor (main picture, giving their first Masterclass in the UK), an African Cinema Masterclass with the renowned African filmmakers Gaston Kaboré and Cheick Fantamady Camara (pictured left with Ffresh Patron Marc Evans), the launch of the new S4C initiative Sesh, a Screenwriter’s Masterclass with Tim Firth (writer of Calendar Girls and Kinky Boots), and the return of Pitch to Win where three students pitched their ideas to a panel of industry professionals and the festival audience. All of the sessions from the Main Hall were streamed live on the festival website (ffresh.com) and are now available as on demand (click here).
The programme of screenings consisted mainly of the short listed entries from the 2008 Ffresh Awards, the winners of which were announced during three 
award ceremonies. The International Film School Wales dominated the awards, winning six out of twelve. Other winning institutions included Atrium, Cardiff School of Creative & Cultural Industries, University of Glamorgan, North Wales School of Art & Design and Dimension 10. All of the shortlisted entries are still available to view on the festival website. The screening programme also included showcases of student work from the Poland, France, Ireland, Scotland and Burkina Faso.
"We were delighted at the high number of industry representatives who attended the festival this year and their eagerness to engage with the next generation of moving image talent currently studying in Wales" said Festival Coordinator James Nee.
Festival chair Maggie Russell said, "For two packed days the arts centre was buzzing with excitement; not only film makers eager to see if they had won an award and people talking about the variety of showcases, talks and presentations but also networking, sharing experiences and, hopefully, the next generation of Wales' burgeoning moving image industry meeting their future employers!
"Some incredible talent has emerged this year and I am really excited to see how projects and ideas we have seen at Ffresh develop in the coming months and years. We were also able to report back on what award winners from previous festivals are now up to which I know was inspirational for the students who made this year's event such a great success.
"It also demonstrates that the educational establishments across Wales can both work closely with the media industry and also act as trail blazers in giving traditional media a glimpse of the - and their - future."
The 2008 event funders and supporters included Film Agency Wales, Sequence, MultiStream, Derwen, S4C, BBC Cymru Wales, Nesta, Canol, British Council Wales, Creative Business Wales, Skillset, Skillset Screen Academy, Cyfle, Unesco Cymru, TAC, TVYP, Bafta Cymru, It’s My Shout, TAPS, Ceredigion County Council and Aberystwyth Town Council.
www.ffresh.com
