Welcome to Ffresh +

Ffresh, the UK’s largest and longest running student moving image event, returns for its seventh year in February next year with the festival expanding from two to three days with Ffresh +. The announcement also co-insides with the news that The Festivals Company will be responsible for producing the festival for the next 3 years.

"We’re delighted to continue our involvement with Ffresh. We now have the long term stability needed to work with Ffresh Ltd to develop the festival further. You will see a strengthening of the events core objective, to celebrate talent from Wales and the UK, over the next couple of years but at the same time we have ambitious plans to expand the scope and reach of the festival to reflect the global nature of the moving image sector," said Berwyn Rowlands, Managing Director, The Festivals Company.

"Expanding the festival to three days, with the additional day aimed specifically at further educations students in the UK, was always the natural next step for the festival, it was just a question of when" said Festival Coordinator James Nee from The Festivals Company. "By widening the festival’s target audience, raising its profile in the UK and internationally, and by continuing to offer a unique environment to showcase new talent and create a forum for debate and collaboration, we aim to firmly establish Ffresh as one of Europe’s leading student moving image events that will annually attract between 900 – 1000 people".

And it’s not only the festival dates that have expanded as well as the categories for the prestigious Ffresh Awards has gone up to 14 with the inclusion of three new awards: Fiction Post Graduate, Games and Out of Sight for Welsh students studying outside of Wales. The judges for this year’s awards will be announced at the end October with the shortlists announced during the opening night of the Sŵn music festival on November 13^th in Cardiff – check the Ffresh website for updates.

Other new developments planned for the 2009 event include the International Partner Festival scheme. For the past ten months the festival organisers have been visiting student moving image festivals in Europe and beyond, and have invited over 12 national student events to become international partners festivals of Ffresh. This will involve each festival selecting three films to screen as part of the 2009 programme, as well as the festivals promoting one another in their respective countries. "We wanted next year’s event to have more of an international dimension. So as well as having more guests from outside of the UK, we’ll also get to the opportunity to screen the best of the best in international student work" added James Nee.

Ffresh – the Student Moving Image Festival of Wales – will take place between 11^th – 13^th February at the Aberystwyth Arts Centre and will feature screenings of student work from Wales, the UK abroad, masterclasses and panel sessions with renowned industry figures, special events and numerous parties and receptions. For further information contact james@thefestivalscompany.co.uk.