Ffresh - the Student Moving Image Festival of Wales - 2009
11 - 13 Feb 2009Ffresh 2009 was held over the period 11 – 13 February 2009 at Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Aberystwyth. Key outcomes included:
- An extension of one day to offer events targeted at a Further Education audience in addition to the traditional Higher Education sector
- A total audience of 667 individuals in 2009 – an increase of 91 over 2008
- Co-operative working with a group of international partner festivals raising the Festival’s international profile
- 28% of the audience came from outside from Wales
This year The Festivals Company aimed to significantly broaden Ffresh’s target audience and raise its profile in the UK and internationally. Through the inclusion of an additional day branded Ffresh +, which was aimed specifically at further education students (traditionally 15 – 19 year olds), the festival significantly increased its potential audience and demographic. Over 270 further education students and tutors from colleges and schools from around Wales attended the festival for the first time, taking part in the programme of Masterclasses, panel sessions, workshops and screenings on Wednesday 11 February. Programme highlights for Ffresh + included an Interactive Masterclass with Iain Tweedale from BBC Cymru Wales (using the multiplatform project Merlin as a case study); a Storyboarding Masterclass by previsualisation artist Dan Maslen whose credits include The Bourne Ultimatum, and forthcoming features Green Zone and Wolf Man; an Animation Masterclass with two former Ffresh award winners from International Film School Wales; and a Writing and Directing Masterclass with Welsh film director Wyndham Price. The final session of the day was the Ffresh 2009 keynote interview with the founder of Kudos Film and TV Stephen Garrett (left).
To raise the festival’s profile in the UK and abroad, and to broaden and vary the student work shown as part of the programme, the festival organisers invited a number of international student moving image festivals to become partner festivals of Ffresh. Each partner festival selected three films to screen as part of six International Showcases (Fiction x 2, Animation x 2, Factual, and Experimental) programmed for the festival. The purpose of the international showcases was to showcase the "best of the best" in student work from around the world, and to provide a programme of international student work that was eclectic, diverse, and engaging.
Programme highlights for Ffresh 2009 included an Animation Masterclass featuring three filmmakers who had work showing as part of the International Showcases; a Producer’s Masterclass with Steve Robinson (whose credits include Amazon and Tribe); a Writing Music for the Screen Masterclass where composer John Hardy performed extracts from the score to the Welsh language film Cwcw; an FX Masterclass with The Mill; an interview with Clare Hudson, Head of Programmes, BBC Cymru Wales; and Pitch to Win 2009 where three students were chosen to pitch their original multiplatform ideas to promote sustainability to a panel of industry professionals and the festival audience.
The festival concluded with the Ffresh Awards Show, during which the winners of the Ffresh Awards were announced. The single ceremony (an innovation this year) was hosted by Huw Evans from S4C’s Bandit and was attended by over 150 people including students, lecturers, local councillors, festival guests, and members of the general public. 16 out of the 18 winning students were present to collect their awards, and the after show awards party included an exclusive VJ performance by Rhombus Arts – the winner’s of the 2009 Ffresh Music Media Award.
Overall, the 2009 event was deemed a success by the organisers and the festival audience. It achieved the festival’s core objectives as well as raising its profile in the UK and abroad through the International Partner 
Festival scheme, and significantly broadened its audience through the inclusion of Ffresh +. The festival received extensive media coverage including two half hour programmes -- on ITV Wales (The Wales Show) and S4C (Wedi 7). Print media coverage included Sight & Sound, The Western Mail, Wrexham Leader, South Wales Echo, and the Cambrian News. Online coverage included BBC News online, University and College on-line news services, and BAFTA Cymru. The festival also worked with the Film and TV Department of Aberystwyth University to create Ffresh TV, which involved students from Aberystwyth University interviewing a number of the festival guests in Welsh and English. The interviews are currently available watch on Youtube, Vimeo and Ffresh.com.
Main Picture: Mayor of Aberystwyth Sue Jones Davies with winners of the Ffresh Audience Award: Aberystwyth University students Richard Evans & Craig Williams for their film Soldiers of Misfortune
