Ffresh - the Student Moving Image Festival of Wales - 2010
11 - 12 Feb 2010
Ffresh 2010 took place from February 11th – 12th 2010 at the Aberystwyth Arts Centre. Festival highlights included Masterclasses with the highly acclaimed British actor David Morrissey (pictured above), the Cannes winning film director Sergey Dvortsevoy (pictured below with James Nee from The Festivals Company), and LA based animator Ben Hibon; the international showcases featuring the best student work from around the world; and the Ffresh Awards Show.
During a jam packed two day event, the festival programme included screenings of the best student work from Wales and beyond, a range of masterclasses with subjects ranging from guerrilla filmmaking to the art of title sequences, and the Ffresh Awards Show where the winners of the 2010 Ffresh Awards were announced. During the Awards Show, Ffresh Chair Maggie Russell paid testament to the staff of the Aberystwyth Arts Centre for all their support and hard work since the festival’s inception in 2002. From next year, Ffresh will be travelling to universities throughout Wales, starting with the University of Glamorgan in 2011, before moving onto Newport in 2012.
"We couldn’t have hoped for a more successful festival to celebrate our seven year residency at the Aberystwyth Arts Centre" said Berwyn Rowlands. "A huge debt of gratitude must be paid to Alan Hewson and his staff for their fantastic work over the years. We’re now looking forward to collaborating with higher education institutions across Wales and discovering how they would like to build upon the Ffresh brand and legacy."
"Some of the work showcased at this year’s festival was of the highest calibre in the festival’s history" added James Nee. "It demonstrated once again the importance of creating a single platform to celebrate and promote the work of students in Wales, the UK, and beyond. Some of the Masterclasses were also of an extremely high standard - Sergey’s being a particular highlight for two reasons: his humility and honesty was absolutely inspiring, and on a more personal level, I think he’s one of the best contemporary directors in the world so to get him to the festival was one of my highlights as a festival coordinator."
Ffresh 2010 also marked the end of the Maggie Russell’s time as the Chair of the festival. "Since taking over from Ceri Sherlock in 2005 Maggie has worked tirelessly on behalf of the festival" said Berwyn. "She has chaired the Ffresh committee with a deft touch which has brought the best out of everyone, worked nonstop during the festival dates, and has also successfully overseen the transition from Aberystwyth to Ffresh becoming itinerant. We are extremely grateful for all her wonderful work over the years, and wish her the very best in all her future pursuits, which I’ve no doubt, with Maggie involved, will be nothing less than a success."
The next Chair of Ffresh will be nominated by the first host institution - the University of Glamorgan. Ffresh 2011 will take place at the Atrium, Cardiff School of Creative & Cultural Industries, on February 10th and 11th 2011.
