Darklight Touring Programme 2007

Darklight screening at Kilkenny Arts Festival: August 2007

Darklight is delighted to be collaborating with Kilkenny County Council on this years Kilkenny Arts Festival .Nicky Gogan, Darklight Festival Director, will be participating in 'Re-Produced', a presentation of "wild, alternative experiences of untamed, bizarre and curious art" at the festival alongside a screening of a number of films from the Darklight Touring Programme.

Darklight screening at ISAFF Open Cinema Festival, St. Petersburg, Russia: August 2007

The International Short and Animation Film Festival OPEN CINEMA is a competitive festival of short films and animations. The festival was established by the INO "International Centre of Arts "BEREG" (Saint-Petersburg). The 3rd ISAFF OPEN CINEMA will take place in August, 2007.

ISAFF OPEN CINEMA is carried out with the support of the St. Petersburg government. The festival takes place annually in August on the beach of the Peter and Paul Fortress in Saint Petersburg (as well as at other places of St. Petersburg).

FESTIVAL OBJECTIVES

• To unleash the high creative potential of the original short film, animation and various experiments within visual art.
• To introduce an art house trend of the modern culture and original view on cinematography.
• To investigate new tendencies within the short, animated and documentary film industry, to reveal new filmmakers’ names and to offer creative ideas.
• To support Russian young cinematographers as well as to make a live dialogue with their foreign colleagues from around the world.
• To help a new generation build up an appropriate outlook on the art and to extend its aesthetic perception.

Darklight screening at Platforma Video Festival, Athens, Greece: December 2007

PLATFORMA - Urban Culture Co. is a not-for-profit organisation based in Athens, Greece, dedicated to the promotion of Greek and foreign artists' work as well as to the organisation of events and actions promoting urban culture.

PLATFORMA VIDEO7 is an annual independent film festival hosting two competition sections, a series of film tributes and parallel events. It is held in Athens (GR) on 7-12 December 2007. Deadline for applications expires on 30 September 2007.

Darklight Screening at Children's ArtFest, Meath: June 2007

 Darklight Film Festival in collaboration with Meath County Council hosted a successful screening of work for children at the recent Children's ArtFest in The Venue, Meath.

Darklight screening at Galway Arts Festival: July 2007

Darklight also collaborated with ENSO Live Art group in Galway at this year's Galway Arts Festival. The screening was highly successful with over 300 people attending the showing on Friday 20th July at The Spanish Arch. Galway arts festival was curated by Maeve Connolly.

Darklight Touring Programme 2006

February 2006: MUSCAILT, NUI Galway

Múscailt 2006 was the fifth Spring Festival of the Arts presented by NUI Galway. This Festival featured not only the outstanding talents of many members of the University community, but also top national and international artists resulting in an explosion of creativity and talent.

Múscailt 2006 took place from Monday 20th of February until Saturday 25th February. The NEW WAVE IRISH SHORTS programme from Darklight 5 (2004) screened on 20th February.

February: MOOT IV 'Focus on Film'. The Butler Gallery / Kilkenny County Council Arts Office

MOOT is a continuous creative process providing a forum for powerful, focused and inspirational debates and discussion on a variety of subject matters. MOOT IV highlighted the richness and creativity of Irish film and the challenges faced by organisations and individuals in terms of access to funding and opportunities for film release nationally and internationally. MOOT IV also considered the growth of the digital film industry and examined the increasingly blurred divisions between film makers and artists.

February 23rd, The Arts Office No. 72 John Street at 8 pm

Screening of a selection of digital film shorts from Darklight 5 (2004) and the Young Irish Film makers. This was followed by an informal discussion hosted by Mike Kelly (YIFM), Nicky Gogan (Darklight Festival Director) and Dogmedia Productions.

February 28th, Kilkenny Cineplex at 8pm

Screening of ‘Leisure Centre’ a film short by the Desperate Optimists and 'Pavee Lackeen' by Perry Ogden.

March 2nd, MOOT IV PANEL DISCUSSION “Reel to Digital: Focus on Film” Brewery Club, Parliament Street, Kilkenny. 8pm

The panel was hosted by Lelia Doolan – Chairperson, Nicky Gogan – Darklight Festival, Joe Comerford – Puddle Films, Jane Doolan – Mammoth Films/ Film Consultant Specialist to the Arts Council, Noemi Ferrer – Irish Film Board and Joe Lawlor and Christine Molloy – Desperate Optimists.

Discussion focused on the following areas:

• Investigating challenges facing independent Irish filmmakers with regard to commercial film industry policies

• Blurring the lines - artists as filmmakers – filmmakers as artists.

• Changing technologies – the place of digital film in the context of commercialism

Lovebytes Sheffield, UK. Environments International Festival of Digital Art and Media 20th-25th March 2006

Lovebytes explores the relationship between physical and digital environments, featuring live music and multi-media performances, film screenings, artists' talks and exhibitions of new media work by artists from around the world.

Darklight's PET PROJECTS programme from Darklight 5 (2004) screened at Lovebytes 2006 on 22nd of March.

April: Darklight SFX Workshop at Fresh Film Festival, Limerick

The Darklight team has designed a special effects workshop for budding filmmakers tutored by Greg O'Brien and Raven. The first of these was held at the Fresh Film Festival, Limerick on the 1st of April 2006.

This workshop aims to give an understanding of how special effects are added to a digital movie. The workshop focuses on working with a blue screen, props, lights and digital effects. Participants learn the best camera techniques for video compositing, using easy to use video software. Attendees leave with a basic knowledge of the subtleties of special effects, an area which may be easy to approach, but more fun to get right.

Darklight screening at Europazug 2006 Krakow, Poland in April 2006.

This programme of contemporary filmmakers, artists and animators was specially curated for Europazug 2006 by festival director Nicky Gogan. The programme had an Irish focus, representing the exciting new wave of moving image work being produced by Irish residents and by Irish creatives worldwide. Included in the selection was the world premiere of Berlin Filter by Paul Rowley and Gun Holmström. Also included were award-winning animations, STARS by Delicious 9 and Changes by Lorcan Finnegan.

The films were one of the main events at the Europazug festival and played to an audience of over 800 at the Filmowa Cafe in Kino Kijow on the 27th-29th of April.

Nicky Gogan’s visit to Poland to speak at this event led to a collaboration with the Krakow Film Festival which was a fantastic success for Darklight Festival 2006. The reciprocal screening at Darklight 2006 was a sold out event at the IFI, proving the value in pursuing partnerships of this kind. We plan to continue our partnership with the Krakow Film Festival.

May – June: VU Space, MELBOURNE

A programme of 6 contemporary artists working in Ireland was specially curated for VU Space, Melbourne by festival director Nicky Gogan and featured work from previous Darklight festivals as well as a number of works from the (then upcoming) festival programme in June 2006.

The selection focused on artists who practice in both the art and film world – including Brian Duggan and Saoirse Higgins - as increasingly we find the line blurring between these two disciplines. The exhibition aimed to celebrate the variety of current practices prevailing in the creation of moving image work while representing new aesthetics, contemporary conscientiousness and an intimacy of vision that these processes allow. VU Space is part of the Mediated Art Department at Victoria University and the show ran for 1 month from 31st May – 23rd June.

July: The EnsoArt Bus Tour, PROJECT '06 Galway.

Project '06 was a large open-access arts festival that took place in Galway. As part of Project '06 on 21st July, The EnsoArt Bus Tour featured a selection of animated films from the Darklight Festival 2006.The EnsoArt Bus Tour was a moving venue gathering its audience at various points throughout Galway. Streets, promenade, docks and Salthill beach all become venues for this unique art extravaganza. A one-day series of events in a mobile installation/performance experience, it culminated in an outdoor projection of Darklight Festival on tour.

July: Workshop and screening of Dogmedia’s BAG OF BAGS at Axis.

Darklight in collaboration with Axis Arts Centre Ballymun and Dogmedia Productions screened the unique documentary experience that is Bag of Bags! During a 10-day shoot and workshop with local teenagers, the team and filmmakers went door-to-door to collect plastic bags from under the sinks of Ballymun homes. Tesco supermarket in Finglas became the site of a bizarre case of synchronicity...

Bag of Bags screened at Axis Arts Centre on Friday 28th July at 6pm.

August: NOSEGRIND3, Millennium Court Arts Centre, Portadown.

On 10th August, Millennium Court Arts Centre hosted a cinematic extravaganza from animation and film/documentary screenings to a revolutionary poster exhibition from Poland. This celebration of film brought the finest in visual and moving arts to Craigavon. Darklight 2006 programmes featured were ANIMATION ART WANDERING and DOCUMENTARY SHORTS.

August: RE-PRODUCTION, Kilkenny Arts Festival

Curated by Mary Butler and Louise Allen, RE-PRODUCTION was a wild, alternative experience of untamed, bizarre and curious art which took place on the 19th and 20th August in the house, 7 Bridgewater Dean Street, Kilkenny.

Darklight Touring programme presented the following selection from Darklight Festival 2006: Animation Art Wandering; Animation 1; Animation 2; Dark Shorts; Irish Shorts; Exposure; Documentary Shorts; International Shorts 2 and Columbarium by Tony Kenny.

RE-PRODUCTION also featured performances, installations, dancers, Films, DJs and exhibitions by leading artists from Ireland and the UK.

Our collaboration with the Butler Gallery is one that will continue in 2007. There are a series of workshops planned for the New Year, as a further focus and development of our education programme for both adults and children.

September: Introduction to Digital Film Technology workshop, National Youth Arts Programme Roadshow, Galway Arts Centre.

National Youth Arts Programme Roadshow in association with the National Youth Council of Ireland invited Darklight to host a workshop and discussion specifically for youth workers. This was presented by Greg O’Brien and Susan Gogan and took place at Galway Arts Centre, 16th September 2006.

October: Dublin Electronic Arts Festival (DEAF) 2006, FilmBase, Dublin.

Darklight Touring Programme screened a specially selected programme of new Irish film, animation and music videos at DEAF '06, including award winning work from the year's Darklight Festival.

The fantastic selection of shorts includes: Demon by Eoin Ryan and Zanita Films, Stars by Delicious 9, I Only Have Eyes for You by Conor McIntyre and Columbarium by Tony Kenny. Our excellent Music Video programme included: North American Hallowe'en Prevention Initiative: Do They Know It's Hallowe'en (Vice Records) by D.A.D.D.Y. and Double Adaptor: Nanowebbers by Semiconductor.

Darklight Touring Programme 2005

Exhibition, Drawbots workshop and film screenings at Letterkenny Arts Centre and An Grianán. November 2005

The Letterkenny Arts Centre and An Grianán theatre presented a week-long Darklight Tour event that ran from November 5th – 13th 2005. An Grianán screened films specifically directed at a young audience, showcasing local talent alongside Darklight 5 (2004) Tour films Star Wars: Clone Wars and Animation 1 shorts.

The Letterkenny Arts Centre had 3 film screenings including Dogmedia’s Jenny Balfe and Pet Projects shorts, exhibited Security Fugue, a mesmerising two channel video installation by New York-based award winning artists David Phillips (USA) and Paul Rowley (IRL), and hosted a Draw Bots workshop where local school children delightedly made mechanised robots that produce large colourful drawings

Darklight Touring Programme 2002

April 2002: DIGITAL WEEKEND Micro-festival of Digital Culture Sofia 2002, Bulgaria.

Darklight Directors Nicky Gogan and Sue Patterson will be presenting films at the DIGITAL WEEKEND Micro-festival of Digital Culture Sofia 2002, Bulgaria as curated by Iliyana Nedkova

WHERE: Studio 7, National Academy of Arts, Sofia
WHEN: 12-14 April 2002
All Events are FREE and open to the public

Your guide to the digital arts and culture of the 21st Century featuring exciting new digital art projects by Bulgarian and international artists including film screenings, Internet audio streaming, lectures and talks.

This year's DIGITAL WEEKEND is the first of a series of art and technology events, bringing together the Red House Centre for Culture and Debate, Sofia and New Media Scotland, Edinburgh. This new partnership takes place in the unprecedented climate of increased interest towards digital culture in Bulgaria and the rising need for furthering the critical debate across the country.

Darklight screening at CLONE Digital Film Festival

The Darklight Touring Programme can be seen at CLONE Digital Film Festival. This is an annual film festival, held in Hämeenlinna, Finland. Festival will focus on films which have been made in digital format exclusively. CLONE is organized by an organization called Aviteekki. Aviteekki was founded to support audio-visual cultures in Häme region.