Movie makers head for Wandsworth

5:26pm Friday 12th October 2007

When it comes to film, Wandsworth doesn't just host Hollywood A-listers for some lights, camera, action (like David Schwimmer, for example, who shot many scenes for Run, Fat Boy Fun in Battersea Park), but the odd movie star lives here as well, like Keira Knightley.

So it is only appropriate that the borough has its own film festival. This weekend, the Wandsworth and Westminster Film Festival takes place, with a series of screenings and workshops taking place in the considerable shadow of Battersea Power Station.

For the non-movie making public, one highlight comes on Saturday night, when an eclectic fistful of short films will be shown. Gone To The Dogs is one such film, a surreal comedy starring British cinema legends, Tony Booth and Dora Bryan alongside 15 canine stars. Booth plays Jack, a frustrated pensioner who dies and comes back as a dog.

Over on the other sde of the emotional spectrum is Lost Wax, which traces the story of sculptor Ian Walters who died last year. The film gained exclusive access to his work and the production of the Mandela statue that was recently unveiled in Parliament Square.

Two psychological dramas are included in the evening, firstly Breaking Out a powerful exploration into the nature of depression that was selected for the Cannes Festival Semaine de la Critique in 2004. The other is Sick, directed by Mike Rymer and produced by Christine Hartland.

Clapham South-based Christine days: "It is about the breakdown of relationship between father and daughter and deals with depression, and that is how we got support from the Samaritans and NHS.

"When Mike approached me a few years ago and said he had a short film about depression, I thought, that's gonna be really hard to sell. But I was so impressed by how how talked about film and the way he constructed the script was quite amazing.

"It is based on Momento, the tImeline is mixed, so with one character we go backwards for 15 years and the other goes forward a single day.

"It has similar themes to Breaking Out, which I saw when we were in middle of doing Sick. It was really well done, the production values very high and the acting was really good.

She adds: "It is nice that these are being shown around the power station, it gives it a nice quirky twist."

Speaking on the weekend, Sarah Mason, one of the festival organisers at Wandsworth Council, says: "It's a great opportunity for local film-makers and for anyone who is interested in the film and television industry to take part in the seminars. There is so much talent within the borough and we're proud to be showing some of the short films that have been financially assisted by the Wandsworth Film Awards over the past few years such as Gone To The Dogs."

On Sunday is Buffalo, an innovative and entertaining mix of global short films. Highlights include screenings of the edgy undergound comedy Tube Poker and the interval will see a performance by the Erykah Badu-esque NY singer Sparlha Swa.

For those on the fringes of the film industry, seminars are organised regarding distribution, funding and location management.

Wandsworth and Westminster Film Festival, Battersea Power Station, Saturday, October 20 and Sunday, October 21, see wandsworth.gov.uk/film.

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