We can’t believe it ourselves – but the 18th Encounters Short Film and Animation Festival is almost upon us!

Kicking off next week in its new slot (Tue 18 - Sun 23 Sept) the Festival, now in its 18th edition, is firmly established as a leading international short film and animation showcase, and is an unmissable annual event on Bristol’s cultural calendar. As well as celebrating international talent Encounters is a true champion of local filmmakers, with South West creativity shining throughout the programme.

Amongst the most hotly anticipated short films in competition, Flytopia (pictured below) by Bristol-based creative team Karni and Saul will have its UK premiere at Watershed on Thu 20 Sept 15:30 as part of Brit 4 - Off the Radar, a selection of British shorts which take an inventive and offbeat look at what's out there and the many mysterious ways it can interrupt our frequencies. Adapted from a short story by Will Self and brought to the screen in a mix of live action and animation, Flytopia is a fantastical tale in which a man enters into a pact with all the insects that live in his house.

Other highlights happening here at Watershed include Shorts 2 Features, the festival's showcase of features from filmmakers already known for their short films, amongst which is another local success story. Young Polish director Katarzyna Klimkiewiecz's Flying Blind was shot in Bristol and made under Creative England's low budget initiative iFeatures. Katarzyna met the film's producer Alison Sterling at Encounters ‘09, where she screened her short Hanoi-Warsaw. Flying Blind is the passionate love story of an older woman and a young Muslim man, in a world where security is paramount and nothing is quite what it seems. The film will have its Bristol preview at Encounters (Sat 22 Sept 15:30) following a world premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival.

Encounters is a great opportunity for up and coming talent to hear from successful, established film professionals and this year we are thrilled to welcome Jeremy Thomas, one of the world’s leading independent producers. He'll be here In Conversation on Fri 21 Sept at 18:00. In a career spanning five decades he has produced an extraordinary range of distinctive films working with directors such as Bernardo Bertolucci, Nic Roeg and David Cronenberg (see our Sunday Brunch Season for a taster of his output). With his Recorded Picture Company he has managed to achieve both longevity and integrity.

Encounters’ Artistic Director Mark Cosgrove said:

“I’m excited that Encounters is happening earlier in the year, giving visitors the chance to sample the delights of Watershed and Bristol in the early Autumn. An important part of Encounters is the opportunity for emerging filmmakers to hear the hard earned wisdom of established filmmaking figures and we are delighted to welcome illustrious talent such as Jeremy Thomas. In attracting such leading names to Bristol, the festival also continues to play a unique role in making the city a centre of excellence in the creative industries.”

One of the ever-popular highlights of the festival will be the Best of South West showcase (Tue 18 Sept 20:00) returning with a mix of home-grown fiction, documentary, animation and all that lies in between. The programme includes an animated road movie by BAFTA-winning director Emma Lazenby, The History of the Orange (pictured below), as well as documentary 7 Stones by Irish writer-director Conor McCormack. And a particular highlight for the Watershed team is always the DepicT! Showcase – don’t miss the tiny shorts on the big screen (Sat 22 Sept at 15:00).

With tickets available to non-delegates from just £5.00 you’d be mad to miss this opportunity to encounter great short films and meet some truly world class talent!

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